It has been a few days since I posted here.  The weather in NJ has improved since it isn’t raining.  There are scattered clouds and then stretches of beautiful sunshine.  The temperatures are cooler now, reminding me of the Denver area.  I awoke with temperatures in the 50s and now it is warming up into the 70s.  I’m hoping it will get warmer before I begin my journey West so that I can get in a great day or two at the beach.

I have spent time with all of my nephews on this visit so far.  So, these past few days I have been visiting with some of my nieces.  My youngest niece and I played with my camera so she could see herself “on TV” since I plugged it in for viewing slideshows.  Last night I took three other nieces out for a nice dinner.  They all grow up so fast, especially since I usually only see them about once a year.

I have not driven the Tesla much lately, but today I have some errands to run.  Also, I look forward to heading back to the Hamilton supercharger soon while visiting a friend who lives only 8 miles away from it.  One problem I need to look into is this:  after the rains, when I opened the hatch in the back, a LOT of water began dripping out of the hatch and into the car!!  This didn’t happen in California because we’ve been in a drought (and the car is parked overnight in a garage).  So, hopefully the service department of Tesla will help me resolve this.  I’ll let you know how it goes.       Frugal Tesla

With thunderstorms coming and going through Wednesday, I am keeping close to home with my Mom.  Today during breaks in the rain I helped weed her garden and I washed parts of the car that still had dead bugs stuck in them.  Then, the cloudburst provided the perfect rinse!

I enjoyed watching Derek Jeter in his final All-Star Game tonight.  It was cool that he scored the first run of the game.  And, going back to Sunday,  I was happy that Germany won the World Cup since it is the home of my ancestry and I have a brother who lives in Germany.  It is an interesting coincidence  that we have two Popes, the retired one is from Germany and the active Pope is from Argentina!  I wonder if they even watched the World Cup?!!       Frugal Tesla

This is a quick post to acknowledge that I was very lucky and blessed  with good weather for my cross country sojourn.  Today at the Jersey Shore there have been extreme thunderstorms with lightening even striking around the corner from my Mom’s house.  That brought out the police and fire departments to check on the situation!  Right now it continues to pour rain with loud claps of thunder.  When I watch the news covering the weather across the country now, it looks pretty severe.  So, I am glad I made it here before all of this harsh weather began.  Be careful out there current travelers.  You are in my prayers for safe passage.   Frugal Tesla

I have enjoyed these days visiting with my Mom, Siblings, and many nieces and nephews.  There is still  more than 130 range on the car despite several test drives, a trip to the movies yesterday (saw the latest Transformers movie with nephews), and drive to church today (Sunday).  This week I will help my Mom with some planting around the house and perhaps some re-caulking in the shower. The weather is sort of rainy (on and off) so I will hold off on a trip to the beach.

I have been asked to provide my toll breakdown on the journey here, so this is it:

No tolls in the West (That is why roads are called freeways there).

July 7: On I-90E  in Beloit, WI at the border to IL, toll was $1.90.  I exited onto 39/51 Southbound to avoid more tolls on the way to Aurora, IL.

On July 8:  On I-80E/I-90E in Indiana, I paid a toll of $4.30 before entering Ohio.  Then, in Ohio I took Exit 59 at 8:34am and paid a toll of $4.25.  Later that day, on the way from Macedonia, OH to Cranberry, PA,  I paid another $4.25 on the Ohio Turnpike at 6:19pm and I paid $5.90 on the PA Turnpike at 7:12pm. The final toll that day was a whopping $9.70 at 9:37pm (also on PA Turnpike).  I decided that would be my last time on toll roads in PA!!

On July 10:  On I-95 in Maryland, I paid $4.00 at 11:45am.  Then, another Maryland toll was a surprising $8.00 at 12:25pm.  About 20 miles later, Delaware claimed its $4.00 from me at 12:43pm.  So, I left the toll roads for the rest of the Eastbound journey since I had only quarters left and did not want to enter toll roads without enough cash on hand.

So, the toll total is:

$1.90 +$4.30 +$4.25 +$4.25 + $5.90 +$9.70 + $4 +$8 +$4 = $46.30

By State:  Wisconsin ($1.90), Indiana ($4.30), Ohio ($8.50), Pennsylvania ($15.60), Maryland ($12.00), Delaware ($4.00).

Frugal Tesla

These data took me all day to compile (All dates are for 2014):

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

(PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME ZONES)

6/29    9pm   ?F   San Francisco, CA  15,000  No miles No range

6/29   9:45-10:20pm  ?F   Fremont, CA 15,050  50miles  ?range?

6/30   2:13pm   ?F   Santa Cruz, CA    15,099   44miles  57range

6/30   3-3:55pm  89F   Gilroy, CA     15,127   28 miles   ?range?

6/30 5:45-6:36pm 104F Harris Ranch, CA 15,239  112mi  115r

6/30 8:20-9:45 95F Tejon Ranch, CA 15,356 117miles 138r

6/30 11:30pm-7/1 11:15am West Hills, CA 15,435 79mi  ?r?

7/1   1:45-3:30pm ?F Barstow, CA 15,577  142miles 173range

7/1  6:20-8:30pm 112F  Las Vegas, NV 15,739 162mi  146range

ENTER MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME = PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME

7/1 10:30pm- 7/2 6:30am 85F Littlefield, AZ 15,832 93mi 100r $15

ENTER MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME (ADD 1 HOUR TO  PDT)

7/2 9:43am-11:30am 80F Beaver, UT 15,963  131miles 148range

7/2 12:30-1:45pm 83F Richfield, UT 16,027  64miles  61range

7/2 3:45-4:45pm  98F Green River, UT  16,151  124miles 121range

7/2  6:45-7:47pm  96F Grand Junction, CO 16,249  98mi  109range

7/2  9pm- 7/3 6:50am 58F(am) Rifle, CO  16,318  69miles  ?range?

7/3  7:30-8:45am  Glenwood Springs, CO 16,343  25 miles ?range?

7/3  10:15-11:45am 71F Silverthorne, CO 16,439  96miles  109r

7/3 1:30pm- 7/5 11am 82F Denver area, CO 16,514  75miles 55r

7/5 12:27-2pm  91F  Cheyenne, WY  16,610  96miles  ~100range

7/5   4:45-6:11pm  94F  Lusk, WY  16,769  159miles  175range

7/5   9:30-10:30pm  82F  Rapid City, SD  16,924  155mi  126 range

7/5 11:11pm-7/6 4:37am  MM 100, SD  16,965  41miles  32range

ENTER CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME ZONE   (PDT + 2 HOURS)

7/6  7:08-7:42am  70F  Murdo, SD  17,060  95miles  102range

7/6    8-9:40am  76F  Draper, SD  (Mass) 17,070   10miles   8range

7/6  11:45am-1:15pm  90F  Mitchell, SD  17,203  133mi  135range

7/6 3:15-5pm 89F  Worthington, MN  17,330  127miles 134range

7/6   7-8:30pm  85F  Albert Lea, MN  17,446   116miles  ?range?

7/6 10:45-11:15pm 73F Onalaska, WI 17,572 126miles 117range

7/6 11:30pm-7/7 9:11am 71F  MM 20, WI  17,587  15mi  22range

7/7 11am-1pm  82F  Madison, WI  17,704  117miles  101range

7/7 4-6:30pm 94F Aurora, IL 17,848  144mi  ?range?  $1.90toll

ENTER EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME (PDT + 3 HOURS)

7/7 10:26-11:25pm 74F  Mishawaka, IN 17,990 142mi 125range

7/7 11:40pm-7/8 6:35am 73F  MM 90, IN  18,001  11mi  11range

7/8 8:40-11:50am  76F  Maumee, OH  18,130  129mi  123r $8.55t

7/8  TRAVEL to LAKE ERIE, OH* (Also in Maumee: batteries $14.93)

7/8 5:20-6:15 82F  Macedonia, OH  18,275  141miles* 145range*

7/8 7:44-8:15pm 81F  Cranberry, PA  18,372  107mi 103r $10.15t

7/8  9:43-10:45pm 71F  Somerset, PA  18,457  85mi  97r  $9.70toll

7/8 11:45pm- 7/9 2:25pm 93F Altoona area, PA 18,523 66mi  57r

7/9  4:23-5:45pm  87F  Hagerstown, MD  18,625  102miles 94range

7/9 7:20pm-7/10 11am 76F Bethesda, MD 18,712  87mi 96r $6park

7\10 2:30-4:10pm  83F  Hamilton, NJ  18,889  177mi  161r  $16tolls

7/10  4:57pm arrival time 77F  Jersey Shore  18,925  36mi  31range

Total miles:  3,925  Total tolls paid:  $46.30  other costs: $35.93

(43 Different Places in 12 days)

Travel through CA, NV, AZ, UT, CO, WY, SD, MN, WI, IL, IN, OH, PA, MD, DE, NJ. (16 states)

Frugal Tesla

In Hamilton, NJ a father with his son and daughter were very interested in the Tesla so I gave them a tour of the car.   I also met Jamie from Mullica Hill, NJ who was charging his gray 85kw Tesla.  Next, Paul arrived from his home about 20 miles from this charging site.  After Jamie left, Alok from Princeton arrived in a white 85kw Tesla.  His name fascinated me and he said it is from India.  It turns out that his family has 2 Teslas (the other one is a P85kw version).  Alok and I chatted for a while and he invited me into the bookstore café to treat me to a nice cool drink.  Thank you, Alok!  When we returned outside to the cars, Phirun (a Cambodian name) was returning to his white Tesla 85kw that had pulled up while we were inside. He lives 5 minutes away in Hamilton… a true local!

Now here is the ironic twist, there was a lot of news in NJ about not being able to get Teslas because of the laws concerning dealerships.  Yet, here at this NJ supercharger there were 4 cars from New Jersey while I was there!!  That is MORE Teslas at this station than ANY other station that I encountered across the ENTIRE U.S.A (with the exception of Fremont, CA which is the location of the factory and the stomping ground of many “frequent chargers”).

I stopped charging at 4:10pm to cruise to the Jersey shore with 206 range.  I arrived and greeted my Mom at 4:57pm.  Odometer at 18,925 and temp of 77 degrees.  Range of 175 remains in the car for my visit this week. I emptied all of the contents of the car to re-sort and clean up. I spoke with the neighbor whose son is very interested in getting a Tesla.  Hopefully I will get to meet and speak with him.

Tomorrow, I will try to put together a summary of the stats in a single post.  Then I will give very brief daily posts until I begin my journey West.  Happy to have made it all 3,925 miles!!  Thank you for your comments and keeping me company in this half of my Tesla adventure.    Frugal Tesla

According to MapQuest, I would need to travel 174 miles from Bethesda to the NJ supercharger.  That seems to be too far for my comfort zone in the 60kw Tesla (I like to have extra miles for speed and any elevation changes or hills).  So, I planned to drive to Newark, Delaware to charge on the way to NJ.  I left Bethesda at 11am with the car at 206 range.

The problem of paying tolls had daunted me in Pennsylvania, and now I discovered that Maryland tolls were higher than I thought.  I paid $4 at one toll booth, and the next one was $8!!  I asked when and how much the next toll would be.  They told me there would be one in Delaware for $4 coming up in 20 miles.  I had 3 dollar bills and quarters ready to pay it.

Another issue was speed limits.  It seems that in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey, everyone goes at least 10mph over the speed limits.  I did my best to follow the limits, but at times, it seemed safer to maintain with the traffic flow rather than become the slow driver that everyone is annoyed at and has to whip around. This is why my choice to get off the toll roads was often more appealing.  I would be able to drive at a safer pace without the same ire forming in the drivers around me.  Also, the slower pace is WAY better for extending the range of a Tesla.

I listened to a radio program about Proverbs chapter 31, verse 10 as I crossed into Delaware at 12:40pm. The sign simply said: “Welcome To Delaware.”.  (The period was included on the sign).  It was 85 degrees and I had 18,809 on the odometer.  I realized that I had 118 miles of range, so maybe I should recheck the map to see if I could actually get to the NJ charger without a stop in Newark, DE.  It turns out that the Supercharger is on the SOUTH bound side of I-95, so I would have to exit and re-enter the Delaware turnpike and then turn around again!  I shuddered to think of the toll consequences of this since I was using only quarters now.

At 1pm I pulled into the rest stop just before exit 3 (which would get me to the Newark, DE charger).  It took only 10 minutes for me to determine that it was 74 miles to the NJ supercharger and I still had 112 miles of range. (I had already traveled 102 miles and had only used 94 of the range). So I decided to skip the Delaware supercharger and head to NJ.   I also decided to stay off the NJ turnpike and take a toll free route so I could slow down to extend my range (and save money!).

I crossed the Delaware River at 1:15pm and entered NJ at 1:17pm  with 101 range. The sign said, “Welcome to New Jersey”.  As I drove through South Jersey,  I saw marshy areas,  water covered with lily pads, more of the lush greens, and many trees along the highway. I arrived in Hamilton at the Supercharger behind the Barnes and Noble Bookstore by 2:30pm with 45 miles of range remaining!  The odometer read 18,889 and it was 83 degrees.   Frugal Tesla

Before going to the Supercharger in Bethesda, Maryland, I met up with some judo friends, including Jen from Canada who works at N.I.H. We headed to Cafe Deluxe on Wisconsin Avenue for an amazingly delicious burger since Wednesday is $5 burger night. The bartender, Andy was very gregarious and made sure our food was prepared to perfection.

After a good night sleep thanks to Maryland hospitality, I headed to the Bethesda supercharger in the parking structure near the Sears closest to Mall entrance #3.  I arrived at 9:21am with about 100 range remaining and odometer at 18,712 with temp of 76 degrees.  Tony was supercharging for the first time here in his scarlet red 85kw Tesla.  He has had the car for a while but they provide charging at work since he is employed at an electric company. So, he had never used a supercharger until today.  Tony explained to me that the Tesla uses more energy in the severe cold to heat up the car, so that is why regions with colder winters tend to have Superchargers located more closely together.  Then,  he and I chatted with a  gentleman named Samir who was curious about Teslas.

I noticed several other brand new Teslas parked near the chargers, so I asked Tony about them.  He said that there was a Tesla store in the mall, so I decided to go visit and tell them about my blog. There I met Jason (also a huge basketball fan) and Rob (who made sure that I had some Tesla items to pass on to others along my journey (key chains and stickers).  These Tesla employees were shocked and amazed to hear that I had traveled all the way from San Francisco in a 60kw Tesla on a solo drive WITHOUT the tech package to provide navigation and turn by turn directions… I only had to stop at one RV park along the way to bridge the gap between Las Vegas and Beaver, Utah.  This may be one for the record books!  After speaking with many interested patrons in the Tesla store, I returned to the car and researched my next leg of the journey.  Delaware or New Jersey? Frugal Tesla

After a refreshing shower and catching up with relatives, I emptied out the front seats to allow another Tesla test drive. I remembered to give them the key fob this time. The response was, “The acceleration is incredble! I can go from a dead stop to 50 in like 4 seconds!”.  Since the rain was so bad yesterday, we treated the windshield with Rain-X which will hopefully help in future downpours.

I gathered more photos to bring to my Mom, redistributed the contents of the car so some of the kids could enjoy a Tesla ride, and we headed to Dairy Queen for a tasty lunch. There we snapped a few family photos, ate our ice cream, and reviewed the toll free route to Hagerstown, MD. The kids said they planned to start saving up to buy their own Tesla cars someday!  Thank you all for the hospitality and lunch.

I left the Dairy Queen with odometer at 18,524 temp 93 degrees and 174 range at 2:25pm. The drive was full of green countryside. The numerous fields and hilly farms had different shades of greens, browns, and golden yellows. They had different textures too, such that they fit together like patchwork quilted hillsides. The highways were lined with numerous sumac trees and the larger hills were packed with trees.

At 3:51pm I crossed the Mason-Dixon line into Maryland at 18,595 on the odometer and 106 range. The sign said, “Welcome to Maryland. Enjoy Your Visit”. I was at the Hagerstown Premium Outlets by 4:23pm where I typed up this post. Odometer at 18,625 at 87 degrees and 80 range remaining. I hope to visit with my college Judo coach who lives in Maryland now. Time to visit DC before charging tonight or tomorrow in Bethesda, MD.

Before leaving Hagerstown, Greg from Potomac, MD pulled up in his blue 85kw Tesla. He will head to Somerset, PA next.  At 5:45pm and with my charging complete at 206 range, I am off to visit our nation’s capitol, Washington, DC. With patriotic pride,  Frugal Tesla

From Maumee, OH  I crossed the gorgeous Maumee River (this is in the Toledo region of Ohio).  I drove on and the journey became personal.  I made my way to the shores of Lake Erie and drove to the “Land of my Birth” along the scenic Hwy 6 (Lake road).  First stop was to get copies of my birth certificate since the original is so worn it is nearly impossible to read.  Since they had misspelled my mom’s maiden name on the original, it turns out that going in person to get a copy worked out so they could correct the flaw. I obtained the address of the hospital where I was born, and stopped there to take photos.  I also visited the homes we lived in, churches, and took more photos so my mom could enjoy the memories and see the changes that have occurred over many years. I was amazed at the vast and beautiful Lake Erie, which is in much better condition due to the efforts of many who wanted to stop the pollution.

I made my way to Macedonia, OH and the Macedonia Commons shopping area to charge. I arrived at 5:20pm with odometer 18,275 temp at 82 degrees and 62 range remaining.  I met the new owner of a blue 85kw Tesla who purchased his car in June. His Ohio license plate was “FARADAY”.  Google it!  Great choice for a Tesla. He also referred to his car as a monster since it is larger than his former vehicle.

I spoke with relatives in PA and made a plan to visit overnight.  I was hoping to go directly to Somerset, PA but the distance is 176 miles so that is too far for my comfort zone in this 60kw car.  I left Macedonia, OH at 6:15pm at 81 degrees with 185 range.  I encountered HORRIBLE rain on the way to Pennsylvania.  It was so severe that I had to really slow down.  Thankfully that passed and then I saw a huge rainbow, a very nice omen.  I entered PA at 7:11pm with 18,344 on odometer and 112 range .  The sign said, “Pennsylvania Welcomes You.  The Keystone State”.

I stopped in Cranberry, PA for a quick charge to get me to Somerset, PA.  The chargers are behind the Marriott Residence Inn (way in the back). The odometer was at 18,372 and temp of 81 degrees with 82 range remaining. It was 7:44pm and I will not discuss my power driving to get here, but you can do the math if interested. One very surprising moment was when an owl flew up and landed on the rooftop adjacent to the chargers where I sat. After a few minutes, it simply flew away… amazing moment indeed. I stopped charging at 170 range at 8:15pm and headed to Somerset.

I arrived in Somerset, PA at 9:43pm with 73 miles range remaining and odometer at 18,457 with temp at 71 degrees.  I typed up my quick summary blog and stopped charging at 10:45pm with 203 range to head to see the relatives.  That drive took about an hour with 18,523 odometer, temp at 86 degrees and about 146 range remaining.  I plugged into a 110 garage outlet to top up slowly while sleeping so I could be sure to make the distance to Hagerstown, MD on Wednesday afternoon (after lunch with family).  Frugal Tesla