We’ve been here at our Tucson winter spot for a couple of months now. With a four month stay, we knew we would need more diesel fuel at some point. Last year, we simply packed up and drove to the local truck stop midway during our visit. What we hadn’t counted on was the high level of challenge to maneuver in and out of this year’s site.

This RV park has a different site layout than any we’ve seen thus far. Casually looking at the site, I originally thought that our site extended from paved patio to paved patio with bus and toad parking in between. But, no. Our site extends halfway out from the paved patio on both sides, with RV parking on one side and toad parking on the other. This, combined with the mid-site placement of the sewer outlet makes for a narrow and awkward back-in parking challenge. When we arrived, it took a village to help us insert ourselves into the space. (It didn’t help matters that our late afternoon arrival placed the sun directly in Jeff’s back up camera, completely obscuring his view).

• 

• 

And that was when the park wasn’t full. Now, at peak occupancy, we have neighbors on all sides. We can’t even begin to move the bus out without our neighbor moving his tow vehicle. We just weren’t looking forward to the whole “go out for fuel” effort. But, as our tank neared one-quarter full, we knew we had little choice. Diesel fuels our aqua-hot heating system, necessary for the frigid desert nights. Once we drop below one-quarter tank, auxiliary systems such as our generator and Aqua-hot boiler won’t work. Fuel, we must.

I figured there had to be a better way, so I started searching for fuel delivery services. Trucks deliver propane, so surely diesel delivery options must exist, right?

Indeed they do. The first firm I found was based in Phoenix. They quoted a $750 delivery fee plus over $4 per gallon for the fuel. Um, no thanks! Taking the bus out was looking like the better option. However, the SECOND firm I found was based here in Tucson. Andy’s Mobile Fuel Service only has a Yellow Pages listing, no website or social media presence. Still, I gave the number a ring. The nice lady that answered quoted $50 delivery fee and $2.71/gallon for diesel (much closer to the market price). She gave me Andy’s cell number for scheduling. When I reached Andy, he set us right up. He was familiar with the RV park, having fueled their onsite generators. With a truck already deployed out in our area, we scheduled the delivery.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but within a couple of hours, a clean and professional-looking truck pulled up to our site. Since one of our neighbors also wanted fuel, Andy split the delivery fee between us! The process was efficient and was completed without incident. We paid on the spot (check or credit card accepted), and were provided a receipt. We now have a full tank which should last us through the rest of our stay. Done!

I do like hitting the easy button!