Pulling into a gas station is usually a relatively easy process. However, this is not the case when you are a 39-foot motorhome towing a 2-door jeep. We estimate that our overall length is about 55 feet.  Because we are flat towing a vehicle we CAN NOT back up while hitched.

We look for the  highway exits with multiple gas stations familiar to us and that are generally used by truck drivers like Pilot, Flying J, Loves, or Truck stops of America. Sometimes though, they will be the usual BP, Shell, etc.   As we get off at the exit, we need to quickly ascertain which gas station is big rig friendly.  There must be enough space to pull forward enough to reach the tank fill and have enough space to exit safely with a large turn radius.  Not to mention not blocking anyone in . Additional concerns are canopy height,customer parking that could block us in and room for our “tail swing : of the back end when exiting. ( tail swing has been the issue of many a camper hitting and damaging their rigs).  Once we have found our place, Lin gets out to help line us up properly and makes sure we have enough room to get us out. ( she usually pumps the gas too!)  With an 80-gallon tank it takes a while to refuel even ½ of a tank.  Since this pumping process does take a while, we take this time to also recheck all our hitch connections, clean the bugs off the giant windshield, and take Calli for a quick pee pee.  If we are lucky enough to have a gas station as part of a rest stop area, then this is even more convenient.  We can park with all the truckers after refueling and sit a while.  A nice break to  decompress, cool the engine and tires for a bit and sometimes grab lunch or a snack.  In the end, even the simplest task for most travelers can be a process for we the motorhome people.