Seeking Advice for 1st Big Road Trip PORTLAND->PALM SPRINGS with Wife & Dog

[Daniellane]

I am seeking advice for our 1st big road trip from PORTLAND OR to PALM SPRINGS CA. with our dog Lucy.
We have made this trip in ICE cars many times. At least once a year for the last 12 years. This will be our first time in our MS 90D. (Rated @ 294 mile range)
We usually do it in 2 days. It might be a 3 day trip with charging...
Anyone with experience with this route?
Particularly, interested in the possibly of dog friendly lodging with destination charging.
Would prefer to avoid LA altogether.
Not sure that’s possible with Superchargers in the mix.
We almost always take I-5 to 210 to I-10.
Coast Route (101) may be another option if the weather gets too treacherous at the pass. We have done this once before in 3 days departing from Gearhart.
I also have a CHAdeMO adapter which might provide additional flexibility.
Any advice will be most appreciated with regards to route, hotel recommendations, potential pitfalls & Superchargers to avoid...

 

[ecarfan]

If you want to avoid LA and are taking I5 through the California Central Valley, at Bakersfield take 58 east through Mojave to Barstow and then 247 south to Yucca Valley and then on to Palm Springs.

From there I highly recommend a trip to Joshua Tree, you can charge at either Indio or Twenty Nine Palms.

I have taken my Tesla to Palm Springs several times, but not having a dog cannot recommend any pet-friendly destinations. I have a preferred motel (but it doesn’t allow pets) which does not have any charging available. I get to Palm Springs via I10 and charge up at Cabazon.

You can use the Tesla HPWCs at the Cathedral City Service Center, but of course that will take many hours. Use the Tesla website Find Us page with Destination Chargers selected to see where you can stay and charge at a Tesla HPWC. Here’s a link Find Us | Tesla,

 

[PLUS EV]

I'm sympathetic to the idea of trying to avoid the LA area, but if you are trying to get their fast, your I-5/210/10 route is most certainly the fastest path even if you time rush hour horribly. Sure, you could take a more "scenic route" through Lancaster or Kramer Junction or even Yucca Valley, but it's not like those roads are incredibly picturesque. I actually find I-5 to be the most pleasant drive of them all. I greatly prefer I-5 to 99 through the Central Valley even though the times and distances are very similar.

Basically any route you take has plenty of superchargers for a MS90D so don't worry about that.

If you do go the I-5 route, you could stay at a hotel that hosts a supercharger. Mt. Shasta, Corning, Gustine and Harris Ranch all have 2-3 star hotels either on site or within a very short walk of the supercharger. I have stayed at all 4. Sure you could find a place with a destination charger, but if you are trying to travel quickly, simply staying at a supercharger host can be easier.

The total route is ~1070 miles. I have found that if I try to drive as much as I reasonably can in a day, I usually end up around 700 miles (including all the charging of course). A couple times when I have really pushed it, I have hit 800 miles in a day (this is like 16 hours on the road, with minimal non-supercharger breaks). 500-600 miles in a day is still along day of driving and charging, but it is not nearly as grueling. So I think if you take a direct route, 2 days is fine, and the hotels mentioned above are nicely spaced to give you options depending on whether or not you want a shorter first day or shorter second day, etc.

Lastly, taking 101 is rarely preferable in a winter storm. Sure, it probably won't be snowing on the coast, but if there is a snow storm in the Ashland/Mt. Shasta area, there is likely a wind and rain storm along the coast and often the road gets washed out or something similar. I-5 is well-maintained and plowed, so even if it is snowing hard, you are usually safe to drive through the dicey part during daylight after it has been plowed.

Good luck and have fun on the trip!

 

[Pricee2]

Use evtripplanner.com

 

[Daniellane]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my request. I’m feeling a little less apprehensive as a result.
This is really a great community and resource for Tesla owners!

 

[cpa]

I would not sweat taking Interstate 210 east once you drop down into the San Fernando Valley unless your timing is rush hour on a weeknight. From Tejon Ranch you could reach Cabazon to charge to your desired level. The Tesla Store on El Paseo in Palm Desert has a bunch of HPWC in the parking garage. They are used to charge the test drive cars. However, if you call in advance, they will move a car and accommodate you to charge to your heart's content. Many, many great places to eat or consume adult beverages on El Paseo. Moreover, the shopping is $$$$.

My house in Fresno to Indian Wells requires two stops to charge an S85. Total time is ~7 hours. (I do not drive fast.)

There are also quite a lot of 30A J1772 about if you have several hours to spend at one spot. Check Plugshare.

 

[Daniellane]

My final destination is my father’s house at Indian Ridge Country Club in Palm Desert.
Fortunately for us, my father had a 240 volt NEMA 14-50 outlet on a 50 amp breaker installed in his garage for our MS 90D.
My main concern was that I didn’t see any Superchargers on 210 between I-5 & I-10. If I can get from Tejon to Cabazon it’s all good.

 

[Super_Popular]

I am doing this drive in March, very excited. I have driven Portland to Vegas and it was long and boring, lot's of supercharger stops. it does get old but still fun.

Make sure to eat at Black Bear at the Grant's Pass SC

 

[cpa]

There is a 12-stall SC in Rancho Cucamonga near the I15/I210 junction. In addition, Burbank has a brand new SC with 20 stalls.

I am leaving the area of Cook and Highway 111 in the morning. My S85 is at 83%. The navigation says I will arrive with about 20%.

So, you will have two choices to charge on your journey south.

 

[pdx3181]

Your answers lie here: A Better Routeplanner

 

[T34ME]

View attachment 263650 I am seeking advice for our 1st big road trip from PORTLAND OR to PALM SPRINGS CA. with our dog Lucy.

Oh My Dog, Lucy with those almond shaped eyes looks like a Havanese just like our champion Havanese Ricky Ricardo. She is a beauty! This is a match made in heaven!
We drove with Ricky from Portland, where we picked him up, to our home near Palm Springs. We made the trip in two days using 5/210/10. We stayed overnight, about halfway, at the Holiday Inn Express in Corning, CA, that is dog friendly. Plenty of SuC along this route (be sure to stop at the Kettleman City SuC, the Ritz Carleton of SuC's). Best to pass through L.A. on a weekend day. We use Google maps on our smartphone to plan for alternate routes if the desired route shows heavy traffic. We have found that Google maps is very accurate for current route traffic information in SoCal.

If you have more questions, PM me.

 

[Daniellane]

Thanks to all for your help and advice.
Trip down to Palm Desert went well as far as supercharging goes...

Weather was quite another story - pounding rain - wipers on max through the entire state of Oregon & on into Mount Shasta California where it turned into a light rain/snow mix.

Whiteout conditions from Semi-trucks’ wheel spray for hundreds of miles & hundreds of Semis. Very scary. AP2 2017.50.1 was amazing. It seemed to see what I was not able to.

Auto lane change is definately more aggressive now. I have rationalized that it might be more safe since it isn’t using the side cameras to detect a rapidly approaching distant vehicles in the target lane. Once committed it gets it done ASAP before conditions change.

It is a little jarring @ the 80 + mph necessary to get passed Semi Trucks in the rain. Especially for my wife as a passenger as she reads a book on her iOS device.


Trip synopsis:
~1100 miles 22 hours
including charging
from Camas, WA (just across the Columbia River from Portland OR)
to Palm Desert CA

Day 1
Departed 10:30 AM.
Stops:
1. Springfield OR Supercharger
2. Grants Pass OR Supercharger
3. Mount Shasta CA Supercharger
Arrived Corning CA
Best Western Hotel @ 8:30 PM
(King Bed w/breakfast ~$82 +$10 for dog)
Charged to 100% after checking in, etc (Corning Supercharger adjacent to Hotel Parking Lot) Starbucks next to Hotel.

Day 2
Departed 8:30 AM
Stops:
1. Manteca Supercharger
2. Kettleman Supercharger
(Very Impressive see my video below)
3. Tejon CA Supercharger
(Subbed this stop to avoid Burbank)
4. Cabazon CA Supercharger
Restroom Stop - charging wasn’t required to get to our destination but charged 10 min. anyway.
Arrived: PalmDesert CA @ 8:30PM

Most Supercharging very fast @ 110kw+
All locations less than 50% occupied. (So no a/b sharing)
Supercharging is awesome!
This trip definitely took less of a toll on my body than It did I n my Toyota Hylander. Longer (30-50 minutes)(yet fewer) stops with time to walk and rejuvenate.

Kettleman Supercharger WOW!

 

[pilotSteve]

Excellent! Tomorrow I’m doing the same trip as you just did except continuing on to Phoenix. It’s a long two day drive but with AP2 and podcasts to catch up on it’s a trip I truly enjoy doing. S90D works great for these distances. Enjoy the sunshine! You just missed the WA snow storms!

 

[Daniellane]

Excellent! Tomorrow I’m doing the same trip as you just did except continuing on to Phoenix. It’s a long two day drive but with AP2 and podcasts to catch up on it’s a trip I truly enjoy doing. S90D works great for these distances. Enjoy the sunshine! You just missed the WA snow storms!

Hopefully You see this reply in route. I recommend you charge beyond necessary to “continue on your trip”.
Charged an extra 10 minutes or so in Springfield and arrived at Grants Pass with only 30 miles to spare. The cold pounding rain definitely reduced my range on day 1.

 

[T34ME]

Thanks to all for your help and advice.
Trip down to Palm Desert went well as far as supercharging goes...

What days did you drive? How was the traffic through L.A.? How did the pooch do, any issues? Pretty nice weather here right now, eh?

 

[Daniellane]

What days did you drive? How was the traffic through L.A.? How did the pooch do, any issues? Pretty nice weather here right now, eh?

Lucy did fine.
Left Washington on Tuesday, 12/19 @10:30am
Left Corning, Ca Wednesday 12/20 @ 8:30am
I5 backed up South of the Grapevine heading to 210 cutoff. Navigation did not want us to go 210. So it guided us onto 14 towards Lancaster. Unfamiliar territory for me - Pear Blossom Hwy... Eventually back to 210 @ via 15... Very likely saved quit a bit of time. Not the best roads.

 

[cpa]

Lucy did fine.
Left Washington on Tuesday, 12/19 @10:30am
Left Corning, Ca Wednesday 12/20 @ 8:30am
I5 backed up South of the Grapevine heading to 210 cutoff. Navigation did not want us to go 210. So it guided us onto 14 towards Lancaster. Unfamiliar territory for me - Pear Blossom Hwy... Eventually back to 210 @ via 15... Very likely saved quit a bit of time. Not the best roads.

That is a kick! It actually routed you northeast on SR14 then across the Antelope Valley on SR138 to SR18 and Interstate 15. Off hand, that is about 30 extra miles, if not more, not to mention a 55MPH speed limit and the occasional traffic light once you are off the freeway.

It has been many years since I was traipsing about in Southern California. But I find it incredibly hard to believe that Interstate 210 would not have been back to a normal speed by the time you were east of the 118 junction. Then perhaps a little clogged when the Ventura Freeway merges. But there is a carpool lane eastbound from Pasadena for most of the journey to Interstate 15. Even in commuting traffic things go pretty well and speed up the farther east you go.

 

[Daniellane]

That is a kick! It actually routed you northeast on SR14 then across the Antelope Valley on SR138 to SR18 and Interstate 15. Off hand, that is about 30 extra miles, if not more, not to mention a 55MPH speed limit and the occasional traffic light once you are off the freeway.

It has been many years since I was traipsing about in Southern California. But I find it incredibly hard to believe that Interstate 210 would not have been back to a normal speed by the time you were east of the 118 junction. Then perhaps a little clogged when the Ventura Freeway merges. But there is a carpool lane eastbound from Pasadena for most of the journey to Interstate 15. Even in commuting traffic things go pretty well and speed up the farther east you go.

There’s a bit more to it. Well before that it was trying to get us to exit the Fwy. I changed the Nav app preferences from Reroute to save 10 minutes to 30 minutes to try to get a sense of the urgency.
Still wanted to reroute. At one point it asked me to get off at Magic Mountain Parkway. Kept ignoring it. Determined to stay on familiar 210 route. We were in the left lane and the freeway split due to construction. (Right 2 lanes & Left 2 Lanes separated by concrete barriers. No way to get to the right for miles. When the lanes finally converged giving me an opportunity to get over, I somehow overshot and ended up on the 14 exit (exactly what the nav wanted me to do)
We thought about getting off and getting back on course. It looked like a nightmare of dead stop traffic and at least we were moving and it still showed us arriving at our final destination with minimal delay without additional charging, so we decided to comply. There were no shortage of maniac drivers on this poorly lit route.

 

[napabill]

We do Napa to Tucson a couple of times a year. We have learned to avoid 210 if driving during the week. We stop in Barstow and stay at the Ayres Hotel right next to the SC. Very dog friendly. Then, as was suggested drop down through Joshua Tree to Palm Springs. Very pleasant drive. LA sucks for traffic and we always try and avoid.

 

[PLUS EV]

Relying solely on Tesla navigation for re-routes like that is rarely advised. Always best to confirm with Google Maps or a phone app (which usually uses google maps). And when they disagree you should side with google maps.

That being said, I understand the feeling that you would rather be moving than stuck in stop and go even if it does cost you a few minutes. On the other hand, stop and go is not nearly as bad with auto pilot than it is with an ICE.