Getting around the Olympic Peninsula was not exactly smooth. I knew I wanted to climb to Hurricane Ridge, and since Sequim was not yet open I was able to charge at a CHAdeMO at a Nissan dealership. That night, we camped at Sol Duc, which has full hook ups and 50 amp service. We left with a full charge, and stopped in Forks at the RV park. There was some trouble charging as the breaker continue to flip off. I knew that the Kalaloch campground had a 14-50 listed on PlugShare. I also knew that it would be a risk whether or not I could charge there, but eventually decided we would give it a shot. One hour there while walking the beach would give us enough breathing room to make it to Aberdeen.
I found the plug, plugged in, and was immediately approached by a ranger who told me to unplug. Her words to me were, "you are stealing from the federal government." I explained that I would be happy to drop money in the campground slot, and described what I was trying to accomplish with this trip. She was having none of it and was adamantly opposed to my doing anything relating to getting power from that campsite.
My back up plan was in Lake Quinault. There was a wall outlet available at the lodge, and we could take a hike through the rain forest for a few hours while the car got enough of a boost to get us closer to Aberdeen. Arriving at the lodge, I found that the wall plugs, labeled as EV plugs, were inoperable. Two maintenance personnel attempted to assist me in getting them back online, but we were unable to do so. Eventually, they offered to run an extension cord into the shop so that I could charge. At this point, I had had enough. I had unhooked the trailer both times to charge and had gone out of my way slightly, burning up extra range. We hiked the rain forest, and I drove from 38 to 40 mph all the way to Aberdeen. We arrived, as I noted in the previous post, with enough range.
My plan the entire time was to drive until my car's rated range was equal to the distance to the Supercharger. I knew I could drive slowly enough in the X to achieve better than rated range if unhitched. Once I reached that point, I would unhitch the trailer, drive to the Supercharger, charge enough to come back and get the trailer and return to the supercharger, and then finish my charge. I'm thankful it didn't come to that, but it was a completely viable back up.
The lesson learned was that I should not have relied on a risky charger in no man's land. Probably obvious ahead of time, but I was very determined to see the entirety of the peninsula. Despite my issues, I'm glad I went, because it is a gorgeous park. I will keep my opinion on the park's rangers to myself.
