Well it's been too many weeks of cold temps at Atlantic Beach NC so we decided to pack our swimsuits, shorts & tee shirts and head down to West Palm Beach.
Day 1 - went smooth as usual. Headed west to Lumberton; SC was in a large parking lot with fast food places; we ate at Denny's in the Holiday Inn while charging. Did the job. Santee SC area felt isolated alongside a motel, Clark's Inn; we walked about 150 yards to MacDonald's for rest rooms & wifi, leaving as soon as we had enough charge to get to Savanna SC by 6:00 pm. This one was in the airport parking lot. We went into the bar there for a drink and appetizer. Nice place to hang out, watching planes as we waited. Parking was free -- we should have gotten the ticket validated at the Information kiosk but the attendant didn't charge us anyway. We decided to continue to St Augustine so the next day would be a breeze.
Day 2 - started the day at the SC near the outlets and got a decaf cappuccino. Person there says he usually sees a Tesla almost every day. Quick hop to Port Orange SC. I used to live there when I was much younger so it was a nice stop. SC in a large shopping center parking lot. Recharged in Port St Lucie shopping center parking lot and pulled into West Palm Beach around 5:00 pm. If you plan properly and are a little patient at the SC the journey is quite pleasant in the Tesla. In retrospect it's a bit like flying a small airplane. You always need to have an alternate backup plan for refueling because airports are not everywhere!
I had a chance at practicing my drafting during the long journey. All you need to do is pick the biggest semi you can find stay about 50 ft behind. A little unnerving but they tend to keep there mph pretty constant. The best I could achieve was 70 mph at 307 watts/mile. Thought it would be little bit better at night but the head lights add to the energy drain.
We've been using several different L2 chargers while we've been down here.
Clematis parking garage in West Palm Beach. Very clean and well maintained. Free charging at the Chargepoint pod. Parking is $1/hr but free on Sundays. Many nice restaurants within walking distance. I would pack my bike in the back of the Tesla and leave the car charging all day. BTW after an hour the pod degrades the amperage to 22.
Bankers Row Parking lot in DelRay - free parking and free charging. Again within walking distance of a ton of great restaurants and the beach. Constant 30 amp charging rate.
Ocean front Park - $10 for the day, no entry after 4:00 pm but I stayed till after 5:00 and didn't get kicked out. Beautiful beach, nice bathrooms and nice food station. Check out the home made coleslaw. Ah yes the charging is also free.
Palm Beach Outlet mall -- newly opened and they have several charging stations in the parking lots - all are free via ChargePoint. The first one I tried wasn't working but the next one worked perfectly.
Lake Osbourne - though I'd try my luck with an RV park again but unfortunately you have to have an RV or trailering a camper to get a spot. Too bad it would have been a nice place to hang out and leave the car charging over night.
Ah well that's all there is to report. Just waiting for the temps to warm up before our journey back to Atlantic Beach NC.
Ciao
Day 1 - went smooth as usual. Headed west to Lumberton; SC was in a large parking lot with fast food places; we ate at Denny's in the Holiday Inn while charging. Did the job. Santee SC area felt isolated alongside a motel, Clark's Inn; we walked about 150 yards to MacDonald's for rest rooms & wifi, leaving as soon as we had enough charge to get to Savanna SC by 6:00 pm. This one was in the airport parking lot. We went into the bar there for a drink and appetizer. Nice place to hang out, watching planes as we waited. Parking was free -- we should have gotten the ticket validated at the Information kiosk but the attendant didn't charge us anyway. We decided to continue to St Augustine so the next day would be a breeze.
Day 2 - started the day at the SC near the outlets and got a decaf cappuccino. Person there says he usually sees a Tesla almost every day. Quick hop to Port Orange SC. I used to live there when I was much younger so it was a nice stop. SC in a large shopping center parking lot. Recharged in Port St Lucie shopping center parking lot and pulled into West Palm Beach around 5:00 pm. If you plan properly and are a little patient at the SC the journey is quite pleasant in the Tesla. In retrospect it's a bit like flying a small airplane. You always need to have an alternate backup plan for refueling because airports are not everywhere!
I had a chance at practicing my drafting during the long journey. All you need to do is pick the biggest semi you can find stay about 50 ft behind. A little unnerving but they tend to keep there mph pretty constant. The best I could achieve was 70 mph at 307 watts/mile. Thought it would be little bit better at night but the head lights add to the energy drain.
We've been using several different L2 chargers while we've been down here.
Clematis parking garage in West Palm Beach. Very clean and well maintained. Free charging at the Chargepoint pod. Parking is $1/hr but free on Sundays. Many nice restaurants within walking distance. I would pack my bike in the back of the Tesla and leave the car charging all day. BTW after an hour the pod degrades the amperage to 22.
Bankers Row Parking lot in DelRay - free parking and free charging. Again within walking distance of a ton of great restaurants and the beach. Constant 30 amp charging rate.
Ocean front Park - $10 for the day, no entry after 4:00 pm but I stayed till after 5:00 and didn't get kicked out. Beautiful beach, nice bathrooms and nice food station. Check out the home made coleslaw. Ah yes the charging is also free.
Palm Beach Outlet mall -- newly opened and they have several charging stations in the parking lots - all are free via ChargePoint. The first one I tried wasn't working but the next one worked perfectly.
Lake Osbourne - though I'd try my luck with an RV park again but unfortunately you have to have an RV or trailering a camper to get a spot. Too bad it would have been a nice place to hang out and leave the car charging over night.
Ah well that's all there is to report. Just waiting for the temps to warm up before our journey back to Atlantic Beach NC.
Ciao
