That’s what we paid for gasoline at a stop on the way back from a weekend wedding in Pasadena. Next time you consider stopping at a Petro station, think twice. I was so disgusted, I would gladly have driven on and taken our chances. But we compromised and bought a few gallons, so that the engine wouldn’t begin sucking grit and grime off the walls of the fuel tank while we drove to the next station. There was absolutely no reason for charging $4.99; they did it because they could. Just a few miles north on Interstate 5, gas was about 40 cents cheaper. At the most far-flung, “last gas for 40 miles” stations on the highway, gas was cheaper. But Petro is a big truck and travel stop at the northern foot of The Grapevine, and they simply took the opportunity to gouge. Talk about highway robbery. Next time you see this sign, drive on.
On further reflection: By the way, I have always been one of those party-poopers arguing that Americans have long paid too little for gasoline, and I am not averse to my own medicine. I’ve already paid over $5.00/gallon for biodiesel (made from recycled veggie oil, not the virgin stuff). But gouging for the simple sake of gouging is another matter. Considering the prices in the area around that Petro station, gouging is exactly what they were doing. Maybe they’ll be plowing the weekend profits into the development of alternative energy sources and flex-fuel technologies.
I crack myself up.
I like this guy’s plan for his DIY electric car:
Lefteris now wants to cover his roof in solar panels and recharge his car batteries from the sun.
“We have so much energy falling on our heads,” he said “and we are not doing anything with it.”
