Late winter California Road Trip, 2024

Day 1

Once again, I miscalculated how much vacation I carried over from last year, and have to use a week before the end of March or lose it. So, I used airline miles to buy a ticket to LAX and scheduled a rental Model Y LR. (I wanted a Model 3 LR, but there were none available to reserve for the dates I needed.) I'll be visiting family and friends in LA, SLO, and SF throughout the week. Plan to take US-101 north, and if the weather cooperates, I'll cross the mountains and take US-395 South.

My wife and I had a good experience renting a Tesla from Hertz in Miami back in Fall 2022, so I didn't anticipate any trouble when I arrived Friday evening. However, it was a totally different experience this time. I didn't see my name on there reservations board, so I couldn't just go straight to my car--I had to go up to the desk. The first person I talked to said they didn't have a Model Y for me, but I could pick any gas car in the "President's Circle".

I guess he thought I would be happy, and he seemed surprised when I told him I would wait while they found me a Tesla. While I waited, I wandered out to that President's Circle, where there were 2 Model Y LR cars sitting. Back into the office, where I asked if I could have one of those. After a few minutes of them "checking on it", they gave me one of those Model Ys. I wasn't able to set up my phone as a key, and the two Hertz employees I asked about it said they had never heard of such a thing.

I was embarrassingly snippy after at least two Hertz employees said, "You know, we're getting rid of our Teslas." My edited response was, "Well, I guess I won't be able to rent from Hertz again, because I hate driving gas cars."

The trip has gotten better since then. My brother-in-law and I took a day trip on Saturday to the Salton Sea. I had heard about it and seen pictures for years now, but the act of driving around it was awesome. It is surreal to see this huge lake in the desert. If you have a day to spend in Southern California, you should see it. We mainly stopped around the south end. Check out the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. There is a new ChargePoint Level 2 unit with 2 plugs in the Visitor Center parking lot, and the volunteers in the office will tell you all you could ever want to know about the history and ecology of the area. We hiked up a couple of volcanoes that erupted as recently as the first millennium CE.

For those who are wondering about charging, the superchargers and Level 2 chargers are so thick on the ground in Southern California, I'm not even really planning charging on this trip. If you go to the Salton Sea with a newer Tesla, you are able to do it easily by charging up on the way out, and then again on the way back, in the Palm Springs area
.
Old tourism area on the northwest side of the Salton Sea

Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center

Rock Hill, the second highest volcano on the south end of the Salton Sea

View of the Salton Sea from the top of Rock Hill

View of Obsidian Butte, the largest volcano in the chain, from the top of Rock Hill

Looking northwest across Salton Sea toward the Santa Rosa Mountains

Mud pots near one of the geothermal plants around the Salton Sea

Pumice and obsidian on Obsidian Butte

Folded rock on Obsidian Butte

Sunset over the Salton Sea

 

[cpa]

As long as you are in the 'hood, Van, you might head east on Interstate 8 to Felicity, the "Center of the Universe." (I kid, but this really does exist, about 3 miles west of Winterhaven. Some moderately rich guy built this enclave for his wife decades ago. He has since died, but when I ambled into the parking lot around 2012, I was met with a screaming voice from afar, "Five dollars! Five dollars!" I think there is still a website for this curiosity.)

Seriously, if you haven't, head back to San Diego via Borrego Springs. That is a real neat little slice of the desert landscape. Perfect time of year, too, before temperatures soar.

In case you are wondering, Borrego is Spanish for sheep.

 

[vanjwilson]

As long as you are in the 'hood, Van, you might head east on Interstate 8 to Felicity, the "Center of the Universe." (I kid, but this really does exist, about 3 miles west of Winterhaven. Some moderately rich guy built this enclave for his wife decades ago. He has since died, but when I ambled into the parking lot around 2012, I was met with a screaming voice from afar, "Five dollars! Five dollars!" I think there is still a website for this curiosity.)

Seriously, if you haven't, head back to San Diego via Borrego Springs. That is a real neat little slice of the desert landscape. Perfect time of year, too, before temperatures soar.

In case you are wondering, Borrego is Spanish for sheep.

If my brother-in-law didn't have to work Monday, we might have continued on, but I had to get him back to LA, and I had more family and friends to see up the coast. This does sound cool, and another reason for me to come back to California next year.

 

[vanjwilson]

Day 2

My brother-in-law and I spent way more time than we had planned at the Petersen Automotive Museum. We did the Vault first, with just a crazy amount of classic cars in it, including a special Ferrari room, in honor of the movie coming out. Of the rotating exhibits, the Tesla exhibit was probably the least interesting to me, other than the exploded model and the early Model S and Roadster prototypes, because I already new a lot of the things they showed. The Porsche exhibit was awesome, and the cars from films were fun.

I headed up the 101, stopped to visit relatives near San Luis Obispo, and ending the day at an old motel from 1960, The Adelaide Inn in Paso Robles. (Always go for the old hotels, if they look well-maintained.)

 

[vanjwilson]

Day 3

Had breakfast at Margie's Diner next door to my motel in Paso Robles, in keeping with the 1950s theme of the trip.

Today's journey was up US-101 to the Bay Area, where I met with various friends in the evening. I broke up the drive with a stop in Pinnacles National Park, where I hiked the pretty steep Juniper Canyon Trail to High Peaks. 5 stars, would recommend.

Margie's Diner

The entrance to Pinnacles National Park is along a winding one-lane road

The hike starts off easy, beside an idyllic creek

The geology is awesome

Tunnel for the trail

View from halfway up

Looking across the moutains

Condors

High peak

 

[fholbert]

The trip has gotten better since then. My brother-in-law and I took a day trip on Saturday to the Salton Sea. I had heard about it and seen pictures for years now, but the act of driving around it was awesome. It is surreal to see this huge lake in the desert. If you have a day to spend in Southern California, you should see it. We mainly stopped around the south end. Check out the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. There is a new ChargePoint Level 2 unit with 2 plugs in the Visitor Center parking lot, and the volunteers in the office will tell you all you could ever want to know about the history and ecology of the area. We hiked up a couple of volcanoes that erupted as recently as the first millennium CE.

Of all the SoCal destinations you could have picked… The Salton Sea? I’ve driven past it 15 times but NEVER brave enough to stop. Not sure what I’m afraid of more, the town or the lake? For those who don’t know the lake was formed by accident when a dike on the Colorado River broke, it took months to stop the flow. Water didn’t run to the ocean because the lake is below sea level.

Do you know the mud pots you spoke of are rich with lithium? That area may be one of the largest deposits in the US with enough lithium to supply all of the needs of the US and 40% of the world needs.

Study: Salton Sea area could produce enough lithium for 375 million electric car batteries

A new analysis found the Salton Sea region could produce 18 million metric tons of lithium, a key material needed for electric vehicle batteries.

www.desertsun.com

'Once in a generation' | US confirms huge lithium deposits in California’s Salton Sea

DoE report asserts area could hold enough resource to power 375 million electric vehicles

www.rechargenews.com

 

[cpa]

1950s theme of the trip.

Then you gotta hit Peggy Sue's Diner hard by the two Superchargers in Yermo. I believe the diner is one exit before Eddie's World (150kW) and two exits before the newer 250kW installation.

Since you took 101 to head north, you missed the James Dean Memorial at Cholame near the junction of SR46 (east-west) and SR41 (north-south). This is where (in 1955) he was speeding westbound on what was then US466, and an older man driving a decrepit pick-up truck turned north onto SR41 in front of him.

 

[fholbert]

Since you took 101 to head north, you missed the James Dean Memorial at Cholame near the junction of SR46 (east-west) and SR41 (north-south). This is where (in 1955) he was speeding westbound on what was then US466, and an older man driving a decrepit pick-up truck turned north onto SR41 in front of him.

Come on, it was a Ford Tudor and the driver was 23 years old.

 

[vanjwilson]

Day 4

This was more of a scavenger hunting kind of day around the day area.

After my big hike yesterday, I overslept. So, I decided to take the old Lincoln Highway route over Altamount Pass to Dublin, and engage in some touch-and-go charging to bag as many superchargers as I could for the Supercharger hunting game. I'm not good at it when there are so many so close together, like here in suburban California; it just feels like a grind. On the other hand, you do get to see different neighborhoods. I found a great Vietnamese place, Mai's Kitchen, across from the Union City supercharger. Also, the shortcut from I-680 to Fremont is a great driving road through Niles Canyon.

After lunch, one of the chargers I hit was at the Tesla factory. I could have test-driven a Highland Model 3, but I was tired of driving by then. I went around to Rancho San Antonio County and Open Space to do a little hiking, before meeting friends first in San Mateo and then in Redwood City. The retro hotel for the evening was Redwood Creek Inn, which is a mercifully short walk from the German beer garden.

Lincoln Highway in Castro Valley

Tesla Factory

Rancho San Antonio Trailhead

On the trail

View of South Bay from the top of the High Meadow Loop trail

 

[bwilliams]

Of all the SoCal destinations you could have picked… The Salton Sea? I’ve driven past it 15 times but NEVER brave enough to stop. Not sure what I’m afraid of more, the town or the lake? For those who don’t know the lake was formed by accident when a dike on the Colorado River broke, it took months to stop the flow. Water didn’t run to the ocean because the lake is below sea level.

Do you know the mud pots you spoke of are rich with lithium? That area may be one of the largest deposits in the US with enough lithium to supply all of the needs of the US and 40% of the world needs.

Study: Salton Sea area could produce enough lithium for 375 million electric car batteries

A new analysis found the Salton Sea region could produce 18 million metric tons of lithium, a key material needed for electric vehicle batteries.

www.desertsun.com

'Once in a generation' | US confirms huge lithium deposits in California’s Salton Sea

DoE report asserts area could hold enough resource to power 375 million electric vehicles

www.rechargenews.com

For many of us So Cal residents ... well ... the Salton Sea area is considered a real sh!thole. Nice pics by vanjwilson making it look good. I will continue to avoid (though found myself out there on my bicycle once and paid a big "red neck" price for that little experience). Borrego Springs is awesome but rumor has it that it's about to become a 1) massive solar panel installation town 2) a lithium mining town. Good time to buy if you don't mind these inconveniences.

 

[fholbert]

For many of us So Cal residents ... well ... the Salton Sea area is considered a real sh!thole. Nice pics by vanjwilson making it look good. I will continue to avoid (though found myself out there on my bicycle once and paid a big "red neck" price for that little experience). Borrego Springs is awesome but rumor has it that it's about to become a 1) massive solar panel installation town 2) a lithium mining town. Good time to buy if you don't mind these inconveniences.

Love Borrego Springs. We are regulars at La Casa Del Zorro.

La Casa del Zorro Desert Resort & Spa | Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Adjacent

Forty-two acres of resort on the edge of California's largest state park awaits your visit. With accommodations ranging from romantic Deluxe rooms to casitas with private pools and spas, the hotel also boasts a full-service spa, bar, and restaurant. La Casa has been a San Diego tradition since 1937.

www.lacasadelzorro.com

 

[vanjwilson]

Day 5

A race across across California to beat the upcoming blizzard. Rather than go through SF or Oakland, I took the Altamont Pass again, this time on I-580. I turned north at Tracy, blew through Stockton and Sacramento, and was rewarded with a beautiful afternoon to kill some time in Truckee, CA. It was mostly sunny and in the 50s while I was there. I missed taking a picture of the summit sign, but I got nice views of Donner Peak and Donner Lake. I stopped at Donner Memorial State Park, toured the museum, and hiked on an icy trail out to the outlet end of the lake. Even had time for a late lunch (artichoke panini) and a beer at Donner Creek Brewing Then on down into Reno, where I saw my first v4 supercharger at Sparks. I was pleasantly surprised at how cheap rooms at casinos are, and they have free level 2 charging. Since I don't gamble, the only extra money they made from me was in the restaurant.

After charging in 72-degree sun in Sacramento, I almost couldn't get close enough to the supercharger in Soda Springs, because of the pile of snow around it

Donner Peak

Donner Lake

Pioneer Monument at Donner Memorial State Park

Lincoln Highway Marker in Visitors Center

Donner Lake from near the outlet of Donner Creek

v4 Supercharger in Sparks, NV

 

[vanjwilson]

Day 6

I drove from Reno to Lone Pine on US-395 on Thursday, 29 February.

I thought I had dodged a bullet by getting over Donner Pass before the snow storm, but today's driving was much more stressful. The wind was terrible. It probably affected my range, but I was never really in danger of not making the next charger. The problem was the cross wind, especially in exposed places like Galena Creek Bridge south of Reno, wanted to push the car around. Even big diesel pickups were driving slower than the speed limit most of the way down US-395. I only used Autopilot in protected valleys, and once I got lower down to Bishop, where the wind was much less.

The drive itself was beautiful. I would have stopped to take more pictures, but for the wind. You could see the snowstorm covering the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada like fog, and clouds over the mountains to the east, but the path of the highway was sunny. Got some good tacos at the Latin Market Tacqueria near the pull-through supercharger in Mammoth Lakes, CA. After the white-knuckle driving, I killed some time exploring in Bishop. There is a nice little museum and gift shop at the Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center. I ended up staying in yet another 1950s era motel, the Trails Motel in Lone Pine, with a great view of the range where Mt. Whitney is behind the hotel. It's within walking distance of many restaurants and Jake's Saloon.

Rainbow over south Reno I saw while stopping for coffee and bagel

Topaz Lake near the Gardnerville, NV, supercharger

Mono Lake through the windblown snow

Piled snow at the Mammoth Lakes-Old Mammoth Road supercharger

The first pull-through supercharger I've ever seen, in downtown Mammoth Lakes

Snowstorm over the Sierra Nevada

Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Cultural Center in Bishop, CA

Downtown Bishop

My cousin, who has climbed Mt.Whitney with her husband, says this is not Whitney, but the peak in front of it

Payphone at a store on main street that advertises supplies for Pacific Coast Trail hikers

 

[vanjwilson]

Day 7

I range-charged at the Lone Pine Supercharger to 100% before going into Death Valley. While I waited, I started touring the Museum of Western Film History. It was interesting enough--especially with info about non-cowboy films, too--that I moved my car and spent some more time going through it.

Next, I drove toward Death Valley from the west on CA-136. That road goes by what remains of Owens Lakes; a very sad sight with the high winds blowing tons of dust around. After merging with CA-190, I entered the Death Valley National Park proper. The first place I happened to stop was a doozy: Father Crowley Vista Point overlooking Rainbow Canyon. The U.S. military donated the land where this canyon is to the park, on the condition they could keep using it for low-altitude fighter training.

Then I drove down a lot of switchbacks into what I thought was Death Valley, but turned out to be the Panamint Valley. Back up another mountain range and then down into Death Valley itself. I checked in at the Stovepipe Wells ranger station, and continued on to the main visitor center at Furnace Creek. A couple of rangers there were very helpful with planning short activities on a tight schedule.

I drove down to Badwater Basin. By this time, I was beginning to worry a little that I would not have enough charge to get out of the valley to the closest supercharger in Beatty, NV, so I started driving at or below the speed limit. Driving slow wasn't a problem, because either I was behind a slow vehicle of folks sight-seeing, or passed by someone going so fast they would have passed me at whatever speed I was going.

I'm glad I went while there was still some water and lots of mud to see, but near the road it didn't look like "Lake Manly".

Now with salty, muddy shoes, I headed back. I drove up a 1.5 mile dirt road to the Natural Bridge trailhead. The bumpy drive was worth it. Besides the short hike, the view of a larger expanse of water down in the valley from the trailhead was impressive.

I took the slow 9-mile, one-way loop of Artists Drive. Lots of cliffs in pretty colors, and I got to see a nice patch of desert wildflowers.

My last park activity was a short hike part-way up Golden Canyon. Really neat geology and views of this ridge called Red Cathedral. If it hadn't been so windy, I would have taken the trail system all the way up to Zabriskie Point overlook.

The wind had picked up so much by then, that driving out our the park, I couldn't see the mountains on either side for all the blowing dust. I did make it to Beatty with almost 20% charge. But I didn't charge as much as I should have. I don't think the Tesla nav accounted enough for the wind that day. I left with 103 miles to the next supercharger, and an estimated 23% arrival SOC. I soon noticed that the arrival state of charge was falling at a rate faster than the miles remaining. So, there I was doing 65mph on a 70mph straight, flat road in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure the trucks that passed me thought I was crazy. I picked up speed once I got closer, and saw that I would arrive with around 10% SOC.

After I long day, I spent what was probably most boring first night in Vegas ever, at a relatively cheap chain hotel by the airport, eating Handel's ice cream and talking to my wife on the phone.

Museum of Western Film History at the Lone Pine supercharger

Remnants of Owens Lake, from the ghost town of Keeler, CA

Rainbow Canyon from Father Crowley Vista Point

Me at Badwater Basin, with puddles and mud instead of salt flats in the background

Looking up at the "Sea Level" marker from Badwater Basin

Natural Bridge

More water in Lake Manly, seen from the Natural Bridge trailhead

Wildflowers along Artists Drive

Red Cathedral, seen from the Golden Canyon trail

 

[cpa]

Glad you were able to take in scenery and experiences that are not that common in the southeast.

Yeah, the wind will blow like a sonuvabitch in winter and spring in Reno and in points south. Reno gets west winds coming out of the Sierra along the Truckee River, and further south as you approach Carson City and Minden/Gardnerville, south winds blowing into the Carson River Valley. US395 is probably my most favorite road in California.

Because of last winter's enormous inundation of snow and rain, Owens Lake received water for the first time in decades that was not part of a court-ordered mandate. There was too much water for the LADWP to retain at Pleasant Valley, Tinemaha, and Haiwee Reservoirs for delivery via the two Los Angeles Aqueducts.

When borax and other minerals were mined from Keeler and thereabouts in the 19th and early 20th Centuries, those minerals would be transported on barges across Owens Lake to Cartago. From there, the ESS PEE had built tracks to load that ore to points south. Along comes William Mulholland around 1913ish. He determined that all that water from the Owens River and its tributaries would do wonders for the burgeoning city of Los Angeles and its surrounding agricultural bounty. The Los Angeles River and the aquifer beneath it was not going to sustain growth much longer.

He surreptitiously had straw men buy up large parcels of land in the Owens Valley with attendant water rights. Those parcels were then deeded to the City of Los Angeles. With those rights in hand, Mulholland designed the Los Angeles Aqueduct to transport that water south. Since the Owens Valley sits at around 4,000 feet, and the San Fernando Valley at around 400 feet, gravity did all the work. Zero pumps, simply gravity and siphons got the water flowing, and it continues to this day.

The end result: Owens Lake dried up. Agriculture in the Owens Valley died along with it. You may recall passing a site called Manzanar just south of Independence. It is notorious for being one of the concentration camps to house Japanese during WWII. It was also a large apple orchard back in the day, before the water vanished. Manzanar means apple orchard in Spanish.

Sorry for the boring history lesson.

 

[fholbert]

He determined that all that water from the Owens River and its tributaries would do wonders for the burgeoning city of Los Angeles and its surrounding agricultural bounty. The Los Angeles River and the aquifer beneath it was not going to sustain growth much longer.

He surreptitiously had straw men buy up large parcels of land in the Owens Valley with attendant water rights. Those parcels were then deeded to the City of Los Angeles. With those rights in hand, Mulholland designed the Los Angeles Aqueduct to transport that water south. Since the Owens Valley sits at around 4,000 feet, and the San Fernando Valley at around 400 feet, gravity did all the work. Zero pumps, simply gravity and siphons got the water flowing, and it continues to this day.

The end result: Owens Lake dried up. Agriculture in the Owens Valley died along with it. You may recall passing a site called Manzanar just south of Independence. It is notorious for being one of the concentration camps to house Japanese during WWII. It was also a large apple orchard back in the day, before the water vanished. Manzanar means apple orchard in Spanish.

Sorry for the boring history lesson.

IMHO the Owen’s Valley is a fascinating place with a gorgeous view of the Sierra Nevada’s. The little cities are stuck in a 1960’s time warp with the exception of the Superchargers. All the towns have really good food, but you have to know where to stop.

Independence, just a wide spot in the road, has an outstanding French Restaurant. What the heck it’s doing in Independance, I’ll never know.

100’s of old westerns were filmed in the Alabama Hills just outside of Lone Pine. A hotel in Lone Pine was used by the movie crews, you can stay in the room John Wayne and other A list stars favored. Lone Pine does a film festival each October where they take you into the hills in a 4WD bus to the old film locations.

The Manzanar Museum is a must stop. What happened during the internment of US citizens of Japanese decent is not what we were taught in history.

Bishop has an old railroad town you can tour. Mule Days is a must see, if only to see the 20 Mule Team Borax wagons coming down the street. Several good places to eat in Bishop.

Lee Vinning has a restaurant and often live band inside the Mobil Gas Station… And the food is really good. Some neat stores in town too. Mono Lake is worth seeing.

Bridgeport, what a neat little town. Love walking the main drag and looking in the stores. A trout lake sits on the edge of town.

 

[vanjwilson]

Day 8

"This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper."
-T.S. Elliot, The Hollow Men

A long day, first windy from Vegas to Cajon Pass, then cloudy and rainy in LA. I was going to break up the day with a stop that the Route 66 Mother Road Museum in Barstow, but both it and the railroad museum next door were closed because of the high winds. I did eat lunch at Peggy Sue's 50s Diner in Yermo. The food and service were good, but the 50s theme seems more marketing than preserving the original diner decor. (The diner was open in the 1950s, but closed and then reopened with a heavily nostalgia theme.)

Ended up just scavenger-hunting superchargers on the way back to my red-eye out of LAX

I turned my rental Model Y in at Hertz and told the attendant who checked me that I was glad they still had Teslas for rent. I was a little disappointed when she replied that the car I just got out of was it's last rental--they were selling it.

Peggy Sue's 50s Diner in Yerm

Route 66 Mother Road Museum in Barstow (sign on the door said "Closed due to high wind")

"Temporary" palette of urban superchargers at the very busy original supercharger site in Yermo, that I heard has been there for months.

 

[fholbert]

Day 8

"This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper."
-T.S. Elliot, The Hollow Men

A long day, first windy from Vegas to Cajon Pass, then cloudy and rainy in LA. I was going to break up the day with a stop that the Route 66 Mother Road Museum in Barstow, but both it and the railroad museum next door were closed because of the high winds. I did eat lunch at Peggy Sue's 50s Diner in Yermo. The food and service were good, but the 50s theme seems more marketing than preserving the original diner decor. (The diner was open in the 1950s, but closed and then reopened with a heavily nostalgia theme.)

Ended up just scavenger-hunting superchargers on the way back to my red-eye out of LAX

I turned my rental Model Y in at Hertz and told the attendant who checked me that I was glad they still had Teslas for rent. I was a little disappointed when she replied that the car I just got out of was it's last rental--they were selling it.

Peggy Sue's 50s Diner in Yerm
View attachment 1024352

Route 66 Mother Road Museum in Barstow (sign on the door said "Closed due to high wind")
View attachment 1024351

"Temporary" palette of urban superchargers at the very busy original supercharger site in Yermo, that I heard has been there for months.
View attachment 1024350

Good write up, really enjoyed it. I’ve been to most the places you visited.

In Bishop, did you try Mahogany Smoked Meats? It’s near the new Supercharger.

In Death Valley did you stop at Furnace Creek?

 

[vanjwilson]

...

In Bishop, did you try Mahogany Smoked Meats? It’s near the new Supercharger.

The only food I got in Bishop was some frozen yogurt at Good Earth Yogurt on Main Street. (I was craving ice cream, and it was the next best thing.)

In Death Valley did you stop at Furnace Creek?

Yes, I went in from the west side, and drove all the way through to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, before going on down to Badwater Basin. Furnace Creek has decent maps, diorama, and educational displays, and the rangers there helped me focus my short visit.

It really would be nice to have some Level 2 chargers at places like the visitor centers. The NP site and PlugShare show only chargers at one of the two resorts in the park, and PlugShare shows all of those as currently not working. This is in contrast to many national and state parks, that seem to be much more EV friendly.

 

[fholbert]

A year before Covid the Furnace Creek Inn removed the parking lot that held the EV chargers, to the best of my knowledge they were never reinstalled. We fly into Furnace Creek often in the winter for brunch at the FC Inn, one of my favorite stops. Death Valley is off the beaten path, few locals go there but it’s a special place.

You didn’t have time for the hike but you also went past Star Wars Canyon. Never know what you’ll see there.