For some drivers in Bend, finding gas for their cars on Thursday resembled a scavenger hunt.

Several gas stations visited by a Bulletin reporter on Thursday were out of gas, their attendants waving drivers away. These included Arco, Fred Meyer and Mobil on Bend’s south side. Two other stations, Chevron and Towne Pump, did have gas.

Gasoline shortages are just part of the hangover Bend is experiencing after a massive dump of snow over the past week has sent snowpack levels soaring at higher elevations. The snowfall was followed by freezing rain, ice storms and high winds, all of which have combined to make driving a challenge across the state.

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Downed trees and power lines, ice-covered roads and slush have caused havoc on roadways, slowing traffic to a crawl during commute hours and making long-distance travel slow to impossible.

“We’re out of gas, the gas trucks are stuck on the pass, they can’t get through,” said ARCO gas attendant Tyrone Lopez. “We don’t know when we are going to get more.”

Another attendant, Wayne Dickey, said a tanker arrived on Tuesday with 6,400 gallons of gas but the station typically sells 10,000 gallons of gas a day. The station has been out of gas since 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, although diesel is still available.

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They added that the Tuesday tanker became stuck on the road outside the station due to ice and snow.

“Took four trucks to pull him out,” said Lopez.

Dickey said the gas shortage was the worst he had seen in 12 years as a pump attendant.

“Nothing this bad. This is kind of scary,” said Dickey.

Further up Third Street, Fred Meyer attendants were only pumping diesel and declined to speak to reporters.

At the Towne Pump gas station near the corner of Third Street and Brosterhous Road, a solitary attendant was busy pumping gas to a steady stream of motorists.

Dave Tygerson, a driver from Ashland who is visiting Bend, said he filled up in Ashland two days ago because of reports that gas stations in Medford were out of gas. He brought plastic fuel cans filled with gas just in case he ran out.

After being turned away from Fred Meyer in Bend he found Towne Pump to be still in stock.

“Two places, that’s not too bad,” he said. “It seems like the small guys are more apt to have gas than the big guys.”

Tygerson said the gas shortage didn’t worry him too much.

“I am retired so I would have just stayed a couple more nights in Bend,” he said.

Marie Dodds, a spokesperson for AAA, said the gas shortages will be remedied but the situation is dependent on Mother Nature.

“There is not a shortage of product but there are delivery delays because of the horrible weather,” said Dodds. “I keep getting assured that trucks are headed over, it’s just extremely slow going.”

Dodds recommends that drivers call gas stations before leaving the house to check who has gas.

Looking ahead she says drivers should keep their tank at least half full ahead of weather events to avoid running out of gas and electric vehicles should similarly have a charge of 50% or more.

While some gas stations struggle to serve customers, most grocery stores in Bend have rebounded from delivery problems encountered during Saturday’s snowstorm.

Bulletin reporters fanned out across the city on Thursday and found grocery shelves stocked at Local Acres, Fred Meyer and Trader Joe’s. Shelves at the south side Safeway were thin but getting restocked due to a late delivery.

Back at the ARCO station, attendants kept busy clearing ice from the station and talking to drivers to explain the situation.

“It’s going to be a long day,” Lopez said.