La Conner and Long Beach: Great escapes on 10 gallons or less

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Gas prices keeping you close to home this vacation season? Through Labor Day, Northwest Weekend is offering weekly ideas for close-to-Seattle getaways you can get to and back on less than 10 gallons of gas. And just to make it more "real world," our tips are fine-tuned to whether you own a big SUV or a gas-sipping hybrid electric.

The fine print: Our "demo" vehicles are a Lincoln Navigator, which can get you 90 miles away and back (180 miles round-trip) on 10 gallons, and a Toyota Prius, which can get you 255 miles away and back (510 miles round-trip) on 10 gallons.*

The Navigator getaway

You may be a rough, tough SUV kind of driver — ready for the pavement to end at any moment — but we all need to nurture our gentler side on occasion. Set the dashboard navigator for La Conner (67 miles away), the Skagit County town known for tulips, Mark Tobey and Tom Robbins. This weekend they're having what they bill as "Elements," the ("first annual") La Conner Arts Festival (Friday-Sunday). Artists from across the Northwest will offer their work, and local restaurants and service clubs will serve up food. It's also a chance for the town to show off some spiffed-up streets and a new park, part of a major facelift during the past year.

More information: www.laconner.net or 888-642-9284

The Prius getaway

Just because you're careful about consuming resources (or parting with a buck) doesn't mean you don't have a wild side. Breeze on down to the coast (or coast on down for the breeze?) and the Northwest Stunt Kite Championships this weekend at Long Beach, Pacific County (173 miles away, so you'll have gas to spare for a side trip to Leadbetter Point for bird-watching). Demonstration fields will offer visitors a chance to try out various kites, take lessons in kite flying or watch stunt kites in flight. Individual precision and ballet events begin at 10 Saturday and Sunday mornings, and pair and team events will be held both afternoons.

More information: www.funbeach.com or 800-451-2542

* Based on EPA highway-mileage ratings for 2004 vehicles: Prius = 51 mpg. Navigator 2WD = 18 mpg. Trips measured using MapQuest routes from Fourth Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle.