What? No diesel for my RV

I got word that the gods at worldwithoutoil.org just threw me a curve -- as they said "Well folks, diesel hit the wall this week - a sudden drop in availability causing an equally sudden price jump. And trucks are getting stranded and whatever they're carrying isn't getting to where it's supposed to be. There's no clear word on why this happened - diesel was doing really well, the truckers seemed to have it together." They said the price, if you can get it, went to $4.03 per gallon.

Now I don't mind the price increase -- seems only fair, but not being able to find fuel is a real bummer for an RVer. Luckily, I have just settled into an RV park in the middle of Oregon. I have a quarter of a tank of diesel in the truck, and we are only 3/4 mile from downtown Sutherlin. It will do me good to walk for food.

I will also keep my ears open for when one of the gas stations around here has diesel. Better to keep the top half of the tank full rather than the bottom half empty. Also, I better get some of that fuel additive at WalMart to keep the diesel from going stale in the tank. We may stay here for a while.

And now that I think about it, I better stock up on some of the staples because the grocery store may have a problem getting their shelves restocked. Do that soon before everyone else has the same idea.

This is also an incentive to get a vegetable garden going. There is a group of other RVers here who have been talking about planting, and I will join in. Mid-May in Oregon is still cool, but we should be able to grow things well this year. There has been a general warming trend the last few years here in Oregon, so the growing season is getting longer.

Now my big concern is electrical power. I can get along with my solar system, but the park needs electricity to pump water. If that starts to falter, we will all be in a lot of hurt. Maybe I better research how to build one of those treadle pumps so we can suck water up out of the creek, both for the garden and for my RO water system.

Right now the best thing about this part of the world is that we are not in an urban area. It sounds like chaos is becoming standard in the cities, and with diesel running out, people in those areas are literally going to starve. Our old stomping grounds in southern California must be going to hell.

So my wife and I are going to remain in one place for the time being. We may even stay through next winter and enjoy what's left of the Oregon rain.

Good luck, World.

Sam, the Prudent RVer

Comments

[Chuckles]

I feel your pain. I remember reading your first story about living high on the hog in your RV. My truck's out of gas right now, too. :(