The days of heading up to my summer retreat near Parry Sound every weekend may be coming to an end...or at least may be greatly reduced.

With the price of fuel hitting all time highs and speculation it could climb even higher this summer, I suspect I won't be the only one sipping beverages in my backyard rather than around the cottage camp fire.

Last summer, it cost me approximately $90 ($45 each way) in fuel to travel to my little piece of paradise on Horseshoe Lake. And that was when gas prices were hovering around the 90-cent mark. Some analysts have warned that with the summer driving season sure to boost gasoline demand, the average pump price could easily rise to $1.40 a litre within a few months.

At that price, just the drive up north would cost more than $125. Add that up over 10 weekends during the summer and that's a big chunk of change.

The price of fuel is also driving me to consider purchasing a smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicle in the next year.

The move away from larger vehicles will be welcome news to all those people who despise gas-guzzling SUVs, which currently dominate our roadways.

After years of owning hand-me-down clunkers and four cylinder slow pokes, I've finally reached my goal of owning a four-wheel drive vehicle. However, that aspiration has come at a steep cost at the pumps. Now I have to pay at least $60 to fill my tank. I used to think $40 was expensive.

With gas prices sure to rise, I think more and more people may be forced to cut the amount of driving they do or consider carpooling more often. If I didn't need my vehicle for work, I'd be more than happy to use public transit. It's affordable and good for the environment.

If I were to take public transit from where I live right now to our office in Dundas, it would take me well over 90 minutes and numerous transfers. That's part of the problem with public transit in its current form. It's slow and not very practical.

However, as gas prices go up and demand for public transit grows, hopefully the infrastructure investments will follow.

The reality is, fuel prices aren't going down, as demand increases in developing countries like China and India. That's a lot of people to supply and we all know markets are driven by supply and demand.

I think the time has come that we all stop sucking on the oil teat. Evidence has proven our reliance on fossil fuels has caused considerable damage to the environment and is a direct contributor to global warming. Yet we still gobble up fuel at record levels.

I'd love to stop making rich Middle East oil tycoons even richer; especially the ones who use their profits to fund terrorist groups. It's almost pathetic to think that we continue to support these regimes.

And what about alternative energy? Why has it taken so long for the auto industry to bring to market consumer vehicles that use alternative forms of energy?

Hydrogen is the most versatile of renewable energy resources - a universal fuel that can be burned in an engine or integrated into a fuel cell to power vehicles, buildings and homes, utility power plants and anything else that uses electrical energy.

Hydrogen vehicles are currently on roads in California and Japan, but a mass transition would require major infrastructure changes to build filling stations.

Some of the major automakers are starting to realize the oil bubble is about the burst. Consumers can't continue to pay rising gas prices and will demand options.

Ford, Chevy, Chrysler, Honda, BMW, Audi, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda and many others are developing and selling hydrogen-powered cars. These are different from the 'hybrid' vehicles now on the market.

In an effort to get people to switch to hybrid vehicles, which use electricity combined with gasoline to power engines, governments are starting to offer tax incentives. That's also a good start.

Green cars are the future and if you're considering purchasing a new vehicle in the next few years, I would suggest looking into a hybrid model.

I know I will and maybe sooner rather than later. Then, maybe, I can afford to go back to my little summer retreat. This summer, I guess the backyard will have to do.

To submit a Guest Opinion, please contact Deb Downey, 905-308-7757, ext. 330.

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