I'll never pay a dollar a gallon for gas... (alas!) again

It's July 1979. America is knee-deep in an energy crisis and the Sisk family is over 700 miles from home in Georgia and about to move back after a three year sojourn there. Things have gotten to the point that the ugly word 'rationing' has reared its head, and some states, such as Texas, have implemented even/odd gas-buying days dictated by your license plate. The exception is for out-of-state cars and since we will be traveling across four states in just such vehicles, we have a tiny bit of relief in the surety of being able to get in line to fill up.

We are an unsightly 10-year-old Ford pick-up, a 3 year-old Chevy Nova, two cocker spaniels, a toddler, a newborn, and a 16-year-old sister-in-law not sure how she got roped into this "family aid" business. Then there's us, the two who've done all the worrying and packing and planning. I'm the one in the Nova, hunkered down in the passenger seat breast-feeding the newborn while his brother alternates with the dogs between the pick-up and us. The closer the sister-in-law gets to home and the boyfriend, the faster she drives.

I don't remember where we spent the night, but we would have had to do so for our sanity. We pulled toward home for two reasons: we could walk to the grocery if need be and the furniture just might beat us there. (It didn't.) We calculated gas and reserves and talked on the CB between the two vehicles.

We pulled across the border into Texas and saw the price of gas was 99 cents/gallon. Not on your life, we said. We'll never pay that! It'll be cheaper somewhere else, but we think we can get home anyway.

And we did. Pulled in on fumes.

Things evened out. The price went down. The rationing went away. Eventually the speed limit would go back up to 70 mph. It was a harrowing ride home and I remember only fear, mixed with gratitude that we could get home at all. But the one thing I would like to see again? Ninety-nine cent gas. Because I truly will never pay a dollar a gallon for gas.

Again.