Westward Ho 2025 in Our Tesla Mannequin 3

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My spouse and I spend our summers in at our lake home in Northern Wisconsin. We’ve 4 youngsters, 12 grandkids, and 5 nice grandkids. All of them collect from throughout the nation to spend time with us there. Sitting on the pier and water snowboarding are a giant a part of our actions, as you possibly can see under.

Utah has an equal draw to us. It’s the place I taught alpine snowboarding for 10 years (see me in uniform under with my grandson pupil). And the surroundings and ebiking in each northern Utah, the place we’ve our house, and southern Utah, the place our daughter’s house is situated, is spectacular.

With our two houses drawing us, we’ve commuted the 1,551 miles between them in our Tesla Mannequin 3 now for six years, or 12 whole journeys. I simply turned 85 this yr, so I can do rather a lot fewer issues now than I may do once I was youthful. My stability is compromised from an accident in 2017, however someway when using my ebike, I nonetheless really feel like I’m 20 years outdated. Nonetheless, meaning we’re hauling two ebikes backwards and forwards throughout the nation.

On October 3, 2025, we have been headed west from Wisconsin for the 6^th time. Nonetheless, there at all times needs to be a brand new wrinkle. We bought Full Self Driving (FSD) for $6,000 once we took supply on our Mannequin 3 in October of 2019. Nonetheless, it wasn’t completely activated for a few years. However, for over 4 years, my spouse and I’ve been obsessively utilizing what’s now referred to as Full Self Driving (Supervised). I drive the entire 1,551 miles myself, and FSD makes the duty a lot simpler for an outdated individual. This yr, with the 2 ebikes on the service behind the automobile, we pulled out of our driveway in northern Wisconsin solely to be told that the rear digicam was obstructed and Full Self Driving couldn’t be activated. Are you kidding me? It had been working simply superb for six years — what had gone flawed? I assumed that it was a “characteristic” (not a bug) of the newest model of the working system and we must do with out FSD Supervised for the entire 1,551 miles to Utah. I shortly decided that good cruise and steering help have been nonetheless working and paged by means of the working system controls till I used to be capable of flip the navigation voice help again on.

Our first cease this time could be Madison, Wisconsin, the place each my spouse and I grew up and the place two of my brothers reside in addition to two grandchildren who’re attending the College of Wisconsin, Madison. In the meantime, I’m doing a Google search to see if anybody else has had the issue with FSD and if there may be any treatment. I learn that folks have had success taping over the rear digicam simply above the license plate. Are you kidding me? How may taping over the digicam treatment an issue attributable to obstructing the digicam? With no different choices, I purchased a roll of black electrical tape at Ace {Hardware} and taped over the digicam. Miracle! FSD Supervised was working once more.

The opposite downside we’ve had with FSD Supervised on lengthy journeys is that we are inclined to lose entry to it. If you happen to take a look at the management display, your telephone, away from the highway, down, and so on. for too lengthy, you lose entry to FSD Supervised for the present drive. You want to pull off the highway and put the automobile in park earlier than you regain entry once more. If you happen to do that greater than 5 occasions, you lose entry for precisely 7 days. It’s not good to lose entry to FSD Supervised and in addition steering help in the midst of a protracted journey. Nonetheless, there may be virtually at all times some distraction, like choosing your favourite music or asking the navigation to let you know what number of miles it’s to your remaining vacation spot, that causes it to occur. You get warnings, however in the end, it sneaks up on you. We had misplaced FSD Supervised on day 1 of the journey to Wisconsin final spring. Nonetheless, we have been more than happy to make the entire journey with out shedding entry on our means west.

Supercharger Entry

It’s been 6 years now and tons of of Supercharging stops, and we’ve by no means discovered a Supercharger out of operation and even absolutely occupied. Nonetheless, we did have an in depth name on this journey. There are 6 or extra charging stations at each Supercharger between northern Wisconsin and Utah, besides one — the Supercharger in Cheyenne, Wyoming, which has solely 4 stalls. To start with, it’s a must to pull off of Interstate 80 and drive by means of city for 7 miles to get to the Supercharger.

As we approached Cheyenne, I started to test the provision of stalls on the Supercharger. No downside — there have been two of the 4 unoccupied. However then there was just one unoccupied. After which none. At that time, a bit clock face seems which I assume signifies that it’s a must to plan on a wait. Nonetheless, once we lastly arrived, all 4 stalls have been open. Apparently, all 4 automobiles had simply left. So, our report stays unbroken — 6 years and by no means a Supercharger out of order or absolutely occupied. (You do perceive the implications of a Supercharger out of order. You arrive with solely 5 to fifteen miles of vary left and if the charger is out of order with out warning, you might be screwed. You don’t have sufficient vary to make the subsequent charger, so you may have solely two choices: 1) A two-day cost at L1, 110V, or a flatbed trailer raise to the subsequent charger. Thankfully, in 6 years that we’ve owned our Mannequin 3, this has by no means occurred to us.)

Wind Farms on I-80

It’s actually wonderful what number of wind farms there are on our route on I-80. Most are in Iowa, however you see them additionally in Nebraska and elements of Wyoming. It’s onerous for example photographically the huge scale of the wind farms on I-80 whereas driving and attempting to not lose entry to FSD Supervised, however you see a few of my makes an attempt within the composite under.

Not solely did we see huge wind farms in Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming on I-80, however we noticed at the very least 4 totally different turbine blades on the transfer. You see one at a relaxation space in Nebraska within the images under. Apparently, they have been headed each east and west.

Different New Stuff on Our Route

We noticed our first V4 Supercharger stalls on the West De Moines, Iowa Supercharger as you see within the picture under. You possibly can see the longer cables. These are a welcome enchancment for us touring with bikes on the again. They may also be welcome to different non-standard autos. Additionally, there was typically a Cybertruck on the Superchargers the place we have been charging as you additionally see one within the composite picture under. I didn’t see any non-Teslas charging, however I did speak to a Ford Lightning proprietor who was attempting to plug in on the Cheyenne, Wyoming Supercharger. I used to be sorry to tell him that each one the Superchargers on I-80 in Wyoming are of the V2 or earlier classic that may’t be utilized by non-Tesla autos.

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