April 18,2015

Tesla Road Trip "Reach The Beach"

It was up early today and on the road again at 7:00.  We will have a long day today as by the current calculation we need to go 580 miles to reach the beach.  Doesn't sound too bad if we don't hit more road construction. Also need to be lucky on the traffic through the Baltimore-Washington area.

There was heavy fog as we headed out.  As it started to get a little brighter the sun looked like a pale orange ball in the sky.  Pretty spectacular.  The fog cleared by 9:00 to another beautiful morning.  The heavy dew sparkled on the grass and new leaves making everything really beautiful.

We stopped at the first rest stop in Ohio to pick up a map and were greeted by a very interesting sign.  No way could I read but the top line.  I put on my very official looking FBI shirt this morning just for fun.  While we were at the first rest stop a man in a long dress asked me if I was retired from the FBI.  Caught off guard I just answered yes - after all the dress rendered me speechless for a minute.  Ohio may be very interesting and I am going to have to think up an interesting story.  Retired!! How old did the person think I was?

On to Dayton where luck would have it that the Supercharger was at Meijer's Thrifty Acres.  Now if you have never been to the north east part of the country you are missing Meijer's.  I think Walmart copied their idea of a huge store with good prices.  Meijer's beats Wal-mart out of the ballpark. When

we lived in Michigan that was our favorite place to shop.  Since I skipped breakfast, all starch and meat- we picked up a great box of cut of fruit and dipping sauce which really fit the bill.

Past more beautiful green fields, awesome farms and flowering trees to Columbus and then to Wheeling,West Virginia.  Just about the time you get to Wheeling you are in the Appalachian Mountains.  Wheeling was settled by Ebenezer Zane in 1769. It sits in the banks of the Ohio River and became a transportation center as well as a stop on the National Highway. It was the gateway to western expansion.  Manufacturing was the important economic feature for Wheeling prior to the second world war. Now it is the headquarters of many major corporations, healthcare and education.

A few miles further east is Zanesville, Ohio.  Abundant in clay deposits, this gave rise to the Rockville and Weller pottery companies. Also birthplace of  the western author, Zane Grey, a desendent Ebenezer Zane.  The landscapes for this part of West Virginia keeps you going up and down the mountains.  Big two and three story houses and barns are perched on the sides of the mountains and on narrow roads down in the valleys.

Since we follow the trail of the superchargers we went thru Somerset, Pa and then on to Bethesda, Maryland.  By this time it was pretty close to 8:00 in the evening.  At the supercharger we had to wait for an oriental gentleman to finish charging his Tesla and we had the nicest conversion with him even though there was a bit of a language barrier.  We only charged enough to get us to our last stop - Salsbury, Maryland.  Actually we would have stayed longer but the was the cutest family there with five little children trying to get to Delaware that evening.  Tesla manners are a good thing.

This is where the fun started.  Five lanes of traffic, lots of traffic, heading both in and out of the Baltimore-Washington area. In Oklahoma this would be terrible but everyone was moving between 65 and 70 miles an hour, even though at times it was bumper to bumper.  Kinda of like road racing. Since Marshell and I have both lived in big cities it really only took a few minutes to get the hang of it and have some fun. The traffic slowed down some as we approached the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Our timing was okay coming through the Washington area but we blew it by not getting to see the Bat Bridge in the day time.  Since 1880 there was a plan of some kind to build a bridge linking the Baltimore-Washington area with the coast.  Ferries served the waterway for years.  Plans before the Great Depression stopped the construction.  Finally in 1952 the first half of the bridge was built and in 1973 it was expanded to more lanes going each direction.  When built it was the longest bridge in America at a length of 4.3 miles.  There are about 61,000 cars that make the trip across the waterway everyday.  Huh - and we drove across it in the dark!!!

Leaving the bridge and headed south in Maryland at 10:00 at night was interesting.  We were no doubt tired but at the same time determined to make it to Salsbury and the Tesla meetup.  There was nothing along the dark road for miles except a few lights off in the distance and 100 foot pine trees along the road. And wouldn't you know it --- I had to go to the bathroom.  Finally we came to a gas station/store.  Usually if you buy snacks or gas you can use the restroom.  Not here - they had a port-a-potty way out in the parking lot - in the rain - in the dark. With the tiny amount of light from the station sign I noticed the port-a-potty had an ample supply of beer bottles stashed inside.  Nice.

On the road again not more than a mile from the pleasant experience of the last stop were two miles of bright city lights and plenty of fast food restaurants and clean bathrooms.  Oh, well - character building. At least we decided there was really a Salsbury, Maryland at the end of the road.  

Hampton Inn, there you are!  it was 12:28 in the evening after 1,722.2 mile trip.  I didn't expect a brass band but it would have been fun.  I'll call the trip planner, hey AARON, next time and he can arrange something.