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Gas prices across California are climbing again, with averages topping $6 a gallon. In Big Sur, a remote station is charging $9.99.<\/p>\n
Donna McWilliam\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
California gas prices are rising again, and in one remote stretch of the Central Coast, they have nearly hit $10 a gallon.<\/p>\n
At Gorda by the Sea in Big Sur<\/a>, the only gas station for miles is charging $9.99 a gallon. Leo Flores, who owns the Highway 1 station and much of the surrounding hamlet, told the Los Angeles Times<\/a> that the price is not a gimmick. It is the most his pumps can display.<\/p>\n \u201cThe software only goes to $10,\u201d Flores told the Times.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Flores said the station, along with the rugged hamlet\u2019s market, cafe, hotel and cabins, runs on gasoline-powered generators because the area is not connected to a power grid. That helps explain why prices there are so far above the state average.<\/p>\n On Friday afternoon, an employee who answered the phone at the station said prices could soon climb even higher.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, our vendor told us it will be more expensive in the next few weeks,\u201d the employee said, though it remains unclear how, logistically, a price at $10 or above could be displayed. \u201cHe is very nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n Flores was not available for comment Friday.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The station has drawn headlines before for its eye-popping prices<\/a>. But Flores told the Times that the costs of operating an off-grid business on a remote stretch of Highway 1 leave him with little flexibility. He said landslides that shut down the highway for three years before it was fully reopened in January made fuel deliveries difficult and nearly collapsed the business.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the highway is closed in both directions, I\u2019m screwed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Gas prices across California are climbing again, with averages topping $6 a gallon. In Big Sur, a remote station is charging $9.99.<\/p>\n Robyn Beck\/AFP\/TNS<\/p>\n Flores\u2019 prices may be extreme, but they reflect a broader surge hitting drivers across California.<\/p>\n AAA listed the national average for regular gas at $4.091 a gallon on Friday, compared with $5.895 in California<\/a>. In San Francisco, the average was $6.07 a gallon. In Marin County, it was $6.09.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n