I cried because I had no gas, until I met a gas station with no employees.
Yeah I could ID with that even back in the 80s when my traversal of small towns on the way upstate often occurred way past the hour they rolled up their sidewalks and nothing was moving but my car. There was gas but... only in the mañana.
When I noticed I was below the half-mark on fuel after arriving here, I used to get a gallon or two from the pump at a relative's dairy farm (and work it off later weeding insanely long rows of green beans)... and then gratefully drive 15 miles to a gas station to fill up where at least all they wanted there for gas was my money...
Then in the 90s, the general stores in nearby villages got gas pumps, since more people from downstate had been buying weekend fixer-uppers and had freaked out realizing on their way up here they'd passed their last chance to drive on more than fumes when it was time to head back.
So then we were all in gas fill heaven, with a pump at every little general store, even if the price was understandably a tad high. The weekenders didn't mind paying extra at village pumps for the convenience of not making a wee hours Saturday morning pit stop back along the thicker lines on the map from NYC to the mountains.
But then little farms began to close or consolidate.... and business for staples and treats at the little village stores dropped off... and then those general stores closed... so now you're really on your own around here if you don't keep your gas tank at least half filled (which of course is good practice anyway).
I don't think we're slated to get any of those no-employee gas stations around here; the underground tanks are long gone by watershed mandates about unattended fuel reservoirs. Nor are we likely to warrant any electric car charging stations either. We're gonna be back to riding horseback or taking the shoe leather express pretty quick here

but we still have nice scenery even though largely inedible: trees and mountains. If you come for the autumn leaf peeping scene, plan your refueling stops with a good map and search engine.
