Valero Station: Gravel Surface, No Store or Attendant

[Brian556]

Valero Station with gravel surface, no convenience store or attendant booth. Totally unmanned. OK1 at Chickasaw Turnpike. Fitzhugh, OK

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.65617,-96.7954009,3a,44.8y,247.63h,87.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s55pTM3c0f3RzQqjZOccQNg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Tonytone]

Valero Station with gravel surface, no convenience store or attendant booth. Totally unmanned. OK1 at Chickasaw Turnpike. Fitzhugh, OK

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.65617,-96.7954009,3a,44.8y,247.63h,87.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s55pTM3c0f3RzQqjZOccQNg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Maybe they are building the station piece by piece as time goes on & traffic builds, Im guessing that from the pile of gravel that is to the right of the station, or the area is so safe people wont tamper with the pumps so it can be a standalone station with no attendants or store. I assume it saves the company Valero money, but repairs & errors probably take a little longer & are harder to notice or take care of unless called directly.


iPhone

[kalvado]

Valero Station with gravel surface, no convenience store or attendant booth. Totally unmanned. OK1 at Chickasaw Turnpike. Fitzhugh, OK

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.65617,-96.7954009,3a,44.8y,247.63h,87.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s55pTM3c0f3RzQqjZOccQNg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Maybe they are building the station piece by piece as time goes on & traffic builds, Im guessing that from the pile of gravel that is to the right of the station, or the area is so safe people wont tamper with the pumps so it can be a standalone station with no attendants or store. I assume it saves the company Valero money, but repairs & errors probably take a little longer & are harder to notice or take care of unless called directly.


iPhone

Doesn't look so: 10 year old Google images look pretty much the same.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.6549675,-96.7953796,3a,75y,295.91h,67.79t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sc1qBvG1PdO8kibMLcXydfA!2e0!5s20080601T000000!7i3328!8i1664

hope the link works..
Actually 10 years are a bit different, but 2016 and 2018 show same setup.

[Tonytone]

Valero Station with gravel surface, no convenience store or attendant booth. Totally unmanned. OK1 at Chickasaw Turnpike. Fitzhugh, OK

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.65617,-96.7954009,3a,44.8y,247.63h,87.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s55pTM3c0f3RzQqjZOccQNg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Maybe they are building the station piece by piece as time goes on & traffic builds, Im guessing that from the pile of gravel that is to the right of the station, or the area is so safe people wont tamper with the pumps so it can be a standalone station with no attendants or store. I assume it saves the company Valero money, but repairs & errors probably take a little longer & are harder to notice or take care of unless called directly.


iPhone

Doesn't look so: 10 year old Google images look pretty much the same.
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.6549675,-96.7953796,3a,75y,295.91h,67.79t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sc1qBvG1PdO8kibMLcXydfA!2e0!5s20080601T000000!7i3328!8i1664

hope the link works..

Wow & also interesting if you click on the link you just said & move up some it shows that the station was once paved with concrete & it was a different gas station brand, I cannot tell what (it is to blurry) it was, but someone who knows the area can see from the sign.

Edit: All the stations are paved but they just added gravel around for extra space.


iPhone

[Max Rockatansky]

Stations like that are somewhat common in low population states like Nevada.  I actually recall getting gas at a similar Sinclair station when it was -14F below on NV 487 back in 2013 when I headed to the Lehman Caves of Great Basin National Park:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0090928,-114.1230298,2a,75y,95.64h,76.4t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxm5ZFn0VyzTwxETdTMQC9A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[Tonytone]

Stations like that are somewhat common in low population states like Nevada.  I actually recall getting gas at a similar Sinclair station when it was -14F below on NV 487 back in 2013 when I headed to the Lehman Caves of Great Basin National Park:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0090928,-114.1230298,2a,75y,95.64h,76.4t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxm5ZFn0VyzTwxETdTMQC9A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Sinclair was the name of the station above in the GSV in its 2nd owner before Valero.


iPhone

[formulanone]

Probably a fleet-only gas station; they accept a few forms of payment by special types of credit cards, and that's all they're for.

[jeffandnicole]

Probably a fleet-only gas station; they accept a few forms of payment by special types of credit cards, and that's all they're for.

The painted wording on the roadsign posts read "Gasoline Pumps Open" and "All Major Credit Cards", so that doesn't seem to indicate a fleet only gas station.

[formulanone]

Probably a fleet-only gas station; they accept a few forms of payment by special types of credit cards, and that's all they're for.

The painted wording on the roadsign posts read "Gasoline Pumps Open" and "All Major Credit Cards", so that doesn't seem to indicate a fleet only gas station.

I guess I should have zoomed in...

[Brandon]

Valero Station with gravel surface, no convenience store or attendant booth. Totally unmanned. OK1 at Chickasaw Turnpike. Fitzhugh, OK

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.65617,-96.7954009,3a,44.8y,247.63h,87.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s55pTM3c0f3RzQqjZOccQNg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

They're on concrete (as are all dispensers).  It's just gravel around the concrete (not uncommon in rural areas).

[TheHighwayMan3561]

There's a fuel-only Sinclair on the east edge of Duluth; I can only find one (unsubstantiated) comment that the city wouldn't allow a full C-store there for aesthetic reasons

[paulthemapguy]

Valero?  More like "No-One-Thereo."

[SectorZ]

If a weird asteroid passes by, the trucks with a mind of their own are going to be very disappointed circling that station.

[kalvado]

Thinking about it.. I think I saw some unmanned locations listed in Flying J brochure. Somewhere in northern US and central Canada if I remember correctly.. 

[Max Rockatansky]

If a weird asteroid passes by, the trucks with a mind of their own are going to be very disappointed circling that station.

I'm assuming one of those trucks has a Green Goblin face for some reason?

[Avalanchez71]

If a weird asteroid passes by, the trucks with a mind of their own are going to be very disappointed circling that station.

I'm assuming one of those trucks has a Green Goblin face for some reason?

If AC/DC should happen to be playing in the background for some reason as well.

[Throckmorton]

Valero Station with gravel surface, no convenience store or attendant booth. Totally unmanned. OK1 at Chickasaw Turnpike. Fitzhugh, OK

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.65617,-96.7954009,3a,44.8y,247.63h,87.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s55pTM3c0f3RzQqjZOccQNg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

MFA Oil has some similar fuel stops but I think these are the exception rather than the rule.   
   
Most of them have some kind of structure depending on the level of service. Some of them sell bulk fuel. Some of them have a convenience store.   
   
This one doesn't even have a canopy:   
   
https://goo.gl/maps/Hzx4RGsZ8cSe5KAc6   
   

[Tonytone]

If a weird asteroid passes by, the trucks with a mind of their own are going to be very disappointed circling that station.

What movie is this? Been wondering for years, its the movie where all the machines are alive & try to kill people. I haven't seen this movie in years.


iPhone

[Max Rockatansky]

If a weird asteroid passes by, the trucks with a mind of their own are going to be very disappointed circling that station.

What movie is this? Been wondering for years, its the movie where all the machines are alive & try to kill people. I haven't seen this movie in years.


iPhone

Maximum Overdrive.  It's a horror comedy that was written and directed by Stephen King.  It's supposed to be over the top campy and succeeds in the best way. 

[kphoger]

Stations like that are somewhat common in low population states like Nevada. 

This.

I do remember Nevada specifically, as my parents tried desperately on a family vacation to find a gas station they could actually pay cash at:  all the ones we kept finding had no attendant on duty, and we were running low on gas.

[Tonytone]

Stations like that are somewhat common in low population states like Nevada. 

This.

I do remember Nevada specifically, as my parents tried desperately on a family vacation to find a gas station they could actually pay cash at:  all the ones we kept finding had no attendant on duty, and we were running low on gas.

Dont end the story there! Did you guys find a gas station or did you have Triple A


iPhone

[Tonytone]

If a weird asteroid passes by, the trucks with a mind of their own are going to be very disappointed circling that station.

What movie is this? Been wondering for years, its the movie where all the machines are alive & try to kill people. I haven't seen this movie in years.


iPhone

Maximum Overdrive.  It's a horror comedy that was written and directed by Stephen King.  It's supposed to be over the top campy and succeeds in the best way.

Thats it, weren't there multiple movies of this? & thank you for telling me. It definitely is a good movie.


iPhone

[mrsman]

I like the general idea as reduced labor costs would mean that more of these gas stations will be available, particularly in rural areas.  Increased competition and fewer places with gasoline deserts where you may run out of gas.

But I worry about the issue of unmanned stations.  While rare, fires can occur and it would be nice if there was somebody there who could operate a shutoff switch.  If this issue can be addressed without an employee, then I'm all for it.

I don't consider lack of cash a problem.  The gasoline complanies could create as you go debit cards, similar to what they used to have at university copy machines, buy a card for 25 cents and then refill it with cash in special machines to pay for your copies.  Of course, the vast majority of people have regular credit and debit cards or pay by phone anyways.

[Max Rockatansky]

If a weird asteroid passes by, the trucks with a mind of their own are going to be very disappointed circling that station.

What movie is this? Been wondering for years, its the movie where all the machines are alive & try to kill people. I haven't seen this movie in years.


iPhone

Maximum Overdrive.  It's a horror comedy that was written and directed by Stephen King.  It's supposed to be over the top campy and succeeds in the best way.

Thats it, weren't there multiple movies of this? & thank you for telling me. It definitely is a good movie.


iPhone

It was a stand alone story, it would be difficult to do a direct sequel IMO. 

[Brandon]

If a weird asteroid passes by, the trucks with a mind of their own are going to be very disappointed circling that station.

What movie is this? Been wondering for years, its the movie where all the machines are alive & try to kill people. I haven't seen this movie in years.


iPhone

Maximum Overdrive.  It's a horror comedy that was written and directed by Stephen King.  It's supposed to be over the top campy and succeeds in the best way.

Thats it, weren't there multiple movies of this? & thank you for telling me. It definitely is a good movie.

It was a stand alone story, it would be difficult to do a direct sequel IMO. 

King also admitted to being rather "coked out" while making the film.