Delivered the Plaid yesterday about 4pm down on the Vegas strip. I can’t divulge any personal information, but quite a rush for this old country boy.
@bgpman and his friend were great. I like to think that I’m an honest and trustworthy person who treats others with respect, and that if there’s any karma in the world, I will experience the same in return. Well, that’s exactly what happened, there are great people in this world and my trip confirmed it every step of the way. I’m not great with vocabulary, but everyone who I encountered were amazingly great people, from
@bgpman to the last person I encountered at the airport. Truly wonderful.
FWIW, preparing for this trip included the usual packing stuff, you know, what to wear through a potential blizzard in an unknown EV with summer tires, that kinda thing. But I also needed to get my onion seeds in starter soil, watered, under lights, on the heating mats, and in the mini-greenhouse to keep the seeds moist. So, you can imagine how far out of my normal” world this trip really was.
Here’s a bit more. Left home Thursday around 6:30, planning a long drive to SLC, so needed to get any early start. Started slowly to warm up the tires a bit, decided to go through Wallula gap along 730 and the Columbia River instead of over I-82 because it wouldn’t be as cold. Unfortunately, although probably the better temperature choice, it looked a lot like
this.
Traversed county roads in Hermiston and onto I-84. The hill into the Pendleton SC was very scary, steep down and uphills with snow, so high probability of ending in the ditch if any sliding. Drove 40-50 mph at times. Coffee break and checked the traffic cameras at the SC, charge not required. Well, didn’t look good, so waited, even charging to 100% just because nothing else to do. Almost aborted the trip here, but it didn’t feel safe returning home (colder that direction), so decided to push on, once the cameras showed “mostly clear tracks” in the right lane up Cabbage Hill into Meacham. This part was pretty easy due to the AWD, slower 35 mph speeds, and minimum traffic. Passed 50+ trucks at the chain up area, so not so many to pass going uphill. The rest of the drive into the 250 KW SC in Ontario, OR was mostly clear roads with variable snowing, getting harder and with the biggest flakes at the end. See posting above for picture.
Mistakenly left the SC too early because I wanted to get to the next 250 KW in Burley, ID. Snow stopped 15 min into the drive, but the head winds started and even drafting behind a semi at 70 mph, the navigation showed a estimated 2% SOC that refused to go up. Now, I’m a seasoned hyper-miler, but that was just too close for comfort, especially with Boise and Twin Falls, so did a quick 10 min bathroom break, and on into Burley…….which would have been the best place to overnight. Ooops. Big mistake.
Don’t remember exact timing, probably around 5pm, but this time, I followed the navigation guidance, and waited until it said I could make my evening hotel in Farmington, UT (6x Tesla destination chargers) by 8pm. Long day, but I felt good and AP was working nicely, plus I could pull off at Tremonton, UT if I needed to top up the battery. Ok, traveling at 85 mph on AP was great, enjoyed the scenery and sunset until near the ID/UT border, then it went downhill FAST. First 75 mph, then 70, the 60, then… well you get the idea. Before I knew it I was 100 miles out and going 35 mph in a blinding blizzard, barely able to see the car lights in 50 ft in front of me. The road began to blend in with the snow, and there was barely a track to see. This is where I got seriously scared, not because of the drive, I’ve done worse (try driving over Snoqualmie Pass in the dark, with 12+ inches, through mini avalanches 24 inches deep, with the pass likely closed behind you. Instead, I was worried what the authorities would say or do to me, as the idiot with summer tires, who caused a pileup. Furthermore, I didn’t want to destroy this beautiful car that I was delivering for someone who trusted me.
Well, armchair quarterbacking here, it all worked out and I arrived about 9:30, plugged in and zoned out. But I have to make small joke here. Go read this post about the I-5 grapevine being closed by blizzard and that they could only see two cars in front.
Tesla, TSLA & the Investment World: the Perpetual Investors' Roundtable
Luxury, I could only wish to see that far.
The next day, south through SLC, was anticlimactic, by comparison. Had a nice hotel breakfast and waited for traffic to clear, then left with a pre warmed, full battery, and went straight onto the 24-stall 250 KW Beaver SC, arriving at about 10%. There were about 10 Tesla’s charging, and the last time I was there, 2016 or 2017, on the older chargers, there was nobody there. The app said I was charging at 257 KW, is that even possible? Just a quick bathroom break, and navigated to Mesquite, UT. Not the place or time for food.
Lost AP and streaming music in that beautiful gorge just north of Mesquite, but it was still an amazing drive. As was the case through out this trip, needed the bathroom break as much or more than the charging and rushed into the casino after arrival. Casinos aren’t my favorite charging stop, but at least they have the necessary services. The drive into Vegas was……., well……., just read ahead.
Crazy traffic and humanity on the strip, probably normal but it felt like some kinda rock concert going on later that evening (Friday). Final charge at the Mesquite, NV supercharger around 2:30 pm and was planning where to stay, how to get home, and texting back and forth to arrange the handover, when I realized there was a 6:30 flight home and two seats available. Hmmmm, decided to go for it, then at 80 mph realized that Autopilot wasn’t working anymore, probably due to all the road grime, so drove manually because I didn’t want to waste time stopping. Lots of construction and traffic into Vegas, 15 min getting off the freeway, two wrong turns (I really swear the exit sign did say east, not west), and I arrived. I’m not sure, but the guy seemed very surprised at all the road grime, even though I warned him to look for the dirty “colored” Tesla. He’s probably never seen such a mess. He got right in and headed out to the car wash, while I caught a taxi to the airport. MADE THE LAST SEAT ON THE PLANE and was home by 10pm!!! Whirlwind two days. Really looking forward to a nice homemade meal. If anyone is trying to lose weight, just do a white knuckle drive like this, and skip buying any fast food since it’s all crap anyway. Though I still have a ways to go, I lost three pounds. If anyone reads this and has another Plaid with summer tires that they want delivered through the snow, sorry. I’ll do it, even cross country, but this time I’m waiting until the snow clears.
