With a deadline looming to complete my trip, I expedited westward movement. The Kansas travel day had included a long run through Oklahoma and Texas. Soon, the route of I-40 covered the same territory as the fabled Route 66.

In Shamrock, Tx, this sample Route 66 service station stood a stone’s throw away from the Tesla supercharger

The leg from Shamrock, Texas, to Tucumcarri, New Mexico, stretched 220 miles, which was more than comfortable range for a 240 mile range Tesla 70D. No worries, a helper charge was acquired in Amarillo at a friendly destination charging hotel. Although we were forced to overnight elsewhere due to the no pet policy at that Holiday Inn Express, we received permission to charge. I’ve found that in the same places where Teslas typically sell well, the West Coast, Colorado, Florida, etc., hotels tend to be more pet friendly.

Surprisingly, I found the long drives through the desert to be beautiful rather than tedious and with an audio book playing, the miles rolled by painlessly.

In eastern New Mexico, the trees had mostly disappeared, but enough rain fell to water support grasses
In Gallup, New Mexico, we discovered lots of snake holes in the ground on our sunset walk, and I kept Iceman close. With many miles to cover, we pressed on into the night, finally calling it a night at Holbrook, Arizona, and claiming state number 50!

Recharging at the Gallup supercharger

The celebration was short-lived because every pet-friendly hotel or motel between Holbrook and Flagstaff was full. With weariness setting in, I simply reclined my seat most of the way, and both Iceman and I slept until morning while parked at the Holbrook supercharger. After a long while, the Tesla will shut down the air flow to the car, but by momentarily cracking the door for a few seconds I would reset the timer and we’d both sleep in comfort until the next time that a door crack was needed.

Nonetheless, I awoke refreshed and began the long push to Reno, Nevada,