We filled our gas tank in Rawlings, WY and continued our travel north and east. Before we left, we had printed out the instructions on how to get to Mount Rushmore, but due to printer problems only the step by step instructions printed without the map. Looking at the printout, we gauged that we'd need to fill up the tank at a junction before crossing into South Dakota. With barren, rolling hills all around we approached the junction and realized there was no town or gas station. We pushed on as the last town we passed was further out than the town ahead of us - another 20 miles or so. The gas gauge was already hovering near the infamous "E" and it wasn't too far beyond that when the fuel gauge light went on. I judged that were were still 15 miles or so to the next town.
Brenda checked the manual to see if we could find out how much fuel we had left based on when the gas light illuminates. The manual didn't say. To add to the moment, we came upon construction that brought all the traffic to a stop. I turned off the engine while we were waiting to be escorted through the construction zone. We then worried about running out of fuel in the middle of the construction zone that was essentially a one-lane pass. Through the pass, we could only see more rolling hills ahead of us. Each time we crested a hill we quickly scanned the horizon for signs that we were coming up to civilization, but were only met with more hills.
We both determined that we weren't going to make it. I started thinking about where my comfortable shoes were packed - thinking I would have to hitch-hike to the next town. Brenda found our 24-hour roadside assistance card, but we couldn't get a phone signal on either of our mobile phones.
The gas needle continued to dip further and further in to the red and I assumed that we were basically on fumes. We dropped down into a small valley and began to ascend up the other side on a slight curve as we debated when to pull over as the auto manual warned against letting the car go completely out of gas. We agreed that if there wasn't a town on the other side of the hill, we'd pull over and try to make a call.
Luckily, at the top of the hill, we could see a river below us and the town of Newcastle on the other side. We nervously dropped into the valley, crossed the river, and hoped we had enough gas to get up the other side. We pulled into the first gas station we could find and graciously paid whatever price they wanted for a full tank of fuel.
Based on the amount of fuel I pumped and the tank capacity, Brenda estimated that we had only 2-3 miles to go before we were completely out. For the rest of the trip, we never let the tank drop below half.
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