Holiday Travel and Gas Prices
Gas prices continue to drop as the Christmas holiday week approaches. AAA Oregon is reporting a 8 cent drop this past week with the average price in Oregon at $3.91 a gallon for regular. Here on the coast there has been a significant drop in prices, down almost .20 cents. The average price of a gallon of regular here in Florence is $3.34 a gallon the lowest in almost 10 months. And only .20 cents off the national average. Marie Dodds with AAA Oregon says this all coincides with a busy holiday travel season with more than 1.6 million Oregonians planning to travel next week. Dodds says 2023 has been the second busiest year for Holiday Travel since the company began charting travel. The two busiest travel days are expected to be December 23rd and December 28th. AAA estimates that about 1.4 of the 1.6 million traveling Oregonians will drive this holiday. according to AAA numbers the most likely destinations for those traveling in Oregon are Bend, Portland and Seattle. Top US destinations are Disneyland, Las Vegas, and Disney World. Those choosing to escape the US are headed to London, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta.
King Tides
For the next two days the Florence Coastline will be experiencing King Tides. King tides happen when there is a proper alignment of the earth, sun and moon bringing a swell of water to levels that could be a foot or more above normal tide levels. Today and tomorrow tides will be close to 8 feet and will happen in the noon hour today and just before 2 pm tomorrow. There are no current watches or warnings associated with the phenomenon, but onlookers should still be careful when visiting the coastline. Tides should be viewed from a safe distance.
Christmas Tree Pickup Scheduled
While there are still Christmas trees on several lots around Florence, Western Lane Fire and EMS Authority has published their dates for retrieving you live trees after the holidays. For a donation of 5 dollars the Siuslaw Valley Firefighters Association will pick your tree up, but you do have to call and let them know. The two dates for pick up are December 30th and January 6th. and will be from 10am until 2 pm. to schedule a pickup you need to call 541-997-3212.
