A light rain began to fall yesterday afternoon as Harold Gee pumped gas into his navy blue Dodge Stratus. His eyes glanced at the digital display as the figure clicked higher and higher. His mood seemed as low as the price was high.

Along with Gee, five other motorists were scattered at the pumps at the Exxon station on Forbes Avenue in Oakland. The $1.96 per gallon price tag for regular unleaded did not seem to stop them from pulling up.

"I was just thinking how crazy the gas prices were," said Gee, 20, of Highland Park. "I can't believe I am paying this much to put gas in my car.

"Every time I go to a gas station, I get mad," he said.

Gee works across the street from the station. He was out of gas and it was the closest one.

"I pulled up with no gas," he said, "now I'm leaving with no money."

Gas prices reached a historic high in Western Pennsylvania this week. The average price of a gallon of unleaded, self-serve gasoline is $1.908, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.

The higher gas prices are due to the rising price of crude oil. It reached a 13-year high of $40 a barrel yesterday, said Bevi Norris, director of public relations for AAA. That increase has been blamed on cutbacks in oil production by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and high demand by consumers.

Despite long faces and cries of frustration, the price increases are not deterring motorists from driving or planning vacations.

"Public transit is not an option," Gee said. "Ever since I got my license, I haven't looked back."

In fact, AAA reported that the number of travelers has increased steadily since September 2001, and more people are using the company's TripTiks service to get around.

TripTiks help travelers determine the shortest routes between destinations.

"We are still seeing people taking trips," Norris said. "Gas prices do not seem to be affecting their trips too much. Motorists are more aware of the costs and are using tools, such as our [online] fuel cost calculator, to manage their spending. Some may also choose to take the more economical vehicle."

While many would agree that current fuel prices are stinging motorists in the pockets, historically, gasoline prices today are not all that high.

When adjusted for inflation in 2004 dollars, the highest U.S. gas price was nearly $3 a gallon in March 1981, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That spike in price came on the heels of limited oil supplies following the Iranian revolution and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war.

Inflation adjustments do little to calm consumers.

VWH Campbell, Post-Gazette Sherrie Boles, of Cheswick, watches the price tick higher as she fills her pickup truck with diesel fuel at $1.829 a gallon in Delmont. Usually, a full tank for her truck runs $45 to $50. Boles uses the truck to haul horses. Click photo for larger image.

"It's shocking," said Marcus Whitted, 27, of Cranberry, who was filling up his Jeep Wrangler at $1.95 a gallon at a BP station on McKnight Road. "I feel like asking my boss for a raise so I can pay for this."

Consumers are not the only ones feeling the grip on their wallets. Service station owners are also getting burned by the rise in gas prices.

"It doesn't seem like motorists are cutting back on the use of their vehicles," said Nancy Maricondi, executive director of the Petroleum Retailers and Auto Repair Association. "Our dealers are feeling the crunch."

Processing fees on gas purchased with credit cards have increased and many independent stations make little or no profit on credit purchases, she said.

Something else to keep in mind as the summer travel season approaches is that gas stations must switch the fuel in the pumps to a low-vapor summer blend that is a more refined product and easier on the environment. The mixture also tends to be slightly more expensive.

Expensive or not, motorists are still fueling their vehicles out of necessity.

"I'm not happy about the price," said Jane Alu, 33, of Shadyside, who was pumping gas into her Volkswagen Jetta at $1.98 a gallon at a Texaco station along Banksville Road. "I try not to focus on it. If I think about it, it will just upset me. It's a part of my life. I have to drive my car to work."