Part III
We woke up on the third day of our electric eclipse road trip excited for the main event, which we’d be sharing with thousands of others in Silverton, OR. We were impressed with how much light the sun continued to put out with just a sliver showing. It brought home the fact that in a single hour, the amount of power from the sun that strikes the Earth is more than the entire world consumes in a year, for all uses of energy. We could meet all of the world’s energy needs with a solar installation covering only 1.2% of the Sahara desert. The sun is the gift that keeps on giving. We just need to learn how to be better receivers. Batteries -- like the one in our eclipse-ferrying Bolt – are one part of the solution.
Watching the totality in Silverton, OR!
The moment the sun went dark was a reminder of our shared dependence of that shining orb 93 million miles away from our shared earth home. Regardless of ideology, belief system, religious or political affiliation, we all share the same sun. Tapping into a bigger fraction of that amazing life-giving resource every day would go a long way to putting us on the path to sustainability, and a world where our kids can effortlessly take their kids on solar-powered trips to total eclipses and other wonders of nature.
We waited out the post-eclipse traffic by picking wild blackberries, listening and dancing to Keith and Jelly Bread, and watching E.T., surrounded by 80 lush acres filled with Oregon plants. The next day we headed for the coast after a hike in Silver Falls State Park, still flush with a full battery. Our first charging stop was to an out of order chargepoint station at the Fred Meyer store in Albany. Our consolation prize: frozen yogurt.
Part Charging exuberantly at Ocean Beaches Glassblowing & Gallery in Seal Rock, OR.
From there, we headed to the amazing Oregon coast. Our search of charging stations along the coast going south included Ocean Beaches Glassblowing & Gallery in Seal Rock, OR. Turns out the owners drive a Nissan Leaf, and thought it would be good business (and a cool thing to do) to offer a charging station. We pulled in, plugged into the Level 2 charger, and went inside to look around. We caught the tail end of a glass blowing demonstration, then found a couple of glass gifts for my wife Kim’s birthday the next day. We were happy to help prove the glassblower’s business case!
Rosie showing off her gymnastics skills at an Oregon Beach along the "West Coast Electric Highway"
We went down to the beach featuring a seal-covered rock, making this town’s name well deserved. Rosie turned cartwheels and made music videos on the beach. The day was getting on, so it was time to find a campground for the night. Ten miles down the road we pulled into an Oceanside forest service campground, and snagged the last spot. Yes!
A stop along the West Coast Electric Highway in Yachats, CA.
The plan was to charge every night on the road while we slept, but in this case the nearest available charger was 4 miles down the road in Yachats. It was too complicated to figure out that night, so instead I woke up at first light, drove to the Aerovironment station, plugged in, and ran back to camp, all before Rosie woke up. We spent the morning making a giant sand village on the beach, while watching the tide come in and eventually wash out our creation.
We packed up, and caught a ride into town with a young guy from Washington who was traveling to San Diego. That morning’s charge propelled us down the coast, with stops at a lighthouse, a sea lion cave, and the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area -- complete with sand boarding and somersaults down steep dunes -- before arriving in Port Orford at sunset, just in time for dinner at Redfish, highly recommended by Keith. That night, I plugged in to another Aerovironment station, and charged the battery while we slept at a budget motel.
This is part three in a four part series. Read parts one and two here. Check back tomorrow for part four.
This was blog was posted during National Drive Electric Week (NDEW). From September 9-17, 2017, come take part in a nationwide celebration to heighten awareness of today's widespread availability of plug-in vehicles and highlight the benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more. Are you considering going electric like John? Come talk to owners who have successfully done so at an NDEW event near you.