Valero

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At dawn, when Valero’s neon sign flickered on like an old friend greeting the world, a delivery driver noticed something strange. The gas pumps glowed with a soft, eerie blue light that wasn’t there before. Curious, he approached and saw his reflection in the pump glass—grinning back at him was a mustached man wearing an old-fashioned hat. ‘Morning, stranger!’ said the reflection. Startled, the driver jumped back, but then realized it was just the gas station’s new mascot for Halloween. As he drove off, he waved goodbye to Mr. Pump, who winked one last time.

2. At dusk, when Valero's pumps hummed softly, a little boy approached the gas station with wide eyes. His dog followed closely, sniffing curiously at the air. Suddenly, the dog froze mid-step and stared intently into the night, as if something invisible had caught its attention. Then, from the shadows emerged an old man wearing a weathered hat. He smiled warmly and said, 'Good evening, young one. Your pooch here has quite the nose!' The boy giggled, and together they chatted for a while about dogs and stars until it was time for him to go home. From then on, whenever anyone saw that dog sniffing around Valero at dusk, they knew he was just checking if his friend was still keeping watch.

3. In the early morning, when Valero’s pumps were the only sound in the quiet town, a delivery driver noticed something odd. A small dog kept circling the gas station, sniffing intently at the ground near the cash register. Curious, he followed the little fellow inside and found an old coin stuck under the counter. The dog, it turned out, belonged to an elderly neighbor who often came for coffee after visiting her garden. She’d lost him weeks ago but never stopped checking Valero’s parking lot every morning. The delivery driver grinned, knowing now why Valero’s cash drawer was always slightly heavier than usual.

4. At midnight, when Valero’s pumps glowed eerily under the streetlights, a delivery driver pulled up for gas. As he filled his tank, he noticed something odd—each time he looked at his watch, it seemed to slow down just enough that he could catch a glimpse of the clock tower across the road moving backwards. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the clock struck twelve again. The driver finished filling up and saw with relief that everything was back to normal. Just as he started to leave, a neighbor walked by and asked, ‘Hey, did you see the time on your watch? It was going so slow!’ The driver grinned and replied, ‘Only here in Valero, pal.’