Joules Burn
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Morris
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2023
- Threads
- 16
- Messages
- 362
- Reaction score
- 808
- Location
- California
- Vehicles
- 2026 R1S, 2022 Kia EV6 GT-L FE
- Occupation
- Retired Electronics
- Thread starter
- #1
My wife and I hiked to “The Wave” in Vermillion Cliffs fifteen years ago when we both able to do seven miles of sand dunes and slick rock. I decided this time to drive to White Pocket - considered “more better” than the Wave - since I now had a vehicle capable of getting there. Being an EV, more planning was required.
Many will be coming from other directions but I’ll give you my experience.
I have adopted Highway 99 instead of Interstate 5 for traveling south from central California. Most of the route is six lane and there are way fewer trucks. The proliferation of big rigs on I5 have created a “cluster truck”. (I should copyright that.)
I found two good Tesla Supercharger stops on 99.
The TA center at Avenue 7 in Madera has a high-end wine tasting and gift shop at the entrance and a decent - but pricey - food court inside.
Another Tesla Supercharger is next door to Bravo Farms in Traver. An extensive gift shop and good restaurant, plus a petting zoo and a giant tree house for the kids.
Barstow, CA has a giant Tesla charging farm next to the outlet stores and two hotels. Not on the apps are over a dozen FREE L2 chargers! Oggie’s nearby has great eats.
The RAN in Kingman has a Subway and a Domino’s.
The RAN in Flagstaff is located near five different hotels. The Green Tree Inn is a decent hotel with four ChargePoint 6kW L2 chargers. Glitchy app but a fair 25¢ kW.
(If you want a great breakfast, go to Over Easy a couple blocks away.)
Up to the charging desert of Page where I found an oasis.
The Hyatt Place hotel has four 9.6kW L2 chargers from EV Passport.
The chargers were pricey at
50¢ a kW but were consistent and reliable. The app was straightforward and worked fine with ApplePay. Four spots were far enough away from the front door to prevent ICE intrusion. I saw one other vehicle in three days - he was passing through to get a charge for Flagstaff.
This is a five star hotel with a phenomenal breakfast and a really good restaurant so you don’t have to run around looking for some thing different. (No, they didn’t pay me.)
It was freezing that morning when I unplugged at 98%. When I finally got to my destination at White pocket it showed 50% - a bit of concern. (Cold weather and uphill/downhill was a factor - I got back with 30%.)
With Google Maps and YouTube suggestions, I chose the southern route. A bit longer but less ruts.
My Garmin Drivesmart GPS was VERY helpful for this excursion.. I had a route AND an odometer AND elevation with some rudimentary topography. Garmin is not reliant on a cell connection - only satellites. The Rivian maps go away when cell coverage goes away. (And Rivian maps will not direct you to any “adventure” destination that is not a paved road - that sucks.)
A few miles off 89A, you come to the Condor viewing area. It’s a good place to air down and up the tires and “see a man about a horse” - a really upscale outhouse.
Check out the various YouTube videos and milage markers for the best route. The “all roads” is fine until you get to the gate. Then you will have to adjust for ten or so miles of “soft sand” and some sharp rocks along the way. The Rivian took it like a mountain goat with ballet shoes but a typical low clearance AWD would be stuck.
The destination is the parking lot. (Avoid that last quarter mile downhill to the camping area. It’s a sand trap coming back up - not worth it.)
It is a short sand hike (same texture as the road) to the rock formations - then take as many hours of wonder as you have allotted. A truly alternate universe.
I aired up at the Condor viewing area on the way back.
The Hyatt was excellent and worth it. My Bison burger and draft was around $25. Their restaurant is as good as their breakfast. The King room was $180 a night and the EV Passport averaged around $40 a session. (I’ve been charged that much just for parking!)
Page is a destination for a plethora of desert experience and slot canyons.
We even saw Condor #19 under the Navajo Highway bridge.
Took a side route through Joshua Tree Highway for the trip home.
It can be done.
Side note: I replaced the Pirelli Scorpion tires with Defender LTX M/S. After 14,000 miles, I was tired of the road noise. Bless the QUIET! I can now converse with fellow passengers without shouting or texting. Efficiency is improved - more testing for documentation. Smooth as a “something” butt. Performed just fine in my off-road adventure.
Many will be coming from other directions but I’ll give you my experience.
I have adopted Highway 99 instead of Interstate 5 for traveling south from central California. Most of the route is six lane and there are way fewer trucks. The proliferation of big rigs on I5 have created a “cluster truck”. (I should copyright that.)
I found two good Tesla Supercharger stops on 99.
The TA center at Avenue 7 in Madera has a high-end wine tasting and gift shop at the entrance and a decent - but pricey - food court inside.
Another Tesla Supercharger is next door to Bravo Farms in Traver. An extensive gift shop and good restaurant, plus a petting zoo and a giant tree house for the kids.
Barstow, CA has a giant Tesla charging farm next to the outlet stores and two hotels. Not on the apps are over a dozen FREE L2 chargers! Oggie’s nearby has great eats.
The RAN in Kingman has a Subway and a Domino’s.
The RAN in Flagstaff is located near five different hotels. The Green Tree Inn is a decent hotel with four ChargePoint 6kW L2 chargers. Glitchy app but a fair 25¢ kW.
(If you want a great breakfast, go to Over Easy a couple blocks away.)
Up to the charging desert of Page where I found an oasis.
The Hyatt Place hotel has four 9.6kW L2 chargers from EV Passport.
50¢ a kW but were consistent and reliable. The app was straightforward and worked fine with ApplePay. Four spots were far enough away from the front door to prevent ICE intrusion. I saw one other vehicle in three days - he was passing through to get a charge for Flagstaff.
This is a five star hotel with a phenomenal breakfast and a really good restaurant so you don’t have to run around looking for some thing different. (No, they didn’t pay me.)
It was freezing that morning when I unplugged at 98%. When I finally got to my destination at White pocket it showed 50% - a bit of concern. (Cold weather and uphill/downhill was a factor - I got back with 30%.)
With Google Maps and YouTube suggestions, I chose the southern route. A bit longer but less ruts.
My Garmin Drivesmart GPS was VERY helpful for this excursion.. I had a route AND an odometer AND elevation with some rudimentary topography. Garmin is not reliant on a cell connection - only satellites. The Rivian maps go away when cell coverage goes away. (And Rivian maps will not direct you to any “adventure” destination that is not a paved road - that sucks.)
A few miles off 89A, you come to the Condor viewing area. It’s a good place to air down and up the tires and “see a man about a horse” - a really upscale outhouse.
Check out the various YouTube videos and milage markers for the best route. The “all roads” is fine until you get to the gate. Then you will have to adjust for ten or so miles of “soft sand” and some sharp rocks along the way. The Rivian took it like a mountain goat with ballet shoes but a typical low clearance AWD would be stuck.
The destination is the parking lot. (Avoid that last quarter mile downhill to the camping area. It’s a sand trap coming back up - not worth it.)
It is a short sand hike (same texture as the road) to the rock formations - then take as many hours of wonder as you have allotted. A truly alternate universe.
I aired up at the Condor viewing area on the way back.
The Hyatt was excellent and worth it. My Bison burger and draft was around $25. Their restaurant is as good as their breakfast. The King room was $180 a night and the EV Passport averaged around $40 a session. (I’ve been charged that much just for parking!)
Page is a destination for a plethora of desert experience and slot canyons.
We even saw Condor #19 under the Navajo Highway bridge.
Took a side route through Joshua Tree Highway for the trip home.
It can be done.
Side note: I replaced the Pirelli Scorpion tires with Defender LTX M/S. After 14,000 miles, I was tired of the road noise. Bless the QUIET! I can now converse with fellow passengers without shouting or texting. Efficiency is improved - more testing for documentation. Smooth as a “something” butt. Performed just fine in my off-road adventure.
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