Day 15 – Lone Pine, CA – Death Valley – Las Vegas, NV

Whenever planning our road trips we try to avoid following the same route there and back. It makes for a more interesting journey and allows for seeing more places. This trip was no exception. When the planning and preparations started we were considering a visit to Grand Canyon either on the way to or back from California, but we quickly abandoned that idea. For one, it would add a significant amount of driving to an already lengthy trip. Two, we don’t want to rush things unnecessarily, as you hardly have enough time to see a thing. The Grand Canyon is important of a landmark enough to make it a pivotal point of a trip all by itself. Arizona is not that far from us (we like driving, let’s leave it at that), so why not leave it for our next adventure? The question then: what else should we check out on the way back? I suggested Las Vegas, so my family can experience it at least once in their lifetime, even just to form their own opinion about this place. In order to get there from Lone Pine we would have to drive through Death Valley first.

While driving along Highway 190 you only scratch the surface of this land. I was immediately captivated by its beauty. Many people would quickly associate Death Valley with desolate, flat sands, but there’s so much more to it. Yes, there are sand dunes here as well, but so is Rainbow Canyon (shaped in part by rare – at least in these parts – volcanic activity in the past) and Hells Gate. Each specific area has its unique landscape, but they all have one thing in common: it is really quiet out there. So quiet that one can almost hear their own heartbeat at times. OK, maybe I exaggerate a bit, but not by much. The air was very still during our visit, not even a breeze. There were hardly any cars passing by. The complete quietness that surrounds you can only be compared to an acoustic chamber that I experienced many years ago (part of a mandatory hearing test when applying for a job at manufacturing facility). The major difference: if not for the road that led us here I was surrounded by a vast terrain that seem to stretch all the way to the horizon, no matter which direction I turned my head. In some spots that view was only interrupted by a mountain range or a canyon, but the feeling of being there, in the middle of nowhere, with no other living soul as far as eye can see was something I haven’t experienced for a long time. This is the kind of place to be if one wants to escape civilization, even if just for a while. The place to meditate, heal or whatever our inner call might be. It was special. Magical. Sacred even.

Unfortunately, being creatures of a modern world, we had to get going. We were soon leaving California behind. Shortly after crossing the Nevada state line we stopped at the nearby town of Beatty to charge the car. Despite being a very small place (population of about 1150 according to a recent census) we stepped into one of the best candy stores we’ve even been to: Death Valley Nut & Candy Co. Not something you would expect to find in a remote place. They also have great beef jerky, ice cream and coffee, so something for everyone.

An interesting observation related to the supercharger location was that it also had some standard Level 2 plugs available, making it a universal charging stop, not just reserved for Tesla owners. The L2 charger was a standard ChargePoint’s dual port model, so I am not sure if this has been an initiative of Tesla to invite others to share the space or if the property manager had the necessary foresight. Regardless of which one it was, kudos!

Since there was not much of an itinerary left for the day, we decided to stop by Hoover Dam before entering Las Vegas (the initial plan was to do it the following day in the morning). I know my wife is not that much into admiring engineering marvels, but I really wanted to show it to our daughter.
It’s been several years since I visited the place for the last time and quite a lot has changed. The Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge (or Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge) is now complete and operational. There’s also a newly erected visitors center, offering guided tours of the dam. They also added more parking spaces in recent years, as it can quickly get crowded. The drawback is that you need to pay 10 bucks to park, but who would argue about that on a 100-degree day? Due to the latter our visit was rather brief. We were spoiled by now by the moderate temperatures that we were blessed throughout our trip. Even at Death Valley it never exceeded 80 F. So after a few minutes of exposure to the typical Nevada heat, plus the strong gusts of wind resembling a hair dryer, we were D.O.N.E.

One additional thing I have noticed is the ever shrinking water level of Lake Mead. It is clearly visible on the rocky walls surrounding the lake and it is definitely lower than the last time I was here. The major contributing factor is the population of Las Vegas that just exploded in recent years. Who’s idea was it to build a city in the desert anyway?

Before entering the city we stopped by the famous “Welcome” sign to take a family picture. I have been to Las Vegas many times before, but I have never had a chance to check it out. All my trips are business related and the events are held downtown, so I don’t ever rent a car. This was an opportunity for ticking it off the list finally.

We haven’t done much while in Vegas (not that we have planned to). I brought my girls for a walk along the strip in the evening, so they can experience it when it all lights up. Between the skimpily dressed girls inviting guys to strip clubs, people pestering you with business cards offering similar services, the ever present stench of pot and rather interesting crowds that the city attracts I really don’t think Las Vegas is as family friendly as the advertisements try to sell it. Neither my wife nor daughter were really appreciative of any of that. I wasn’t either, but I guess I was used to it after years of visiting. I regretted for dragging them into this though. On a positive side, that one is off the list now as well. Enough on the Vegas subject. Tomorrow’s another day of adventure!

Charging stops:

• Departure: 215 miles of range (rated)
• Beatty, NV (98 miles left; avg 273 Wh/mi; charged to 196 miles)
• Las Vegas, NV (56 miles left; avg 298 Wh/mi; charged to 230 miles)

Continue to Part 12…

Day 14 – San Francisco, CA – Yosemite National Park – Lone Pine, CA

Two days in San Francisco went by quickly. There never seems to be enough time to explore everything on the “to do” list, but this just motivates me to come back more. It’s also hard to believe we were on the road for 13 days already. Time flies when you have a great time and this has certainly been the case with this road trip thus far. We’ve managed to visit most of the attractions that we planned for in California, but we were not ready to leave the state just yet. A major feat for the day: Yosemite National Park. That and about 400 miles of driving to cover. Let’s get going!

We woke up earlier than expected and hit the road around 5:00 am. There’s a special calm about big cities before dawn. Except for cleaning crews and delivery trucks unloading their cargo they are very quiet. Hardly any people on the streets and all the cars gone – a stark contrast when compared to the rush of the day that is about to commence. Every big city I’ve been to follows the same rhythm, it doesn’t matter it it is Seattle, Dallas, Atlanta, Vienna or Singapore. San Francisco is no exception.
On the way to Yosemite we had to stop in Dublin and Manteca for a quick “top up”. The first of the two is notoriously one of the busiest superchargers in the world. Yet both were very quiet in the early morning hours. A perk of being an early bird, I guess.

Tesla Supercharger in Dublin, CA.

Enjoying the rising sun at Manteca, CA.

We haven’t had to stay long in either location. Trusting the on-board trip computer we departed Dublin after 10 minutes and Manteca after 20, respectively (mostly to take turns for restroom breaks). Knowing that there won’t be many options inside the national park to plug a car, we left it to the Groveland supercharger to get to full range. It is the coziest one we’ve encountered so far. There’s a beautiful garden with a gazebo right next door, courtesy of the local school or nursery. A very pretty place to stretch the legs and admire both the beauty of nature and the talent of the people maintaining this little oasis.

Not wanting to wait any longer and confident that we will make it through, we left Groveland with 222 miles of charge (out of 240 rated). When planning the trip we were considering to visit both Tioga Pass and Glacier Point at one go. This would be a stretch to cover in one day, especially considering all the stops for picture taking. We were also concerned about availability of charging stations – there are some EV chargers at Yosemite Village, but I didn’t feel comfortable taking chances. This gives a nice pretext to come and visit again. Instead, we focused on Tioga Pass only.

I am glad we did that. After visiting Yosemite Tunnel and Bridalveil Fall, we drove towards Yosemite Village to check out the visitor center. Unfortunately all the parking spaces were taken. We joined the hopeless “musical chair” of cars trying to loop around to take any spot that was just vacated, but it was pointless. It was clear that the park was getting busier as the time went by, so without much hesitation we continued towards Tioga Pass.

Yosemite – first glimpse of Half Dome in the background

Yosemite – Half Dome

Yosemite Valley – Merced River

Yosemite Valley – Merced River

A view at Yosemite Valley and Half Dome from Tunnel Pass

Bridalveil Fall

Bridalveil Fall

Yosemite – Cathedral Bouldering

Yosemite – Cathedral Bouldering

It is no wonder though that there are so many people travelling through here, as the scenery is truly breathtaking. Tioga Road (Highway 120) is only open during summer months, weather permitting. In 2017 there was a record snowfall that pushed the opening till late June. It is hard not to spare a thought for people who risked their lives and endured hardship of the terrain to construct the very road, so we can admire nature at its best. Once again I felt like EVs are just made for this kind of journey – quietly hugging the winding road without leaving any nasty fumes behind. Ancient people considered this land sacred and knew how to live in symbiosis with nature. We too should learn how to leave no footprints behind and minimize our impact. It is really not that hard and I wish more people would abandon their gas guzzlers already. I digress.

Continuing on Tioga Pass Road we have passed by Olmsted Point, named by the famous landscape architect and conservationist Frederick Olmsted. The place offers another vantage point for Half Dome. It is also very close to Tenaya Lake, the largest in Yosemite, a popular picnic spot. We took upon this offer, as we didn’t have any meals since breakfast and the scenery was truly too spectacular to miss it. One almost doesn’t want to leave, it is so captivating.

Yosemite, Tioga Pass Road

Yosemite, Olmsted Point

Yosemite, Tenaya Lake

Yosemite, Tenaya Lake

Yosemite, Tioga Pass Road

Yosemite, Tioga Pass Road

Yosemite, Tenaya Lake

Yosemite, Tioga Pass Road

Yosemite, Tioga Pass Road

Yosemite, Tioga Pass Road

Yosemite, Tioga Pass Road

Made for each other (the car and vistas)

The scenery along Tioga Pass is changing with every turn. It’s hard to capture the full beauty of it and pictures only do partial justice here. I am glad we could witness this with our own eyes and to experience how magnificent Yosemite is. Hopefully we will have a chance to return one day and to further explore, as we barely scratched the surface!

For those of you that are curious how the car handled the winding road and continuous elevation changes, I am happy to report that we had absolutely no issues. There were moments that I was watching the energy graph closely as the remaining miles were disappearing faster than I would anticipate. Thanks to regenerative braking kicking in on the descents it all evened out eventually. We arrived at Mammoth Lakes supercharger with 45 miles of range remaining.

Manzanar

It was about 5:00 pm when we left from Mammoth Lakes towards Lone Pine. I started growing skeptical that we will have enough time to check out Manzanar – a historic camp where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. I’ve heard about this place many years ago, but my memory was refreshed when my friend gave me Ansel Adams’ book documenting the very place. I wanted to visit it ever since. The more I was getting anxious that I might miss it if we don’t get there on time. Luckily, the place is open for visitors from dawn to dusk (only the visitor center closes at 4:30 pm). So there was hope.

We could not have planned it any better, as we have arrived at the golden hour. It must have been Ansel’s spirit or something else, but the timing was spot on to take pictures. There were only a few other people visiting when we were there, making the quiet place even quieter. I know the story very well, the more I felt the gravity of the events that took place here. Everyone should make it a point and visit here in their lifetime at least once – it’s a good reminder that we are all capable of committing atrocities, no need to look far. Hopefully we can learn from it and prevent such a thing from reoccurring in future.

Before going to our hotel we stopped at Lone Pine supercharger. It’s a small one (only 4 stalls), but we ran across a nice couple who just bought a Model 3. A quick charging stop extended to a lengthy conversation – a typical scenario in the Tesla community. It’s one of the things that make it so special.

Lone Pine supercharger.

One of the first encounters with Model 3 “in the wild”.

The following morning, ready to go. Last glimpse on Sierra Nevada before we leave.

Charging stops:

• Dublin, CA (64 miles left; avg 299 Wh/mi; charged to 105 miles)
• Manteca, CA (67 miles left; avg 264 Wh/mi; charged to 148 miles)
• Groveland, CA (64 miles left; avg 334 Wh/mi; charged to 222 miles)
• Mammoth Lakes, CA (45 miles left; avg 310 Wh/mi; charged to 155 miles)
• Lone Pine, CA (81 miles left; avg 199 Wh/mi; charged to 220 miles)

Continue to Part 11…

Day 12 – Fremont, CA – Muir Woods National Monument, CA – San Francisco, CA

After a great time visiting Tesla factory in Fremont we drove through San Francisco to Muir Woods National Monument. Thanks to the power of the Internet we managed to schedule both events on the same day, giving ourselves some leeway in case there’s a delay. If you plan to visit the latter one make sure that you book in advance – parking reservation is required as space is limited. You don’t want to drive all the way just to be turned back.

I have been to San Francisco many times, but this would be the first visit when I bring my family along. Needless to say, I was very excited when crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. I’ve done it in the past on foot, walking all the way from the Financial District and back! This will be the first time driving through the bridge in the car. What an experience! Thanks to the dash camera capturing our adventure I can share it here as well.

The road leading to Muir Woods is not for the faint at heart. Winding and often narrowing down without any guardrails separating the driver from the sharp drop requires full attention. I’m somewhat experienced with traversing this type of mountain roads, so it wasn’t a problem. Tesla is a big (and wide) car though, so extra caution doesn’t hurt.

It took us a while to find a vacant parking spot despite having a valid reservation. There are spots dedicated to EVs (with L2 charging) but somehow they were taken when we arrived. A minor inconvenience, but oh well. I’m glad I had sufficient charge, otherwise I would have to coach there and wait till the other drivers were ready to leave.

The forest though… what a humbling experience. To think that most of the trees are 600-800 years old with the oldest is close to 1200 years. Imagine that they can grow up to 2200 years – they would witness pre-Christian era all the way to modern times. If they had thoughts what would be their impression of human impact on the planet? They can withstand occasional droughts and fires, but will they survive our age of exploitation and negligence? Will they adapt to climate change? I sure hope so. I hope they are still here long after we are gone, so that future generations can enjoy their presence. As for myself, I felt privileged to be able to witness their majesty and walk in the tranquility of their shade. It has been long on my bucket list to visit Muir Woods, so to be able to do so is a fulfillment of a dream.

Concluding our visit in the park we headed back to San Francisco where we would spend the next couple of days. First, we had to find a way back. It gets tricky when you are out of cellular range (no GPS or map refresh) and you make a wrong turn. You have to drive up and down the road for a few miles before finding a suitable spot to turn around. Again, am I glad that I had enough of charge! First world problems, I know. Amazing how quickly we go from facing the monumental nature to the trivia of our present day living.

Charging stops:

• Fremont, CA (188 miles left; avg 301 Wh/mi; charged to 218 miles)

Day 13 – San Francisco, CA

Some of the streets in San Francisco are very steep

Grace Cathedral

A view from our hotel window

The Wharf

Preparations for Law Enforcement Torch Run

Preparations for Law Enforcement Torch Run

One of a million shots of Golden Gate

One of the many angles on Golden Gate

“Full House” anyone?

Alcatraz from a far

Lombard Street

Panorama of San Francisco from Lombard Street

I won’t spend much time writing about San Francisco, there’s hardly anything new I could contribute to the word that has already been written on this city by the bay. Two pieces of advice I can offer though:

• If you plan to drive into the city and stay overnight make sure that you choose a hotel with private parking or a place where there’s monitoring. San Francisco is plagued with vehicle break-ins (especially Teslas!). Even when caught red-handed the perpetrators usually don’t face any charges and you will end up paying for the repairs by yourself. Don’t leave anything in sight that might prove valuable.
• If you stay for at least a full day it makes sense to purchase a Muni pass (mobile option is the way to go). You can hop on and off any public transportation with ease.

Continue to Part 10…

It is finally happening! On day 12 of our family roadtrip we were about to visit the birthplace of Nikola. No, not the real person – we christened our Model S after the great inventor. We’re talking about the Tesla factory in Fremont, California!

I won’t deny that it was at the core of our trip planning to make sure we got this in. What other way to culminate our trip than to step into the very walls where our car was assembled? We carefully planned the whole day around this event, knowing that the tour usually lasts 1-1,5 hours. With great help that we have received from the Tesla personnel facilitating the visits (thanks again, Jaime!) it was easy to confirm all the details ahead of time.
We spent the night before in the hotel in Fremont, so we were just minutes away from the factory. Even so, I didn’t want to leave anything to chance – I carefully studied the instructions provided to know where to enter and where to park. I then cross-checked that information against Google maps to make sure we’ve got it right. We left the hotel with enough spare time to reach there in time and then some, but there were people already waiting at the entrance to Visitor Center when we arrived. I guess everyone is as excited about this opportunity as I was. Great to be in a crowd sharing the same passion. Some traveled from afar (Europe and New Zealand), some flew from across the country (such as a lovely couple from North Carolina that we had a chance to chat with). Most were surprised to see a Texas registered Tesla parking next to the entrance and gave us a nod of admiration and approval. I’ll take it!
At last, the doors opened and we all rushed in to fulfill the formalities (such as signing an NDA). We knew that we won’t be able to record or take pictures inside, nor we would be allowed to publicize about what has been shown to us. No big deal really, since there’s a lot of information already available out there. For the faithful followers of Tesla mission there’s hardly any secret left to be uncovered anyway. There’s always the Megafactories on NatGeo to get the gist of it. Seeing it in person though is yet another experience.

From the get-go, the passion of people working at the factory is very evident. The person who would be our guide was in his twenties and he wanted to work for Tesla since he was a teenager. It was showing, as he was very knowledgeable not only as far as the tour was concerned, but in Tesla’s history, the mission and tech stuff far beyond what was required to accommodate out group. It made whole of a difference listening to another passionate and very engaged young person believing in Tesla’s goal to provide a sustainable future of transportation. Many of the workers on the production floor greeted and waved at us as we were passing by, cementing the impression that most of the FUD you read about the company lately is rather far from truth. I am sure one can find an unhappy person in every environment and Tesla would be no different. I haven’t seen that during this visit though.

Since we cannot discuss the details of what’s inside, I’ll have to be brief. To start with, the factory itself is huge. I’ve spent most of my career supporting the manufacturing industry and I’ve also visited other automotive industry facilities (most recently Peterbilt), so I am no stranger to large industrial complexes. Yet Tesla’s factory leaves me impressed. To think that just a few years ago this facility was a NUMMI plant – a joint venture between GM and Toyota that produced almost 8 million vehicles since the 1980s when it opened. Two giants of the automotive industry had many years to practice and perfect their procedures and protocols in order to manufacture cars in the most efficient way. Tesla had acquired this facility at a bargain price, but that bargain didn’t include the know-how. They would have had to start from scratch. Seeing how in just a few years Tesla went from limited production of Roadster to the flagship Model S sedan, then Model X and now ramping up Model 3 numbers in order to satisfy the massive backlog of both pre- and newly placed orders is very impressive. The floor is teeming with life, many workers and robots side-by-side helping to accomplish something truly remarkable – building the best electric vehicles on the planet, against the financial odds and nay-sayers. All this while reinventing the wheel, challenging status quo around the automotive industry and its golden production procedures and ensuring the cars living the Tesla facility are not only safe, but equipped with the best technology you can get in a car today.

Needless to say, my dream has been fulfilled again and again. One, by owning the car. Two, by seeing in person how it is made. A truly remarkable experience. I think it is safe to say that we are in good hands as long as Tesla continues on its mission and provides us with the marvelous cars that they make.

I dressed appropriately for the occasion, sportin my #texasEV t-shirt.

A truly holy-stic experience (see what I did there?)

Day 11 – Seaside, CA – Fremont, CA

Another day of coastal adventure ahead of us! Leaving Seaside behind we drove to Pacific Grove. We checked out Point Pino Lighthouse – the oldest operating one on the Pacific – before we went to the beach, to see Asilomar Dunes natural reserve. The crusty surface we walked on reminded us of Badlands in South Dakota that we visited a few years ago – looking like a rock formation from a distance it is more like brittle sand that is kept together by salt and moisture.

Capitola Village

Point Pino lighthouse

Beach houses at Capitola Village

Mural on one of the seaside hotels in Capitola

Capitola Village

Natural Bridges, Santa Cruz

Asilomar State Beach

Capitola Village

Enjoying our slow cruise along the coast, passing by many lazy beach resorts, we have stopped in Capitola Beach, known for its colorful Capitola Village resort. We should plan to stay here next time, looks like a great place to relax. Not today though!

Continuing North, we stopped in Santa Cruz to take a quick picture of Natural Bridges.  We also stopped at Seymour Marine Discovery Center. There’s a real blue whale skeleton on display – its size helps to put things in perspective.

On the way to Pescadero we have stopped at Swanton Berry Farm. Besides organically grown fresh fruits and delicious berry pies readily available for sale, you can also pick your own fruits. Just grab a container, enter the designated lot on the farm and pay a fixed amount per pound of fruits you collected. Great fun for the whole family! If you consider to visit, make sure to wear proper footwear and dress in layers – the weather there can change quite drastically from a pleasant breeze when the sun is out to chilly, gusty winds when the fog sets in.

Blue whale skeleton at Seymour Marina Discovery Center

Swanton Berry Farm, Davenport

Swanton Berry Farm, Davenport

Pescadero

Pigeon Point Light Station, Pescadero

Pescadero

Pigeon Point Light Station, Pescadero

Pigeon Point Light Station can be seen from afar. If you have a camera with telephoto lens you should be able to take some nice shots from a distance, right before entering Pescadero. There’s a hostel near the lighthouse, which seems like a great spot to stay for the night if you are interested in exploring Pescadero Marsh, see the breeding site of elephant seals or admire the redwoods in Butano State Park.

Reaching Half Moon Bay marked the end of our drive along Highway 1. From Huntington Beach where we started, we have covered almost 500 miles on this beautiful coastal road. It is also true that the scenery only gets better as you travel from South to North. While we had a fair share of wonderful experiences on all of our trips across the United States, the Pacific Coast Highway brought it to another level. If we could only pack our bags and come back tomorrow, we would not hesitate! There’s so much more to explore further North too, through the coast of Oregon and Washington. Hopefully we can plan for such a trip soon.

Leaving the coast behind we drove through Silicon Valley, stopping in Mountain View to charge the car. Nothing beats getting stuck in a traffic jam on 101. It probably took us 1,5 hours to travel just a few miles. Thank goodness for TACC and autopilot!
Interestingly, the supercharger in Mountain View has an attendant, who helps to guide arriving Tesla drivers to next available stalls (considering that this is one of the busiest superchargers in the country). Rather unique experience, first time I’ve seen it.

Tesla Supercharger in Mountain View

Some trivia from the Computer Museum in Mountain View

Conference room in Fremont hotel

Surviving the rush hour traffic we arrived in our hotel in Fremont. We were too tired to venture out for dinner, so ordering a pizza did just fine.

The name of the conference room close to the lobby gives a hint of what was to come the next day. I could hardly contain my excitement!

Charging stops:

• Monterey, CA (74 miles left; avg 263 Wh/mi; charged to 234 miles)
• Mountain View, CA (97 miles left; avg 290 Wh/mi; charged to 210 miles)

Continue to Part 9…

Day 6 – Disneyland California Adventure Park

If you have never been to Disneyland before, there are actually two theme parks vis-à-vis one another: the original Disneyland (established in 1955) and Disneyland California Adventure Park (opened in 2001). To remain frugal, we have stayed outside of the resort and purchased cheap(er) tickets – that meant we had to pick which of the parks we explore during a day (no hopping between them). Since we were staying in Anaheim for 2 days it was not a big deal and we decided to check out the Adventure Park first. Unfortunately I was under the weather on that day, so I decided rest at the hotel and would join my girls later in the afternoon. That gave them the opportunity to explore all the attractions by themselves first. My wife already had an action plan for the day – thanks in part to her brilliant logistics skills and in part to the Internet where plenty of people readily share their useful tips, they were well equipped to maximize the time spent in the park. They quickly queued for their favorite rides and even managed to secure some fast passed for the afternoon, when I came along. Did I mention that my better half got some logistic skills? 🙂

One of my favorite attractions was Soarin’ Around the World. While waiting in the hangar for our turn to be seated one could learn and develop a new appreciation for the rich history of aviation that can be attributed to Southern California. It was all on display above our heads and on the adjacent walls.

The ride itself was worth the long wait. I won’t spoil it any more, but do make sure to check it out if you visit. You won’t regret.

The best part of the park (in my opinion anyway) is the Cars Land, themed after – you guesses it – the Cars movie. If you’re as big of a fan of the movie as we are, you won’t be disappointed. Usually one can expect an animation to reflect the real world, or at least to draw inspiration from it. The movie is full of analogies and tributes to Route 66 – that is probably why we love it so much. The park has achieved an incredible feat doing the opposite – transforming an animated theme into reality without sacrificing that cartoonish and magical aspect of it in the process. We’ve been also blessed with being at the right place at the right time, so I managed to capture the moment when the light was about perfect.

We’ve been so absorbed by the world of Lightning McQueen and Radiator Springs that we have almost missed the parade! We quickly followed the music and managed to catch the best part. We (at least the two adults present) felt like children again! What an experience!

Day 7 – Disneyland Park

After a good night’s sleep it was time to check out the other theme park – the one and only, the original Disneyland. I was entering with mixed feelings. As a child, I used to wish that one day I would be able to visit the magical world of characters created by Walt Disney. Many years have passed since then, will it live up to that childhood dream? Or will it… oh, just stop it old man, go and enjoy yourself! And I did! I was still fighting whatever the bug that got to me, so I wanted to take it easy again. My girls were off to exploring the crazy world of rides while I took my time to wander around and photograph all the attractions. It actually worked to our favor – I could document all the picture worthy scenes, so we can relive these moments after coming back home.

It’s absolutely astounding what human imagination paired with skillful hands can accomplish. One minute you are in the whimsical world of Mickey and friends, the next you are cruising down the river on a steamboat, just to jump to the future later. Another amazing thing is how clean and well maintained everything is. Considering that some of the exhibits are as old as the park itself, the maintenance crew is doing an amazing job keeping things in top shape.

While I enjoyed the whole park a lot, there’s only one favorite attraction: Star Wars Launch Bay. One of the best memories I have from my childhood is that of watching “Return of the Jedi” with my father on a big screen (it was big – they converted the whole sports arena into movie theater!) when I was in the elementary school. Every one we knew was there watching the movie, it was truly a lifetime event. Till this day nothing can top that experience. Exploring the world of Star Wars and walking around props and memorabilia from the original Lucas’ trilogy brought all those great moments back. Having Chewbacca to pose for a picture for me was a perfect icing on a cake.

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Tired, but completely satisfied we slowly headed for the exit. It was time to wave goodbye to Mr. Disney. Thank you for the world you created and the legacy you left behind. We are very glad that we could experience the park at last. For me personally, another big item can be struck off the bucket list.

Continue to Part 6…

Our very first car that we bought (and the very first car I have ever owned, I might add) was a 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS. It served us well over the 11+ years of ownership: a number of short- and long-distance road trips, driving around the town to make our then-baby daughter fall asleep, moving from an apartment to a permanent house, towing a trailer full of raw lumber for my woodworking projects or serving as my bicycle carrier.

When my wife passed her driving test (which she did on the Outlander, too) it became her primary vehicle for running errands. It is only natural that we wanted to keep the car until our girl is mature enough to drive by herself, too – she will be ready in just a few years after all. That WAS the plan.
Unfortunately, age has caught up with Andy (that’s what we called it!) and the last year or so of ownership brought a list of unexpected expenses and repairs. As Murphy’s law would have it, some of the incidents left my wife stranded when I was away on a business trip – a rather stressful experience when I cannot be around to help. Facing a prospect of yet another expensive repair in the near future we had to make a decision: should we keep prolonging its life while its value continues to diminish or would it be better to get something affordable, hopefully electric, that would come with a peace of mind and a new factory warranty? With mixed feelings we decided to search for an alternative.

Now, I am an early reservation holder for Tesla Model 3. Like many others, I put my deposit down right when the car was being revealed, thinking at that time that this will most likely be my entry way to the world of Tesla ownership. Amazing how things can turn out at the end!
Encouraged by our experience with already owning an electric car we promised ourselves that our next vehicle will be an EV as well. No more fussing with mechanical failures and repairs, rattling engine or gasoline. We really wanted our next car to be another Tesla, but it would be rather hard to justify the Model 3 at its currently available configuration and price – the promised affordable version won’t be out till sometime next year, provided Tesla can ramp up the production and clear the backlog of orders and reservations.

So what are the viable alternatives? Not many at the moment, unfortunately. Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona are expected in their EV version by end of this year or sometime in 2019. Given their low initial production volume and the fact that they won’t be immediately available outside of California, makes it difficult to consider at the moment. Chevrolet Bolt could be the contender, provided one could get hands on one and if it would be a tad cheaper. We were really looking for an affordable car, leaning towards lease vs purchase, so we can wait it out till other manufacturers catch up and there will be more models to choose from.
That leaves us with Nissan LEAF. The 2018 edition looked like a good choice though, especially with the new 40 kWh battery (~150 mile range) and updated design. I’ve read and heard good opinions about it, so we decided to give it a go. We wanted to keep it simple though (to keep the price down), so only S or SV variants would be considered.
I went to Nissan’s website and looked at S version first. I kept it pretty much default, adding only the Charging Package (so we can benefit from faster charge times using higher current/voltage). It looked promising:

Looks like we might be in luck, as there is an ongoing offer until end of July:

Looks even better! I am sure we can negotiate the down payment when we commit to lease it. Just to compare, I have also configured SV variant – adding a tech package and pearl white paint option (to match our current car, why not!):

As expected, Technology Package and premium paint increased the base price a bit, but it should not have much impact on the monthly cost of leasing, right? Wrong:

That is a significant difference! I assume the special applies only to the basic (S) variant. So be it. Let’s schedule a test drive!

The test drive only assured us that LEAF is a viable choice. Quiet as you would expect from an electric vehicle, responsive, decent trunk space and roomy (in the front row at least). Unlike Tesla, it lacks a frunk cargo space (at first glance it looks like someone packed a V6 engine in it!) but it is not a deal-breaker. The one we tested had a ProPILOT Assist feature too – it had no problem keeping in the lane or distance to the car ahead of us during the short drive. Again, would be nice to have, but my wife is not going to drive any long distances, so we will be fine without it. Let’s go back to dealership and talk financing details!

This is where it all fell apart, unfortunately. As I was going back and forth between S and SV, I asked the financial adviser to provide the data on the latter one. It came to over 600 dollars a month with 4,000 dollars down. I could not help but to make a reference to a fully loaded long range Tesla Model 3 that can be had for similar amount (well, you can’t lease it at the moment, but it would come to $721/month for 72 months with $5,000 down payment and a rather hefty 3,7% APR if you place an order now). Surely, this cannot be right!
I then asked the adviser to show us the numbers for S version – still, the monthly payment was $350 a month (far from $249 deal on Nissan’s website). No go – he promised to contact me when they come across the deal that would match our expectations though. Sadly then, we shook hands and left. Not the outcome we were expecting.

I must say that all this while we were getting plenty of attention from the sales representative that greeted me when I first visited the dealership, as well as various other Nissan personnel, including general manager of that particular location. What beats me is that it doesn’t seem to be any interest on their part to make a deal. No negotiations, no room to wiggle. Almost as if they didn’t want to sell the car. Our sales adviser was trying to explain that the residual value of LEAF is pretty low after the end of lease, but that should not be my concern – it should be Nissan’s to think of their sales and marketing strategy. To add to the insult, while browsing the available inventory in the 100-mile radius from where we live there were 32 cars matching or in similar specifications to what we were looking for. 2 weeks later now, there are still 31 listed, so it’s not as if the car is selling like hotcakes. Disappointing. Very.

* * *

Call it a compromise, but we have settled for a hybrid instead. Since I’ve had previous experience owning a Hyundai I was interested to check out Kona – neither my wife not me were particularly crazy about the design though. Then Ioniq caught my attention. Cheaper than Kona, better equipped and definitely better looking sounded like a much better of a deal. It is worth mentioning that the Hyundai dealership nearby make the whole experience absolutely worthwhile. From the get-go, we were greeted by a very friendly and polite sales adviser who would help us through the whole process. Patient and tactful, transparent about sales conditions and never pushy – this is how the car sales experience should be like. While signing the paperwork I was greeted by one of the brothers that own the place, then received a personalized thank you note via email for being their customer. It all made us quickly forget about the negative experience we had with Nissan.

For what it is worth, my wife enjoys the new car a lot. It is a bit of an adjustment coming from a SUV to a compact car, but she is happy to have a reliable car again. The gas mileage is great (52+ mpg and climbing, the car is EPA rated at 58 mpg) thanks to combined 1.6 liter gasoline engine and 32 kW electric motor coupled with 1.56 kWh battery. The technology is up to speed (it comes with Apple CarPlay as standard) and I am sure it will serve us well till we can decide on what electric car will replace it. To think of it, we are three quarters of a way there! 😉

Day 5 – Carlsbad, CA – Los Angeles, CA – Anaheim, CA

If we were to leave Legoland and head to our final destination for the day, it wouldn’t be much of a trip (Anaheim is only about an hour away). No worries, we had a plan!

While we don’t necessarily qualify as art connoisseurs, we definitely have an appreciation for fine art. Being in proximity we couldn’t have passed the opportunity not to visit the famous Getty Museum in Los Angeles. We couldn’t care less about the typical tourist traps attractions that LA has to offer, so we had the luxury of spending as much time as we wanted checking out various exhibits at the museum – and it didn’t disappoint. The place itself, planted firmly on a hill, is a a great escape from the city buzz. Beautifully designed and well maintained, it invites you to relax and enjoy some quiet time.We took upon this invite and had a mini-picnic first, devouring the sandwiches we have prepared earlier. Before we entered the gallery, we spent some time exploring the facility and admiring its architecture. We even caught a glimpse of the downtown from up the hill.

Jean Paul Getty spent most of his life collecting art and many of the fine samples are on display. Our family has developed a taste for impressionism over all other art forms (thanks in part to visits to Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth and Albertina Museum in Vienna), so we were in for a treat. Famous masterpieces from Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne and others – all under one roof! As if it wasn’t enough, there were a few paintings committed by no other than the famous post-impressionist Vincent Van Gogh.

Abraham Solomon – Waiting for the verdict (courtesy: Getty Museum)

Abraham Solomon – Not guilty (courtesy: Getty Museum)

Edouard Manet – Spring (courtesy: Getty Museum)

Paul Cezanne – Still life with apples (courtesy: Getty Museum)

Paul Degas – auto-portrait (courtesy: Getty Museum)

Vincent van Gogh – Irises (courtesy: Getty Museum)

Vincent van Gogh – Landscape from Saint-Rémy (courtesy: Getty Museum)

If we were into any step-counting game, I am sure we would accomplish the daily challenge and then some – our legs definitely demanded a rest after hours of exploration. As the saying goes, the best things in life are free, and so is the case with the Getty Museum – it is admission-free. Yes, you have to pay for the parking if you come by a car, but that’s rather common in any metropolis. If you come by EV though, there are many charging spots to chose from and they are all free of charge.

Tired but content we continued on. The very next experience: rush hour traffic. Thanks to updated Tesla in-car navigation we have avoided hopping on the freeway and instead continued on a parallel street, slowly crawling forward (as opposed to being completely stuck). I would not be surprised if there was a snail or a turtle passing us by at some point. Eventually we managed through. Bucket list item “experience LA traffic” – checked.

Speaking of traffic, there’s a lot of stereotypes floating around. You’ve probably heard of California, New Jersey, New York or Texas driving. While I’d be biased providing my opinion on the latter one, I can debunk at least some of the myths and generalizations related to Californian motorists. In general, people are patient and if you signal they will let you in. Speaking of signaling, everyone seems to wait for at least few seconds before changing the lane – we’ve seen it across the whole state, in case someone will say it is a Southern or Northern part of the state thing. Seems excessive, but it works. I do like the traffic lights at the on-ramps – one car at a time (more if there are parallel lanes) helps to keep the flow of traffic while allowing others to merge. I also like the flashing yellow light when approaching a stop (especially around the bend, where you don’t see what’s coming). Overall, I found it rather stress-free to travel across the Golden State. So, go and experience it yourself before you judge or repeat the half-truths you have overheard somewhere else.

Since we knew that our destination hotel will not provide the charging, we decided to top up in Hawthorne before arriving in Anaheim. Wait a minute… isn’t that where… you betcha! That’s where the SpaceX headquarters are, and so is a Tesla supercharger. Both companies share the space – Tesla Design Studio is right across the wall (or heavy-duty curtain rather) from the rocket factory. Although you are not allowed to take any photos while inside, you can definitely hear the sounds coming from the other side when sitting at Tesla’s lounge: welding, hammering and various power tools – music to the ear of any mechanical engineer.

Once Nikola received its daily dose of electrons we resumed our trip, eventually reaching the hotel Indigo – a nice, modern looking hotel located a walking distance from Disneyland. We’ll be staying here for two days, fulfilling childhood dreams 🙂

Miles driven: 156
Teslas spotted along the way: I lost count (or stopped bothering 🙂 )

Charging stops:

• Level 2 (ChargePoint) at the entrance to Legoland – plugged in while visiting park
• Left fully charged (~240 rated miles)

Continue to Part 5…