The blue Chevrolet minivan pulled to a bank of pumps on the Belt Highway, and its driver stepped out to fill the gas tank ahead of the long Memorial Day weekend.

There was a nagging fear in Marie Thornton while she watched the numbers on the pump spin faster than a slot machine: How much is it going to cost the next time?

It used to be $60 to fill the tank (she put only $20 in on Friday). She said she usually plans a summer camping trip for her seven children, but because of the record gas prices, there will be no vacation, except a trip to a nearby park.

“I’m always thinking what I’m going to do in one or two weeks,” said Ms. Thornton, who runs a home cleaning service using her van.

In the Midwest and nationally, AAA projects holiday travel will fall 1 percent from a year ago. In the Northeast, travel should slip 3 percent this weekend.

Those who are willing to spend $3.72 a gallon to leave St. Joseph may enjoy at least one benefit: less holiday traffic.

Mike Right, a spokesman for AAA Missouri, said record gas prices are beginning to show on people’s decision to drive long distances.

“As the price continues to escalate, more people will choose destinations closer to home or forgo weekend outings,” he said.

And that’s true for Michael Moore, 18. He said he doesn’t drive as much and catches himself when he feels like cruising around in his car.

“We usually go boating (over Memorial Day weekend), and we might,” he said. “But it would be a big waste of gas.

Prices for regular unleaded hit another record Friday, averaging $3.72 in Missouri, which is 50 cents less than the national average, AAA reported. The price in Missouri during Memorial Day in 2007 was $3.21, or 20 percent less.

That means it now costs $87 to fill a Ford Explorer SUV, up $14 from last year. It costs $72 to fill a mid-sized Honda Accord, up $12.

It all adds up, and not just for Memorial Day excursions.

The average work commute this year for people who live and work in St. Joseph is eight miles each way.

The St. Joseph Metropolitan Planning Organization included nearby Savannah, Mo., and Wathena, Kan., when calculating the average St. Joseph worker’s drive to his or her job.

“It may get to the point where people make have to decide whether they drive to work or whether they watch cable television,” said Dr. Rebecca Travnichek, family financial education specialist with Andrew County Extension.

And for motorists hoping for a reprieve from record prices, there is no gas ceiling.

Most analysts think regular unleaded gasoline will break $4 a gallon as early as next week. It reached a high of $3.79 in St. Joseph at midweek. And Goldman Sachs is predicting oil will reach $200 a barrel, pushing pump prices beyond $6 a gallon, within a year.

Gas also has become the basis of new marketing strategies.

One dealership in Butler, Mo., gives anyone who buys a new car the choice between a semi-automatic handgun or $250 in gas.

“We got high gas prices, theft, carjackings, innocent people getting hurt,” Walter Moore with Max Motors told Kansas City’s KMBC TV station.

“Like I say, it’s a choice — protection or gas,” he told the station. He said 80 percent of customers choose the gun.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Ahmad Safi can be reached at ahmadsafi@npgco.com.