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.

Tesla Road Trip "Reach The Beach"

Thursday, April 17, 2015

Page 2

After a good night's sleep it was off at 7:00 AM to head east.  First stop Columbia, Missouri.

When planning this trip there was a pretty good sized gap in Tesla Superchargers between the Kansas City area and Indianapolis.  Since Marshell and I have never really suffered from "range anxiety" I knew there was some way to get the added electrons needed.  As we headed east on a beautiful spring morning I checked Plugshare. There were only two listed, one a 110 wall socket and the other a boutique hotel ($$$) with a Tesla charger for guests only.. I will try anything once.

For those who travel down the highway at breakneck speed I hope you are not missing the beauty of this country.  There is a lot more to Missouri besides Branson, caves and walnut bowls.  Lucky for us it was a beautiful spring morning with a pretty heavy amount of dew that sparkled on the trees and fields in the morning sun.  The landscape is covered with small to medium size farms with cool old two story farmhouses, huge barns that look like ones you see in pictures and even a few silos. I really think spring is farther along in the blossoming of the flowering trees than further south.  The fields were either covered in the greenest grass I have ever seen or were plowed ready for the season of wheat, corn or soybeans.

Columbia, Missouri was a must stop from the day we decided to take this trip.  I spent my first year of college attending Stephens College which was founded as a baptist college for women in 1833.
Also, the University of Missouri is located there. The town started out as a center for agriculture but through the years has changed the focus to education, art and cultural events. Since I had not returned to the town for fifty years I had great expectations that it would look exactly as I remembered.

I may have been disappointed driving into Columbia and passing new places and fast food restaurants but the moment I hit Broadway in downtown I started recognizing buildings I remembered and memories I had forgotten thru the years. But first order was to locate the Tiger Hotel and create a sob story.

The now named Tiger Hotel was built in 1928 and for years had been a senior living place. In 2012 a new owner purchased it and did extensive work to renovate it still keeping all the original chandeliers, magnificent woodwork and even the old copper mail by the elevator.  The door man/ valet young man greeted us.  I then told him we were in need of a charge for our car.  Nice thing about a Tesla is that young people know what they are and love them.  He called someone to see if our request could be granted and it was a yes.  Ours was the first Tesla to ever charge there and they appreciated the instructions on how to use it.

Now it is time to take a walking tour.  The downtown is pretty much the same as it was in 1964 with the exception of different stores in the magnificient old buildings. I remember many walks downtown and spending more money than my poor parents were happy with.  The campus of Stephens college sits on the east end of the downtown. As we went east - there it was!  It was amazing but it really has not changed that much.  The buildings that were old back then are older now but look even nicer.  The only building gone was of course my dorm, South Hall.  Guess they needed a parking lot for the President's house.

It was really strange how many memories that were tucked away came back as we walked around the campus. Silly things we did, Stephens pretty strict rules that we all broke knowing we would be sent home if caught, (Pam didn't break any rules), It was fun telling Marshell all the highlights of the place. College was a very special place, in a special time with wonderful people I am still friends with today.

After a great walk it was time to head on east.  That is after a much needed Starbucks and a bagel at the little bistro inside the Tiger Hotel.  (They didn't even say anything about Lucky coming In!}
Back on the road..

We headed for St. Louis in hopes that the new supercharger was installed and working.  There was lots of road construction which did use up quite a bit of power but it gave us a chance to enjou more of the countryside.  Heading towards St. Louis we came upon lots more trees and flowering shrubs along the road.  Spring was certainly showing off with red bud, forsythia, and a white flowering tree mixed in with the deep green of the evergreens and newly leafing trees.

Can't end without letting you know we saw the World's Largest Cross.  It is located in Effingham,Missouri.  At 198 feet tall and a span of 113 feet it is pretty awesome.  Historical note on Effingham besides the fact it has 63 restaurnats, 17 motels and very few people, is that in 1974 there was hospital fire that killed 74 people.  This set a new nationwide set of standards for the construction and safety of hospitals.  Didn't know that did you?

Made it to the brand new supercharger in St. Charles, Missouri.  Located next to a Smashburger.  If you haven't eaten at one - try it.  The regular ones are great  but they have a nice vegetarian fare aas well.  While at the charger we were visited not only in people wondering what we were doing, asking questions about the car, and of course , in awe.  But we were also pleased to visit with one of the sales guys from the St. Louis store to see if it was working. Can't praise Tesla enough for there friendly and helpful staff.

Even though we planned to go further, we ended up staying in Blue Springs at Lucky"s favorite motel.  Tomorrow is another day.  I will leave you with a picture of a great sign found in Columbia.

Tesla Road Trip "Reach the Beach"

After not going on a real vacation since 1999, we decided that the Tesla Road Trip to Salisbury and Ocean City, Maryland sounded like fun.

We got our Tesla last June and we have made short trips to see our children and a couple of trips to my hometown. A long road trip was always a thought but even being retired, sort of retired, we just never seemed to have the time.  It is also interesting to plan a trip in a total electric car. The question of where to charge and how long it takes is a common questions asked by everyone who inquires about the Tesla. My son, Wes, put it very well when he told us that back in time there was not a gas station on every corner and you had to plan.  Being from Oklahoma visions of the exodus in the dust bowl days springs into your mind but cans of gas tied on the back of the car will not help.

So at the start of this journey, for those of you who do not how you can travel with no liquid fuel probably needs an explanation.  Our Tesla has a range of about 275 miles on a full charge. There are several levels of charging.  At home we charge on a 240 Volts, just like your dryer or air and heat. We charge overnight and it takes about three hours while we are sleeping.  The car can be charged on a regular 110 outlet which takes forever but something is better than nothing. A lot of motels will let you plug into an outlet while you are there. All the RV parks have plugins similar to what we have at home so this is another option.  There are several companies that install chargers at various retail locations and charge a minimal fee for you to plug in. Then we have what is called Plugshare. This is an app that can be installed on your phone that tells you every place in the country where other electric car owners live and will let you come by and charge, usually for a dinner out, a bottle of wine or a nice visit.

But - if you own a Tesla - you have free access to Superchargers.  There are currently several hundred of them across the United States with more being installed everyday.  We discovered a new one in Perry, Oklahoma today and it looks like St. Louis got on online this morning. They are spaced every 175 to 200 miles apart so that if your trip is planned correctly you never have to suffer from what they call "range anxiety".  That is where you panic that you will run the battery dry, stay home because you don't know what to do or not buy an electric car at all. Can you imagine of travelling across the country for free?  It is Awesome. Oh, I should add here that to get a full charge on the battery at a Supercharger it only takes about 30 to 45 minutes. Time to have lunch, walk the dog or wander through a store or two.

This is the Supercharger in Wichita, Ks.  We had a nice lunch at Applebees, walked the dog and fed him lunch.  Car was ready to go.  Now that I have explained how you travel with an electric car so you will be inspired to purchase one I will promise that this is the first and last picture of a Supercharger you will ever see.  Most Tesla owners ONLY take pictures of the Superchargers on their trips.  I will start tomorrow with pictures of whatever happens to be cool.  Today I missed taking one of Lucky shopping at the Bass Pro Shop from his basket and an awesome one of the Kansas City Royals stadium as we flew by. 

Today we drove 450 miles from Wynnewood, Ok. north to Wichita, Ks. and then to Independence, Ks where we got a full charge and kicked our shoes off at the La Quinta.for the night.  Dear Lucky dog likes the La Quinta because they like him and they have a decent breakfast even if you are a vegetarian.

Tomorrow it is off to Columbia, Missouri for a tour of the town.  Then we better hit the road if we are going to make it to Maryland by Friday afternoon.

I should have known I could not have gotten this right the first time.

Try number 2.  We will see how this goes.