Kathy almost cried when we crested the hill and saw the lake for the first time. I had never seen anything like it before. A very deep blue, the white of the snow, the sky. Very cool. But first we had to get there!
We pack up early from the campground knowing we have a pretty big climb ahead of us. We had used over 10% of the battery on temperature control sleeping last night. I think we keep it too warm but it appears to be a luxury we can afford. Anyway, we are nowhere near fully charged starting out on this leg, but we are much more comfortable with judging range so we go into the park. We may have to backtrack to Springfield (Eugene OR) or we hope to make it to Klamath Falls OR. or Grants Pass OR. If we have to go to Eugene, then we wont see the whole park. If we go to Klamath, then we really make the trip longer since this will basically take us to California. Grants Pass is the preferred stop, but the farthest away. We will decide as we go. I am going to post a lot of pictures of this place, be patient with the slide show!
The North entrance just opened before we got here. Going in and out the South entrance would have been a really long trip, so happy about that.
We enter the National Park with 53% charge (about 150 miles max). We get in free (again) as we have National Parks Pass. If you do a car camping trip in the USA, buy a parks pass. The road to the crater is all uphill. Makes sense since the crater is on the top of the volcano (or ex-volcano).
We get to the top pretty quickly. Autopilot drive the entire way in. Look at that road and be amazed.
It is pretty cool up here. We pop over the top and this is the first view.
The drive is around the lake. You can go from stop to stop taking pictures. It is about 30 miles around.
That’s the ‘new’ volcano in that picture. Apparently, this volcano blew up 7000 years ago. The lake is 1996 feet deep and is the deepest lake in North America. You can fish for free here, but you need climbing gear to get down and up.
We decide to head out the South entrance and plug in Grants Pass for our next charge. Says we an make it!?! We head out. On the way down, we notice the battery percentage going up! By the time we leave the park we are back to 51%. The entire 50 mile trip cost us 2% battery. Wow. And what is really impressive is that the Tesla Trip planner had that all computed in. We get to Grants Pass with exactly what the Tesla said we would. I really, really trust it now.
Grants Pass Super Charger.
Nothing really special about this charger. Like all chargers, they are easy to find and easy to use. We have never had to wait for a slot. Ever. Speed is good and there is always a bathroom, food, coffee or some other convenience. This one is in the parking lot of a Mall. I go into this mall and I am transported back to the 70’s. Arcades, Orange Julius, and all the rest. What a time warp. I wished I had some quarters to play some PacMan while I charged.
We fill up to 90% and surf the web looking for our next stop. Another awesomeness of the Tesla. We type in ‘Eugene Camping’ in the navigation search and all kinds of options come back. Each marked with a pin on the map and identified by a letter or number. The list is on the left. You can choose any one and are shown the battery remaining when you arrive at each (and return). You can then use the web browser to lookup each spot for reviews, rates, amenities, phone numbers, etc. Its like having a space ship and you are Captain Kirk. Plot a course to Springfield!. Engage!
We really want to get to highway 101 today. This is the coastal highway all the way up from California, Oregon, and Washington. It goes for the entire west coast and is very winding, and mostly remote. We only want to do Oregon and Washington. To get there from here is not that easy, electric car or not. We plot our course for Springfield and then cut across the from there. Next Super charger is Lincoln City on the 101.
Springfield (Eugene OR) Super Charger.
We make it with ease to this charger. This one is in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn (or something like it). We have our next landing plotted. The Salmon River RV park. We call and get a reservation as we will not get there until well after 9pm. Not a problem here as the sun does not set until 10:30, but the office will be closed.
Backing in for a charge!
This place is busy! Model 3’s were coming and going the whole time we where here.
The silver color seems to be popular. One of those Model 3s is us.
Salmon River RV Park
It is right outside Lincoln City, so tomorrow we can get right to a Super Charger. Again, this was unnecessary! We get to the park and it has a 220v connection we can use. We will be styling tonight.
You can see here how we are using our home charger to ‘fill up’. Costs us nothing as we are already paying for a ‘tent’ spot. We are the only campers here.
Great day of driving! We put the miles on today, thru mountains, forests, cities and in basically an low population area. Awesome.
Tomorrow we go up the famous highway 101!