Mistake #37, driving through big sur with a fully loaded RV. Big sur is absolutely beautiful. Since we’ve camped here before we opted not to stay in Big Sur but I wanted to drive through it on our way to Santa Cruz. The scenery was epic, but so was the fuel cost!

We stopped at Elephant Seal Beach to watch these massive creatures. I always get a kick out of watching the males fight over the females. They’re loud, close by and fun to watch them on the beach.

We were driving along the mountainside just outside of Big Sur, and it felt like something out of a movie. Towering cliffs on one side, the Pacific Ocean stretching endlessly on the other, and a narrow, winding road that made every mile feel like an adventure. It’s one of the most beautiful RV road trips you can take—but it’s also one that demands a little more respect than you might expect when you’re planning your RV Vacation.

Earlier in the drive, we passed a gas station priced at $4.75 per gallon and made what felt like a reasonable decision at the time—we kept going. I figured we’d just fill up in Carmel, CA. No big deal, right?

That assumption didn’t last long.

What I didn’t account for was how much fuel you burn pulling a fully loaded RV through steep mountain grades. We were towing our 3,000-pound car behind us, the freshwater tank was completely full (and if you RV, you know water adds up fast—about 8 pounds per gallon), and every incline was working the engine harder than usual.

About halfway into the drive, the gas light came on.

Now, in a normal vehicle, that usually means you’ve got around 50 miles left. But this wasn’t a normal situation. With the weight of the RV, the tow vehicle, and the terrain, I figured we were getting maybe 4 miles per gallon… if we were lucky. And we still had around 30 miles to go.

That’s when it hit me.

We had already passed the last open gas stations. We were officially past the point of no return.

What started as a scenic coastal drive turned into a quiet, mental calculation with every mile. You’re still taking in the views—but now there’s this constant thought in the back of your mind: Are we going to make it?

We rolled into Big Sur running on fumes.

I’ve never been so relieved to see a gas station… until I realized we couldn’t even fit the RV into it. Tight turns, limited space—it just wasn’t going to happen. The attendant told us there was another station about two miles up the road.

Perfect.

We made it there… only to find it completely closed. No lights, no after-hours pumps, nothing. And it was around 10 PM.

At that point, it felt like one of those classic RV travel moments—where everything is incredible… until it’s not.

But then we found out there was one more gas station in town.

Success.

We pulled in, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt that kind of relief at a pump before. And that’s saying something. At $5.70 per gallon, it was easily one of the most expensive fill-ups we’d ever had—but at that moment, I didn’t even hesitate.

Because when you’re traveling in an RV, especially through places like Big Sur, you quickly learn a valuable lesson:

It’s not always about saving a few cents per gallon… it’s about knowing when to fill up before the road decides for you and you don’t make it to your destination, like we almost did.