Tin Poodle

Official statistician tldr; We haven't "run out of gas" Model X90D pulling trailer 485Wh/mi (early estimate for flat and 55mph) Estimated range pulling trailer 170 miles Long version We haven't "run out of gas"...yet When taking a trip in an electric vehicle, or any vehicle for that matter, it's important to know you can make it to the next gas station (or charging opportunity in our case).  I've been driving electric for almost ten years.  From short trips around town to long trips as far as Maine and North Carolina.  I've never "run out of gas".  What's different with this trip is pulling a trailer decreases "gas mileage" and range between charges.  How much of a range hit we'll take traveling back is the big unknown. There are not a lot of people pulling trailers with electric vehicles.  Different trailers affect range differently.  Weather, speed, and elevation changes all affect range. There are ...

Although the Tin Poodle is comfy and cozy, storage space is at a premium.  We've done a pretty good job at utilizing space.  But sometimes you need a little more space temporarily. Take laundry for instance.  After folding the laundry into a basket we might not have time to put it away immediately.  The shower has a fair amount of unused space.  We thought it would be a good idea to store the laundry basket in the shower when not in use.  Here's a picture of the shower. So just before we leave for a hike Nancy puts the basket with her clean, folded clothes onto the bench and we take off.  After the hike I'm sitting at the table having lunch when I hear this dripping sound.  I look in the shower and I find that the laundry basket with clothes is partly filled with water and most of the folded clothes are wet! Turns out when Nancy put the basket in the shower she slightly caught the shower control handle and turned it on.  Luckily o...

Three dogs travelling cross country.  We need our heads examined...right? <rhetorical question, don't answer in comments!> The girls have actually been great travellers.  On the road they sleep mostly.  Occasionally they visit us up front. Outside they like hanging out in the shade after a long hike or walk. When it was too hot midday in the desert they hang out with us inside. They love their big brother  And Ellie loves Millie??? Nap time

Since picking up the Tin Poodle we've met lots of people.  Everywhere we stop people come up and ask questions. Whether it's the two guys at the supercharger, the multiple people at campgrounds, the random person in the grocery parking lot who wanted a tour of the inside, or half the service staff at Camping World.  Everyone has questions. Now for some pretty pictures. Pickup showroom with original 1930's Bowlus in backgroun Getting ready to hitch up for the first time  Close up Interior Even closer up Patiently waiting 

No matter how many times you read the manual there's no substitute for experience. With that in mind... Charging with a trailer for the first time (part 1) After picking up the Tin Poodle the plan was to head to the Tesla Supercharger in North Vegas to “top off” and then head to Valley of Fire State Park. As we pulled up to the Supercharger we quickly realized there was a problem. The Supercharger was located in a parking garage. Pulling the Tin Poodle into a parking structure with low clearance was a definite no go. We considered disconnecting the Tin Poodle and just pulling in with the Model X.  We decided against this since the area was urban and parking the Tin Poodle without the Tesla was going to be a challenge. That plus it was a “seedy” area of Vegas. Luckily we had been to the other Supercharger in Vegas earlier in the week and knew that it was in a more conducive area for charging. Unfortunately it was 25 minutes in the wrong directi...

Maps...lots and lots of maps below.  Each map is a travel day.  Travel days are: 2-7 hours with most falling in the 3-5 hour range. 65-325 miles with most falling in the 150-250 range usually followed by 1-3 days of no travel, although there are a few consecutive days Given that this is the first time out with a Tesla pulling a trailer I want to be conservative in regards to campground infrastructure.  That means no off grid/boondocking on this trip.   Most of the campgrounds are in "green settings".  Meaning no Walmart or rest stop parking lots! State park (9) National park (2) Corp of Engineers (1) KOA (1) All have electricity, both for the Bowlus and for charging the Tesla.  240V/50A (12) 120V/30A (1) All have waste disposal: sewer hookups(8) dump(5) All have water available: connection (11) on site (2)

So today I'm turning over the blog to Ellie to let her say a few words about the trip.  So here she is. Hi, I'm Ellie the Poodle.  You know...the cute one. Today I went on a car ride AND a hike with my humans.  Another human, Ari, that occasionally lives with us came along.  And of course my two blonde minions were around.  They always follow me everywhere I go. The hike was through all these red rocks.  I know...I'm color blind.  So how did I know they were red?  Because the sign said Red Rocks! My minions took off ahead of me.  At first I wanted to chase after them.  Then I realized I would have more fun by myself.  So I started to take off and run and climb and chase salamander.  But my human is slow so I ended up taking it easy. There were so many rocks to climb on and jump off.  We eventually made it to the top where I found my minions and other humans waiting.  It was a pretty vie...