Before leaving Vegas I called Linda at the Four Seasons RV Park in Littlefield, AZ to arrange for a place to stay overnight and charge the car. This was critical because the 60kw battery of my car would not go far enough to get me to the next supercharger in Beaver, UT. Linda said I could charge there for $15, so my plan was set. She also said that there is NOT an option to charge there in winter since they are fully booked then. Good for me that it is summer! Since Tesla will be opening another Supercharger closer to Vegas soon, this RV charger will not be needed in the future for 60kw cars.

As I was getting ready to depart, Dimitri arrived to take a photo for the Facebook “Tesla Model S Owners” site. So, there may be a photo of the chocolate car there. Dimitri is from Utah but resides in Las Vegas. He may let the Facebook fans know about this frugaltesla.com blog. Welcome to Dimitri and his followers!

I left Vegas at 8:30pm with 205 range in the battery and odometer at 15,739. Leaving later was beneficial since construction was minimal and no accident in sight. Thanks again Al for the heads up. Since this drive was in the dark, there was not much scenery that I can describe. I arrived at the RV park at 10:30pm (same as Pacific Time, since AZ is Mountain Time but they do NOT have daylight saving time there). I had 15,832 odometer and used over 100 miles of range to go the 93 miles. The elevation changes contributed to this extra draw of power. I met Linda who kindly arranged for me to have access to a restroom so I could wash up (no shower facility). I plugged into the 50 amp outlet and set up my bed to get some rest. It was about 11pm. There was dry lightning, lots of wind, and a small bit of rain while stopped there.

I awoke at 6am and met Linda’s husband Harold. He is a former potato farmer from Idaho who drove past this rundown RV park and decided to buy it. They did a fantastic job upgrading it! I was able to get ice from their ice machine, wiped down the car, and departed by 6:30am with 205 range, and outside temp at 85 degrees. Thanks for the hospitality Linda and Harold.

The 131 miles to Beaver, Utah went smoothly. Passing through St. George Gorge adds a bit of drama to the landscape. There were a few construction areas, but I took my time with the truckers. It is nice to see the Utah butte and mesa rock formations along the way. I arrived at the Chevron station with the supercharger across from the “Eager Beaver Carwash” at 9:43 Mountain Time (1 hour later than Pacific Time). Mileage 15,963 and 57 miles of range left. So, I used 148 miles of range to travel 131 miles, more evidence of the elevation changes drawing more power. Along the drive, time passed quickly as I listened to Dr. T present the “Tradio” show. People were calling in with stuff to sell, sort of like a craig’s list via the radio.

Next stop Richfield, UT. Sorry so long. This was really 2 posts in one! Frugal Tesla