Thursday was a travel day from Cortez to Fruita. I hadn’t been able to drive that route in an EV before because of the CHAdeMO connector on my Leaf and the distances involved. The Ariya’s CCS1 charging port and the NACS adapter opened up the route for me, not to mention the Ariya’s superb range. I charged in the morning in Cortez at the Tesla/Colorado Energy Office facility. The NACS to CCS1 adapter is standard equipment so I didn’t have to use the one I brought along. This was also the case in Moab where I charged for the leg to Fruita. I stayed with my 80% level at each charger so I had plenty of charge to make the trip.
The route north and west out of Cortez and dryland pinto bean country into the Spanish Valley with the La Sals to the east is breathtaking. There are opportunities to explore the sights aplenty, including the Needles Overlook. From Moab I drove up UT-128 which runs along the Colorado River until it bends east at the base of the Uncompahgre Plateau at the Dewey Bridge site. You then climb a bit to get to the open desert and Interstate 70. There was plenty of streambed showing in the Colorado River and the flat lands near I-70 were as dry as can be. In May 2023 there was a super bloom along that stretch of highway.
The seminar is today at Colorado Mesa University, a 14 mile bicycle ride from Fruita.
