The Road Caught Up With Us (But We Made It)

Earlier this year, I posted a lot about an upcoming EV trip not only along the length of Route 66, but then to the east coast and then back to New Mexico. If you’ve been following along, you probably noticed the updates on CleanTechnica abruptly stopped after we hit Kingman, Arizona. I continued posting photos and videos on BlueSky, but without any detailed stories from each place.

I’ve got a confession to make. The road caught up with me.

Between hauling a heavy trailer through charging deserts, wrangling the family, and actually trying to experience the parks we visited, I had absolutely zero energy left for nightly blog posts. Living the road trip was taking everything I had, so the live blogging had to take a back seat. But the good news is that we survived, the Silverado EV proved it could handle the job, and the rig made it all the way to the East Coast and back home to New Mexico, with some change along the way.

Where To Find The Story So Far

 

In case you missed the start of this massive journey, here is a quick recap of how we prepared for the trip and tackled the first few legs over on CleanTechnica:

• We started out by picking up the Silverado EV and doing some initial towing tests around New Mexico before putting together a full report on the first 1,000 miles of ownership.
• Then, we officially kicked off the Route 66 adventure, surviving Phoenix traffic jams and a sketchy charging situation in Joshua Tree before hitting the classic neon of Amboy, California.
• The mountains tested us immediately. We tackled the steep climbs into Arizona and learned the true value of charging at RV parks in Oatman and on the Arizona Sidewinder.
• Finally, we made our way into Kingman, the electric HQ of Route 66, where we checked out the world’s first EV museum and grabbed a charge under the giant drive-thru shield.

Upcoming Articles Here At Charge To The Parks

Here’s the thing: CleanTechnica isn’t an outdoors or national parks news website. I’m sure some of you read my posts there and loved them, but they weren’t very popular. I’m finding that most of the audience loves product reviews and larger overall stories, especially nerdy stories with lots of numbers and specs. I’m going to do some posts there about how the truck did, how the charging network performed, and other things I’m sure more readers there will love.

Here at Charge To The Parks, I’m going to continue the play by play story of the journey.

Let’s do a quick fast forward to talk about what we’re going to be covering:

Since that last update under the neon in Kingman, things got wild. We chased the rest of the Mother Road through iconic spots like the Blue Swallow Motel, Cadillac Ranch, and the Rock Cafe. We eventually walked across the historic Chain of Rocks Bridge before rolling into Chicago and getting lost underground (thankfully the trailer was in Indiana when that happened!).

 

From there, we headed east and entered a completely different world of driving. I finally learned exactly what a “turnpike” is, and let’s just say I paid dearly for the privilege. We crossed the Ohio River at Wheeling, navigated the infamous highway chaos of Breezewood, cut through a tiny sliver of Maryland, and wound our way down through Shenandoah National Park.

 

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Our old camper decided to show its age in the worst ways possible. Between a blowout that damaged a wheel well, water leaks, and a laundry list of other issues, it became crystal clear that the old rig just wasn’t cut out for brutal, long-haul journeys anymore. So, we pivoted and picked up a brand new inTech OVR Navigate along the way. Talk about an upgrade!

Next up was a full week in the Outer Banks. We took the ferries to and from Ocracoke and ran into a surprising number of fellow Silverado EV owners. Leaving the coast, we hit Congaree National Park. We quickly decided that one deserves a return trip in the fall or spring when the hiking weather is actually cooperative.

Heading back west, we paid our respects at the Freedom Riders National Monument, got a charge right by the Mississippi River, and even took a break to snorkel with some endangered fish in the desert oasis of Balmorhea State Park in Texas.

 

Through it all, the charging situation was a mixed bag. We encountered some fantastic new infrastructure, but we also found plenty of tight, poorly designed layouts that clearly weren’t built with trailers in mind. Yet, against all odds, we managed to charge without unhooking almost every single time, and I’ll share how we managed that.

What’s Next for the Series

That’s just a quick summary. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be dropping several posts a week here on Charge To The Parks to break down the entire route, the specific park guides, and the logistics of pulling a rig through these charging grids. We’ll cover the rest of the Route 66 journey, the push to the East Coast, and the long trip back.

Also, for the hardcore EV data nerds out there, I haven’t forgotten about you. If you’re strictly looking for the final numbers on the Silverado EV’s towing efficiency, the OVR Navigate’s solar setup, and charging curve data, keep an eye on CleanTechnica. I’ll be publishing a massive technical piece over there soon that will link you back here for the story and the adventure.

If you want to make sure you don’t miss the detailed breakdown of the trip, throw your email into the subscription box on the site (it comes up every time you visit the main page again). You can also follow along and chat with us on BlueSky for real-time updates and extra behind-the-scenes photos.

Who’s ready to finish Route 66 with me?