Time Event Range Remaining 9:27 am Departed Lusk 237 11:08 am Arrived Scotts Bluff 141 Range/Distance ratio: 1.04 Conditions: Great Plains highway, 81°F

Driving the Oregon Trail using a 21st-century electric car We felt we didn't have enough time to earn Junior Ranger badges. We explored the Visitors Center and learned how the Oregon Trail, the real one not the game, passed right through this Monument.

Then we drove to the summit of Scotts Bluff to take a scenic walks on both the north and south ends, taking pictures as we enjoyed the view. See image at the top of the page.

This bluff is quite prominent, jutting up from the plains for miles around, which was quite helpful to those early settlers driving their covered wagons across lands seems to look the same in all directions.

Time Event Range Remaining 12:20 pm Departed Scotts Bluff 135 1:47 pm Arrived Sidney Supercharger 46 Range/Distance ratio: 1.48 Conditions: Stormy, rain On our drive to Sidney, the thunderstorms were clearly moving in. We were behind schedule for lunch, which we had at the Perkins. Mine was the only Tesla around. Cost to Charge: $0

We kept a careful eye on the news, including the Severe Thunderstorm Watch the NOAA issued. Fortunately our route shouldn't take us through the worst of it, but storm systems rarely contain themselves to hard boundaries.

South of Sidney, we clearly encountered heavy rain. We were excited to see lightning in the distance to the south of our southwest route to Brush. This wasn't exactly the way I wanted to reenter Colorado, but the weather is the weather.

Time Event Range Remaining 2:39 pm Departed Sidney 214 3:55 pm Arrived Brush Supercharger 113 Range/Distance ratio: 1.29 Conditions: Stormy, 64°F When we arrived at the Brush Supercharger, we pulled up, in the heavy rain. Mine was the only Tesla. I plugged in while we prepared for a mad dash to the Shell market so we could all use the restroom.

But it was all boarded up and without power and without a sign saying "Closed". Two trucks full of hay were huddled under the station's canopy. The Supercharger was charging fine. So I drove my family to the Wendy's across the street so they'll be comfortable using the restrooms and getting snacks and drinks, then I returned to the Supercharger to charge, and ran back with my umbrella to the Wendy's. Who would've thought we would have major thunderstorms in August?

Once we settled down we learned that a tornado hit here in July. The Supercharger was restored quickly, but the entire Shell facility was still inoperable. People ask if chargers go offline, but it never occurred to us that the gas station's amenities would be shut down. With no sign of reconstruction, it was unclear if it would ever be repaired or simply demolished. I later found excellent commentary on PlugShare for this Supercharger:

"Foreshadowing a dystopian future where gas stations are abandoned and decrepit
with only Superchargers left."

A tornado in July and thunder and lightning and heavy rain today in August made for a rare combination of two weather events that disrupted our addressing our human needs. Nonetheless the Tesla technology kept chugging right along.

Cost to Charge: $0

Once we were ready to depart, I rushed back to the car so I could pick up my family. Although the posted speed limit was high, I did not drive too fast because of the heavy rain. However many of the locals drove much faster, especially those that drive the big pickup trucks prevalent in this area. They think they are invincible.

On our way to Denver, traffic backed up near Wiggins, slowing to a crawl. First we saw the emergency vehicles. When we passed by the cause, I felt I recognized the Dodge Ram that was overturned speed by me earlier at least 10 mph faster than the speed limit. Apparently the 19-year-old driver caused his 18-year-old brother to be ejected from the big truck as it flipped.

The accident site after the rain

We drove more carefully towards Denver. Once in downtown, we encountered traffic just like any other major city, but the Broncos game going on made it worse. Time Event Range Remaining 4:29 pm Departed Brush 198 6:56 pm Arrived South of Denver 52 Range/Distance ratio: 1.28 Conditions: Major rainstorm, thunder and lightning, causing major traffic accident, Downtown traffic due to Broncos game Our destination tonight was a friends' house in a southern suburb of Denver. They fixed dinner and were waiting for us, so we did everything we could not to be late, but tornado damage and major thunderstorms and accidents and Bronco-game traffic were in our way.

The day before leaving home I replaced the plug on the same charging adapter I constructed for our May 2013 San Francisco road trip to charge at Grandma's house with a NEMA 14-30 after our friends emailed a picture of their dryer plug and wall outlet. I made sure I brought it with me specifically for charging this evening.

Cost to Charge: $0

While the car charged, we enjoyed the company at dinner, shared our adventures thus far, played, then watched the movie The Greatest Showman before settling for the night. The weather made for a rougher day of driving, the roughest since the Blue Cut Fire, but the car and the Superchargers did everything right, and I was thankful my family could spend time with our friends near Denver.