2016 ElMoto 4Corners - Butte, MT to Seattle
It's cold today. It's mid-July in Montana and that means it is 45 degrees at 7am. I am totally unprepared for this!
Thinking primarily about the hot southern states I would be traveling to, my packing list included 5 short sleeve shirts, and one long sleeved shirt. Today I put on the long sleeved shirt over a t-shirt, zipped up my leather jacket and shivered my way to the first charging stop at an RV Park.
As the wind cut through my summer gloves I considered whether it would have been better to have hands that are too warm in the heat, or not warm enough in the cold. In any event, the first leg of my trip today was only 55 miles, so I could warm up after about an hour of riding.
Spent most of the day at RV Parks charging up quickly. However, there was one RV Park in a crucial location in Osburn, ID that would not let me charge because 2 Teslas had burned out their hookups and they didn't want to risk it. I said I would leave my info and would pay if I damaged their equipment, but they wouldn't have it. So I ended up having to charge slowly at an RV Park that only has 30-amp service. Fortunately for me, I bought a 30-amp adapter at the previous RV Park, so I could charge using both the onboard charger and an Elcon charger. Phew!
As I crossed the plains of central Washington the rains began. At first very lightly as I pulled into Moses Lake, but then it rained in earnest. While riding on the highway I was being struck by rain coming from the clouds as well as water kicked up by trucks on the highway. The temperatures got colder at night and I was getting fatigued pretty hard, so I stayed in Ellensburg.
Apparently Ellensburg had taken the recent legalization of marijuana seriously because everywhere I went there was a faint smell wafting through the air.
The desk clerk at the Econolodge in Ellensburg was awesome and helped me plug in my bike through the door into the lobby. This meant that the door had to stay open all night, but it was almost next to the desk, so he said it was fine. The next morning I was charged up and ready to go!
Some more rain fell as I approached the Seattle area and attempted to charge at the North Bend Premium Outlets. There were 3 level 2 chargers, 1 CHAdeMO and 1 CCS charger. the CHAdeMO and CCS chargers appeared to be working, but none of the level 2 chargers even had power. I had called eVGo specifically to check if they were working and they assured me the chargers were on, but they weren't. I had very little charge at this point, but fortunately there was a community center with 50-amp service nearby.
I charged up there and headed to my cousin's house for the weekend. The weekend was terrific! With good weather all weekend I went to see the Space Needle, Pike's Place market, and several other fun locations. Even met up with some Zero riders over dim sum then went to the Bruce Lee exhibit at the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. It was an awesome museum!
