2020 EV Roadtrip- Off to the West!

Today was mostly a travel day, getting from Vegas to Salt Lake City. The plan was to be at the Bonneville Salt Flats in time to watch the sunset, but we ended up having to be flexible and go for the sun RISE instead. The trip from Vegas to SLC was a bit harrowing at times; we ran into massive amounts of construction (spending as much as 30 minutes to an hour stuck in traffic in the mountains several times), extremely high winds blowing us all over (I couldn't use autopilot because I had to keep kicking it off to counteract the wind), crazy drivers (Nik saved our butts a few times) and a storm. Example of our day- a truck in front had a blowout one of Nik's multiple saves: (click the icon in the top right of the video near the end for another close call)   That said, we are still really enjoying our trip and getting to hang out & spend quality time together.  I was driving during all this, so for pictures of the scenery (it really was beautiful) be sure to go...

Today we woke up at the Grand Canyon destination charger with a full charge and a serious need for a bathroom. We drove to the main lodge to take care of business, then to a campground to eat breakfast at a picnic table. We packed instant oatmeal to have for breakfast so it would be quick and easy (and enough bottled water to drink AND make breakfast). We have been doing PBJ sandwiches and chips for lunch each day since we are on the road and eating at superchargers. It's been quick and easy to do the trip this way because the cooler fits nicely behind the passenger seat for easy access. Here are some views of the Grand Canyon for you to enjoy, we drove around the south rim (~50 miles of driving in the park) before heading out to Vegas. I did all the driving today, but Vanessa did take over for about 25 miles in the GC so I could check out the views. Thanks Ness!   Shout out to the Grand Hotel in Tusayan, AZ- they have ~12 superchargers, and at least 6 destination charge...

Another post since we are at the hotel and have service. This has been a really fun trip, but blogs are going to have to be flexible and irregular due to the car camping. I am guessing that tomorrow night will be "iffy" and the night after I am 90% certain we won't have service. We will see. Day 2: We woke up in Tucumcari and socially distanced a "hello" with the guy who was driving the other Model 3. We took off for Albuquerque, NM and charged up almost full because we were going on a detour for our main stop of the day. Even with charging almost full I still didn't have time to type the day 1 update AND get it posted. Supercharging is fast! After Albuquerque we went to the Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave. This place was VERY cool. We were able to hike all the way INSIDE the cone of the volcano- you read that right, we were INSIDE the volcano! It's "dormant" so there is no danger as long as you stay on the path. The hike is tough, it's ...

Further info on Day 1 as promised.... We spent the night last night in Grand Canyon and didn't have wifi or even cell service, so very sorry this took so long! When we got to our destination for the day we charged up to almost full so our miles charged does not exactly match our miles driven (this will be the case most days). I am figuring gas costs based on miles charged to have an accurate comparison of costs, because this is how the electricity costs are calculated. 16+ hours on the road for day 1 total miles driven = 758 total miles charged = 885 (bc we charged to full overnight). cost of gas: $68.96 assuming 25 mpg cost of electricity: zero (I have 1000 miles of free supercharging I got as a referral bonus-the credit goes to the buyer as well so if you buy a Tesla use my code at the bottom of every post!) Savings: $68.96 We drove most of the day, stopping to supercharge (eating and bathroom breaks all at SC stops) A couple things I forgot to mention in the day 1 b...

Good morning! It's now day 2 but I wanted to chat with you about yesterday before we take off. I didn't get it written last night because it was after midnight when we got to our destination & settled in for the night and I had driven all day (except the last 45 mins or so when I just couldn't do it anymore- more later) so I was sacked. We had a great day, autopilot worked like a champ, and because I was checking the map once and forgot it wasn't on (I drifted JUST a tad) my sister is now a fan after 2 years of saying she didn't trust it/wouldn't use it/didn't like it.  Haha, my plan worked! lol So our first stop was Emporia, KS. This is a new supercharger so it is "V3" and we got ridiculous fast charging times of above 520 mph! We needed only a 10 minute stop but we were both not awake yet so we took a short nap here. We were able to charge to full in about 30 minutes (I set an alarm to wake us right before charging was supposed to end) an...

First thing I wanted to let you know is, there is a new "subscribe" box in the colum to the left (if you don't see it but have the "hamburger" three lines icon click that to find it in the menu). The subscribe box is from feedburner so be sure to activate it when you get the confirmation email and add them to your safe list! You won't get spam, just notifications when a new post is made in this blog.  :-) Our trip starts tomorrow and I am hoping to post something each night (unless we are car camping somewhere with no cell service). Second is not so happy news, Alfredo is going to stay home with his grandparents. He returned home from the (now ex) groomer a few weeks back without having his ears dried out, let alone cleaned up, causing him to get his first ever ear infection (seriously - he has never had one before and he is 9!). I'm not at all happy. He was scratching at his ear and broke the skin, so he is now wearing the cone of shame. :-( Poor gu...

haven't you been told..... Now the song is stuck in my head, sorry if it is in your too! It is time once again for Nik to take another adventure, this time bringing along company! My sister and Alfredo (my dog) will be tagging along for the ride on this trip and I'm looking forward to a great time! We will be staying in a mix of accommodations, from car camping to a luxury hotel (where all 4 of us will get some serious pampering). This trip will be a bit shorter in distance than the last one, coming in at ~3300 miles, and will take us ~a week round trip. We are planning several cool stops along the way but if we see something else interesting we will make time for it. Stay tuned for updates after Father's Day! Overview of the trip: Alfredo is ready to go! (no he will not be riding in the frunk, he will be nice and comfy in the cabin with us- he is just adorable in the "frunk puppy" picture) Be sure to subscribe to the blog (over in the colu...