After supercharging in Truckee, I headed south along the West Shore of the lake to meet my friend at the Marriott Timberlodge at South Lake Tahoe. The views of the lake along the way were tremendous and it was fun to see the amazing blues and turquoise colors of the water in the various coves. I was psyched to pass through the tunnel with a freight train passing over me as I initially left Truckee. Also there is one stretch of 89 where the road is particularly steep and narrow with no barriers on either side… a true rollercoaster thrill!! My adrenaline was at maximum and I was so happy to experience the sights of the lake and smell of the fresh alpine air. There were some stretches of construction along the way, but that just provided extra time to take in more of the beauty of my surroundings and send out prayers of thanksgiving for God’s blessings.

After arriving at the Marriott, the valet parked my car and arranged to have it fully charged for me via the Tesla wall charger there. Allen and I went to lunch and then walked all around to see the resort and shops. Later, we prepared dinner from tons of leftovers from his week there. Then we went to the bar called Fire and Ice to watch the World Series over cocktails. I was disappointed at the loss by the Giants, but returned to the suite to relax overnight and sleep in a most comfortable bed. It was a bonus discovering that the movie Monuments Men was playing on one of the premium channels there since I had wanted to see that film.

In the morning we had a quick bite to eat and packed up everything to load into the car. The complementary valet service and charging of the car was greatly appreciated. Since I was topped up to over 200 miles of range, I could easily drive directly to Vacaville by lunch time and then drive home from there after a brief charge.  I dropped Allen home and then we all went out to a fantastic birthday dinner for Elaine at Kincaid’s in Burlingame. It was the perfect end to a fantastic mini-vacation. Frugal Tesla

I am finally on the road again! It is really quite amazing how great it feels to be driving long distance again. It is also fun to be a sports fan in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Giants won the first game of the World Series in Kansas City last night. And, I was having a blast last night cheering for the Golden State Warriors at the preseason game versus the Clippers. I left the game a little early at about 10pm to take BART to the Fruitvale Station where I had parked the Chocolate Car, my 60kw Tesla. I listened to the rest of the game on the radio with the Warriors winning.

I headed out to the Vacaville Supercharger at 10:15pm with 28,309 on the odometer, temp at 66 degrees, and with 123 miles of rated range remaining. The Tesla map indicates the distance to the supercharger at 43 miles… but that is as the crow flies. The actual distance was 56 miles and I used 57 miles of range to get there at 65mph most of the way. I arrived in Vacaville at 11:15pm with 66 range remaining, odometer at 28,365 and temp at 61 degrees. One white Tesla finished charging as I was backing in to charge. I left at 11:40pm with 147 range to drive to the Roseville supercharger off of Hwy 80 East. Tesla map says it is 47 miles away.

I arrived at 12:30am via the Atlantic Street exit 105 to the Westfield Mall. The actual distance was 51 miles and I used 55 range. I had driven there with the seat heater on. The outside temp was 54 degrees, odometer at 28,416, and 91 range was remaining. No one else was around and I charged up to 194 range and left at 1:15am. I drove to the Gold Run rest area at mile marker 143 arriving at 2am. The elevation there is about 3,000 ft so it is a good step for altitude acclimation. Odometer at 28,456 and range of 129 remaining and temp down to 46 degrees.

I slept until about 8:30am and headed to the Donner Summit rest area at mile marker 177. There, I would use the restroom, take my morning vitamins, and have an enjoyable conversation with a Croatian trucker who was very proud that Nicola Tesla was from his country. We talked about how often genius is not recognized until after the person is gone. At the summit, I had 64 range, odometer at 28,489 at 41 degrees and it was 9:11am.

Throughout my evening and morning drive, the alert screens along the roadside said “One text or call could wreck it all”. These are words I hope all drivers hear well! The drive through Tahoe National Forest, with the conifers intermingled with golden leafed aspens (the birch trees of the West) brought back fond memories of my July trip through Colorado. The crisp, cool mountain air added to the effect. To top it all off, I was thrilled to see a long freight train winding along the mountainside as a beautiful hawk soared in the morning sky. Indeed, it is another amazing day and an opportunity to give thanks to God for all of these blessings in our lives!

I arrived in Truckee and plugged into the Supercharger behind the Safeway at 9:38am. A gray Tesla arrived an hour later as I was typing this blog post. (It is Wendy from Cupertino who is truly a roadwarrior for work. This trip she is going to Reno.)  I had 63 range, odometer at 28,498 and temp at 43 degrees. After charging to 208 miles until 11:10am I will head down 89 S to South Lake Tahoe to join my buddy Allen for lunch. I hear that there is free charging at Harrahs valet 1st floor via Chargepoint, so if I need to top up it can be there or at Harveys 3rd floor self parking. Thursday I will be back in the San Francisco area to celebrate with Elaine on her birthday.  I will post details next week.  Be well blog friends! Frugal Tesla

Hi Blog readers,  I can say that with confidence… since I have not posted any photos on this blog yet!  Indeed, this is a blog that must be read to be enjoyed.  Apparently, somehow this blog was mentioned in Yahoo News and somewhere in Google, so I am getting comments from folks around the world.  However, I will not post these comments if they are simply asking about blog techniques and strategies. Those of you who have read this blog from the beginning know that I am NOT a computer or tech savvy person.  So, I cannot effectively answer any of these sorts of questions.  But, I will answer any questions regarding my blog content and Tesla experience!!

Again, I apologize for the infrequent posting.  Life keeps me very busy.  Just last week I attended the birthday party for my friend who turned 85 years young!  And the very next day, I attended the wedding of two other friends.  So, there was lots of delicious food, drink, and of course dancing.  That is how I try to offset the intake of calories with effective exercise.  Back at home, my flooring project is coming along nicely with almost 780 square feet installed.  I also did some carpentry stuff with the chance to use my favorite tool (the Sawzall reciprocating saw!).  As for outside work, I’ve done a lot of pruning of shrubbery and work on a swimming pool.

I have been doing lots of driving in the Tesla between Santa Cruz and San Francisco since my big trip to NJ.  When I stopped to charge in Fremont yesterday, Sofia (receptionist there) mentioned that she has spoken to many customers about my trip east.  They often wonder if it is possible to make a big trip with a 60kw Tesla without a tech package… and my journey showed that the answer is a resounding YES!!  She likes to refer them to this blog as evidence.  And, since it has been a while since this long trip, soon I will do a road trip to South Lake Tahoe.  I will have the chance to use some of the Superchargers that have opened since the last time I drove to Tahoe in June of 2013.  It isn’t as far as the NJ trek, but I am looking forward to another fun journey, if only for a couple of days.  I will be sure to post about the trip when I go.   Frugal Tesla