The average price of gas in Vacationland on Monday was $3.94 a gallon, 13 cents higher than the national average, according to MaineGasPrices.com.

By Tuesday evening it was $4.01, 16 cents higher than the national average, according to the same watchdog website.

And people in the Twin Cities were feeling the pain at the pump.

“The gas prices are outrageous and they’re controlled by politics,” Cam Cote of Lewiston said. “And with this being an election year, you would think someone would be controlling the prices a little better.”

Cote, like most, expressed frustration over the daily rise in gas prices as he pumped nearly $40 worth of gas into his girlfriend’s 2001 Saturn.

On Tuesday evening, gas prices in the Twin Cities stood on both sides of the state average, with Auburn seeing a cost range between $3.95 and $4.01 per gallon, according to MaineGasPrices.com, while Lewiston prices ranged from $3.93 to $4.08 per gallon. The website is operated by GasBuddy Organization, a collection of websites on which consumers post and view retail gas-pricing information by state.

In July, during what would have been considered peak summer travel, the state’s average gas price was $3.55 per gallon; the national average was $3.45. Gas prices in Lewiston-Auburn hovered around the state average.

Cote said that in addition to rising gas prices, the sharp rate increase on the Maine Turnpike continues to hurt drivers, especially those who, like his girlfriend, travel the toll road for work regularly.

“You’re getting stabbed by one side and you’re getting taken by the other,” Cote said.

He said he normally goes to not only the same gas station, but even the same pump, regularly in an effort to better track fuel efficiency. He often fills his tank five times, marking down the amount of gas put in each time, and then adds the gas amounts together and divides them by the trip odometer to get the most accurate miles-per-gallon rate.

Abby Hutchins of Bethel also pays attention to the pumps during her 71-mile round-trip commute to work in the Lewiston-Auburn area.

The 22-year-old said she rarely fills up her tank. Hutchins said she more often puts in $20 here, $25 there, every couple of days during the workweek. Overall, she said, she spends anywhere from $60 to $80 per week fueling her car.

“I don’t get angry about it,” she said. “You know? You got to go to work. You got to put gas in your car. It’s just part of the circle, unless you’re one of the lucky people who can walk to work.”

Many of those experiencing wallet pain at the pumps agreed with Cote that the government should be doing more about controlling gas prices. Larando Sweeting questioned what he could do when it came to rising prices.

The Auburn resident said it took $70 to fill up his Jeep Grand Cherokee this week. Last month, it was closer to $50. Like Cote, he also believed the government had a lot to do with the gas prices and resigned himself to the fact that the prices are what they are.

“It’s government,” Sweeting said. “There ain’t much about it we can do once they set a price. Either you drive or you walk or ride a bike or catch a cab. It’s something we’ve gotten used to and accepted. Being mad about it isn’t going to change anything.”