Factory Pickup - Mini Vacation Ideas?

[nh-srt8]

I am due to pickup from the factory in the next week or so. This could be as early as this coming Saturday and then plan to take five to six days to head home to Scottsdale. I wasn't sure if the factory was manufacturing on the weekend so I have to confirm this tomorrow with my DS as I presume the experience is better during a workday. I'm hoping you could give me some ideas where to stay and do. My initial thought was to drive to Yosemite and overnight at the Majestic assuming availability before returning to the bay area but from what I've read others see it is a risk due to the limited charging capability in the park. After spending time in the bay area then head to Monterey and overnight and then down highway 1.

I'm not sure if I will go as far as San Diego before heading back to Arizona and cross over on interstate 10 but welcome any ideas.

Thanks,

 

[flar]

Napa is closer than Yosemite if you enjoy wine tasting, and there are a lot of destination chargers up there according to the map on Tesla's web site.

 

[omarsultan]

Always a fan of Big Sur - couple of places with destination charging.

 

[johnnyS]

We drove from the Atascadero supercharger to Monterey thru Big Sur--it is no problem at all. Unless you have experience with an electric car, I would not recommend going too far from superchargers for your first trip.

 

[aesculus]

According to this link Tesla installed two chargers in Yosemite.

New Charger at the Ahwahnee in Yosemite Valley | Tesla Motors

 

[brucet999]

I am due to pickup from the factory in the next week or so. This could be as early as this coming Saturday and then plan to take five to six days to head home to Scottsdale. I wasn't sure if the factory was manufacturing on the weekend so I have to confirm this tomorrow with my DS as I presume the experience is better during a workday. I'm hoping you could give me some ideas where to stay and do. My initial thought was to drive to Yosemite and overnight at the Majestic assuming availability before returning to the bay area but from what I've read others see it is a risk due to the limited charging capability in the park. After spending time in the bay area then head to Monterey and overnight and then down highway 1.

I'm not sure if I will go as far as San Diego before heading back to Arizona and cross over on interstate 10 but welcome any ideas.

Thanks,

Of course you will have to drive your new Tesla across the Golden Gate Bridge and sample the culinary arts in Marin County on the way to your Napa winery tours. You could do that via the new Bay Bridge or you could go to San Francisco from Fremont via the Dumbarton Bridge (SR 84) to Stanford University which has a nice little museum where the golden spike is on display. Then drive north through San Francisco (testing hill-holding capability) and see the sights, maybe find out if the turning radius is tight enough for Lombard Street - the crookedest street in the US - before heading across the Golden Gate.

Heading back to Scottsdale, avoid ugly I-5 unless you are going to Yosemite, and travel south via US 101 instead with a side trip to Monterey. There are good wineries in Santa Barbara county as well as a quaint - and touristy - Danish settlement called Solvang within easy reach of the Atascadero SC. Continuing down 101 you can "fuel up" at the SC in front of the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne and see the exterior of Space-X (no public tours at either of those).

 

[nh-srt8]

Thanks for the suggestions. Just a reply on the question regarding experience is that we currently own an 85D and have driven cross country from AZ to Toronto to Syracuse and back in 8 days so long distance travel is not an issue from an experience prospective. I also have the CHAdeMO adapter which I will probably bring along.

 

[sukhi]

Here is a suggested itinerary
- Drive to Monterey bay via Sant Cruz (visit the 17 mile drive, Carmel By the Sea, Carmel Mission. stay at Carmel Valley Ranch or Intercontinental Monterrey)
- Drive down 1 to Big Sur, Heart Castle, Cambria
- Go east on CA 46 east to Paso Robles (enjoy the central coast wine region)
- Drive to Solvang via Foxen Canyon wine region excursion)
- Drive to Santa Barbara.