On her latest road trip, Colleen Powers , a University softball player, took on the elements to save on gas. She shut off her vehicle’s air conditioning all the way from Minneapolis to St. Louis, Mo., and back.

“I don’t blast my A/C anymore because, obviously, it wastes half of the gas tank,” she said.

Her road trip led to St. Louis for her annual family reunion and Fourth of July bash – a ride of 562 miles, one way, according to Mapquest.com.

This year, Powers rode with her mother in a Volkswagen Beetle convertible.

The convertible was a good choice, she said, because with the top down, she didn’t have to fry in her non-air-conditioned ride.

“Usually, getting there is a little different because I sweat my brains out,” Powers said.