Two weeks, 5,073 miles, and a lot of pies

More than a year ago, we embarked on a Pacific Northwest road trip in our R1T, camping in a different spot nearly every night for two weeks. But that adventure was in June, with mild temperatures and long days. This year, we decided to take on a new challenge: driving all the way to Chicago for Thanksgiving.

The holiday fell as late as it possibly can, on November 28th, so our road trip spilled into December and brought some pretty cold temperatures along the way. Combined with the multiple mountain passes we traversed, we ended up camping only a couple of nights—but those nights came with some truly spectacular views.

The entire trip, including detours to drop off our puppy with relatives, totaled 5,073 miles. We crossed the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnel at 11,112 feet above sea level, camped just outside the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, and stayed at over 8,000 feet in Wyoming, where the stargazing was breathtaking. We brewed coffee while charging at the Cheyenne Rivian Adventure Network (RAN) station, and along the way, we even spotted two BART train cars making their way to the Bay Area.

Our charging experience was nearly flawless. The only hiccup was a Tesla Supercharger station in Iowa City that was temporarily not supporting non-Teslas. Luckily, we found a ChargePoint nearby and got enough power to reach the next Supercharger. On our return trip, the Iowa City station was fully operational. Matthew even perfected the art of off-road parking at Tesla stations, ensuring we could charge without blocking access to any stalls.

When we finally arrived in Chicago, the pace shifted from road trip to family whirlwind. Illness kept a few loved ones away, but we still managed to gather 29 people for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. And while some may call ten pies excessive, we firmly believe in the magic of breakfast pie.

We hope your Thanksgiving was filled with delicious food, warm company, and memories to last a lifetime.