Americans take to road but cautious after gas shock

"The lower gas prices allowed us to take more trips and do more," he said.

Green shoots can be seen elsewhere. The number of visitors surged in May at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, a popular wildlife and tourist spot.

After four months of declining or flat visitation, Yellowstone saw a huge uptick in May -- an increase of 20.1 percent to 261,763 visitors compared to May 2008, according to the National Park Service.

"An analysis of past visitation trends also indicates park visitation typically rebounds as the country begins to pull out of an economic downturn," it said.

There are other signs of Americans sticking close to home.

The Vineyards Campground & Cabins, where Neal and Linkletter were staying, said that in 2007 and 2008 about 10 percent of its guests were from Grapevine and 71 percent in both years hailed from Texas.