Casteyanqui.com | Electric Vehicles | Roadtrip to Moab in our Ioniq 5

Roadtrip to Moab
in our Ioniq 5

Mark D Larsen

October 13-17, 2024

Between a Rock and a Sweet Spot
(Click to enlarge)

This past week we took another roadtrip, this time to Moab, Utah. While there, we visited the National Parks of Canyonlands and Arches, as well as Dead Horse Point State Park, one of my favorite spots on this Pale Blue Dot. Because it is so very special to me, Tamara and I got engaged there over three decades ago. I also had a goal in mind for this trip. To make a long story even longer, when my mother died in 2005, she had specified in her will to have her body donated to the University of Utah medical school. The arrangement was for the school to then cremate her remains after the students had been able to learn from it in their classes. Years later, the medical school delivered her ashes to my sister Jenny, who eventually divided them among us four siblings to scatter at locations that our mother loved. I knew that Dead Horse Point was also one of her favorites, and thus decided to scatter my portion of her ashes there on this trip.
For those mainly interested in the stats from driving our Ioniq 5 EV “Rocinante” on this roadtrip, I have compiled the basic data in the following table:

Miles driven: 1,086
kWh used: 325
Mi/kWh: 3.34
DC Fast Charges: 11
Average minutes per charge: 10.36
Average cost for 6 EA charges: $0
Average cost for 5 EA/RMP charges: $1.09
Total cost: $5.45

I should explain about the “fueling” costs. Yes, we have 2 years of free 30-minute DC fast charges with Electrify America, and in fact we paid EA nothing for the kWh used on this trip. However, the EA site in Moab is sponsored in cooperation with Rocky Mountain Power, which mandates a $1.00 fee (plus 9¢ tax) to plug in at its offices. Meh. No big deal, but since we charged there 5 times during our stay, we ended up paying the “connection fees” listed above.
Ooookay. Now a word to the wise: better get a strong cup of coffee before perusing the following tedious, long-winded diatribe. Yaaaaaaawn…!

NOTE: You can click on the following photos to enlarge them, and the movies to play them.

I charged Rocinante to 100% when we left, knowing that we'd have a long drive to the DCFC site in Richfield.

The guess-o-meter estimated that we'd have 350 miles or range with climate control, or 367 miles without it.

I really appreciate the cargo space in Rocinante: a hatchback is much more accommodating than the trunk in our previous Tesla.

Moxie was excited for another roadtrip.

Here's a long introductory video in which we describe the irritating commercial development in our community.

Like many times before, we drove by the Red Cliffs Recreation area, with Pine Mountain in the background.

Here we are approaching Cedar City.

I continue the narration, and Moxie will have her usual reaction to protect us from… dangerous livestock.

Here we exit I-15 and get on I-70, heading east up the canyon toward Richfield.

We had driven 171.3 miles to reach Richfield, at 3.4 miles-per-kWh, and still had 36% in the battery. I guess we could have made it here with only an 80% charge, but had decided to play it safe in case we encountered strong headwinds

I plugged into a 350 kW charger, which started putting 226 kW into the battery. Nice!

These are the four chargers in Richfield, two of them rated at 350 kW and the other two at 150 kW.

Charging to 80% gave us 267 miles on the guess-o-meter.

Leaving Richfield, and heading to Green River.

We stopped at the "Ghost Rock" in the desert.

I took this photo of Rocinante to compare with the similar one of our previous car Correcaminos.

Tamara and Moxie in the view.

Moxie and I are in the view.

More video as we descend into these picturesque deserts and canyons.

We arrived at the EA chargers in Green River.

We had driven 126.1 miles at 3.0 miles-per-kWh.

We plugged in, and the rate of charge started at 225 kW.

Even more impressive was that the rate was still at 156 kW with 1% to go to 80%.

At 80% the guess-meter now predicted 216 miles of range.

We crossed over the Green River and headed to Moab.

We could see the La Sal mountains in the distance.

Here we are approaching the canyon to Moab.

A video as we descend through that canyon.

We arrived at our motel and unloaded the car.

We discovered, to our chagrin, that this sign in the motel was misleading. Our room number 210 was actually to the left of the sign pointing to the right. Derp!

We ate dinner at a Thai restaurant, and then drove to the EA chargers at the far north of town, knowing that the next day we'd be driving in the opposite direction to the Needles Overlook.

The rate of charge again started at an impressive 234 kW.

At 79% it was still at 134 kW.

We now had a guess'timate of 210 miles for the next day.

We took this video as we left Moab in the morning.

We passed Wilson's Arch en route to the Needles Overlook into Canyonlands National Park.

We also saw this formation that looked like melted ice cream.

This is a video while driving the road to the Overlook.

We arrived at the Overlook.

Our first view of the landscape below us.

Tamara took this video of an old duffer tourist and his faithful companion at the Overlook.

Another view of the formations and canyons below us to the east.

In the distance were two formations that the cowboys had originally called "Six Shooters."

Here is the vista to the south.

Moxie was enjoying the view almost as much as we were.

Here's Tamara near the precipice.

This view was to the west. There were rainclouds moving in.

Another view toward the south.

And this one a bit further west.

The cloudy weather kept us cooler than normal in these deserts.

After taking in all the incredible views that stretched for miles and miles we said goodbye to the Overlook.

We could again see the La Sal mountains, this time from the opposite side.

These formations stretched along the edge of the Overlook as we drove back to Moab.

These pinnacles are to the right when driving the highway into Moab.

After such an adventure, Moxie decided to take a nap in her car seat.

Tamara wanted to do a bit of shopping, so we parked on the mainstreet.

Around the corner of where we parked was the Trailhead restaurant were we had dinner on the upstairs patio so Moxie could join us.

The next morning we returned to the EA chargers before heading to Dead Horse Point.

There is a nice park and picnic area between the chargers and the Colorado River.

We had driven 117.5 miles, at 3.8 miles-per-kWh, to visit the Needles Overlook the previous day.

The rate of charge started out at 239 kW.

It was still at 108 kW when nearly finished.

The guess-o-meter predicted that we'd have 225 miles of range to visit Dead Horse Point and then the Grand View Point Overlook in Canyonlands National Park.

A video after we charged the car and headed up the highway to the turnoff to Dead Horse Point.

On the road to Dead Horse Point I stopped at this pullout to take the same photo of Rocinante that I once took of our previous car Correcaminos.

Here we are entering the State Park.

This view of the Colorado River below the overlook is one of my very favorites on earth.

And here we are at the viewpoint where we got engaged… 31 years ago!

This is the canister with my mother's ashes.

I scattered them over the viewpoint wall and you can see some of them on the outer ledge. The next day rain storms blew in, and I bet they’ve since been washed down into the canyons below.

Here's a view of a formation to the east.

We had to take a selfie of the "newlywed" couple from years gone by.

Moxie, of course, wasn't in our family those many years ago.

And here is my "bride" reminiscing about our engagement.

We then drove to Grand View Point. This is the Visitor Center at the entrance to Canyonlands National Park on the plateau called the "Island in the Sky."

Here is the sign explaining the various spots below the Overlook.

I've always thought that these three canyons look like a gigantic dinosaur footprint. Ha!

Tamara was a bit reluctant to get too close to the edge, which didn't have any protective walls.

Here is a view of the drop off from the Island in the Sky to the south.

If you look closely you can barely see a bit of the Colorado River way down below in this photo.

And here is another glimpse of the river in the distance.

A photo of a dirt road below that tourists can drive by renting a Jeep.

Another view of such roads.

I'm glad that the National Park has posted this sign that says "…cars also release pollutants that limit visibility." How I wish more people would drive an EV like Rocinante to help keep these natural wonders pristine!

We've left Grand View Point and are driving back down to Moab through this landscape of formations and canyons.

We're always amused to see this dinosaur at the end of the road we're driving.

Tamara managed to find a Mediterranean restaurant for dinner, as she has a real taste for exotic foods. The hardest part for her is trying to choose which dish to savor.

She decided to order a calamari dish for an appetizer.

She ended up ordering a gyro platter, as well as some Greek tzatsiki with pita bread as a second appetizer.

The next day we planned to drive up the road alongside the Colorado River, then visit the small community of Castle Valley, and finally Arches National Park. Because I'd set the navigation to first take us to the EA chargers, I noticed on the display that the battery was using 78% of its energy to heat itself and speed up the charging when we arrived.

The previous day we had driven 109.3 miles, at 3.8 miles-per-kWh. The guess'timate of 127 miles left in the battery suggested a range of 236.3 miles from an 80% charge. Not bad at all!

While the car charged, Moxie and I went down to the adjacent park to see the bike trail that winds along the river.

We now had 244 miles guessed for today's journey.

In this video you can see what the highway is like that parallels the Colorado River.

This is a still photo while driving up that highway.

And here we have turned onto the road that will take us to Castle Valley.

I would speculate that this solitary pinnacle is what gave this community its name.

We saw that there were many sections of the road that had been damaged by flash floods just a couple of months ago.

This large tree must be one of the originals that the first settlers planted here.

We then drove up the road that leads to the La Sal Loop over the mountains with that pinnacle off to the side.

Here is another, closer view of it in the shining sun.

I later stopped at a pullout to take the usual tourist view of Moxie with the pinnacle.

Driving back down the highway along the Colorado River we spotted rafters floating down it.

We arrived at Arches National Park. In reality, we had made a reservation to enter it at 2:00 in the afternoon, for the Park has become so crowded that the rangers have to limit how many cars can enter it per hour. All of the reservations earlier in the day had already been taken!

Here we are driving up the road in the Park to visit some of the most popular viewpoints.

I pulled over to take this photo of Rocinante,

And here's another one at a pullout.

What d'ya wanna bet that the Mormons named this formation "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost"? Hahaha.

The famous "Balanced Rock" of Arches.

”Pothole Arch.”

”Double Arch,” featured in "Indiana Jones and the last Crusade."

We had to chuckle when we saw this small formation that looked like a frog.

Here is "Delicate Arch" from afar. We once hiked up to it years ago, but didn't have the time or energy this trip.

We drove to the end of the road to the "Devil’s Garden," where you could hike trail to the truly impressive "Landscape Arch." I did that on our previous trip to the Park, but time was too short this time, plus there were just too many people there —and I hate crowds.

This sign explains how these walls and arches were formed.

Looking up the trail to "Landscape Arch" with the crowds of tourists hiking there.

Driving back to the entrance, I thought that this rock was even more "balanced" than the one with that name.

We pulled over at this viewpoint so that I could take a photo of this odd "castle" with very different layers and composition than all the other formations in the Park.

Tamara walked over to take a photo of this perspective into the Park.

In the distance we could see a whole row of the formations.

And here we could see "globs” of them with the La Sal mountains as a backdrop.

For dinner that night we drove back up the highway along the Colorado River to the restaurant at the Red Cliffs Lodge, where we had once stayed for a University conference.

The view from our table was beautiful and serene, overlooking the river.

Tamara took this photo of me and Moxie.

And I reciprocated with my camera.

For dinner we ordered beef short ribs and they were excellent, practically melting in our mouths.

A few rainclouds started to form at sunset.

We then saw that the full moon was rising over the scene.

I took this photo of Tamara and Moxie in the twilight zone cast by the full moon.

Here is the Red Cliffs Lodge as we departed to return to our motel.

The next morning I set the navigation to take us to the EA chargers, and once again the battery pre-heated itself, showing this heating coil imposed on its icon.

This time, 75% of the energy was used to warm the battery.

We had driven 158 miles the day before, at an astounding 4.3 miles-per-kWh, the highest achieved on this trip. That would suggest a theoretical (158 + 112) = 270 miles of range from our 80% charge, 10 miles more than the EPA's 260 mile rating for a 100% charge in our Ioniq 5. Wowza!

With 1% to go in the charging session, we were still getting 155 kW, practically 3 times the rate we would get in our previous car at 80%. I am so impressed with how fast Rocinante charges!

The guess-o-meter now estimated 288 miles of range to start our journey home.

The EA site in Moab is spacious and well designed. It even includes a space for EVs to charge when pulling a trailer. Nice!

We arrived back in Green River after driving 49.2 miles at 3.2 miles-per-kWh.

The charging rate at 79% was still at 134 kW.

We supposedly had 288 miles of range to make it back to Richfield. I knew, however, that our efficiency would drop down because we would be facing strong headwinds and sidewinds.

Here we are approaching the formations where Goblin Valley extends to the north.

There is a rest area right before entering these canyons, but we had already been there in the past and didn't want to stop this time.

Here is a video in which I explain that we're heading home.

On a previous trip we pointed out the formation in Capitol Reef National Park called "Fern’s Nipple." Apparently Butch Cassidy named it after his favorite prostitute. Well… I would call this formation "Melania’s Nipple" for their mutual similarity.

Here we are approaching the formations that lead into the canyon to Richfield.

I recorded this video to comment on the strong winds and the rain clouds up ahead.

Sure enough, we did drive through a cloudburst of rain. Tamara took this photo as the rainclouds gave way to clearer skies.

I was fascinated by the dark gray colors in the bottom layers of this formation.

We arrived in Richfield after driving 125.2 miles, at only 2.8 miles-per-kWh. With 62 miles remaining in the battery, that suggests only 187.2 miles from our 80% charge. Sure enough, the strong winds had a definite effect on our energy efficiency.

Alas, one of the hyper-chargers in Richfield was unavailable and needed repairs.

We ended up plugging into a 150 kW unit instead.

After charging, the guess-o-meter estimated 255 miles of range.

Here we are leaving Richfield and heading toward the canyon. Oddly the navigation had inserted a "waypoint" charge for us in Beaver, perhaps because our energy efficiency since Green River had been so much lower.

And it is true that we arrived in Beaver after 58.6 miles, with a rate of only 2.7 miles-per-kWh. Obviously the 255 miles of range predicted in Richfield had eroded to only 216.6 from our 80% charge. Once again, we had to plug into a 150 kW unit.

When nearly finished, its charging rate had dropped to 99 kW, lower than when we plug in at 350 kW units, but nonetheless twice as fast as anything we experienced in our previous car.

We now had a theoretical 243 miles of range ot make it home, which I knew was more than enough.

Indeed, we arrived with 104 miles still on the odometer, after driving 113.6 miles at a more respectable 3.4 miles-per-kWh.

Rocinante now had 9,975.9 miles on the odometer, just 24 miles shy of crossing the 10,000 mile threshold. And our average miles-per-kWh was still at a solid 3.4 miles-per-kWh. I'll take it!

And, in fact, 3 days after we returned home, I captured this short clip of Rocinante's odometer.

This was a very pleasant trip, although a bit harder on us with our aging bodies. Some of my mother’s ashes are now resting in one of her favorite places on this planet —and mine too— where we were also able to reminisce about getting engaged there over three decades ago. Add to that joy the chance to once again visit the incredible vistas and landscapes around Moab, and we feel downright lucky to be living among such wonders. Hopefully, we’ll see them again soon, before too many more years fly by.

Miles driven:	1,086
kWh used:	325
Mi/kWh:	3.34
DC Fast Charges:	11
Average minutes per charge:	10.36
Average cost for 6 EA charges:	$0
Average cost for 5 EA/RMP charges:	$1.09
Total cost:	$5.45

I charged Rocinante to 100% when we left, knowing that we'd have a long drive to the DCFC site in Richfield.	The guess-o-meter estimated that we'd have 350 miles or range with climate control, or 367 miles without it.
I really appreciate the cargo space in Rocinante: a hatchback is much more accommodating than the trunk in our previous Tesla.	Moxie was excited for another roadtrip.
Here's a long introductory video in which we describe the irritating commercial development in our community.
Like many times before, we drove by the Red Cliffs Recreation area, with Pine Mountain in the background.	Here we are approaching Cedar City.
I continue the narration, and Moxie will have her usual reaction to protect us from… dangerous livestock.
Here we exit I-15 and get on I-70, heading east up the canyon toward Richfield.
We had driven 171.3 miles to reach Richfield, at 3.4 miles-per-kWh, and still had 36% in the battery. I guess we could have made it here with only an 80% charge, but had decided to play it safe in case we encountered strong headwinds	I plugged into a 350 kW charger, which started putting 226 kW into the battery. Nice!
These are the four chargers in Richfield, two of them rated at 350 kW and the other two at 150 kW.	Charging to 80% gave us 267 miles on the guess-o-meter.
Leaving Richfield, and heading to Green River.
We stopped at the "Ghost Rock" in the desert.	I took this photo of Rocinante to compare with the similar one of our previous car Correcaminos.
Tamara and Moxie in the view.	Moxie and I are in the view.
More video as we descend into these picturesque deserts and canyons.
We arrived at the EA chargers in Green River.	We had driven 126.1 miles at 3.0 miles-per-kWh.
We plugged in, and the rate of charge started at 225 kW.	Even more impressive was that the rate was still at 156 kW with 1% to go to 80%.
At 80% the guess-meter now predicted 216 miles of range.	We crossed over the Green River and headed to Moab.
We could see the La Sal mountains in the distance.	Here we are approaching the canyon to Moab.
A video as we descend through that canyon.
We arrived at our motel and unloaded the car.	We discovered, to our chagrin, that this sign in the motel was misleading. Our room number 210 was actually to the left of the sign pointing to the right. Derp!
We ate dinner at a Thai restaurant, and then drove to the EA chargers at the far north of town, knowing that the next day we'd be driving in the opposite direction to the Needles Overlook.	The rate of charge again started at an impressive 234 kW.
At 79% it was still at 134 kW.	We now had a guess'timate of 210 miles for the next day.
We took this video as we left Moab in the morning.
We passed Wilson's Arch en route to the Needles Overlook into Canyonlands National Park.	We also saw this formation that looked like melted ice cream.
This is a video while driving the road to the Overlook.
We arrived at the Overlook.	Our first view of the landscape below us.
Tamara took this video of an old duffer tourist and his faithful companion at the Overlook.
Another view of the formations and canyons below us to the east.	In the distance were two formations that the cowboys had originally called "Six Shooters."
Here is the vista to the south.	Moxie was enjoying the view almost as much as we were.
Here's Tamara near the precipice.	This view was to the west. There were rainclouds moving in.
Another view toward the south.	And this one a bit further west.
The cloudy weather kept us cooler than normal in these deserts.	After taking in all the incredible views that stretched for miles and miles we said goodbye to the Overlook.
We could again see the La Sal mountains, this time from the opposite side.	These formations stretched along the edge of the Overlook as we drove back to Moab.
These pinnacles are to the right when driving the highway into Moab.	After such an adventure, Moxie decided to take a nap in her car seat.
Tamara wanted to do a bit of shopping, so we parked on the mainstreet.	Around the corner of where we parked was the Trailhead restaurant were we had dinner on the upstairs patio so Moxie could join us.
The next morning we returned to the EA chargers before heading to Dead Horse Point.	There is a nice park and picnic area between the chargers and the Colorado River.
We had driven 117.5 miles, at 3.8 miles-per-kWh, to visit the Needles Overlook the previous day.	The rate of charge started out at 239 kW.
It was still at 108 kW when nearly finished.	The guess-o-meter predicted that we'd have 225 miles of range to visit Dead Horse Point and then the Grand View Point Overlook in Canyonlands National Park.
A video after we charged the car and headed up the highway to the turnoff to Dead Horse Point.
On the road to Dead Horse Point I stopped at this pullout to take the same photo of Rocinante that I once took of our previous car Correcaminos.	Here we are entering the State Park.
This view of the Colorado River below the overlook is one of my very favorites on earth.	And here we are at the viewpoint where we got engaged… 31 years ago!
This is the canister with my mother's ashes.	I scattered them over the viewpoint wall and you can see some of them on the outer ledge. The next day rain storms blew in, and I bet they’ve since been washed down into the canyons below.
Here's a view of a formation to the east.	We had to take a selfie of the "newlywed" couple from years gone by.
Moxie, of course, wasn't in our family those many years ago.	And here is my "bride" reminiscing about our engagement.
We then drove to Grand View Point. This is the Visitor Center at the entrance to Canyonlands National Park on the plateau called the "Island in the Sky."	Here is the sign explaining the various spots below the Overlook.
I've always thought that these three canyons look like a gigantic dinosaur footprint. Ha!	Tamara was a bit reluctant to get too close to the edge, which didn't have any protective walls.
Here is a view of the drop off from the Island in the Sky to the south.	If you look closely you can barely see a bit of the Colorado River way down below in this photo.
And here is another glimpse of the river in the distance.	A photo of a dirt road below that tourists can drive by renting a Jeep.
Another view of such roads.	I'm glad that the National Park has posted this sign that says "…cars also release pollutants that limit visibility." How I wish more people would drive an EV like Rocinante to help keep these natural wonders pristine!
We've left Grand View Point and are driving back down to Moab through this landscape of formations and canyons.
We're always amused to see this dinosaur at the end of the road we're driving.	Tamara managed to find a Mediterranean restaurant for dinner, as she has a real taste for exotic foods. The hardest part for her is trying to choose which dish to savor.
She decided to order a calamari dish for an appetizer.	She ended up ordering a gyro platter, as well as some Greek tzatsiki with pita bread as a second appetizer.
The next day we planned to drive up the road alongside the Colorado River, then visit the small community of Castle Valley, and finally Arches National Park. Because I'd set the navigation to first take us to the EA chargers, I noticed on the display that the battery was using 78% of its energy to heat itself and speed up the charging when we arrived.	The previous day we had driven 109.3 miles, at 3.8 miles-per-kWh. The guess'timate of 127 miles left in the battery suggested a range of 236.3 miles from an 80% charge. Not bad at all!
While the car charged, Moxie and I went down to the adjacent park to see the bike trail that winds along the river.	We now had 244 miles guessed for today's journey.
In this video you can see what the highway is like that parallels the Colorado River.
This is a still photo while driving up that highway.	And here we have turned onto the road that will take us to Castle Valley.
I would speculate that this solitary pinnacle is what gave this community its name.	We saw that there were many sections of the road that had been damaged by flash floods just a couple of months ago.
This large tree must be one of the originals that the first settlers planted here.	We then drove up the road that leads to the La Sal Loop over the mountains with that pinnacle off to the side.
Here is another, closer view of it in the shining sun.	I later stopped at a pullout to take the usual tourist view of Moxie with the pinnacle.
Driving back down the highway along the Colorado River we spotted rafters floating down it.	We arrived at Arches National Park. In reality, we had made a reservation to enter it at 2:00 in the afternoon, for the Park has become so crowded that the rangers have to limit how many cars can enter it per hour. All of the reservations earlier in the day had already been taken!
Here we are driving up the road in the Park to visit some of the most popular viewpoints.
I pulled over to take this photo of Rocinante,	And here's another one at a pullout.
What d'ya wanna bet that the Mormons named this formation "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost"? Hahaha.	The famous "Balanced Rock" of Arches.
”Pothole Arch.”	”Double Arch,” featured in "Indiana Jones and the last Crusade."
We had to chuckle when we saw this small formation that looked like a frog.	Here is "Delicate Arch" from afar. We once hiked up to it years ago, but didn't have the time or energy this trip.
We drove to the end of the road to the "Devil’s Garden," where you could hike trail to the truly impressive "Landscape Arch." I did that on our previous trip to the Park, but time was too short this time, plus there were just too many people there —and I hate crowds.	This sign explains how these walls and arches were formed.
Looking up the trail to "Landscape Arch" with the crowds of tourists hiking there.	Driving back to the entrance, I thought that this rock was even more "balanced" than the one with that name.
We pulled over at this viewpoint so that I could take a photo of this odd "castle" with very different layers and composition than all the other formations in the Park.	Tamara walked over to take a photo of this perspective into the Park.
In the distance we could see a whole row of the formations.	And here we could see "globs” of them with the La Sal mountains as a backdrop.
For dinner that night we drove back up the highway along the Colorado River to the restaurant at the Red Cliffs Lodge, where we had once stayed for a University conference.	The view from our table was beautiful and serene, overlooking the river.
Tamara took this photo of me and Moxie.	And I reciprocated with my camera.
For dinner we ordered beef short ribs and they were excellent, practically melting in our mouths.	A few rainclouds started to form at sunset.
We then saw that the full moon was rising over the scene.	I took this photo of Tamara and Moxie in the twilight zone cast by the full moon.
Here is the Red Cliffs Lodge as we departed to return to our motel.	The next morning I set the navigation to take us to the EA chargers, and once again the battery pre-heated itself, showing this heating coil imposed on its icon.
This time, 75% of the energy was used to warm the battery.	We had driven 158 miles the day before, at an astounding 4.3 miles-per-kWh, the highest achieved on this trip. That would suggest a theoretical (158 + 112) = 270 miles of range from our 80% charge, 10 miles more than the EPA's 260 mile rating for a 100% charge in our Ioniq 5. Wowza!
With 1% to go in the charging session, we were still getting 155 kW, practically 3 times the rate we would get in our previous car at 80%. I am so impressed with how fast Rocinante charges!	The guess-o-meter now estimated 288 miles of range to start our journey home.
The EA site in Moab is spacious and well designed. It even includes a space for EVs to charge when pulling a trailer. Nice!	We arrived back in Green River after driving 49.2 miles at 3.2 miles-per-kWh.
The charging rate at 79% was still at 134 kW.	We supposedly had 288 miles of range to make it back to Richfield. I knew, however, that our efficiency would drop down because we would be facing strong headwinds and sidewinds.
Here we are approaching the formations where Goblin Valley extends to the north.	There is a rest area right before entering these canyons, but we had already been there in the past and didn't want to stop this time.
Here is a video in which I explain that we're heading home.
On a previous trip we pointed out the formation in Capitol Reef National Park called "Fern’s Nipple." Apparently Butch Cassidy named it after his favorite prostitute. Well… I would call this formation "Melania’s Nipple" for their mutual similarity.	Here we are approaching the formations that lead into the canyon to Richfield.
I recorded this video to comment on the strong winds and the rain clouds up ahead.
Sure enough, we did drive through a cloudburst of rain. Tamara took this photo as the rainclouds gave way to clearer skies.	I was fascinated by the dark gray colors in the bottom layers of this formation.
We arrived in Richfield after driving 125.2 miles, at only 2.8 miles-per-kWh. With 62 miles remaining in the battery, that suggests only 187.2 miles from our 80% charge. Sure enough, the strong winds had a definite effect on our energy efficiency.	Alas, one of the hyper-chargers in Richfield was unavailable and needed repairs.
We ended up plugging into a 150 kW unit instead.	After charging, the guess-o-meter estimated 255 miles of range.
Here we are leaving Richfield and heading toward the canyon. Oddly the navigation had inserted a "waypoint" charge for us in Beaver, perhaps because our energy efficiency since Green River had been so much lower.	And it is true that we arrived in Beaver after 58.6 miles, with a rate of only 2.7 miles-per-kWh. Obviously the 255 miles of range predicted in Richfield had eroded to only 216.6 from our 80% charge. Once again, we had to plug into a 150 kW unit.
When nearly finished, its charging rate had dropped to 99 kW, lower than when we plug in at 350 kW units, but nonetheless twice as fast as anything we experienced in our previous car.	We now had a theoretical 243 miles of range ot make it home, which I knew was more than enough.
Indeed, we arrived with 104 miles still on the odometer, after driving 113.6 miles at a more respectable 3.4 miles-per-kWh.	Rocinante now had 9,975.9 miles on the odometer, just 24 miles shy of crossing the 10,000 mile threshold. And our average miles-per-kWh was still at a solid 3.4 miles-per-kWh. I'll take it!
And, in fact, 3 days after we returned home, I captured this short clip of Rocinante's odometer.