Skip to main content

Day 34: Carlsbad, New Mexico

The focus of the day was to get to Carlsbad and then ensure I get the Tesla fully charged so that I can make it all the way to El Paso the next day. One of the few days in the road trip when EV range anxiety was top of my mind.  Left my hotel in Childress, Texas and fully charged at the Tesla supercharger there before hitting the highway.

Getting to Carlsbad became easy since the Lubbock supercharger was working. I experienced driving through the flat countryside of north Texas, with not much in the way of towns or even villages.Seeing the few oil rigs in action was the most interesting part of the surrounding scenery.

 

 

 

Reached Carlsbad with 90 miles of range left and getting to El Paso was going to be a 200 mile drive the next day. I had researched on Plugshare that there was a Tesla destination charger at the McDonalds in town. So, after checking into my AirBnb I headed out to McDonalds. Luckily, found the destination charger, it was available and it was working. I plugged in my Tesla and it started charging at 40 miles/hour. What a relief and joy such simple and mundane things can bring!

It was going to be 5 hours for the car to fully charge, so I walked back to the AirBnb, rested a while and then walked around town. The Pecos river waterfront in Carlsbad is a very nice walk. 

When I picked up the fully charged car from the McDonalds, it was already dark. As I was started driving back it started to rain. It really poured hard and I couldn't see a thing on the road. So, pulled over for a few minutes to let it taper down.  

Had a relaxed stay at the AirBnb, comforted by the thought I had enough EV range for tomorrow. I worried a little about the weather, since it was forecast to be cloudy with chance for rain.  

I am also only one timezone away from home, and only one week left in the road trip. It has been an exciting journey, a once in a lifetime experience for me, but I miss home and am looking forward to being back.

The raw numbers for the day:

  • 340 miles driving, 8900 steps walking
  • 2 Tesla supercharger stops, Tesla destination charger at McDonald's, Carlsbad
  • 2 states - Texas, New Mexico  

Next:   Day 35:  Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe Mountains (Oct 8, 2022)


Comments

  1. आजा वे माहीं तेरा रस्ता उडीकदीयां..

    ReplyDelete
  2. We miss you too! <3 I'm glad the Tesla struggles mostly worked out in the end, apart from the loss of time from servicing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kashmir Great Lakes Trek, 2024

Kashmir Great Lakes Trek (KGL) has been on my bucket list for many years. It is known as the most beautiful trek in India, definitely one of the most popular. After lots of research and prep work, finally did the trek from July 29 - August 4 this year, along with four of my hiking buddies from the Bay Area. It was a dream come true - spectacular hiking with wonderful friends! The trailhead for the KGL trek is near Sonmarg. We carried only small daypacks during the 7-day trek. All supplies and luggage are carried by mules/horses. We had a support staff of 6 (guides, cook, etc.) for our private group of 5 hikers. Under overcast skies and the fog rolling in, we hiked past these shepherd huts at 9000 ft. These huts are used only in the summer months by the Kashmiri Gujjars (gypsies). A few hours into the hiking on the first day, we had a heavy downpour and the raingear came out. The locals were happy to see the first decent rainfall after a dry spell of 2 months. An auspicious start to our...

Valley of Flowers Trek, 2024

Valley of Flowers is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2002, which has made it immensely popular. The best time to visit is during the monsoon season in July and August, when the peak flower bloom happens. I did this trek from Aug 6 - 11, 2024 with Trek the Himalayas  (TTH).  This was the second trek of my intense three weeks in the Himalayas and immediately followed the Kashmir Great Lakes trek .  During the trek it rained almost every day, but that did not dampen the beautiful experience. In addition to hiking in the Valley of Flowers, got to explore Rishikesh, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib Gurdwara during this trip. Day 0:  August 5, 2024 .  The starting point for the trek is Rishikesh. Took a morning flight from Srinagar to Delhi and after a brief stop, a second flight from Delhi to Dehradun. The prepaid taxi from the airport to Rishikesh worked out well. Driving through the Rajaji National Forest was a bonus during the quick 30-minute ride.  Reached Ho...

Road trip across USA - What, Why?

Long distance trips by car or train have always fascinated me. Experiencing new places and landscapes in quick succession is an adrenaline rush, overwhelming the senses. I've done many such wonderful trips, but they have all been less than two weeks long. I finally have an opportunity to do a trip that is much longer and intense. I can't wait to go for it! The extensive road network in the US is perfect for a grand road trip across the vast country. It seems like the best way for me to experience the beautiful landscapes and meet people across all the states, through rural and urban America. To give the trip more purpose and challenge, I decided to do the trip in an electric car, cover all 48 states and hike over half a million steps. I plan to head out on this adventure end of August 2022. Goals for the trip: Visit all 48 contiguous states in US. Visit as many national parks as possible Walk/hike a total of half a million steps in the trip Meet friends and family en route Do...