Gas Station Woes

[Bobbie Mayer]

I had a horrible experience my first trip, in a small Napa valley town. One row of pumps and I could not get in before some idiot grabbed the spot from the other direction. Finally I got out and asked an attendant to hold the spot for me so I could pull in, and happily he did. I was low on gas or I would have gone on, but I didn't know how low so couldn't take a chance.

No problems since. Part of the problem then was gas tank on passenger side which is the less common side so even with the trailer it can be an issue.

[floyd]

We have problems at the pump so seldom that when it does occur, it stands out
.
Throughout the Midwest, pumps are self serve and almost always have a "pay at the pump" option. This tends to move customers along well enough to avoid waiting.

That being said...
On the way home from Clearlake, we stopped for fuel and there were lines at both islands, Things were slow but orderly until a young woman went around and pulled in at a pump in the opposite direction of the line. She then got out and went into the "C" store without pumping any gas. I was at the pump and facing her (front to front) with 3 or 4 customers waiting behind me. I pumped my fuel and waited, not being able to leave.
What seemed like an eternity passed with traffic backing up and no exit available. At long last, she returned to her car, looking relieved and with arms loaded with snacks and drinks. She then proceeded to have a discussion with her passenger (apparently about snack preferences), followed, after some time, by loading some of the stuff into the back seat.

She then approached the pump with a bewildered look on her face, as if she were confronted with alien technology! Then after much study and an obvious lack of proficiency, she was able to insert the nozzle and begin fueling her car. More minutes went by as she moved with the apparent speed, and motivation of a slug. Finally she entered her car,ajusted herself behind the wheel, opened a snack and a drink, and backed out, totally oblivious to the world around her.This adding to the consternation of those waiting.
I was then able to leave, and did so without hesitation,failing to check for a slime trail but not loosing traction as I passed the island before me!

[Roger C H]

Floyd,
Loved your story about the clueless woman. (She wasn't blonde, was she?)

I remember the time I watched a woman fuel her car while an older woman in the passenger seat proceeded to smoke a cigarette.

Or the time we were across the street standing on the sidewalk watching a fire at a Clark station in Milwaukee. The flames were licking the side of a fill truck. Apparently he had a spill and there is always an ignition source about. (In retrospect, it probably wasn't the most intelligent thing I ever did.) I could smell the gas in the air. The police actually had to come across the street and tell people to please extinguish their cigarettes.

[Edward83burro]

James, I find that works well for me. Must be my advancing age, but even when I am trapped, or have to wait a long time to get to the pump; no big deal anymore. I'm not retired yet, but I find myself becoming more patient knowing that this mad rush life I'm living is on the fast track to the day when I get the faux gold watch. :0)

[rgrugg]

Those same clueless people abound in grocery stores blocking aisles while staring at shelves and chatting with friends. You can both look and chat without blocking aisles.

[Pam Garlow]

Originally Posted by rgrugg

Those same clueless people abound in grocery stores blocking aisles while staring at shelves and chatting with friends. You can both look and chat without blocking aisles.

What bothers me in a grocery store, while I'm cluelessly reading labels and blocking someone from passing, is that no one says; "Excuse me, I need to get by you". But instead, I usually I turn around (to put the perfect can of peaches into my cart) and find them fuming and waiting for clueless me to notice them.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by CarolMarie

Thank you all for your encouraging wisdom! What had happened was I was in the Adirondack mountains and by the time I got to the bottom of the mountain road, my tank was quite low. I pulled into the first gas station in the first town (along with everyone else) and could not get into the station and the trailer was sticking out into the road so I drove through, around the bank parking lot and back into the station....wrong side of the tanks...drove out and around the bank parking lot and back into the garage and someone cut in front....drove around again and finally got gas but had to wait for a clear space to leave.
CarolMarie

LOL I had almost the same thing happen at Three Sisters in Oregon this summer! When I finally got to a gas pump it was a new all time low record for me as far as how many gallons of gas the cars readout told me in regards to how many miles worth of gas I had left in the tank. Was running on fumes according to the car.

I had not paid a great deal of attention to the map before heading off in the morning to see the distants between towns big enough to have gas stations and I had a long run that day that included a high pass. Was near the top of the pass and say the milage signs & my cars read out calculated that I had only about half that amount of miles left in the gas tank to get there! I realized it was calculating that based on what I had just consummed going up the pass so know I would do way better than that as the grade was going to change to down hill - but still it looked like I was in big trouble. To add to the stress of that bad news I then came upon two serious accidents resulting in long lines of stop and go traffic. On coming to the second accident I just pulled over and made some lunch rather than moving forward a few yards every few minutes. The good news was once the traffic started to move I was at the top of the pass so I was able to go down it most of the way without touching the gas pedal as the traffic was bumper to bumper and no one was breaking any speed records.

A lesson well learned! Check the map for distants between towns before heading out in the morning!

[john warren]

yup,,,always look before you leap!

look the area over before you pull in to make sure you can get back out.

truck stops are a good choice as they usually have more space.

and don't wait until you have run so low you have no option.

a lot of times small towns are better

[steve dunham]

We drive less than 200 miles a day on average so we arrive at our next campsite by about 1:00 PM, set up and then go sightseeing sans trailer .I fill up when we are sightseeing without the trailer and the truck is full when we head to our next location, avoiding fueling with the trailer connected . I find this easier than fighting traffic at a gas station

[Sharon G]

Originally Posted by james kent

When gassing up at a pump and someone is waiting behind I smile, wave, and say thank-you before getting back in the tow and driving away. Usually I get a wave and a smile in return or at least a nod of the head. If you sow a smile, you may reap a few in return instead of the one finger wave.

That makes a huge difference in a lot of situations.

Sometimes people are just nasty, but a lot of times they are just stressed and preoccupied and a smile can give you both a lift.

As for where to get gas, we always try to stop at truck stops if they are available. If not, we cruise until we find a place that looks easy to get into and out of.