I'm new to the Bay Area, and am picking up my S Saturday in Fremont. I'm thinking about taking it on a bit of a drive around the area and looping back through the Fremont Supercharger (so we can pick up our other car) before heading back to the peninsula. Anything good to see within range? I searched a bit, but didn't come up with much. Considering the car will be new, I should probably note the driving will not be... efficient. :wink:
If you are looking for a short drive Niles Canyon is a very nice drive. And if you want a longer drive with lots of twists in the road, keep on going straight after you go under 680 at the end of Niles canyon. That takes you to Milpitas past the reservoir. Be warned though that cell service is spotty and the map will blank out in certain areas. But if you set your navigation to go to Milpitas, it will show you the correct turn to take at the T intersection. Have fun and congratulations on your new Model S.
84 through Niles Canyon, then down Calaveras Rd? Looks like an hour drive, 40 miles round trip to Fremont. Seems perfect. Thanks!
Gizmo - The big day is almost here. Congrats in advance. Concur with MichaelS that Niles Canyon is a good choice for twisties and scenery. Do watchout for cows, and he is also right that cell service is spotty. If you're looking for a destination, you might also try Blackhawk Auto Museum (Directions from Fremont: http://binged.it/17O3Gfc). It's a nice collection in a very swanky mall. Sort of a hidden treasure, actually. There's a McDonald's across the intersection with a charging station too. Looking forward to your pick up story and of course, pics!
Depends on your definition of "near Fremont" but the Tesla Rd trek (yes, there is a Tesla Rd) is fun and scenic. Doesn't start near Fremont, and ends way far from Fremont to the east out near Tracy and I-5, but it's a nice adventure.
you could drive up to the Lick Observatory and back. very twisty but slow drive up, but on a clear day, there are some good views of the valley and south bay at some of the turnouts.
You have Palomares Rd off of Niles Canyon Rd. That takes you past a couple wineries and lets you out at 580.
Wow, awesome suggestions, guys. I'm looking into all of them. I'll actually be in Fremont twice this week, so I may visit a several of them. My delivery got pushed up to Saturday, but I asked to keep my Tuesday factory tour so I could see the place in action.
Would highly recommend taking Palomares off of Niles Canyon for some real good twisties. I used to live up in Castro Valley and loved every drive - back then in a BMW Z3 - down Palomares to Niles Canyon and onto Fremont. Do look out for bicyclists (who may not be that many this time of the year though).
Calaveras looks significantly more twisty than Palomares, so I'll probably take that way, at least on Saturday. Maybe I'll go up Palomares on Tuesday. Looks like I have some planning to do.
Just realized I never responded to thank everyone. Thank you! I wanted to take Calaveras right after I picked it up, but I was worried about being in a brand new car driving somewhere without cell reception. Infant mortality and all that. So I went out Palomares instead. Turns out, there's no AT&T reception there, either, so fortunately I didn't have any major issues. Very nice drive, and much more twisty than the map made out. When I was back for my tour on Tuesday, we went down Calaveras. It was getting dark as we left Frement, and properly dark by the time we hit the twisties. I'd been driving the car for a few days and hadn't noticed the cornering lights until then. Thank Tesla for the cornering lights. Wow. That road is insane. Super twisty, and often very narrow. It's probably safer at night so you can see approaching cars around the blind corners. And so much traffic! I couldn't believe how many cars were on this tiny road. Lots of fun, though. I've added the other suggestions to a list of drives I'd like to do in the near future. I'm sure I'll be back at Fremont to pick up some accessories again soon. Thanks everyone!