A year and a half ago Patty realized that a total solar eclipse was going to occur directly over our good friend Ellen's house in Indianapolis, IN. We hadn't seen her for a couple of years and wouldn't it be great if we drove back to visit her over this time. The plan worked out and we left to drive there on 2 April 2024.
This was to be GiGi's first extended road trip and we were curious how she would handle being in the car with us all day.
It took five days of driving over Route 66, our old faithful I70 east to OKC, then I44 into Indianapolis.
Kingman, AZ
Our second stop on day one was Kingman, AZ. While our car was charging, we walked across the street to Mr D's Rte 66 Diner - a 50's style restaurant with old cars out front and serving thick milkshakes.
This is a 1951 Buick police car
On the right is a rare, working public phone. Kids don't recognize what these are anymore.
Upon returning to our charging car, we saw a brand new Cybertruck charging a couple of chargers over. We talked to the couple from Long Beach, CA and they said they had picked up the truck a month ago and were driving to Kentucky to visit family. According to them, this truck rode better than either of their other two Teslas and they were looking forward to driving it hard over the remainder of the trip.
We stayed overnight in Flagstaff, AZ and got as far as Holbrook, AZ the next morning before we dealt with a flat rear tire. This cut three hours out of our day, but we were still able to drive to our target for the day - Tucumcari, NM - late in the evening.
Shamrock, TX
On day 3 we stopped to charge at Shamrock, TX and the U-Drop-In - the inspiration for the gas station in the Disney movie Cars and the California Adventure building.
The U-Drop-In also plays up the fact the Elvis Presley ate here and stayed in-town at one time.
Craig with another very think and creamy milkshake.
Clearly, this was another favorite stop of people traveling Route 66 in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. This is a view as we left along Route 66, bound for interstate I70.
On to Oklahoma City - but we only got to Clinton, OK before we had another flat tire. We have driven over 170,000 miles in Teslas over the last 11 years and never had a flat tire before. Well, this time the flats turned out to be our fault. We hadn't gotten the wheels aligned and the right rear tire was way 'out of whack', causing excessive wear on the inside of the two rear tires. Normally we get about 40,000 miles on a set of tires, but we only got 30,000 out of the two back ones this time.
We did make it to OKC for the night and the next day it was on to Rolla, MI for the overnight. This was an uneventful day, except for the fact it is the only part of this trip on the US Interstate highway system that required tolls. Apparently Oklahoma and Kansas are the only Western states that think toll systems on major interstate highways are a good idea - we don't agree.
Our last day's drive included driving through St. Louis, MO, where we passed the Gateway Arch. We had previously visited this arch six months earlier, when we traveled down the Mississippi River from St. Paul, MN to New Orleans, MS.
Indianapolis
In the late afternoon, we arrived at Ellen's house. Her's is a very pretty development we wish we could find elsewhere - a series of duplexes set in a number of ponds and creeks, that created a soothing and relaxing environment. On the left is the view from Ellen's patio.
Sunday Ellen drove us through downtown Indianapolis and ended our tour at the old, repurposed Coke Bottling Plant. There was a huge garage for the Coke trucks that was remade into a couple of dozen cooperative eating places. Very crowded, we each were able to find food that fit our own particular palate.
To the left we can see Craig on the main stairway at the entrance to the Coke Bottling Plant.
The bottling plant itself was made into a hotel and bar in the Art Deco style the original plant used. The labs and storage areas were left with much the same design, but are now used for meetings.
8 April 2024 - Total Solar Eclipse
Monday was the day of the total eclipse. It started about 1pm, reached total eclipse for 3.5 minutes around 2:30pm, and was finally over at 4pm.
We watched from Ellen's driveway, which she shares with five other duplexes. We all brought out folding chairs and our 'sun watching' glasses. The glasses were required for all but the 3.5 minutes of the total eclipse.
During the total eclipse it quickly got so cold and dark the night lights all went on and the geese in the ponds all marched by us in single-file, heading for their sleeping quarters.
At the very end of the total eclipse, there was a bright spot that appeared at about the 5 o'clock portion of the circle. This signaled the sun starting to reappear and is a signature part of any total eclipse.
We had tried to get to the 21 August 2017 total eclipse in Bend, OR - see in Events for that day - but traffic only allowed us to get the Klamath Falls, OR and we views the partial eclipse.
Indianapolis Speedway
Tuesday we headed to Indianapolis Speedway for a tour that included a complete circuit of the Indy 500 race course.
Racing preparation for this year's Memorial Day race was scheduled to begin the day after our tour, so we were the last group to take this tour until after the race.
After circling the raceway, the tour bus stopped at the Start/Finish line and we got off to take pictures.
The one yard section of the Start/Finish line is the only remaining part of the course that is made of the original bricks.
Patty & Craig in front of the Control Tower.
All three of us at the starting line.
This raceway symbol is stationed in front of the main grandstand.
Wednesday through Friday we relaxed and caught up with everything going on with Ellen and her family. We met up with her daughter and granddaughter for some shopping and a snack. She insisted we stop at DeBrand Fine Chocolates and we enjoyed a really delicious sundae, while Patty picked up chocolate bars shaped like Indy racecars.
We went to several of the restaurants she wanted to visit...Sal & Pimenta, the Yummy Bowl (pictured here), Noodles & Company, and Tiger Lily 2. It was certainly fun, but I think we ate too much.
Starting Home
It was Saturday and time to start our return trip. Of course we had to take a photo of Patty, Ellen, and GiGi before we left.
We have traveled across the U.S. several times, using interstates I10, I20, I40, I70, and I90. The only east-west route we hadn't driven was I80, through Iowa and Nebraska. Therefore we set forth on I74 toward I80.
The first night was spent in Des Moines, IA, where we enjoyed a great dinner at Biagg's Ristorante Italiano. The next day took us through Omaha, NB to North Platte, NB - sorry, no notable eateries here. The third day we traveled through Denver - back onto I70 - where we stopped for an afternoon snack at Guapo Taco in Lakewood, CO. Then it was getting over the peak of the Rocky Mountains before a storm hit. Below is the view from our car as we raced against the storm. The last picture is what it looked like as we approached our turnoff for Glenwood Springs, where we stayed at the historic Hotel Colorado..
Our first stop on our fourth day was Grand Junction, CO. Our Tesla is a black 2015 Model S70D with over 110,000 miles and came with free use of the Supercharger network. At this stop we ran into a family that had a red 2015 Model S70D Tesla that also has free use of the Supercharger network. They were from north of Salt Lake City, UT and were heading home. We thought to caravan to the next stop at Green River, UT, but they were intent on getting there as fast as they could and we generally drive at a steady 75 mph. Of course they used more KWH than we did, so we both left the Green River chargers at about the same time.
San Raphael Uplift
The 120 miles between Green River and Richfield, UT is called the San Raphael Uplift and it contains some really beautiful high desert country. A
This time of year was perfect because the arid area was capped by a ring of high, snow covered mountains - the contrast was strikingly beautiful.
We have driven through this stretch several times and never tire of the dramatic scenery - regardless which direction we are traveling.
Many parts of the United States are so beautiful that we think more people should take the time and simply drive this country. It is a very uplifting experience and the people we meet along the way are a real joy to get to know.
Our last night on the road was spent in St. George, UT and we left early for Las Vegas, NV. One of Patty's best friends was traveling from Florida to Los Angeles and happened to be in Las Vegas on this day. We met she and her boyfriend at Rachel's Kitchen in Town Square - and outdoor shopping area in Las Vegas.
We exchanged stories, then parted for our 250 mile drive home, GiGi having proven herself an experienced traveler.