AmeriCurious • Gas Below $3! Road-Trip Season Is On

Gas drops below $3 in Miller’s Creek—perfect excuse to hit the backroads. A down-home, feel-good road-trip story told in Buck’s rural, humorous voice.

🚚 Well I’ll Be…

I’m out here this morning standin’ by Pump #3 at the old Phillips station off County Road 17, starin’ at that little digital screen like it just told me the meaning of life. Gas. Is. Under. Three. Dollars. I swear, I almost hollered loud enough for Earl, who lives two farms over, to hear me from inside his barn.

Now listen, I ain’t some fancy traveler with a suitcase that matches my boots. But when gas dips this low? Buddy, that’s road-trip weather. That’s “grab a thermos of diner coffee, toss a bag of beef jerky in the passenger seat, crank up some Travis Tritt, and see where the sun leads you” weather.

Shoot, my truck ‘Betty’ hasn’t been this excited since the county fair tractor pull back in August.

🌄 Backroads Beckonin’

Let me tell you, when prices get this low, the whole county starts vibratin’ like a bass boat idlin’ on the lake at dawn. Folks around here get ideas. Big ones.

I’m talkin’ about that itch you get right behind your ribs—the one that makes you wanna roll every window down and take the long way around the valley just to smell that cedar air rollin’ in from the ridge. I passed by the Piggly Wiggly this mornin’ and even old Mrs. Langford was grinnin’, and she ain’t smiled since her cat took off with the pastor’s ham sandwich two summers back.

Truth is, life out here in Miller’s Creek runs on diesel, duct tape, and daydreams. And days like today? It feels like the whole world loosened its shoulders and breathed a little easier. Even the radio DJ sounded chipper, and that man usually acts like he’s allergic to happiness.

I’m fixin’ to take a run down the Blue Hollow Loop later—little dusty stretch that curls past cedar groves, dips by the creek, and spits you out by Big Al’s BBQ. They got that smoked brisket plate on Wednesdays, and at these fuel prices, you better believe I’m makin’ the detour.

🔧 Freedom in a Full Tank

I swear, living here, you learn real quick that freedom ain’t just a big concept folks throw around on bumper stickers. Sometimes freedom is simply knowin’ you can drive out past the county line without havin’ to sacrifice tomorrow’s lunch budget.

And maybe it sounds silly, but fillin’ up the tank without wincin’ feels like gettin’ a raise you didn’t ask for. It’s like the universe tossed you a cold drink on a hot day and said, “Go on, kid, take the long road.”

I’ll probably roll up toward Ridgeview this weekend. Maybe visit the overlook that still has that busted wooden fence from when Jimmy’s mule kicked it in ‘19. Maybe stop at the produce stand where the tomatoes taste like somebody bottled summer and sold it for four bucks a pound. Maybe get lost on purpose—just me, the road, the dog, and a tank that doesn’t judge me for takin’ the scenic route.

Life’s busy. World’s loud.

But give a man some cheap gas and a few hours to burn, and suddenly everything feels manageable again.

🏁 Final Thought

If you need me, I’ll be out there somewhere—runnin’ down a two-lane road with dust kickin’ up behind me like I’m chasin’ something worth catchin’.

That’s Miller’s Creek for you.