CA Road Trip Costa Mesa to San Francisco: which way to home?

[foxerson]

In keeping with the Rivian adventure spirit, my R1T delivery that was going to be today in South San Francisco is being bumped to next Tuesday in Costa Mesa. Without going into the details of the switch I'll just say that my newly assigned guide has been proactive with accommodations given this change and ultimately I am ok with how it is shaping up. The plan is that I will fly into John Wayne airport in the morning, take delivery at the Costa Mesa service center, then saddle up for the drive back to San Francisco.

My question for the community here is should I take the straight-forward but boring route of I-5 or the more scenic route of US-101 that will include some time along the coast?

One consideration is that I am an EV virgin and feel a bit like I am being tossed into the deep end of the pool with a 425+ mile drive home right out of the gate. I-5 is a heavily travelled corridor between Sf and LA that looks to have a good spacing of charging stops. US-101 looks to have fewer charging options including a big gap through the central coast.

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[WSea]

I’d go 1 if open. We did christmas week. Good charge at Monterey Safeway EA. No range issues

 

[SACDFJC]

For and additional adventure take Hwy 1. Buy a TeslaTap and stop at Hearst Castle and use the free Tesla Destination chargers while you do a tour. I did this trip in my R1T right after getting it. It was a none issue (as long as you plan a little). We used ABRP and PlugShare to find chargers. The BofA in Paso Robles worked pretty well.

 

[Careychastain]

Go 395..free charging in Inyo/Kern, Bishop & Tahoe….plus the snow and views of the eastern Sierra’s will be amazing

 

[R1Sky Business]

In keeping with the Rivian adventure spirit, my R1T delivery that was going to be today in South San Francisco is being bumped to next Tuesday in Costa Mesa. Without going into the details of the switch I'll just say that my newly assigned guide has been proactive with accommodations given this change and ultimately I am ok with how it is shaping up. The plan is that I will fly into John Wayne airport in the morning, take delivery at the Costa Mesa service center, then saddle up for the drive back to San Francisco.

My question for the community here is should I take the straight-forward but boring route of I-5 or the more scenic route of US-101 that will include some time along the coast?

One consideration is that I am an EV virgin and feel a bit like I am being tossed into the deep end of the pool with a 425+ mile drive home right out of the gate. I-5 is a heavily travelled corridor between Sf and LA that looks to have a good spacing of charging stops. US-101 looks to have fewer charging options including a big gap through the central coast.

All part of the adventure

 

[R1Sky Business]

Go 395..free charging in Inyo/Kern, Bishop & Tahoe….plus the snow and views of the eastern Sierra’s will be amazing

Only a few weeks of free juice remain.

 

[Surfinkal]

BofA in Santa Barbara works great too. Whole Foods right across the street for coffee and snacks. 10% to 85% in 50 minutes and cost was just under $50.

 

[WSea]

Piano beach EA was fine too. this was first charge after Big Sur leg from Monterrey. santa Barbara was too far. There are other EAs too. All planned with riv nav and plugshare….easy!

Edit- Pismo not Piano...not sure where that came from

 

[foxerson]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the recommendations here lean towards the more adventurous routes. I just checked Caltrans. Hwy 1 is closed south of Big Sur. As beautiful as that stretch of coast is it also would add a bunch of hours to what will already be a long day. I am also ruling out 395 despite the lure of multiple RAN sites. I already spend plenty of time in the mountains and will have just returned from a weekend in Tahoe.

101 seems like the right compromise. Plenty of beautiful stretches along the coast to make for a nice drive without adding a bunch of extra miles and driving time to the trip.

Thanks @SACDFJC and @Surfinkal for the suggestions of charging stops in Santa Barbara and Paso Robles. Seems like that would break it up into three segments rather nicely. I see there is also an EA in Pismo Beach that would be a good option depending on how the range works out.

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