I decided to relax for the day in Santa Cruz and head to Fremont and San Francisco on Thursday morning to complete the round trip journey. So, today I saw my chiropractor. He said that my back was in much better shape than usual and that I was much easier to adjust! We both concluded that the excellent lumbar support in the Tesla, and the fact that I spent so much time in the car seat had somehow supported my alignment. Did anyone ever credit Elon Musk for contributing to spinal health via the Tesla? Could the car become an insurance write off?

After the chiropractor, I treated myself to the movie “Get On Up” which is about the life of James Brown. I really enjoyed all of the music and felt like dancing… but it was a dark movie theater without a dance floor. I had to be content with chair wiggling, which is what I call dancing while seated.

After the movie, I took some time to look over the 2014-2015 schedule for the Golden State Warriors basketball team. Yes, basketball fans, the schedules are out. So it is time to plan for tickets!

After I am back at my desktop computer, I will post a summary of my Westward journey. After that, I will try to put together a listing of the travels by day and include data about sleep, elapsed time at chargers, versus actual driving time. But I want to ask you, my loyal blog readers, what do you want to know about my journey? Did I leave something out? Please comment and I will do my best to respond. Almost there, Frugal Tesla

Atascadero to Gilroy superchargers is about 138 miles along highway 101 north. Somehow I picked up a radio station from Fresno, CA where they were talking about a cruise ship that would have Motorhead, Megadeath, and Anthrax performing!!  I laughed out loud as I tried to imagine the marketing campaign, the clients on ship, the task of the crew with cleanup, and the international ramifications as thousands of heavy metal fans disembarked at the various ports. Funny stuff.

I arrived at the very familiar Gilroy superchargers at 1:45pm with odometer at 24,317 and 47 range with temp at 85 degrees.  I said hello to Ken from Sunnyvale and then Arlen from Carmel, both with 85kw Teslas. Then I proceeded to type up the all nighter blog post. As I finished, Adam and Tracy pulled up with their 3 young children in a black 60kw Tesla. As I told them of my journey, they revealed that they also do NOT have the tech package… so they would be interested in reading the blog to hear about the roundtrip across the country adventure.

One more Tesla had pulled up earlier while I was talking to the other owners. It was a green Tesla with the CA license plate: TESLAPA.  I approached to see if he would open his window to chat briefly (I thought that he was listening to the radio since there was the sound of talking in the car). He did open the window and I quickly introduced myself by saying that I had just driven from San Francisco to NJ and back. He emphatically stated that he was on the phone with someone LOCAL, and his tone was extremely annoyed. Wow, had my exhaustion combined with exhilaration turned me into that rude person that intrudes upon private phone calls??!  I quietly said “Sorry!”, turned around, unplugged, and departed for Santa Cruz at 2:58pm with 201 range.

Other than the road work going on near the Hecker Pass Winery, this was a familiar path for me and I traveled along like I was greeting an old friend. The comfort of my surroundings helped me to shake off the cold, callous demeanor of TESLAPA which continued to bother me. I thought about all of the amazing and kind Tesla owners that I encountered on this 9,300 mile journey. Isn’t it funny how the 1 bad experience has to be from a guy near my home turf? But, I imagine that perhaps my road weary appearance, the vagabond look, was unsettling to him. I will never know.

Driving through the redwood trees, past the berry farms, and closer to a real place to rest in Santa Cruz gave me an extra boost of energy. I arrived at 3:51pm with odometer at 24,346 with 174 range and a cool temp of 70 degrees. After catching up and talking with my friend, I hit the pillow at 5:30pm and did not wake up until 6:30am…13 solid hours of rest! That, combined with the 11 hours of rest that I had for the previous 48 hours, makes 24 hours of sleep for 3 days, thus averaging to 8 hours a day. But, in case you are worried, I hope to never do the all night drive ever again.

I have one last leg to San Francisco to complete this journey. I must decide whether to go later today (Wednesday), after a chiropractor appointment, or early tomorrow (to get me back in time for work… yes, real work!). Either way, I plan to stop in Fremont, CA on the way.  Frugal Tesla

The nap in Las Vegas did me a great deal of good, so when I saw that the first rest area at mile marker 270 on 15 South toward Barstow seemed crowded, I was confident that I could continue on to the rest area at mile marker 217 further west. Unfortunately, that rest area is closed for construction!  So, I took a deep breath and chose to make it to Barstow, CA.

I crossed into California at 12:07am. By the time I pulled in to the Barstow Supercharger two hours later, I was exhausted. I plugged in at 2:01am with odometer at 23,903 and 46 range was remaining with temp at 82 degrees. Once again, I set my alarm  (this time for 2 hours) and went to sleep. At 4am I awoke with 206 range and headed out to Tejon Ranch.

The drive to Lebec (Tejon Ranch) was along 58 W to 223 W to N Wheeler Ridge Road. I tried to do some drive by photography of the sunrise along the way. I thought that I could charge in Tejon Ranch and then head to the Buttonwillow, CA rest area on 5 N to really rest. Once again, I set up to charge and slept while charging. This took place from 6:40am with range at 96, odometer at 24,041 (just broke the 9,000 mile mark!) and temp of 80 degrees… until 7:45am with range at 206. When I first pulled in, a white Tesla was charging to the left of me.   When I awoke, a red Tesla was instead charging on my right. I did not speak to either gentleman since it was so early and I am really not much of a morning person, especially after an all nighter!

Instead of going via 5 N all the way to Harris Ranch, I decided to head north on 5 to 46 W (to Paso Robles) and then on 101 to Atascadero for supercharging at the bank. As I neared the Buttonwillow, CA rest area on 5 N, I gave up on the real rest and kept going.

My habit of driving under the speed limit and with long stopping distance between myself and the trucks in front of me really paid off. More than once on this stretch, CA Highway Patrol cars zipped past me to pull over the speed demons. Also, for the first time in my life, I witnessed the outer right rear tire fail on an eighteen wheeler which was driving in front of me.  The pieces went flying up into the air and scattered all over the roadway. I slowed down, avoided all of the debris and put on my hazard emergency lights in case anyone came up from behind. The truck was traveling in tandem with another truck so they both pulled over to deal with the blowout.

It felt nice to be back in California with the golden hillsides, green farms, grape vineyards, almond orchards, and especially the ubiquitous Live Oak trees. On the radio, a program from Bakersfield stated that 70% of California’s oil comes from Kern County. I had seen evidence of that earlier with huge fields of oil rigs pumping away.

I arrived in Atascadero, CA at 10:15am with odometer at 24,179 and 66 range with temp at 76 degrees. I charged to 184 range and took extra time to complete the previous blog post.  I left at 11:30am for Gilroy.  Frugal Tesla

The drive to Kingman, AZ included some impressive views and more sunset photos. In this part of Arizona (and in other farming communities) I have seen SO many white pickup trucks. At one point, there was a huge black drone hovering in the sky… someone spying on travelers? 95 N outside of Quartzsite had some fun “roller coaster” sections with the road undulating up and down. Later near Havasu it was more curvy.

As I drove near Parker, AZ, the radio tuned to AM 1380 KLBZ with excellent music combined with talk radio. This was how I heard the shocking news about Robin Williams. It was even more unsettling when I thought back on an interview I had watched while in NJ: David Letterman was talking to Robin Williams, and I had the strangest feeling that Robin was saying goodbye to Dave. Even more awkwardly, Dave struggled to assure Robin that he would see him again. At the time, I told myself that I was imagining this… so sad.

The scenery along the drive included brown mountains (not the ashen gray of the earlier mountains today). And, it was refreshing to see all of the beautiful blue water along with water skiers in the expanses near Lake Havasu City.

I arrived in Kingman, AZ at 7:33pm with odometer at 23,636 and 50 range remaining and temp at 83 degrees.  Busload after busload full of tourists came into this Carls Jr. It was very chaotic with so many people inside and wandering around the parking lot..  I put a navigation plan together and looked up a a rest area where I could stay after charging in Vegas.  I left Kingman,AZ at 8:30pm with 195 range to drive on 93 N and 515 N to get to Las Vegas, NV.

It was neat to see the brightly lit city of Las Vegas from high above as the roadway sloped downward. I arrived at the supercharger at 10:24pm with 97 range, odometer at 23,740 and temp at 86 degrees. I set my flip phone alarm and climbed in the back to nap for 50 minutes while charging.  Remember, I woke up at 6:30 in the morning, so I was getting tired! At 11:20 pm, I left with 204 range to go to the rest area on 15 South at mile marker 217.

Until later, Frugal Tesla

It took me 2 1/2 hours to drive the 76 miles from Yuma to Quartzsite. Most of the way the speed limit was 55mph, and there were lots of police pulling people over so I drove at about 50mph. When I first was leaving Yuma I saw so many huge tractors on the road and kicking up lots of dust in dry farm fields. There were also many yellow school busses on the roads there. I was listening to oldies pop music on the radio with narration in Spanish thanks to a radio station from Mexicali. They even played the Jackson 5!

One of the stops along the way was a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint. Two officers with German Shepherd dogs were there to check each vehicle that drove through. They asked why I had driven so far south on my trip back West and they wondered how the handles worked on the car. I wish I had a photo of the surprised look on their faces when I put the car in park to allow the door handles to pop out! This stop was pretty quick, but it did add to the time.

The main reason why the short drive took so long was that I was too curious about the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. This 665,400 acres in the Sonoran Desert is home to desert bighorn sheep, California Fan Palms, and more. Each time I came to an entrance into the Refuge, I would stop to check it out, only to encounter dusty dirt and rock roads. When I came to Palm Canyon Road, I decided to drive on the dusty road for a few miles only. After 3 miles at about 15mph, I arrived at informational kiosks. I exited the comfortable 65 degree car into the 107 degree heat only to read about the military presence in this place and the threat of unexploded weapons. I picked up a brochure and read about the Refuge and the bighorn sheep. Note to self: Remember to bring binoculars on my next cross country trip! I found a dime on the ground, then headed back to the main road at the snail pace.

So, after that I drove to the Quartzsite supercharger which is at another Carls Jr (like the charger in Gila Bend). Entering the town, I could not believe how many RV parks and truck stops were here.  I arrived at the charger at 3:55pm with odometer at 23,502 and 108 range remained and temp was 106 degrees. The rock shop across the street looks amazing with so many geodes, but I do not want to leave the comfort of the car. Also, I am typing feverishly to get this post done! My next stop is Kingman, AZ which is 139 miles away. Leaving here at 206 range at 5pm.  Frugal Tesla

On the way from Gila Bend, there is a huge solar array. Unfortunately, the darkness of night prevented me from seeing it.  I arrived at the rest area 31 miles from the supercharger in Gila Bend at 11:45pm Sunday night with odometer at 23,320 and temp at 96 degrees and 151 range remaining.

I awoke at 6:45am and washed up. A woman asked me if I had jumper cables… she was returning from Colorado to California.  I called my Tucson buddy who was on his way to meet me here and confirmed that he did have jumper cables. But, no sooner than I was off the phone, another fellow in a pickup helped jumpstart her car to get them on their way.

While I waited for my friend, I typed up the previous blog posting. He arrived just as I was typing the last sentence. We spoke for about an hour to catch up on our lives. I will look forward to his newest online book to be released soon entitled “Repose”.  It is about the amazing healing powers that he documents from a specific open stance when performed three times each day for only 7 minutes. I also can highly recommend his previous book, “The Way of Play” which is further emphasized with the nonprofit he began called “Play Haven”. I have yet to visit this place in Tucson… just waiting for that Tucson area supercharger!!

I set up my solar panels in the back of the car to collect some electricity for charging my camera batteries. Then at 10:10am I left for Yuma, AZ with temp up to 97 degrees and range down to 146.  The drive to Yuma went quickly with just over 80 miles to travel and only one slower construction area. Also, this was one of the few construction areas where there were actually workers getting the job done! From my experience on this trip, I would estimate that 90% of the areas with coned off construction had NOBODY working. It seems that road travel would be a lot more efficient without all of these excess closures. Just close the lanes when you are present to work on them! Any comments about this?

The road to Yuma is pretty much desert, but there was one oasis called Dateland where lots of date palms were growing at Exit 67. As I neared Yuma, the landscape included jaggedy gray mountains all around me. One mile after Exit 1 was the California Exit 172 to bring me to the Yuma, AZ supercharger. It was fun going from AZ to CA and back into AZ within a few minutes.  I arrived at the chargers at 11:25am with 53 range and odometer at 23,407. The temp was 101 degrees but by noon it was up to 105 degrees!

I put on sunscreen and walked across the parking lot to check out the very cool train locomotive on site: Southern Pacific 2521. I braved the heat and strolled along the Colorado River in Yuma Quartermaster State Historic Park. After a quick stop in the Hilton Garden Inn to cool off in the air conditioning and use a restroom, I headed back to the car to type up this posting. I will head to Quartzsite, AZ next with a possible stop at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. Leaving at 1:30pm with 206 range,  Frugal Tesla

Who knew that I could have so much fun driving?!!  As I headed onto 17 S to get to Wickenburg, AZ, the skies darkened and the most amazing and complex bolts of lightening lit up the world with electric splendor over the mountains.  The radio played oldies as narrated by Dick Clark and I sang along with every tune at the top of my lungs while laughing out loud. Perhaps I was giddy with the anticipation of the rising of the super moon? Or maybe the electrifying excitement of nature’s light show filled me with joy? No matter what, I could not help but praise God for all the glory!! I was even delighted when rain poured down, because at last, the car was cleaned of the residual dust!

Once again, as I drove past the storm, I saw amazing sunset to the right, and kept looking for the super moon to my left.  Unfortunately, the super moom was being upstaged by the “super cloud” in the sky.  Then suddenly, at 7:35pm while driving on 74 West past Lake Pleasant, I caught a glimpse in the driver side mirror of a small sliver of the super moon peeking out of a tiny gap in the middle of the huge cloud. Now I was even happier.

As I approached the town of Wickenburg in complete darkness, the map on my screen went blank. All I could see was the red dot representing the supercharger and the red triangle representing my car… no roads or landmarks at all!!  So, I was glad that I had taken the extra time in Flagstaff to go “old school” and write down the directions. I found the chargers easily in the dark since they were lit up with red neon-like “TESLA” on each charging post! This effect is definitely more appreciated by night. Turn in at the big BASHA’S Frontier Center sign. I arrived at 7:57pm with odometer 23,195 and 78 range remaining and temp at 97 degrees. It was super windy too. I took some night photos and appreciated the nice church across the street. I left at 8:45pm with 185 range to find the supercharger in Gila Bend, AZ.

As I drew closer to Gila Bend down the Phoenix Bypass Route 85, I switched my air ventilation system to cycle within the car only, since a horrible swamplike stench was entering. I arrived in Gila Bend at 10:30pm with odometer at 23,289 and 102 range remaining at temp of 94 degrees. While there, I spoke with Fernando at Tesla in Fremont, CA to learn more about the operation of the heating/cooling system of the car. I wanted to learn if there was a way to keep the air conditioner on when I am not seated inside the car. But it seems that I can only do that if I have an app… and my flip phone does not have apps.  I added the idea of a new software upgrade to allow that option from the car so maybe Tesla will do this in the future. I finished charging to 185 range and left at 11:10pm for the mile marker 85 off of I-8 W in Arizona rest area. (The supercharger was just before mile marker 118).         Frugal Tesla

At 12:55pm, I passed the sign, “ARIZONA The Grand Canyon State Welcomes You” with 165 range.  I drove past the exit for the petrified forest. That attraction will have to wait for a future trip. Along 40 West there are lots of Native American shops and places to buy rocks, meteorites, etc.  Many of the roadside stores have elaborate Teepees and even giant dinosaurs in front with the huge billboards to tempt shoppers to stop. But, I was focused on my next destination: Burger King in Holbrook.

Yes, the Tesla supercharger is located in the Burger King parking lot! I took Exit 289 and arrived at 12:57pm (gained back an hour by going from MDT to MST) with odometer at 22,948 and 101 range with temp at 91 degrees. I had a whopper junior for $1.74 total. I declined the small milk which would have cost an extra $1.39!! Instead, I had a V8 which I brought with me. I called my Mom like I do every Sunday (a tradition that I believe EVERYONE should have). I also spoke with an old friend from Tucson, AZ to try to coordinate a visit. Next I checked some email and replied to attend an upcoming Tesla event in Monterey, CA at “A Shade Above” next week. (It will be another fun way to meet other Tesla owners and share stories).  I left Holbrook, AZ at 2pm with 183 range. Next stop Flagstaff!

I arrived in Flagstaff, AZ at 3:30pm since speed limits are 65 or 75mph on the interstate here. Odometer was 23,042 which means I have passed the 8,000 mile mark of this USA adventure. I had 73 range remaining and the temp was 79 degrees, evidence of the higher altitude at Flagstaff and of the impending stormy weather. The chargers were a bit tricky to find, because they are at a left turn in the main parking lot which puts you on the back of the building (opposite of the main entrance). I stopped inside the spacious main lobby and chatted briefly with the guys at the registration desk of this Marriott. After using the restroom, I returned to the car and was happy to meet Jack and Joanne from the Phoenix area. They were on a day trip to Flagstaff and stopped to charge their beautiful red P85 Tesla.  With the “chocolate car” still covered in Utah dust, the contrast was astounding! They finished their charging and were on their way while I spent an extra 45 minutes after my charge was complete to 206 range for finishing another blog post and doing some serious mapping and plotting my course for the next two days. At 5:30pm, I finally left for Wickenburg, AZ.   Frugal Tesla

After leaving Blanding, Utah southbound on 191 at 7:11pm, I soon headed back EAST on 262 (I passed by the entrance to Hovenweep National Monument, a site of Ancestral Puebloan significance), then further east on 162 back into Colorado!  From there I made my way south (where the fantastic sunset was visible out of my right side and the huge moon rising was seen to my left) and east in the subsequent darkness to Farmington, New Mexico. I arrived there at 10:23pm with 56 range and odometer at 22,706 with temp at 77 degrees. I charged to 200 range and left for Gallup, NM at 11:25pm.

The route to Gallup was south on 371 about 21 miles, then right onto Indn Service Rte 5 (west) for 27 miles, then 60 miles south on 491 (formerly known as the “Devil’s Highway” before 1985 when the Route # was 666) to I-40E to find the rest area at exit 122 in Gallup. I had a difficult time finding the Gallup Visitor Information Center, but eventually pulled in to sleep at 2:20am… yes, I was exhausted!  70 range remained, odometer at 22,843, and temp was 68 degrees.  I slept soundly despite the loud blasting of the train horns with the tracks adjacent to the parking lot.

I woke up at 8am to attend Mass at St. Francis Catholic Church (214 W Wilson Ave) which amazingly was only a few blocks from the visitor center (which, by the way, I saw with daylight, was also the Amtrak Train Station!).  I met Alex in front of the church, who had recently moved to Gallup, NM from Hawaii (where his former neighbor owns a Tesla… and there the get free parking as an extra perk!). I learned that the 9am Mass (as listed on the diocese internet page) was changed to 10am, so I relaxed and prayed inside while waiting for the service.  After an energetic bilingual Spanish/English service with wonderful music, I met Franciscan Brother Maynard Shurley who was looking forward to two new Franciscan residents at his home arriving later this week: Father Abel, the new parish priest; and Brother Pio.  This parish had to rely upon visiting priests for several months, so this was a huge relief. I left the church at 11:20am to visit the Gallup supercharger located west on the historical rte 66.

I was at the charger by 11:37am with odometer at 22,850 and 64 range with temp at 81 degrees. I stopped inside the Gallup Hampton Inn, where the sign said “WELCOME TESLA”, and paid Naomi for stamps to mail some long overdue postcards. I charged to 192 range and left at 12:30pm for Holbrook, AZ.  Frugal Tesla

I drove to Blanding, Utah today and arrived at 9:45am with odometer at 22,482 and 94 range with temp at 79 degrees. This charging station is at the welcome center and it is near a big solar array… very cool.  While charging, I finished updating the Cheyenne and Fort Collins posting (for those readers who want to go back for the full story). I also spoke with Sebastian, his mom Claudia, and his girlfriend Stefanie all visiting from Germany. Sebastian was especially interested in the Tesla because he works for a car company in Germany. As usual, the charging was done before the blog post was done. But I stayed to finish the posting and left for Farmington, NM at 11:50am.

One mile down 191 S, there was a sign for The Dinosaur Museum. I stopped in since the $3.50 entrance fee was low. This place was great and I enjoyed the collections of comic books and movie posters throughout the museum which had a quirky combination of science and pop culture!

I left at 12:40pm and only 3 miles later was enticed by the sign for Natural Bridges National Park. I turned right onto 95 W and drove the 34 miles to the Park (right turn onto on 295) arriving at 1:45pm. The fee was only $6 and it was an easy 9 mile loop through the park with easy overlooks and lots of optional hiking trails.  I did some hiking at each stop and returned to the visitor center by 5:15pm where the rangers, John and Jen, answered my questions about camping here (only $10) and gave me information about how this is the world’s 1st international Dark Sky Park.  So, for amazing viewing of stars, meteors, etc., this is an awesome place to visit.

Though I was tempted to stay there, I drove back to Blanding, UT arriving at 6:28pm with 112 range odometer at 22,571, and temp at 86 degrees.  I charged up to 185 …done at 7pm.  I typed up this post and NOW I will go to Farmington, NM at 7:11pm.  Frugal Tesla