Interesting account. Living in the Midwest, I've made several trips like this in various directions, and like you, for me it's definitely losing it's appeal.

The big plus: a quick calculation suggests that it's twice as expensive (at a minimum) for me to fly four people on a trip like this, versus renting a car and driving. Of course, there are a number of additional factors

• With a car, you can more-or-less completely control the schedule,
• Flying arguably saves you a hotel night or so, a day's worth of restaurants, etc.,
• Flying is probably still safer, even with the bankruptcies, etc.,
• But, if you fly you have to submit to security probes that are quite annoying, rapidly moving towards creepy.

For me, the first choice is "neither"--I can't recall the last time I took a lengthy trip for a vacation, though this has little to do with energy prices.