My lousy trip home from the gig

[Richland123]

The gas gauge in my van has been broken for years. I should have had way more than enough gas to get home last night (or, so I thought I did).

I ran out of gas on the way home and made it far enough to pull off the side of the road along the exit ramp near a Mall about 6 miles from my housel.

It was very nasty weather right and very cold. I figured I had two choices. I could call AAA to send somebody with gas but at 3:00 a.m. that could have taken a couple hours and it was cold. My other choice was to walk to a 24 hour gas station near the mall about 1-1/2 miles each way from where I stopped. Of course, I chose option two and had to walk along the road to the gas station. Not that far in nice weather but it sure was a long walk both ways last night and at least there was no traffic on road. The road was crappy with snow and slush and the wind was bitter cold. I made it to the gas station and they had two 1.2 gallon gas cans and I bought one and filled it with gas and then had to walk back to the van. No fun!

I put the gas in and those new gas cans are a royal pain to get gas to flow out of them with the new safety features that prevent easy flow. So, gas went all over the side of the van, my hands, and it took a while to empty it. After a few attempts, it started up and I went back to the gas station to get enough gas to get home.

The good thing is that it stopped at least close enough to a gas station and I was able to walk and get gas and finally get home safely.

[Joe Milo]

Now that is a total bummer........I've had that happen once before and its a true sinking feeling in your gut when your left stranded along side the road.

[onosson]

Sorry to hear that! I was driving to a gig in Saskatoon on Friday night (about an 8 hour drive... but that's another story), and ended up driving behind a semi which was throwing off swirling clouds of snow. I lost sight of the edge of the road for a second, got caught on a snowdrift and ended up in the ditch in about two feet of snow. It was about -20 C outside, which wasn't too bad - I was dressed for the weather and had an extra parka and boots with me, as well as a shovel. I was about an hour south of Saskatoon at that point, but I had my cellphone and a CAA membership. I called and ended up on hold for more than half an hour. In the meantime 4 different vehicles stopped to see if I was ok (which I was). One guy called his brother who lived 10 minutes away and "had a truck". I told CAA about this when I finally got through shortly after that, and decided to cancel my call and see if this guy could get me out.

He showed up in a pickup truck, not a tow truck. And not a big pickup either, just a little Ford. With a rope that had two big hooks on it. I thought "there's no way I'm getting out - I'm in two feet of snow, 30 feet from the highway, in a van getting pulled out by a little truck". But... he gunned it, the van started to move, and next thing I knew I was on the road again! (cue Willie Nelson). The guy didn't even want any money! I saw him farther up the highway in the ditch himself - he had driven in deliberately and was doing donuts (spinning his truck in circles, for you non-Canadians) in the snow.

Restored my faith in humanity, or at least Canadians, or at least Saskatchewanians. They're good people.

[okcrum]

I had an idler pulley seize, disintegrate, and shred the serpentine belt in the car on the way home last night. I was close enough to get home w/o overheating the engine, and the parts will be here tomorrow. It'll be warm too, so I'm not complaining too much. Odd ride home, I also barely missed a buck standing dead center in the lane on a 65 mph highway. The old boy didn't so much as budge.

[jondog]

That sucks! Same thing happened to me, except it was after a Halloween party so there was no snow and I was dressed as a vampire and we were on the Garden State Parkway so there was a ton of traffic and vampire shoes suck so I tripped off the edge of the road and twisted my ankle and my date waited in the truck and took a nap. Other than that it was exactly the same!

[Fishheadjoe]

Originally Posted by Richland123

The gas gauge in my van has been broken for years. I should have had way more than enough gas to get home last night (or, so I thought I did).

I ran out of gas on the way home and made it far enough to pull off the side of the road along the exit ramp near a Mall about 6 miles from my housel.

It was very nasty weather right and very cold. I figured I had two choices. I could call AAA to send somebody with gas but at 3:00 a.m. that could have taken a couple hours and it was cold. My other choice was to walk to a 24 hour gas station near the mall about 1-1/2 miles each way from where I stopped. Of course, I chose option two and had to walk along the road to the gas station. Not that far in nice weather but it sure was a long walk both ways last night and at least there was no traffic on road. The road was crappy with snow and slush and the wind was bitter cold. I made it to the gas station and they had two 1.2 gallon gas cans and I bought one and filled it with gas and then had to walk back to the van. No fun!

I put the gas in and those new gas cans are a royal pain to get gas to flow out of them with the new safety features that prevent easy flow. So, gas went all over the side of the van, my hands, and it took a while to empty it. After a few attempts, it started up and I went back to the gas station to get enough gas to get home.

The good thing is that it stopped at least close enough to a gas station and I was able to walk and get gas and finally get home safely.

Hit the tripometer every time you fill up and keep an eye on your mileage. Fuel gage died in my truck and it's a $900.00 repair! Uhm, no, I'll use the tripometer and re-fill when it gets close to 300 klicks.
Fishheadjoe

[whitedk57]

Originally Posted by onosson

and was doing donuts (spinning his truck in circles, for you non-Canadians) in the snow.

Yeah, we do donuts down in here in the lower 48 too, eh?

[onosson]

Originally Posted by whitedk57

Yeah, we do donuts down in here in the lower 48 too, eh?

lol - I didn't want to assume, eh!

but I'm guessing you guys probably don't do much bumpershining...

[Richland123]

Originally Posted by Fishheadjoe

Hit the tripometer every time you fill up and keep an eye on your mileage. Fuel gage died in my truck and it's a $900.00 repair! Uhm, no, I'll use the tripometer and re-fill when it gets close to 300 klicks.
Fishheadjoe

That is exactly what I do with the trip odometer but I figure I must not have filled it up the whole way and thought I had enough gas.

Hey Fishheadjoe, I was in Toronto about 6 weeks ago, I should have looked you up. Anyway, when I filled up in Canada, it was not so easy figuring out gas (in litres) and mileage (in kilometers) with my U.S. vehicle so I filled up a few times just to be safe.

[thesilence]

I've had worst (or at least to me it was worst) coming home from a gig a couple months ago i got a ticket for speeding and then five miles later had a deer come through my windshield, and the gig wasn't even that great of one. Needless to say the only good thing to come out of that night was plenty of meat and a nice wall ornament (9 point)

[whitedk57]

Originally Posted by onosson

lol - I didn't want to assume, eh!

but I'm guessing you guys probably don't do much bumpershining...

Only when we wash the car, lol. Some people drift, but I find that hard to do in my pickup truck.

[onosson]

It involves cars and icy roads, kind of like waterskiing without the skis or water!

[StuartV]

Originally Posted by onosson

It was about -20 C outside, which wasn't too bad

Not too bad?!?!?!

[onosson]

Originally Posted by StuartV

Not too bad?!?!?!

It's going to -33 tonight... and it was a bit colder than that a couple days ago.

But I'm still gonna go out and see a couple bands! A rare night off...

[LSquared]

Originally Posted by Richland123

The gas gauge in my van has been broken for years. I should have had way more than enough gas to get home last night (or, so I thought I did).

I ran out of gas on the way home and made it far enough to pull off the side of the road along the exit ramp near a Mall about 6 miles from my housel.

It was very nasty weather right and very cold. I figured I had two choices. I could call AAA to send somebody with gas but at 3:00 a.m. that could have taken a couple hours and it was cold. My other choice was to walk to a 24 hour gas station near the mall about 1-1/2 miles each way from where I stopped. Of course, I chose option two and had to walk along the road to the gas station. Not that far in nice weather but it sure was a long walk both ways last night and at least there was no traffic on road. The road was crappy with snow and slush and the wind was bitter cold. I made it to the gas station and they had two 1.2 gallon gas cans and I bought one and filled it with gas and then had to walk back to the van. No fun!

I put the gas in and those new gas cans are a royal pain to get gas to flow out of them with the new safety features that prevent easy flow. So, gas went all over the side of the van, my hands, and it took a while to empty it. After a few attempts, it started up and I went back to the gas station to get enough gas to get home.

The good thing is that it stopped at least close enough to a gas station and I was able to walk and get gas and finally get home safely.

Pretty nasty. I had a pickup truck for 19 years, the gas gauge didn't work for almost the entire time I had it. I was pretty phobic about running out, though, seldom let it get close.
.
And forget AAA. I ditched them 20 years ago. They were great as long as you didn't need them. Every time I needed them they failed. Slowly. But that's another set of stories.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by Richland123

The gas gauge in my van has been broken for years. I should have had way more than enough gas to get home last night (or, so I thought I did).

I ran out of gas on the way home and made it far enough to pull off the side of the road along the exit ramp near a Mall about 6 miles from my housel.

It was very nasty weather right and very cold. I figured I had two choices. I could call AAA to send somebody with gas but at 3:00 a.m. that could have taken a couple hours and it was cold. My other choice was to walk to a 24 hour gas station near the mall about 1-1/2 miles each way from where I stopped. Of course, I chose option two and had to walk along the road to the gas station. Not that far in nice weather but it sure was a long walk both ways last night and at least there was no traffic on road. The road was crappy with snow and slush and the wind was bitter cold. I made it to the gas station and they had two 1.2 gallon gas cans and I bought one and filled it with gas and then had to walk back to the van. No fun!

I put the gas in and those new gas cans are a royal pain to get gas to flow out of them with the new safety features that prevent easy flow. So, gas went all over the side of the van, my hands, and it took a while to empty it. After a few attempts, it started up and I went back to the gas station to get enough gas to get home.

The good thing is that it stopped at least close enough to a gas station and I was able to walk and get gas and finally get home safely.

In the amount of time you put in walking to and fro, filling the gas cans, etc. you probably could have called AAA and been on your way without leaving the comfort of your car.

[Richland123]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

In the amount of time you put in walking to and fro, filling the gas cans, etc. you probably could have called AAA and been on your way without leaving the comfort of your car.

Sorry to say that would not have worked out that fast. It was 3:00 a.m. and no AAA stations are open around here at that time and it would have taken quite awhile to get there and it was about zero degrees F with a -10 windchill factor with no heat in the van. It was faster the way I did it. If I would have stopped further away, I would have had no choice but to call AAA. Hey, we are getting another snow storm here right now but I am staying home tonight. Good thing we have a close gig Friday.

[okcrum]

Man, about the only thing worse would have been getting jumped by a bear in the middle of all this.

[Richland123]

Originally Posted by okcrum

Man, about the only thing worse would have been getting jumped by a bear in the middle of all this.

Funny you mention a bear. There are 2 bears that have been seen frequently in my yard recently and a few weeks ago a coyote ran out in front of my van right by my house coming home after a gig. When I come home after a gig, I always look to see if any large carniverous critters are hanging around my yard.

[okcrum]

Same here, except it's mostly coyotes, javelina, and bobcats. The bear and mountain lions don't come off the mountains nearby unless it's a really bad winter for the deer and elk herds, or it's night time.