End of the Tesla Road Trip

May 1, 2015

I think that the Tesla Road Trip to Ocean City, Maryland ended for most of the participants on the 19th of April.  Our road trip ended last night when we finally rolled into Wynnewood.  I don't think Marshell or I really wanted it to be over as we had a great time on the road, met so many people and learned a lot of history of this country we live in.  The whole purpose of the trip was to see how travelling in a total electric car over long distances worked out and to go explore some interesting places.

One of the questions that we are asked most often is about charging the car.  There is not a good vacation history for me except for a camping trip a year and a half ago.  That is another whole long story for some other blog.  But I have a feeling that most people tend to pick a destination for a trip and drive at break neck speed to get there - some of my previous experience.  The old idea that the interstate highways and the exits filled with gas stations are the only way to travel and to get someplace fast is not a fun way to travel.  Then you tend to rush thru the vacation and rush home.  Electric car travel is a little bit different.

Yes, the Tesla Superchargers tend to be on the interstate highways and the car will travel at 120-140 miles per hour. But you are forced to stop and charge every 280 miles or so.  To get a full charge it will take 30 or 45 minutes of down time.  The chargers tend to be located off the corners of the interstate so you usually end up at a shopping center, an eating establishment or even a hotel.  We travel with a dog so there is time to walk the dog, you see some of the city driving to the charger and there is time for a bathroom stop or get a bite to eat. It may be a mental thing with us but we enjoyed being forced to spend a few minutes in a town we might not have stopped at and one that you might find very interesting. We enjoyed it so much there were days that we only managed to log 150 or so miles. Relaxing is the best way to put it.

The most asked questions Tesla owners get is "What kind of a car is that/", "Who makes it/" etc. etc.
I find this a really fun part of owning one.  Most of the electric cars are small, shall I say a little on the ugly side and don't have the capability of going 280 miles. So people are surprised when you go into all the details.  It does not matter to me whether I can judge whether they could afford one or not.  My response is that you can't afford not to own one due to the warranty, the fact that they are for the most part "service" free and they are the future. Marshell and I love the teenagers who actually know more about them than their parents and are excited to see one and even get to sit in it.  The small children are mesmerized by the door handles that move in and out on their own. It was very enjoyable meeting so many people over the course of our trip of all different backgrounds and age groups.  Maybe I should be a sales person for Tesla.

When we left the Philadelphia area there were two routes home we could have taken and stayed on the Supercharger path.  Back the way we came through Kansas, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia or the southern route down I-95 to the gulf coast.  At the current time we would have to have been creative to come back thru Tennessee and Mississippi.  We had packed camping gear since you can charge at RV parks, but there was severe weather all across the South.  We choose the southern route and hoped for the best.  Boy, did we luck out!  It seemed like severe storms preceded us into most of the towns.  At one point the navigation system in the car - better known as Gertrude - actually rerouted us away from a storm in Georgia. It was as close to perfect weather for the whole trip that you can get.

Things I learned on the trip or remembered from past experience of living in different parts of the country:
I am actually a downtown person.  Forget the quiet country life.  There is as much crime per capita in the small towns as the big cities. The positive aspects of big cities is that there are so many different cultures, languages and things to see and do. I have lived in five major metropolitan cities before moving to rural Oklahoma and the first thing I would do when I moved to a new place was to go "downtown". I love the architecture, the ethnic parts of a city and the bursting life of a big downtown
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People in the North and the East are extremely friendly.  Marshell and I found for the most part that the only unfriendly people we found were in the South Of course, I have to exclude my friend Lu Beth in Greensboro, North Carolina.  She showed us a great time and more hospitality than anyone could ask for.

Motels and Hotels have gotten wonderful about accepting "fur" kids as guests. No more Motel 6 and getting placed in the worst rooms in the motel because you have a pet. We stayed at Hampton Inn a few nights but the majority were La Quinta's.  We even racked up a free room with their point system.

I really feel sorry for people who do not take the time to venture out and see this country. I live in a town 40 miles from Norman, Oklahoma and I know there are many people here who have never ventured that far. Marshell says they never leave the shadow of the water tower.  It is okay to stay in one place due to job or family or whatever but to miss learning and seeing other places is really rather sad.

So - we are home. I should have known I would have a great time but I really learned a lot on this trip. We already have two more planned in the next year so I can survive in rural Oklahoma with more adventures to look forward to.

My blog is going to continue with a new title in a few days.  I think it will be "I Should Have Known It Would Take A Long Time To Turn A Bank Into Our House" - or something along those lines.