DVNP - The Cost of Gas in the Middle of Nowhere

Out here, distances mean something different. When you are this far from anything, gas is not just a routine errand. It is a decision.

My tank was about half full, but in places like this, you do not gamble. There are not a lot of gas stations to choose from, and when one appears inside the park, you take it. You do not drive past hoping for a better price down the road, because there may not be another road, let alone another pump.

So I pulled in and filled up.

The receipt told the story clearly. Gas was $5.83 per gallon, and I filled 9.231 gallons, bringing the total to $53.82. No discounts, no comparison shopping, no second thoughts. Just a straightforward exchange: fuel for freedom, distance for dollars.

It is easy to react to numbers like that if you are thinking in city terms, where stations sit on every corner and prices compete within pennies. Out here, those rules do not apply. This gas was delivered across miles of empty landscape, maintained in an isolated location, and offered to travelers who depend on it completely. The price reflects the reality of logistics, not convenience.

Standing there, receipt in hand, it felt less like overpaying and more like paying admission. Admission to wide-open roads, quiet mornings, distant viewpoints, and the ability to keep going without anxiety. It is simply part of the cost of travel in places where the land is vast and services are few.

You pay what it costs because the alternative is not moving at all. And out here, movement is everything.