So much for blogging every two weeks!! There is no way I can share all that has gone on since my last post. But I will try to highlight some key events. First, my knee is much better now. However I had a bad fall on a slippery sidewalk in San Francisco during a rainy night in early December. It caused injury to my hand and wrist which may be one excuse for postponing blog entries. More acupuncture and chiropractor appointments have helped in the healing process.

I hosted a fun holiday party with lots of food, drink, and line dancing later in December. For New Year’s Eve I took a few friends with me to visit with more friends in Merced to ring in 2015. I hope to visit them again soon. It is a beautiful drive from the Gilroy Tesla Supercharger!

A friend visiting from Sweden wanted to go to the Gilroy Premium Outlets. Since the Tesla Superchargers are there, I offered to bring her. While she was shopping, I decided to drive around the Gilroy area. I even drove onto some crazy dirt roads which were actually thick with mud from December rains. I feared getting stuck at least twice and thankfully I eventually made it back to asphalt. There were many perplexed cows as I drove by in what was clearly NOT a tractor!! As I plugged in at the supercharger, I laughed at the crazy mud covered Tesla. Not many owners go off roading like that. I rinsed off much of the mud at a recycled water do it yourself car wash for $5.

The Golden State Warriors have continued to play amazing basketball. After many disappointing years, it is finally fun to go to every game. The entire San Francisco Bay Area is truly abuzz with the excitement of this team.

Well my Chocolate Car may be a collector’s item someday. It turns out that Tesla is no longer offering brown as a color option. My odometer is over 35,000 now so I brought the car in for a tire rotation. Thanks to Thomas at the Burlingame Service Center, the tires were rotated and inspected. And, best of all, the car looks brand new again! They did an amazing job cleaning the car inside and out. No one would ever know about the mud incident from the looks of the car now. Thomas even delivered the car to my home after the servicing was completed. Now THAT is excellent customer service!!  Frugal Tesla

Well, by now any remaining readers of my blog must realize that my posting frequency while home is about once every two weeks. That is about the best I can do while trying to keep up with my responsibilities and still have some time for fun. Since my last post, the San Francisco Giants won the World Series, so I had fun going to the huge parade with lots of confetti and rain!! It made for quite a messy combination. This took place on Halloween, so there were lots of crazy costumes out there too.  The other good news was that the Golden State Warriors began their season with a 5-0 start!! Local basketball fans have been so pumped about that. Well, they lost the next two, with another game tomorrow. Let’s hope they can reduce the number of sloppy turnovers and get back into the W column.

More good news, I had the thrill of meeting the Tesla VP of manufacturing, Gilbert Passin, as he was escorting a group of gentlemen in suits (all from France) on a tour near the superchargers at the Fremont factory this past Sunday evening. He is THE guy responsible for building my car, so I extended my hand to shake his in extreme gratitude. We even had a fun photo opportunity and I opened up my car to show the group what a well used Tesla looks like! I spoke of my summer journey chronicled here, and let them know about the blog. I hope some new blog readers are from France!  Be sure to send me a comment, if possible.

Today I was charging in Gilroy where I met Randy from Pebble Beach. He was on his way to San Francisco and he drives a very new P85 Model S. It is always fun to meet the newest Tesla owners and help them with their questions about the car. Perhaps he will also join the blog. As I drove over Hecker Pass into Santa Cruz, I took in the beautiful colors of Autumn with golden and orange deciduous trees on the backdrop of evergreens.

Later, I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with NBA (and ABA) legends Rick Barry and Jerry West at a fun event by the Santa Cruz Warriors. That is the Developmental League team affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. I look forward to attending 12 of the D-league games this season.

Most of my good news has been sports related. “But what is the bad news?” you may be wondering. No, I am not going to lament the poor performance of the football teams…  My bad news is that my knee was injured so I have been hobbling around for two weeks. Acupuncture and chiropractic treatments are resolving the issue, but it is a process that takes time.  Let’s see where it is in two more weeks…   Frugal Tesla

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

This question was asked of me quite a lot when I ran into friends.  I believe there is an explanation for why this question came up so frequently.  You see, I actually lost weight during these travels.  It isn’t that I had a huge beer belly or anything like that, but it probably was good for me to get a bit more in shape.  I believe that running at the Jersey Shore along the boardwalk with my brother and the tons of hiking that I did in Utah had a lot to do with my getting into better shape.  But everyone assumes it is all about food.  So, for the answer, here goes:

First, before I left, I had a bunch of leftover salad (with no dressing).  So, rather than throw it away (too frugal for that!), I filled 9 small paper bowls with the salad and sealed each of them into a separate ziplock bag.  And, I brought along a bottle of balsamic vinegar.  That way, when I stopped to charge the car, I could grab one salad, sprinkle some vinegar on it, and eat it.  Also in the cooler were some drinks (maybe one six pack of soda, water, and some capri sun juice bags).  Usually, I dilute soda or juice with water since I find it too sweet.  In the front trunk (frunk), I kept a case of V8 which came in handy for taking my daily vitamins which I also stored in the frunk.  For protein, I had some hard boiled eggs, the turkey jerky (East bound only), beef jerky (West bound only), some swiss cheese, liverwurst, saka ika (dried cuttlefish), and a bunch of yogurt (containers as well as some Gogurt tubes).  When craving sweets, I would nosh on dark chocolate covered dried fruits (cherries, blueberries, and cranberries ) from Costco.  There was also a big bag of candy from Costco which I managed to devour on my Eastward trip.  On a healthier note, I also had some amazing avocados from my friends Jim and Vicky.  They have a HUGE avocado tree in their back yard.  And, I enjoyed snacking on cherry tomatoes, carrots, and tortilla chips. I brought some honey oat O’s cereal and granola which I ate with Rice milk, usually for my breakfasts. I feasted on Chinese food with my Aunt and Uncle near Denver, and also ate tons of barbecue and side dishes at a 4th of July party with them.  When visiting relatives in Pennsylvania, we all went out to Dairy Queen for burgers and ice cream cones.  Also,  I did buy one Whopper Jr. at Burger King which has a Supercharger in its parking lot.  And, once I did get a small kid sized cone from Culver’s (also the site of a Supercharger).  Of course, while in NJ visiting with my Mom, I enjoyed all kinds of home cooked meals and went out to dinner too.  But that was all balanced with going running for exercise.  Finally I don’t want to forget to mention once again the amazing gourmet foods that were served up in Beach Haven, NJ during the Tesla test driving event held there on August 1st  (the day that I left to return West).  That certainly got me going on a full stomach!     Frugal Tesla

Life is challenging… and though I really want to check in once a week on this blog, I find that reality prevents me from keeping to that plan. I have no idea how the daily bloggers find the time to type up a blog every day!!  I have too many people that I am trying to connect with regularly and so much to do at home and at work that I am shocked to realize that more than a week has already gone by since my last post. I clearly do NOT live at my computer.  Also, I am happy that I do not carry a mini-computer phone around to prevent me from connecting with the live people around me.

Here are a few things that I have done this past week:  attended a concert by the San Francisco Symphony, partied at a dinner-dance fundraiser event (FAFNET), began a job that will take place every Sunday for 10 hours,  cleared and cleaned half of the garage floor to prep for laying down some flooring (one of the big projects I spoke of in the previous post), assessed my sprinkler system for necessary repairs, attended an amazingly fun potluck barbecue dinner party (Thanks Jim and Vicky!), dropped off a significant donation from a fundraiser to the St. Patrick’s Seminary, and went out to dinner twice (my favorite Indian restaurant = Roti, and my favorite Filipino restaurant = Karilagan) and lunch once (Queen’s Louisiana Po’ Boy).  And, most importantly, I called my Mom to see how she is doing.  Have you called your mother lately?

At the various parties that I attended, many people asked about my trip to New Jersey in the Tesla.  So, in my next post, I will attempt to answer one of the questions that came up repeatedly.  Can you guess what that question was?  Check back again to find out.  Frugal Tesla

 

It has been 10 days since my last post. But, to be fair to myself, that one took a while to complete.  I went back in to edit it many times so the expense information would be included. Also, I have been juggling work with trying to visit friends, paying biils, and getting the usual work done around the house. Enough excuses, I will try to post at least once a week, around Wednesday or Thursday. That will give blog readers a midweek morsel to help get them closer to the weekend. When I go on an extended roadtrip, I will resume a daily blog  format.

The one very disappointing part of my return home was to see my plants dead.  A few are barely clinging to life. The person who had said it would be “no problem” to water the potted plants (especially the two dwarf lemon trees on the front porch) obviously did not water them. Also, the lawn is brown (dead) but I am okay with that because I plan to re-landscape anyway with drought resistant plants.

The most difficult part of being home is resisting the urge to leave and just forget about the issues here that I was able to escape during my cross country adventure. I am more determined than ever to simplify my life. This primarily means culling the “stuff”. It has become too easy to accumulate too many belongings. Thus, my new found “life on the road” experience has taught me that great joy is attainable in the absence of all of the excess.

The second thing I am realizing is that some people are good at taking and sapping joy from others for their own personal gain. After traveling alone and encountering many kind and generous people, these negative energy people stick out more obviously to me. I will do my best to limit my contact with these sorts. Life is too short and too beautiful to be stuck with the “duds”!

The third and final thing that I will say is that I have been good at procrastinating on large projects that I must complete around the house. It is always easy to blame this upon my priorities at work and then having quality time with my friends. However, this trip of 9,457 miles taught me this major lesson: I am capable of accomplishing extraordinary tasks, if I can simply break them down into manageable sized doses. So, let the projects begin!  I will focus on getting to the next “supercharger” and they will all add up to a complete journey.   Frugal Tesla

All dates listed here are for 2014:

Date:Time:Temp:Location:Odometer:LegDistance:Leg Range:Cost:

(Eastern Daylight Time Zone):

8/1  noon:  73F  : Jersey Shore:  19,560 :  0 miles  : 0 Range

8/1    1:30pm: 82F: Beach Haven, NJ: 19,615: 55 miles: ? R

8/1  6:41pm: 74F: Newark, DE: 19,720:105 miles: 99 R: $8

8/1 10:30pm:72F:Hagerstown,MD: 19,855:135 mi:130 r: $4

8/2 1am: 68F:  I-70 W mm171, PA : 19,886: 31 miles: 30 r

8/2  Visited Flight 93 National Memorial

8/2  12:40pm: 74F: Somerset, PA: 19,987: 101 miles: 102 r

8/2  4:11pm: 77F: Cranberry, PA: 20,076: 89 miles: 77 r

8/2  7:07pm: 70F: Macedonia, OH: 20,197: 121 miles: 123 r

8/2 11:07pm: 71F: Maumee, OH: 20, 334: 137 miles: 118 r

8/3 12:38am:65F: 80W/90W, OH: 20,375: 41 mi, 39 r: $4.25

8/3 9:40am:80F: South Bend,IN: 20,481:106 mi:129 r:$4.60

8/3  12:42pm: Mishiwaka, IN: 20,485:  4 miles:  5 range

(Central Daylight Time Zone):

8/3 4:32pm:77F: Highland Park, IL: 20,616: 131 miles: 116 r

8/3  5:36pm: 86F: Pleasant Prairie, WI: 20,644: 28 mi:  28 r

8/3 10:25pm:73F: Mauston,WI: 20,810: 166 miles: 146 r: $2

8/4 12:15am: 66F: I-90 W mm22, WI: 20,859: 49 miles: 49 r

8/4 7:14am: 67F: Onalaska, WI: 20,878: 19 miles: 14 range

8/4  Visited Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge (free)

8/4 1:02pm: 67F: Albert Lea, MN: 21,023: 145 miles: 156 r

8/4 4:28pm: 82F: Worthington, MN: 21,139: 116 miles:131 r

8/4 Visited Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD (free!)

8/4 7:51pm: 82F: Mitchell, SD: 21,268: 129 miles: 134 r

8/4 11:08pm: 71F: Murdo, SD: 21,409: 141 miles: 162 r

(Mountain Daylight Time Zone)

8/4 11:30pm: 65F: I-90 W mm167, SD: 21,434: 25 mi: 26 r

8/5  Visited Badlands National Park, SD  $15 (too much)

8/5  9:34am: 70F: Rapid City, SD: 21,556: 122 miles: 123 r

8/5 Evans Plunge $13.52/MammothSite $10/Hot Springs,SD

8/5 6:17pm: 64F: Lusk, WY: 21,712:  156 miles:  154 range

8/5 10:11pm:62F:85S,MeridenRestArea :21,809: 97mi:  81r

8/6  8:23am: 66F: Cheyenne, WY: 21,853: 44miles: 48 r

8/6  Visited Union Pacific Cheyenne Depot Museum $8

8/6 1:07pm: 84F: Fort Collins, CO: 21,906: 53 miles: 40 r

8/6  6:55pm:67F:Silverthorne,CO:22,030:124 mi:135 (144)r

8/6 10:45pm: 68F: Glenwood Springs,CO: 22,122: 92mi: 50r

8/6 – 8/7   Rest area in Rifle, CO

8/7   charge in Moab, UT and rest area

8/8  Moab petroglyphs $65+ $20/ Arches National Park $10 (Both of these were worth EVERY penny!)

8/9  9:45am:79F: Blanding, UT: 22,482: 60 miles: 64 range

8/9 DinosaurMuseum$3.50/ Natural BridgesNationalPark$6            (These were the BEST VALUES on the trip!)

8/9 6:28pm: 86F: Blanding,UT: 22,571:89 mi: 92r: ice $1.53

Travel back East through Colorado to:

8/9 10:23pm:77F: Farmington,NM: 22,706: 135 miles: 129 r

8/102:20am:68F:40x122GallupVisitCntr:22,843:137mi:130r

8/10 Mass-St Francis Church:  214 W. Wilson Ave, Gallup

8/10 11:37am: 81F:Gallup, NM: 22,850:  7 miles:  6 range

(MountainStandardTime Zone = PacificDaylightTime Zone)

8/10 12:57pm:91F: Holbrook,AZ: 22,948:98 miles:91r:$1.74

8/10 3:30pm:79F: Flagstaff, AZ: 23,042: 94 miles: 110 r

8/10 7:57pm: 97F: Wickenburg,AZ: 23,195: 153 miles: 128r

8/10 10:30pm: 94F: Gila Bend,AZ: 23,289: 94 miles: 83 r

8/10 11:45pm: 96F: I-8 W mm85,AZ: 23,320: 31 miles: 34 r

8/11 11:25am: 101F: Yuma, AZ: 23,407: 87 miles: 93 range

8/11 Kofa National Wildlife Refuge:  Dirt/rocky Roads!

8/11  3:55pm: 106F: Quartzsite, AZ: 23,502: 95 miles: 98 r

8/11 7:33pm: 83F: Kingman, AZ: 23,636: 134 miles: 156 r

8/11 10:24pm: 86F: Las Vegas, NV: 23,740: 104 miles: 98 r

8/12  2:01am: 82F: Barstow, CA: 23,903: 163 miles: 158 r

8/12 6:40am:80F:Lebec(TejonRnch),CA:24,041:138mi: 110r

8/12 10:15am: 76F: Atascadero,CA: 24,179: 138 mi:  140 r

8/12 1:45pm: 85F: Gilroy, CA: 24,317: 138 miles: 137 range

8/12  3:51pm: 70F:  Santa Cruz, CA: 24,346: 29 miles: 27 r

8/13  Visited Chiropractor and Movie Theater

8/14  8:59am: 68F: Fremont,CA: 24,406: 49 miles: 43 range

8/14  11:33am: 64F: San Francisco,CA: 24,457: 51 mi: 45 r

Total miles for Westbound Trip:  4,897 miles

Total tolls paid Westbound:  $20.85                                   (DE $4+$4= $8, MD= $4, OH= $4.25, IN= $4.60)

Other costs: Whopper jr= $1.74, Culvers cone=$2,  Ice= $1.53. Entertainment: Badlands fee= $15,  Evans Plunge= $13.52,  Mammoth Site= $10,  Cheyenne Depot Museum= $8,  Canyonlands Field Institute Tour of Petroglyphs= $65,  Canyonlands T-shirt=$20, Arches fee= $10, The Dinosaur Museum= $3.50, Natural Bridges National Monument fee= $6.   TOTAL other expenses=  $156.29

55 places in 14 days…

Travel through NJ, DE, MD, PA, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, SD, WY, CO, UT, back thru CO, NM, AZ, NV, CA.  Total of 17 states

Frugal Tesla

I made it, thanks to all of your help.  Without your comments, kind thoughts, and prayers, this journey would be impossible. So I will always be grateful to all of you for your support in making this dream come true for me.

At 7:49am I headed out of Santa Cruz  with odometer at 24,357 and 156 range at temp of 64 degrees.  The sky was completely gray and it was misty and foggy… the typical weather for summer in Northern California.  I headed along Highway 1 to Highway 17 to travel over the Santa Cruz Mountains and through the redwood trees.  At the summit, the sun was shining brightly and I could see the stratus cloud of fog behind me in the rear view mirror.  As I approached Lark Avenue in Los Gatos, a gray Tesla passed me on the freeway.  Later, I saw a red Tesla driving along.  Now I KNOW I am in Northern California, having seen two Teslas driving along on the same day.

I arrived at the Fremont superchargers at 8:59am with 24,406 on the odometer and 113 range remaining with temp of 68 degrees. The store would not open until 10am.  There were two Teslas charging (one white and one red) and a gray Tesla pulled up with Ian aboard, who works here at the Tesla factory.  Later, another red Tesla with dealer plates arrived to charge.  Jin was driving this one, and she was using some products to give this car the “showroom shine” treatment for sales display purposes.  I shared my travel story with Ian and Jin, and then they headed in to work.  The white Tesla pulled away to leave and soon another white Tesla arrived with Brian and his wife, Malou.  They are from the Vancouver, Canada area and were on their way home from a trip to Las Vegas, NV.  While charging in Fremont, they were hoping to be able to go on a factory tour.  I had a nice time speaking with both of them and was happy to hear that there was space for them to join the upcoming tour.  I also had a chance to say hello to Sylvie at the front desk inside (after 10am), use the rest room, and get a cool drink of water before heading out.  My charging was done and I headed out at 10:28am with 206 range.  This begins the final leg of the journey!

As I drove away from the Fremont chargers, I wondered (like I always do) what the orange dashed line on the right side of the “energy meter” means.  I always seem to forget to ask about this dashed line when I am near any Tesla service people.  Driving from Fremont to San Francisco is such a familiar path, and the hectic driving pace is typical too.  After the experience of driving all over the USA, I can seriously conclude that most other states have drivers that understand the idea of “keep right except to pass”.  Unfortunately, in California I find that the usual attitude is “keep left except to exit”.  Today seemed to be in accordance with this latter situation.

At 11:33am, I pulled in at the end of the journey… in San Francisco at last!  The odometer was at 24,457 with 161 range remaining and temp at 64 degrees.  So, that means the total miles for the roundtrip was 9,457 miles.  I had about 20 minutes to empty out the car.  Then I headed out to have lunch with my friend Josh and then join him for a round of disc golf (or as Josh likes to call it, “frolf” for “frisbee golf”) in Golden Gate Park.  Later in the early evening, I finally had a chance to wash the car of the “sugar coating” of dust from the Arizona dirt roads of Kofa Refuge.

This weekend I will be busy trying to catch up on mail, bill paying, and settling back in.  I will attend a Tesla event in Monterey on Saturday night.  On Monday, I will try to add a summary for the Westbound trip to the blog.  Have a great weekend, and check back on Monday for more info.  For now, good night! Frugal Tesla