Brian Moyer hitched his gas-powered boat to the back of his SUV, packed his fishing poles and picked up his grandson, A.J. Moser, for an early Wednesday fishing trip.

Along the way to Beltzville State Park, he topped off the boat’s fuel tank.

He didn’t give it a second thought.

“No matter what the price of gas, we wanted to do this,” explained Moyer, who traveled about 40 miles to the Franklin Township lake from his home in Shoemakersville. “We wanted to enjoy ourselves.”

Approaching the Independence Day weekend, gas prices in Pennsylvania are still at record highs and average about $4.95 per gallon this week. The cost is almost 7 cents lower than last week but substantially more than the $3.19 price a year ago, according to the AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

Moyer can’t deny that prices have jumped but said he won’t allow it to ruin his fishing trips or his holiday plans.

“My grandson is going on vacation to Rehoboth Beach in a few days,” Moser explained. “I will probably go there for a day to visit.”

Moyer isn’t alone; AAA predicts that 47.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from their homes this holiday weekend. And about 42 million of them will hit the road in their own vehicles, despite the price at the pump.

“It won’t impact me at all,” said Danny Rankovich, who lives near the park. He will attend an Independence Day celebration hosted by local friends.

He’s been staying in the area for about two years now, he said. But before the COVID-19 pandemic and before he broke his clavicle, Rankovich would spend the beginning of July in Europe visiting family and friends.

Sue Rand of Kunkletown said she didn’t have any travel plans.

It’s not because of the gas prices, however, it’s just that she typically spends the holiday at or near her home.

She enjoyed Wednesday with her daughter, Carey Kirkwood, and her two granddaughters, who were visiting from Olympia, Washington.

“Gas was $6.15 a gallon” at the beginning of the week in Washington, Kirkwood said. “It might have come down a little since then. I’m not sure. You fill your tank but you don’t want to look (at the cost).”

When she flies back to Washington, Kirkwood will ready her converted school bus for a camping excursion. Given its size, the home away from home guzzles fuel.

So instead of traveling as far as they normally would, the family decided to condense its Independence Day trip, Kirkwood said.

AAA said drivers should expect the longest travel delays heading into the holiday weekend, particularly during this afternoon and Friday afternoon as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers.

“The volume of travelers we expect to see over Independence Day is a definite sign that summer travel is kicking into high gear,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “Earlier this year, we started seeing the demand for travel increase and it’s not tapering off. People are ready for a break and despite things costing more, they are finding ways to still take that much needed vacation.”

While Moyer and Moser reported quiet conditions at the lake Wednesday, boaters can expect more traffic on the water this weekend.

The record-high gas prices have many boaters saving and waiting for Independence Day, which could result in one of the busiest on-water holidays in decades, according to the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS).

“We are anticipating a tsunami of boaters like never before seen,” said John Condon, of BoatUS, an advocacy, services and safety group with more than 800,000 members. “Our members are telling us that they’re waiting until the July Fourth holiday weekend to take their boats out.”