I remember gas lines, but I recall that it was fairly easy to predict the best times to go to certain stations, once you knew their schedule for topping off their underground tanks. The few I frequented the most had tankers top them off at night, so if I got there right away in the morning when they opened up (most stations were not 24/7 back in the day!) I could top off without much waiting, if at all. And making sure all your gas cans were topped off in case you ran low before getting to a station was done. I remember more than one occassion where I was on fumes and needed a couple gallons out of the can to make it! We had one neighborhood station where we knew an employee who told us when their tanker came in, so we could get cars up there, that helped too. And people learned a little about logistics too, no back and forth stuff, errands were scheduled like bus runs so there was not any wasted fuel.
The key to success for us was an utter indifference to the rules and a transfer pump. No, we didn't siphon other people's gas tanks, but we would fill up on the even days in one car and then go back to fill in another car on the odd days. We would transfer fuel from vehicle to vehicle as needed in total defiance of the authorities. We would trade plates on the van that had the 30 gallon fuel tank.
And we looked out for each other. Mom & dad's cars always came first. Dad was always grumpy and disapproving but he never turned away the full tank. Mom just chose to focus elsewhere.
I was in my early teens and still trying to make sense of the world around me. I was witness to our country slipping a cog, thanks to jimmuh carter. I got to learn about home-style fascism and heavy-handed authoritarianism. Seattle cops aren't as corrupt as Chicago or New Orleans cops - but they're damned close. I was beaten more than once by cops. I was involved in riots in the summer of '69 so from then on I found myself in a peculiar, not quite criminal side of the law, but not entirely legal side either. I learned that respect is earned and in the absence of it I would do whatever it took to take care of me & mine.
Somewhere along the line I must have lost some of my idealism
