We're out of gas!

Have you ever run out of gas? Probably, most of us have been driving or a passenger in a vehicle when this unpleasant event occurred! When my daughter-in-law Heejin recently ran out of gas, she jokingly said that her punishment would be that I could write about it on my blog. That started me thinking...

Daughter-in-law Heejin's Story
Heejin was on her way to a Cub Scout Hiking Day with my grandson Noah. Since the destination to the scheduled meeting place was unfamiliar, she had used a GPS, but it directed her to drive on a little-traveled gravel road for about 15 miles in the "middle of nowhere". She had planned to buy gas on the way, but unfortunately there were no gas stations! When Heejin told Noah that they were almost out of gas, Noah said, "But I don't want to push the car all the way home by myself!" Heejin continued driving, trying to be calm so she would not alarm Noah again.

When she pulled into the entrance gate of her destination, she inquired about the nearest gas station and was told that it was 10 miles away - on the "paved" road. She pulled into a parking spot, and checked the Fuel Indicator. The reading was that she could go "0" miles! Unfortunately, she could not call us for assistance because she also had no cell service in this remote area!

They started the hike as planned. During the hike, she borrowed a cell phone that had better reception and made a desperate call to us. It was a bad connection, but we were able to distinguish enough to understand her predicament and determine her location. My husband, Charlie, filled a gas can and drove 25 miles to rescue her!

My Son Jacob's Story  
Jacob and his family were minutes from their church in Texas when he ran out of gas. He called the pastor who said he would bring some gasoline. Meanwhile, it started to rain, and the rain turned into a downpour! The pastor arrived and put the gas in Jacob's car during the pouring rain, getting soaked in the process. They told him they would help, but he said there was no reason for them all to get wet. Then they all went to church! 

Daughter-in-law Ashley's Story
Ashley has run out of gas 2 times; the first time was in high school. She was driving an older car, and she slowly pulled off the highway onto a hardware store parking lot. She remembers that her car was very hard to steer. Fortunately, she was able to contact her parents, and they brought her gasoline.

Ashley's second time running out of gas was when she was a college student on her way back to school at NSU. She was only about 10 miles from Natchitoches, and it was late and dark. She knew her gasoline level was low, and she exited to a run-down gas station to refuel. Unfortunately, the gas station was closed! When she completely ran out of gasoline, she pulled off on the side of the road and tearfully called Jacob and her brother. Jacob contacted some friends who were on their way back to school, also. They brought her some gasoline and saved the day!        , 

My Son Joshua's Story 
When I asked Joshua if he had ever run out of gas, his answer was, "No! Never!!" He did admit, however, that he does drive,"...on the edge". He watches his Fuel Indicator and refuels only when there is enough gas remaining for driving 0-10 miles. This drives his wife Natalie crazy!

Daughter-in-law Natalie  
Natalie said she has never run out of gas; she watches the gauges very carefully.


My Dad's Story
The only time that my Dad ran out of gas was "on purpose"! He planned to run out of gas because he was going to put a new gas tank on his truck; therefore the tank had to be completely empty.
  
He filled a 5 gallon can with gasoline and kept it in the back of the truck, waiting until it was needed. He ran out of gas on Corridor G near South Ridge, and put just enough gas in his tank to allow him to get back home.

His mission of an "empty tank" was accomplished, and he skillfully replaced the gas tank!


My Husband Charlie's Story
We were on our way to West Virginia in the Dodge Diesel when this memorable event occurred. We were loaded with a 4-wheeler, so we were not getting the usual gas mileage. The fuel gauge was not working, so my husband was watching the Trip Odometer to determine when we needed to fill up. We stopped at a service station, but it did not have diesel. We continued to the next exit, and the truck stopped just before the ramp! My husband tried to start it again - BIG mistake!! By restarting the engine, he pulled all the fuel out of the engine.

Our then teenage son Jacob volunteered to go for fuel, so he grabbed the gas can and jogged to the nearby station. There he bought 2 gallons of diesel, walked back, and my husband poured it in the Dodge. Charlie then had to "prime" the pump to get it started again, while I was praying. After a lot of pumping, we were greatly relieved when the engine finally started again. We then drove down the ramp to the gas station, filled the Dodge up, and continued on our journey! 

My Story
Living in a very rural area meant that you needed to always have enough gas in your tank to get back home and back again to the nearest gas station, which was quite a distance away. Two of my sons were with me when we had just entered the nearest town with a traffic light. My car just stopped on the highway in front of a gas station which was known for expensive gasoline (I never stopped there!). Instantly, some nice young men ran out from the gas station and pushed my car onto their lot to check it over and find the cause for my troubled car. After a few minutes, one said politely, "Ma'am, you are out of gas!"

I was so embarrassed, I allowed them to push my car nearer a gas pump, where they filled it up! Who cares how much it cost at this time??

What's your story?

  

Out of gas? Necessary equipment!