Gassing up in Oregon – #5

It made me a little apprehensive to pull up to an Oregon gas station.  I knew you weren’t allowed to pump your own gas.  Did that mean I had to pay the guy pumping it, or pay inside, or just use my card at the pump?

I chose a Pilot gas station with 12 pumps.  One guy in an orange vest was running from pump to pump, servicing all of them.  So I got out of my car and waited… and waited… and waited.  Finally he came over to me and muttered that I should have pulled into the RV and trailer pump area.

I’m thinking: Look, bud, just be glad I didn’t take out any of the pumps with my trailer!  I’m new at this.  But I just apologized and said, “Sorry.  I’m from California.  Not sure how all this works.”

He took my card and inserted it into the machine, took the pump nozzle and inserted it into my gas tank and then ran off to another pump. When my car was full, I stood there, uncertain of what to do next.  Would I be arrested if I took the nozzle out and put it back in the pump?  Waiting… waiting…  Finally I just did it, got in the car and drove out.

Some Oregonians love it, and others think it’s ridiculous.  One woman said you can tell who the Oregon drivers are when they pull up to a gas station in another state.  They’re the ones just sitting in the car, looking all around and waiting for someone to pump gas for them!