Yeah, you know you have done it, or you have come close. Trying to see how far you can go before you run out of gas. Trying to see if the gas gauge is accurate. Trying to see if “E” really means empty.
I was having one of those days where I was testing all of the above things. I was also terribly late for picking up my milk (yeah, long story). So I was driving an hour away to pick up my milk (I know, I know), and I was running low. My gas gauge has been acting up and sometimes it will be at an eighth or sixteenth and be telling the truth… but not this day.
So at about 20 miles out I was feeling confident. At 10 I was hoping. At 5, I was starting to get worried. I saw the sign for the exit I needed in a couple miles and it seemed my car was running a bit funny. And then it happened. Gah, guh, guh, gone. Luckily I was going so fast that I actually coasted to the exit ramp and was stranded near the beginning of the ramp. The friends that I was meeting picked me up at the end of the ramp and drove me to a gas station where I got a container and brought it back to my car. So it rather worked out in the end.
Still, running out of gas can be a harrowing experience for some people. So, here are some recommendations if you should run out of gas.
1. Have good listening music. It helps.
2. Have an extra gas container handy so you don’t have to buy one.
3. Have good walking shoes and an umbrella just in case.
4. Have the number of a nearby friend.
5. Have roadside assistance, something like, maybe, perhaps Triple A.
6. Have no fear. It will be ok… unless you are in the middle of nowhere with no good music, no walking shoes, no umbrella, no friends, no cell coverage, no roadside assistance, and not a living thing in sight.
Have you ever run out of gas?
