This road trip began in Hawaii and has been completed in Hawaii. The mainland portion of the trip had a definite beginning and end point, too. Northwest of Lake Tahoe, in the California Sierras, lies a rock climbing mecca near Donner Lake. This spot has always been a magical location to me and it was the perfect spot to officially begin and end the mainland portion of the trip.

Earlier this summer, this stretch of mountain road in the California Sierras is where the mainland portion of the trip officially began (see the video in “Dashcams”)

I first crossed this region after having Xpel film and Opticoat protectant applied to my 70D in Walnut Creek by OCDetailing. Joe Torbati and his team did a fabulous job with these paint protectants. At trip’s conclusion, I brought the car back to Joe for a touchup detailing and the car now looks brand new, with no rock damage to the paint. If you’re going to do lots of highway driving, paint protectants such as Xpel and Opticoat are great investments!

Returning from my second Walnut Creek visit at trip’s conclusion I again jumped off I-80 at Soda Springs and took the winding road through the Sierras, but this time at first light. If you watch the video you will understand the feeling of “chickenskin” I experienced as the mainland portion of the trip came to an end.

The mainland portion of the tour concluded with a magical drive through High Sierra clouds in October

To reach San Francisco and head home to Hawaii, I rented a large SUV that only got 15 mpg, felt like driving a large boat on the highway, and wouldn’t even drive itself (imagine that!). The charge for filling up this beast at the gas station was a real eye-opener. Oh, how I looked forward to getting back at the wheel of a Tesla!

Early in the morning, Iceman and I arrived at San Francisco International Airport as the sun was just casting its first light and we boarded a jet to Honolulu.

The scene was SFO terminal, San Francisco Bay in first light, and the reflection of our train, bringing sleepy travelers to the terminal from the rental car facility.

In Honolulu, Iceman cleared quarantine quickly, and a wonderful neighbor drove us home to Kailua. Iceman was at first somewhat confused as he exited the crate, for I am sure he was expecting yet another new destination and a trip home must have been quite a surprise after two months on the road. He quickly set about doing what male dogs do: marking his territory and reclaiming Kailua in the name of Iceman. His weight upon return: within 1 oz of his departure weight. Wish I could say the same!

Iceman home again and roaming his favorite beach park

 Papafox and Iceman took the Hawaii Tesla on a drive up Round Top to celebrate their return to the islands

Although the journey has been completed, this blog will continue to see changes as I beef up the sections having to do with road trips in electric vehicles. I strongly suspect Iceman and I will each have additions to the story as they transpire. In the meantime, why not start planning your own road trip? The Tesla Model S is a fabulous car for covering long distances.