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

I am exhausted! Was up early this morning with Dave, Jessie, and Heather from Canyonlands Field Institute visiting many inspiring petroglyphs and pictogragh sites in Moab. Then I went hiking in Arches National Park all afternoon.  I just topped up the car and will now get some rest.  It is 9pm on Friday.  Frugal Tesla

I am in Moab, Utah and it is truly a marvel and a place for praising God for all this glory!  I am going to take some time here to pray and connect with nature. Also, I plan to visit some petroglyph sites. If I am still here on Saturday, maybe I will go horseback riding too since this is where many cowboy movies were filmed. In order to do all of this (and hike in Arches National Park) I may pause my blog entries for a day or two.  Be patient and I will do my best to catch you all up with my adventures.  Frugal Tesla

I arrived in Silverthorne, CO at 6:55pm after crawling past the  Denver area in rush hour traffic. The slow pace saved a lot of energy because I still had 69 range left!  I did notice at the top of the grade that the range did drop to 60, but the downhill gave back 9 miles. My odometer was 22,030 so I officially passed the 7,000 mile mark for this roundtrip adventure. The temp was 67 degrees.

At one of the 8 superchargers was a red 85kw Tesla. Soon Mike walked up and explained that he was from further south in Colorado and just received the car 3 weeks ago. Next, Dawn and Andrew arrived in their blue P85 Tesla. Their car is named Nkyta, and it has no 85 numbering on it… another “anonymous” P85.  They were from Redwood City, CA and were on their way to Andrew’s high school reunion in Madison, WI.

They all departed after a quick charge and I remained behind trying to catch up on email, phone calls, and the neglected blog posts! I finally left at 8:45pm with 205 range. Thus, I was driving to Glenwood Springs in the dark.  But since my Eastbound journey was by day, the July blog post was descriptive of the area.

I arrived in Glenwood Springs at 10:45pm with a whopping 151 range remaining.  The odometer was 22,122 and temp at 68 degrees. I did notice that the temp was in the mid fifties while driving past the higher elevation at Vail. I charged to 204 and left at 11:20pm to get some rest. Frugal Tesla

NOTE: Updated on Saturday August 9, 2014 from Blanding, Utah. These events took place on August 6th. Frugal Tesla

I headed south on 85 from the Meriden Rest stop and made my way via Yellowstone Road to Dell Range Blvd and the Frontier Mall in Cheyenne, WY.  It was difficult to find the superchargers because they were surrounded by a plethora of 5th wheelers.  Not only did they make access difficult, but they coned off the entry point so that I had to drive into the parking lot lane in the wrong direction according to the lane arrows.  These looked like new camper trailers for sale, so why they chose this specific location to set up for a showroom was weird to me.  The parking lot had plenty of other areas that would not be a huge inconvenience to the Tesla owners.

I arrived at 8:23am with 74 range remaining with odometer at 21,853 and temp of 66 degrees. Charging was complete at 10:09am with max range of 205. While charging, I did a few searches on the internet, trying to track down an old friend who had moved to Wyoming many years ago. They might live in Afton which I discovered is too far across the state for this trip. I checked in with a few Tesla owners that I met on my Eastbound trip (Mark and Terry, and the family from Ft Collins, CO). Finally, I looked up the location of the train museum in Cheyenne which was recommended by Robert,  a friend from CA.

I drove to the Union Pacific Cheyenne Depot Museum of Trains  which is open weekdays from 9am to 6pm for $8 per adult. I enjoyed all of the historical displays and models of trains. The upstairs scale model train was spectacular in all of the details. One volunteer challenged me to find the 4 hidden cats in the tiny landscapes. I was disappointed to only find 2 cats and one dog, but then the volunteer admitted that he had only managed to find 1 of the cats!  I met another volunteer named Terl, and he suggested that I take a ride on the train when passing through Georgetown, CO. I will definitely plan on that for my return trip to Colorado someday.  My big sadness came when I found out that there were no full scale older trains to be seen here, except during Memorial Day weekend.  Luckily, another man at the museum told me that the old trains might be seen from the bridge since they open the big doors in the storage building on hot days.  I walked to the top of the bridge and was so thrilled to catch a glimpse of “Big Boy”, the old black train. With my odometer at 21,857 and range 204 and temp at 79 degrees, I had parked at a 2 hour street parking space from 10:31am and left at 12:15pm.

I entered Colorado and smiled at the “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign as I set my course for Fort Collins. Khalid had given me excellent directions to the family home where I was invited to top up my charge. I arrived at 1:07pm with 165 range and odometer at 21,906 with temp of 84 degrees. It was really fun to see 3 Tesla Model S cars at one home, theirs red and white and mine brown, as we plugged in my car. When I departed at 4pm, I had 204 range which was plenty for the drive to Silverthorne. The 3 hours visit went surprisingly quickly as I was treated to the finest hospitality. From the delicious fresh cut mango, the almond cookies, and an exoticly tasty cardamom cookie to the collection of delectible snacks and drinks for the road, I will be forever grateful. And, getting to see the model airplanes built by young Zan (and discover our shared interest in origami) will be treasures that I keep always.  Thanks again, and off to Silverthorne! Frugal Tesla

Leaving Hot Springs, SD at 4:40pm, I drove on 18 W into Wyoming and headed onto 85 S at 5:30pm with 106 range and odometer at 21,666. I arrived in Lusk at 6:17pm with 50 range remaining and odometer at 21,712 with temp at 64 degrees.  I would have jumped out of the car immediately after plugging in, but the sounds of thunder kept me in the car. With weather changing quickly around here, it seemed to be nicer out when two men came up to ask about the Tesla. I met Ron and Paul from Ames, Iowa. They were part of the 850,000 participants at the Sturgis, SD Biker Rally.  That explains why I have seen countless motorcycles all around!!  I stopped inside the Covered Wagon Motel office where I met Nicole and asked her to thank Randy for his very helpful advice to me when I was Eastbound. After a quick restroom stop I returned to the car and at 8pm there was a loud thunderclap.

I left Lusk at 8:15pm with 204 range on 85 S and drove through on and off rain for about 60 miles into Torrington, WY. Though it was dark, I could not help but feel like a small child giddy with excitement as I drove alongside a huge train.  But, this euphoria subsided after I began to think how long I would have to wait at the railway crossing to head south to Cheyenne.  Luckily, there was a giant overpass that routed me over the train tracks. This overpass did not appear on my map screen, so it was funny to see the car red triangle on the map crossing over the train tracks and roadways via the “imaginary” overpass.

I continued south on 85 until I reached a rest stop. After all of the swimming and activities of the day, I was ready to turn in early.  About 40 miles north of Cheyenne is the Meriden Rest Area.  I arrived at 10:11pm with 21,809 odometer, 123 range, and temp at 62 degrees.  I woke up once at 5 am, then slept a bit more until 7:13am.  After cleaning up in the restroom, shooting some photos, and taking my morning vitamins, I left for Cheyenne at 7:27am with 122 range and temp at 64 degrees.  A Mariachi version of the song “Tequilla” was playing on the radio which helped start my morning with a laugh!  Frugal Tesla

From the Rushmore Mall in Rapid City, SD, I headed south on 79 S to 385 N to get to the town of Hot Springs, SD.  After that drive, I realize that 79 S was even nicer than 44 W that I spoke of in the previous post!  I arrived at Evans Plunge at 1:13pm with 153 range remaining, odometer at 12,616 and temp of 75 degrees. At the front desk, a most helpful Madison made sure that I would get an excellent value there. For $13.52, I had access to a small locker, went swimming in the huge indoor mineral water pool, went down the water slide, splashed down from a rope swing, relaxed in the sauna, and felt the massaging bubbles of a hot tub.  After a refreshing shower, I stopped by the front desk to thank Madison and then met two more coworkers: the gregarious Allen and one of the trusty lifeguards, Colton. We talked briefly about Tesla and this blog.  I left for the next destination at 3:05pm with 152 range and temp up to 78 degrees.

At 3:20pm I arrived at The Mammoth Site, also in Hot Springs, SD.  My range was at 149. I paid the $10 fee to experience this astounding place where Mammoth fossils are still being excavated. The site was first discovered in 1974 and volunteers continue the work daily.  The fee included a very informative tour led by Gary, and I even had a chance to visit the laboratory to see folks at work there. At 4:40pm with 146 range and temp at 82 degrees, I headed out via 18 W to 85 S to Lusk, WY.  Goodbye South Dakota.  I had tons of fun there!  Frugal Tesla

Before leaving Mitchell, SD, I checked RoadNow.com. That is the website that can locate rest areas on the interstates.  The sunset drive to Murdo was astounding… there were flashes of red and orange lightning in the southern sky which took place about every 6 seconds which continued for most of this leg of the trip. I felt like an airplane pilot who was flying past a storm.  I heard no thunder at all, so I just enjoyed the light show!

I arrived in Murdo, SD at 11:08pm with 42 range remaining. The odometer was 21,409 and temp was 71 degrees.  I purchased a few post cards in the motel lobby and was on my way at 12:10 am with 197 range. I drove 25 miles to the rest area on 90 W at mile marker 167. I woke up briefly at 5am (really 4am MDT) and went back to sleep until 7am (actually 6am MDT… but I did not realize this yet). My car was parked next to a huge RV from Pennsylvania with a generator running all night, but I was too tired to care.  I left the RV behind at 6:25 MDT with 171 range remaining and odometer at 21,434 and temp of 65 degrees.  I am off to see the Badlands!

I drove 36 miles to the exit for the Badlands through drizzle and rain. The skies were overcast and gray and it was very hazy.  I arrived at the kiosk to pay the entry fee and had to pull over to look for some cash. I was willing to pay the $15 since I had saved more than that by avoiding the toll roads in Pennsylvania!  The Badlands reminded me of giant sandcastles that we would build at the beach in New Jersey as kids. I had entered at 7:10am, so few people were around. I took some photos, did some short hiking, and went to the visitor center. It was raining steadily as I left the visitor center. It was 67 degrees, range at 127, and odometer 21,479.

By 8am I made my way to 44 W to head toward Rapid City, SD via the backroad. This was my all time favorite stretch of road on this trip.  For about 72 miles, I encountered only 3 vehicles west bound, and I slowed to let them pass. Many motorcycles and other vehicles came through in the east bound direction. The scenery was okay, but I kept thinking that with an 85 kw car and lots of extra range, the long straight stretches would be mighty tempting!  Alas, with my 60kw, I am sticking to the 65mph limit.

I arrived at the Rushmore Mall supercharger at 9:34am with odometer 21,556 and 48 range and temp 70 degrees. After making a plan for the afternoon, and typing this posting, I was fully charged to 204 and departed at 11:50am for my next South Dakota adventure.

Frugal Tesla