We left Zion around 10:30am and stopped by the visitor center to pick up a couple souvenirs and write some postcards. We topped up the battery in the morning, and didn’t have to charge on the way to Vegas.
Vegas was so hot when we arrived, that the in-car thermometer showed 114F! It felt like opening the door and walking into a sauna.
We got a charging spot at the Aria, and pretty much explored Vegas on foot the rest of the time there. Charging spots are hard to come by, and the general etiquette there is the luck of the draw (how Vegas), and people don’t move their cars until they leave town. Of course the overall temperature was above 100 all the time, so the cabin overheat protection was pretty much running non-stop during the day.
We had dinner at Mott 32, which we cannot recommend the Peking Duck. Everything else was great, but the Peking Duck, which is also their signature dish, was subpar and left us disappointed.
We kept this day pretty low key because we managed to get a permit to hike Angel’s Landing, which is an insane hike that spans 5.6 miles and goes up 1600 feet. We wanted to leave the park and check out Springdale, but the line to get back in was too long for us to even consider it. So we drive the scenic drive again, but the light was too harsh at that time of day to take great photos.
However, something we learned is that everyone wants to crowd Angel’s Landing at sunrise and early in the day when it’s cooler. However, Sunset may be the best time to hike it, as the trail is shaded, and you can get great views at the time without the sun beating you down too hard.
This drive was done without a charging stop, as there are chargers at the Zion Lodge. The Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is exactly that, very scenic.
We started the day with 70% and made it to Zion with 49% remaining. We woke up early to catch the sunrise, and started our drive after that.
Bryce Canyon NP at sunrise.
I will provide a stats update later on, but for now, just enjoy the timelapse above, and the pictures.
Lodging and Charging
We stayed at Zion Lodge, which is excellent. Unfortunately the Wi-Fi there is worse than spotty, so the Starlink had to be brought out. There are two chargers, and not many people use them. We walked around the entire parking lot and found no other EVs, other than ours and the red 3 that used the other one. 7kW is great, however lack of cell signal means a more or less useless Tesla App.
7kW chargersZion LodgeStarlink
Starlink worked surprisingly well, considering it was very obstructed with Trees and the lodge overhead. But it worked better than whatever internet was provided to the Zion Lodge, and I could even upload the above time lapse to YouTube.
We’ve been on the move for 9 hours, with about 5.5 hours of actual driving time. Let’s just say we took the scenic route. We knew this ahead of time which is why we planned to stay outside of the National Park where we can prepare for the next few days, charge up the car, and grab a hot meal before heading into Bryce and Zion for the three nights.
From Nephi, UT all the way to the turn off towards Bryce Canyon, there were head and cross winds that sustained around 15mph, and gusted up to 35mph. This increased electricity consumption by about 5-10%, and reduced our efficiency. The trip computer on the Tesla did a very good job at estimating arrival SoC.
Headwinds
With the crosswinds, FSD did a better job at keeping the car stable. I did not realized how strong the winds were until I took over for various reasons. The gusts were challenging, and FSD made quick work of it.
Time Lapse
Mount Nebo Scenic Drive
I can’t say that this scenic route was worth the time and detour during this time of year. Perhaps in fall when the leaves are changing colors and the sun is less intense would be better. You can get views of Utah Lake and the Utah Valley at the summit, which is around 8700 ft.
Serious Headwinds on the way to Beaver, UT
Mentioned above, we experienced some crazy winds on the way to the only Supercharger before we head into the national parks. I didn’t want more charge than necessary at Nephi, due to it being an expensive Supercharger.
Towards Bryce Canyon
Another one or two mountain passes and you get to the highland area where Bryce Canyon City is located. It’s scenic.
Tomorrow we’re heading into the National Park to spend the night in the lodge. There’s no wifi there, or cell coverage. So I’ll be breaking out the Starlink dish. Good night.
We’re taking a day at a cheaper hotel, and 30 minutes south of the major metropolitan. This is a staging day as we can avoid SLC traffic, charge up for free at the hotel, and shave 30 minutes off of our drive to Bryce Canyon. We’re using this stop to do laundry, re-pack our things, and prep the car for the journey into the National Parks.
This must be the most picturesque REI with the mountains in the background.Provo is 88% Mormon4 6kW free chargers.SLC Mountains
We decided to take a detour in order to visit the Bonneville Salt Flats en route to SLC, instead of making an out-and-back trip after wards. Coincidentally, this was almost the prettiest of the drives so far.
Going south directly from Twin Falls leads you through a lot of farmland, and eventually it turns into undeveloped federal land. You spend a lot of time in the 5000-6000 feet of elevation, and you can definitely feel it when you’re breathing, and your ears popping. These are not your typical mountain passes. You’re in high desert territory.
We stopped at Jackpot, NV to see if we could get some free CCS juice, but alas, no. We got a little bit of L2 during the bathroom break, and we went to the Wells Supercharger in Nevada. I thought everything being a casino was just a Las Vegas thing, but it appears that it’s a Nevada thing. Every border town… is a casino town.
Wells SuperchargerNot sure what’s going on hereJackpot, NV Chargers
After wells we headed out towards West Wendover, NV. The clouds made for some dramatic skies, and the landscape was expansive. The scenery really showed off the Model X’s windshield.
We did some off-roading to get to a viewpoint before arriving in Wendover. However I didn’t like how the rocks looked so we stopped and reversed out. Not in the mood to deal with a sidewall gash.
Everything is a casinoLite off-roadingThe view over Wendover and the salt flatsWendover Will
Bonneville Salt Flats
No description is needed for this place. Pictures say it all.
Preparing for launch
I did try a 0-60 run, the road surface is surprisingly numb and smooth. After leaving the salt flats I drove to the nearest self serve car wash place and threw $10 into the machine and blasted as much salt away as I could. There are only a few traces remaining, a heavy rainstorm or another deep blast with a pressure washer should clear it. The Rallyarmor mud flaps did a great job of keeping the salt contained in the wheel wells.
Towards Utah
We charged up at West Wendover before crossing into Utah towards Salt Lake City.
West Wendover Supercharger
Interstate 80 after Wendover is straight and flat. You just cruise along at 80 for miles and miles, salt on your left and right. Once you leave the salt area, it’s just a short drive in more high desert until Salt Lake City.
Salt left, salt right.SLC!SLC on the other side of the mountains
Day 4 is a short drive to Twin Falls as a stop over on the way to Salt Lake City. This is to limit our driving time on the long days.
I-84. Just wide open high desert. Luckily the speed limit is 80 here.
We charged enough at Boise’s only Supercharger to arrive in Twin Falls with around 16%. The nice folks at Twin Falls Volkswagen are nice enough to open their CCS (which just happened to be the slowest DCFC I’ve ever used, peaking at 18kw, and tapering to 5kw.) and L2 charger. We needed to charge a little faster, so after a couple hours with the slow CCS, we went to the Twin Falls Supercharger.
Boise’s only SuperchargerTwin Falls Volkswagen
Technical Details
153 miles driven
57 kWh used
$27.02 of paid charging.
Twin Falls
Let’s just say that I’m surprised at the natural beauty of Twin Falls. I totally was not expecting this.
Shoshone FallsSunset from the Evel Knievel Jump Site
