Running on Empty
Sunday, Michael wanted to drive out to Mount Hood so we got together late morning and headed out. I had the rental car which I had picked up with a full tank of gas at the airport and I thought I would never be able to use all of it in five days. I was very wrong since I spent the majority of each day in Portland getting lost and driving all over hell and back. That is the bad thing, the good thing is that I did learn my way around the entire city.
When we started the trip to Mount Hood, I had a little less than a quarter of a tank left I told Michael that we needed to stop for gas. At that exact moment we past an exit and I reiterated that we really needed to stop at the next exit, the thing was there was not a next exit. We were driving along the road by the Columbia Gorge and there were NO gas stations. I started to just think it was just inevitable that we would run out of gas and relaxed since there was nothing to do but keep driving.
The last time I ran out of gas was in a rental car going to Florida with Michael and Amanda about five years ago. I must admit that I picked up that car for the trip and never looked at the gas gauge. AT ALL. It was a big surprise when the car sputtered ans died somewhere past Auburn Alabama on I-85. I told the kids that I would just call 911. They both screamed at me, ” no you can’t do that. 911 is for emergencies!” I said, ” And just what do you think this is?”
The only other time I have run out of gas, was on the Golden Gate Bridge in rush hour traffic. I was driving a mini van with four nine year old boys I babysat for, in the back of the van yelling, “We’re going to die!”, as the semis kept coming and swerving around us to avoid plowing into us. We didn’t die, within a couple of nanoseconds, some good Samaritan pulled over right in front of us with a gas can, ran over to the tank, poured in some gas and was off in a flash. We were too.
Sunday, the gas gods were smiling on us because with a hair left before the line was sitting smack on empty there in the distance finally was an exit and it had gas. We filled up and were on our way. Isn’t Mount Hood beautiful?
