Casteyanqui.com | Electric Vehicles | Roadtrip to Telluride

Rocky Mountain High, Colorado
(Click to enlarge)

Roadtrip to Telluride
in our Ioniq 5

Mark D Larsen
August 19-21, 2026

Last week, Moxie and I took a four-day roadtrip to Telluride, Colorado, to visit my sister Wendy. It was actually the 5th time I had driven an EV there, but the first time in our Ioniq 5. Sadly, it might also be the last time, because Wendy and Bob have put their home up for sale and intend to move elsewhere. They love Telluride as much as I do, but are very concerned that the escalating climate crisis will cause a wildfire to destroy the forest where they live. Indeed, this summer a huge wildfire started near the town of Ouray, just across the mountain from Telluride, and they were lucky that the prevailing winds blew it in the opposite direction. At any rate, I wanted to visit those spectacular San Juan Mountains at least one more time while on this Pale Blue Dot.

For those only interested in the EV stats from this roadtrip, here are the basic data for our public charging sessions:

Miles Driven: 1,102
kWh Used: 327 kWh
Average Mi/kWh: 3.4
DC Fast Charges: 8
Average Minutes per Charge at IONNA and EA stations: 00:12:30
Average Minutes per Charge at Superchargers: 00:25:30
Total Cost: $132.89
Cost per kWh: 41¢
Cost per Mile: 12¢
Gas cost if I’d driven our previous Subaru: $272.85

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

We left just after sunrise, after charging Rocinante to 80%.

Moxie was excited to take yet another roadtrip.

The display guessed that the 80% charge gave us 294 miles of range.

I set the navigation to take us to the IONNA chargers in Beaver that I had used as a “backup” on our camping trip to Bryce Canyon.

Here is my usual introduction to start the journey.

We said goodbye to St. George…

…and to Pine Mountain.

In this video I show where we were while starting to climb up the canyon to Cedar City.

Here we are getting close to Beaver for our first charge of the day.

We arrived with 26% still in the battery, having driven 114 miles for two hours at 2.9 miles-per-kWh.

I parked in the stall for the first CCS charger at the IONNA site.

The charge quickly ramped up to 225 kW.

I was impressed that IONNA provided garbage cans and window washing squeegees for EV drivers —something usually lacking at other charging stations.

With 1% to go, the charge was still cranking out 157 kW.

I set the navigation to take us to a new charging site supported by Rocky Mountain Power and Electrify America at the Ivie Creek rest stop and picnic site. The display guessed that we would arrive there with 21% in the battery.

IONNA provided a screen to summarize our visit.

I was more impressed with the screen showing the charging curve while connected.

I recorded this video after leaving Beaver. We then entered the I-70 freeway to drive east.

Here we are heading up into the mountains on I-70.

There were jagged cliffs in this canyon…

…that became more jagged…

…and steeper at we approached Richfield.

As we passed Richfield, I explain how we had charged there in the past on other roadtrips.

To the north of Richfield I spotted arrays of solar panels in this field…

…and next to this mountain.

We drove past these red hills.

By now Moxie had decided to take a nice nap.

Here we are driving over the next mountain range to reach Ivie Creek.

The canyons here were equally majestic.

After driving an hour-and-a-half at 3.0 mi-per-kWh, we arrived at Ivie Creek with 32% left in the battery —much more than the navigation had predicted.

This is a photo of this new RMP Electrify America station.

Moxie woke up to see where we were.

Here is a welcome sign at the rest area.

The charge hit a peak rate of 223 kW and predicted it would reach 80% in 13 minutes.

With 1 minute to go, the rate was still at 157 kW.

We now had a “guessed” range of 221 miles

I set the navigation to take us to the RMP Electrify America chargers in Moab, and it estimated that we'd arrive with 24% in the battery.

Here we have left Ivie Creek and I can’t resist grumbling about the government’s interference with these lands.

I was fascinated to see the gray layers underneath the red sandstone in the side of this canyon.

There were also towering formations.

Here the formations have formed huge blobs.

We passed two “ghost rocks,” first this one on the left…

…and then this one of the right.

If those were ghosts, this must be a cemetery.

Past the formations, the freeway stretched ahead to the east.

Soon we arrived at my favorite spot alone this interstate, where the road winds down through a kind of sandstone “reef.”

I took this video as we descended through the “reef.” You can see that this section of the drive is truly stunning.

A few miles later we drove past Green River, where we had charged in the past.

We caught our first glimpse of the La Sal Mountains to the east of Moab.

We also passed the airport where I would arrive when I taught USU extension classes in Moab many years ago.

Here we are starting to enter the canyon to Moab…

…as the walls got steeper and more jagged.

I took this video as we are about to enter Moab and turn off to the charging area. Please just ignore the yellow bug carcass on the windshield!

We'd driven for nearly two hours at 3.6 mi-per-kWh and arrived with 34% in the battery.

I’ve gotta admit that this charging site is in a magnificent setting.

The charging rate quickly rose to 235 kW, predicting it would finish in 12 minutes.

Moxie was glad to visit the grass beyond the chargers.

At 79%, the charging rate was still at 164 kW.

The display now guessed that we'd have 190 miles of range to reach Telluride.

Yet we'd still have 30% in the battery upon arrival.

We headed south to connect with the road over the La Sal Mountains to Telluride, and passed the “Hole-in-the-Rock” tourist trap.

Here we are driving up that road.

After getting through many winding curves, we emerged at a lovely valley known as “Paradox.”

I was delighted to see that a solar array helped provide power to the community.

Here we have left behind the farming communities and started to enter the San Juan Mountains.

Upon reaching Telluride, we turned on the road to my sister's home in Mountain Village. I decided to top up the battery at the only chargers available, a site with v.3 Superchargers in a parking garage for the community.

We arrived there after driving nearly 3 hours at 3.1 mi-per-kWh, and still had 21% in the battery.

The charge rate was notoriously slow, only 97 kW, which would take 25 minutes to finish. I knew that would be the case with Superchargers from my experience using them in St. George and Bryce Canyon.

I had to occupy two stalls to plug in, since these v.3 chargers do not have long enough cables to accommodate EVs with receptacles on the passenger side.

What is odd about plugging in at Superchargers with Rocinante is that the rate stays at 97 kW all the way to 80%. Consequently, Rocinante uses the same amount of time as with our previous Deplorian Swasticar because in the latter EV the rate would drop to only 50%.

The guess-o-meter now estimated that we had 205 miles to visit the area while at staying at my sister's.

We then drove to Wendy and Bob's house, and here is Bob getting ready to fix us a wonderful fresh salmon dinner.

Wendy had just arrived from her work at a horse ranch.

Their two Chinese Crested doggies, Casey and Rita, were excited to greet us. Moxie had met them many times before, and they all get along famously.

Moxie was intrigued to sniff all the forest smells outside their home.

The next morning, I decided to accompany Wendy to work at the “El Prado” horse ranch. She is the quintessential equestrian and manages such ranches here in Telluride in the summer, and in Mesquite in the winter. We drove back down from Mountain Village to the main road to get there.

Here we have arrived at the ranch, with the splendid mountain backdrop behind its pastures.

I should have known that Wendy would don her horse socks to get to work.

I took Moxie to get a photo of her in the antique horse cart.

This is the home of the ranch owners.

They have outfitted the yard with a homemade hot tub and sauna.

I had to laugh at the many decorations around the property, like this bear sculpture by the sauna.

And this warning sign on the house.

They had mounted a poster of all the famous western stars, and I was pleased to see Jay “Tonto” Silverheels included on it.

This is how they deal with emergencies.

A western Star Wars slogan.

Wendy is leading a client’s horse to her trailer to saddle it up and ride it before giving the owner a lesson the next day.

I watched her give an intravenous shot to another horse, and was amazed at her skill in finding its vein.

Here she is in her natural element.

She is riding the client’s horse around the ring, and I was awestruck at how the horse was obedient to her every subtle instruction. She really is a pro!

We got back to the house at around noon, and our youngest sister Jenny had driven over from Montrose to spend the afternoon with us. Here she and Bob are in the Mountain Village gondola.

We took all three dogs with us, since Telluride allows them on what they call “Gondogolas.”

We then stopped to have lunch at the Tomboy Tavern in Mountain Village.

Lunch is about to be served, and then we’ll take the Telluride gondola down to the town’s main street.

You can identify the Gondogolas by the paw prints on their sides.

Bob is comforting Rita as we descend.

Wendy is on the other side.

And Jenny is in another corner.

Of course, I am with Moxie, who seemed to enjoy riding in the Gondogola.

We could see the town below as we descended.

I snapped this photo of the main street.

And the very far end of the road there is a water fall and next to it one of the oldest hydro power stations that was built under the supervision of Nicola Tesla well over a century ago.

We drove up that road to the very end in Bob's car to take this closer view.

With three dogs and four people in the car, Moxie was more comfortable down by my feet, where she could feel the air conditioning from its floor vent.

Back home again for the evening.

I was particularly astounded by the details of this antique sculpture that Wendy displays on her coffee table. I later found that it is entitled “Galloping Cherkessians” (Cossack Riders) by the Russian sculptor Vasily Yakovlevich Grachev (1831–1905).

The next day while Wendy was a work, I decided to do a bit of touring and take photos of the mountains.

One viewpoint had a detailed map of the peaks.

I bet that this panorama is particularly dramatic when covered with winter snows.

I pulled over at this spot off the main road.

I remember previously stopping at a parking lot where hikers would take a trail to reach this lone pinnacle.

As the road descends toward the next town of Rico, you pass this lake at the foot of a looming peak.

The wildflowers just across the road were resplendent.

Here you can see the Needles at the summit above Telluride.

On a side road to the village of Ophir, I took this photo of a wonderful beaver dam.

Here once again is that picturesque range.

The walls on the opposite side of the canyon look formidable.

The view looking toward the west as I descended back down to Mountain Village. I then took Moxie on the gondogolas back down to Telluride to visit a pet store.

Here she is, leading the way to the gondogola. She obviously now knew the way!

Back in the doggie cabin.

At Mountain Village we strolled by the shops, and went by this restaurant with flames and heaters to cater to the skiers in the winter.

We found a cozy seat by a coffee shop.

Downtown I was impressed with this well preserved San Miguel County Courthouse.

Here is where you get on the gondola to return to Mountain Village.

Looking down from the cable car, I said farewell to Telluride.

This is a detailed map by the gondola station of all the ski trails.

Back at Wendy's house, we took a stroll through the woods on this path that Bob, Rita, and Casey have forged through the trees.

Wendy, Bob, Moxie, and I then drove Rocinante to Ouray for dinner. I took this photo of the scorched mountain just outside of the town because of the horrific Gold Mountain wildfire. The residents of Ouray were lucky that the winds were howling in the opposite direction away from the town!

This is the Outlaw Restaurant where we had dinner. I splurged and ordered one of my favorite dishes: fresh Rainbow Trout. It was absolutely scrumptious.

After leaving the restaurant, I took this photo looking down the main street of Ouray, and you can see how the wildfire scorched the very top of this side of the mountain.

When we drove through Ridgeway on the way back to Telluride, I spotted the gas prices at a Shell station. Because they are now so high as a result of the Strait of Hormuz fiasco, it has once again become cheaper to drive electric on roadtrips —as shown in the table at the top of the page.

At daybreak the next morning, Moxie and I started the journey back home. We again stopped at the Superchargers in Mountain Village to replenish the battery to 80%.

And again the charge rate was only 96 kW, with a wait time of 26 minutes..

With 1 minute to go to reach 80%, the rate hadn’t changed.

The display now guessed about 237 miles of range to return to Moab.

The navigation predicted we'd arrive with 36% remaining.

While descending the canyon I had to laugh upon seeing that regenerative braking had increased our percentage to 81% and our range to 242 miles, with a completely exaggerated energy efficiency of 999 miles-per-kWh!

I recorded this video when we were about the emerge from the canyon.

Moxie knew the routine on such long drives, and settled down to take a well deserved nap.

To the west we could see rain clouds over the La Sal Mountains. Sure enough we got sprinkled on before reaching Moab.

This is the southernmost peak of the La Sal Mountains.

Since we’d been driving for more than two hours, I decided to check the “fatigue meter” in the car, and it showed that my attention level had dropped to “normal.”

Once again we were in the red sandstone deserts near Moab.

We again passed Hole-In-The-Rock in the opposite direction.

When we arrived at the RMP Electrify America chargers in Moab, I was astounded by Rocinante’s readout. We still had 54% (not 36%) in the battery, with a remaining range of 172 miles and an energy efficiency of a whopping 6.4 miles-per-kWh. I had never seen such a high result after driving for nearly 3 hours straight.

Rocinante was the only EV charging in that pristine setting.

The initial charge rate hit 234 kW.

However, with 1 minute to go, this time it had dropped to 99 kW.

The guess-o-meter now estimated a range of 261 miles.

I set the navigation to take us back to Ivie Creek, and the display predicted that we'd arrive there with only 5% in the battery, which I knew from experience was an underestimate.

Here we are driving back up the canyon from Moab.

I have to chuckle over the name of this town. Are its residents Hoi Polloi?

Here we approach the sandstone “reef” formation where we’ll climb back up that picturesque winding road in the video above.

When we visited Capitol Reef National Park four years ago, I took a photo of “Fern’s Nipple,” apparently named for Butch Cassidy’s favorite prostitute. Well… inspired by that example, I think it only fitting to call this formation “Melania’s Nipple.”

We again drove past the “Ghost Rocks.”

We could see the mountains where Ivie Creek is located.

As we got closer to Ivie Creek, it looked like we would hit some rain storms.

We arrived at the chargers with 23% (not 5%) in the battery, but we'd only achieved an energy efficiency of 2.8 miles-per-kWh.

Luckily, we only felt a few raindrops while charging there.

The charging rate was still at 121 kW with 1% to go to reach 80%.

We now had 284 miles to reach Beaver.

We’d supposedly arrive there with 25%.

At Richfield we drove past the familiar red hills…

…as well as its dormant volcano.

We arrived back at the RMP Electrify America site in Beaver with 37% (not 25%) in the battery, with a better efficiency average of 3.1.

The charge there took only 12 minutes.

The rate was still at 149 kW with 1 minute to finish.

We now had a predicted range of 222 miles to drive home.

I was again impressed to see the charging curve of our session.

The navigation said we’d arrive with 22% in the battery.

We drove past the entrance to Kolob Canyon.

Almost to St. George, we could see the peaks in Zion National Park on the horizon.

And here is Pine Mountain welcoming us home.

The last stretch to reach our Ivins community.

We arrived with 30% (not 22%), but with a lower efficiency of 2.9 miles-per-kWh than on previous trips, probably because I was driving at the 80 mph speed limit, anxious to get home.

I am so glad to have visited Telluride again, but I also feel a pang of sadness knowing that it is doubtful that I’ll be able to do so in the future. We are truly fortunate to have lived and traveled in so many wondrous places, not only in this country, but also around the world. I cherish my memories of those experiences, those vistas, those peoples and customs. I am also grateful that at least for the last decade I have been able to take roadtrips in an EV without a tailpipe, doing my very small part to help reduce the pollution where we drive.

Miles Driven:	1,102
kWh Used:	327 kWh
Average Mi/kWh:	3.4
DC Fast Charges:	8
Average Minutes per Charge at IONNA and EA stations:	00:12:30
Average Minutes per Charge at Superchargers:	00:25:30
Total Cost:	$132.89
Cost per kWh:	41¢
Cost per Mile:	12¢
Gas cost if I’d driven our previous Subaru:	$272.85

We left just after sunrise, after charging Rocinante to 80%.	Moxie was excited to take yet another roadtrip.
The display guessed that the 80% charge gave us 294 miles of range.	I set the navigation to take us to the IONNA chargers in Beaver that I had used as a “backup” on our camping trip to Bryce Canyon.
Here is my usual introduction to start the journey.
We said goodbye to St. George…	…and to Pine Mountain.
In this video I show where we were while starting to climb up the canyon to Cedar City.
Here we are getting close to Beaver for our first charge of the day.
We arrived with 26% still in the battery, having driven 114 miles for two hours at 2.9 miles-per-kWh.	I parked in the stall for the first CCS charger at the IONNA site.
The charge quickly ramped up to 225 kW.	I was impressed that IONNA provided garbage cans and window washing squeegees for EV drivers —something usually lacking at other charging stations.
With 1% to go, the charge was still cranking out 157 kW.	I set the navigation to take us to a new charging site supported by Rocky Mountain Power and Electrify America at the Ivie Creek rest stop and picnic site. The display guessed that we would arrive there with 21% in the battery.
IONNA provided a screen to summarize our visit.	I was more impressed with the screen showing the charging curve while connected.
I recorded this video after leaving Beaver. We then entered the I-70 freeway to drive east.
Here we are heading up into the mountains on I-70.	There were jagged cliffs in this canyon…
…that became more jagged…	…and steeper at we approached Richfield.
As we passed Richfield, I explain how we had charged there in the past on other roadtrips.
To the north of Richfield I spotted arrays of solar panels in this field…	…and next to this mountain.
We drove past these red hills.	By now Moxie had decided to take a nice nap.
Here we are driving over the next mountain range to reach Ivie Creek.	The canyons here were equally majestic.
After driving an hour-and-a-half at 3.0 mi-per-kWh, we arrived at Ivie Creek with 32% left in the battery —much more than the navigation had predicted.	This is a photo of this new RMP Electrify America station.
Moxie woke up to see where we were.	Here is a welcome sign at the rest area.
The charge hit a peak rate of 223 kW and predicted it would reach 80% in 13 minutes.	With 1 minute to go, the rate was still at 157 kW.
We now had a “guessed” range of 221 miles	I set the navigation to take us to the RMP Electrify America chargers in Moab, and it estimated that we'd arrive with 24% in the battery.
Here we have left Ivie Creek and I can’t resist grumbling about the government’s interference with these lands.
I was fascinated to see the gray layers underneath the red sandstone in the side of this canyon.	There were also towering formations.
Here the formations have formed huge blobs.	We passed two “ghost rocks,” first this one on the left…
…and then this one of the right.	If those were ghosts, this must be a cemetery.
Past the formations, the freeway stretched ahead to the east.	Soon we arrived at my favorite spot alone this interstate, where the road winds down through a kind of sandstone “reef.”
I took this video as we descended through the “reef.” You can see that this section of the drive is truly stunning.
A few miles later we drove past Green River, where we had charged in the past.
We caught our first glimpse of the La Sal Mountains to the east of Moab.	We also passed the airport where I would arrive when I taught USU extension classes in Moab many years ago.
Here we are starting to enter the canyon to Moab…	…as the walls got steeper and more jagged.
I took this video as we are about to enter Moab and turn off to the charging area. Please just ignore the yellow bug carcass on the windshield!
We'd driven for nearly two hours at 3.6 mi-per-kWh and arrived with 34% in the battery.	I’ve gotta admit that this charging site is in a magnificent setting.
The charging rate quickly rose to 235 kW, predicting it would finish in 12 minutes.	Moxie was glad to visit the grass beyond the chargers.
At 79%, the charging rate was still at 164 kW.	The display now guessed that we'd have 190 miles of range to reach Telluride.
Yet we'd still have 30% in the battery upon arrival.	We headed south to connect with the road over the La Sal Mountains to Telluride, and passed the “Hole-in-the-Rock” tourist trap.
Here we are driving up that road.	After getting through many winding curves, we emerged at a lovely valley known as “Paradox.”
I was delighted to see that a solar array helped provide power to the community.	Here we have left behind the farming communities and started to enter the San Juan Mountains.
Upon reaching Telluride, we turned on the road to my sister's home in Mountain Village. I decided to top up the battery at the only chargers available, a site with v.3 Superchargers in a parking garage for the community.	We arrived there after driving nearly 3 hours at 3.1 mi-per-kWh, and still had 21% in the battery.
The charge rate was notoriously slow, only 97 kW, which would take 25 minutes to finish. I knew that would be the case with Superchargers from my experience using them in St. George and Bryce Canyon.	I had to occupy two stalls to plug in, since these v.3 chargers do not have long enough cables to accommodate EVs with receptacles on the passenger side.
What is odd about plugging in at Superchargers with Rocinante is that the rate stays at 97 kW all the way to 80%. Consequently, Rocinante uses the same amount of time as with our previous Deplorian Swasticar because in the latter EV the rate would drop to only 50%.	The guess-o-meter now estimated that we had 205 miles to visit the area while at staying at my sister's.
We then drove to Wendy and Bob's house, and here is Bob getting ready to fix us a wonderful fresh salmon dinner.	Wendy had just arrived from her work at a horse ranch.
Their two Chinese Crested doggies, Casey and Rita, were excited to greet us. Moxie had met them many times before, and they all get along famously.	Moxie was intrigued to sniff all the forest smells outside their home.
The next morning, I decided to accompany Wendy to work at the “El Prado” horse ranch. She is the quintessential equestrian and manages such ranches here in Telluride in the summer, and in Mesquite in the winter. We drove back down from Mountain Village to the main road to get there.	Here we have arrived at the ranch, with the splendid mountain backdrop behind its pastures.
I should have known that Wendy would don her horse socks to get to work.	I took Moxie to get a photo of her in the antique horse cart.
This is the home of the ranch owners.	They have outfitted the yard with a homemade hot tub and sauna.
I had to laugh at the many decorations around the property, like this bear sculpture by the sauna.	And this warning sign on the house.
They had mounted a poster of all the famous western stars, and I was pleased to see Jay “Tonto” Silverheels included on it.	This is how they deal with emergencies.
A western Star Wars slogan.	Wendy is leading a client’s horse to her trailer to saddle it up and ride it before giving the owner a lesson the next day.
I watched her give an intravenous shot to another horse, and was amazed at her skill in finding its vein.	Here she is in her natural element.
She is riding the client’s horse around the ring, and I was awestruck at how the horse was obedient to her every subtle instruction. She really is a pro!
We got back to the house at around noon, and our youngest sister Jenny had driven over from Montrose to spend the afternoon with us. Here she and Bob are in the Mountain Village gondola.	We took all three dogs with us, since Telluride allows them on what they call “Gondogolas.”
We then stopped to have lunch at the Tomboy Tavern in Mountain Village.	Lunch is about to be served, and then we’ll take the Telluride gondola down to the town’s main street.
You can identify the Gondogolas by the paw prints on their sides.	Bob is comforting Rita as we descend.
Wendy is on the other side.	And Jenny is in another corner.
Of course, I am with Moxie, who seemed to enjoy riding in the Gondogola.	We could see the town below as we descended.
I snapped this photo of the main street.	And the very far end of the road there is a water fall and next to it one of the oldest hydro power stations that was built under the supervision of Nicola Tesla well over a century ago.
We drove up that road to the very end in Bob's car to take this closer view.	With three dogs and four people in the car, Moxie was more comfortable down by my feet, where she could feel the air conditioning from its floor vent.
Back home again for the evening.	I was particularly astounded by the details of this antique sculpture that Wendy displays on her coffee table. I later found that it is entitled “Galloping Cherkessians” (Cossack Riders) by the Russian sculptor Vasily Yakovlevich Grachev (1831–1905).
The next day while Wendy was a work, I decided to do a bit of touring and take photos of the mountains.	One viewpoint had a detailed map of the peaks.
I bet that this panorama is particularly dramatic when covered with winter snows.	I pulled over at this spot off the main road.
I remember previously stopping at a parking lot where hikers would take a trail to reach this lone pinnacle.	As the road descends toward the next town of Rico, you pass this lake at the foot of a looming peak.
The wildflowers just across the road were resplendent.	Here you can see the Needles at the summit above Telluride.
On a side road to the village of Ophir, I took this photo of a wonderful beaver dam.	Here once again is that picturesque range.
The walls on the opposite side of the canyon look formidable.	The view looking toward the west as I descended back down to Mountain Village. I then took Moxie on the gondogolas back down to Telluride to visit a pet store.
Here she is, leading the way to the gondogola. She obviously now knew the way!
Back in the doggie cabin.	At Mountain Village we strolled by the shops, and went by this restaurant with flames and heaters to cater to the skiers in the winter.
We found a cozy seat by a coffee shop.	Downtown I was impressed with this well preserved San Miguel County Courthouse.
Here is where you get on the gondola to return to Mountain Village.	Looking down from the cable car, I said farewell to Telluride.
This is a detailed map by the gondola station of all the ski trails.	Back at Wendy's house, we took a stroll through the woods on this path that Bob, Rita, and Casey have forged through the trees.
Wendy, Bob, Moxie, and I then drove Rocinante to Ouray for dinner. I took this photo of the scorched mountain just outside of the town because of the horrific Gold Mountain wildfire. The residents of Ouray were lucky that the winds were howling in the opposite direction away from the town!	This is the Outlaw Restaurant where we had dinner. I splurged and ordered one of my favorite dishes: fresh Rainbow Trout. It was absolutely scrumptious.
After leaving the restaurant, I took this photo looking down the main street of Ouray, and you can see how the wildfire scorched the very top of this side of the mountain.	When we drove through Ridgeway on the way back to Telluride, I spotted the gas prices at a Shell station. Because they are now so high as a result of the Strait of Hormuz fiasco, it has once again become cheaper to drive electric on roadtrips —as shown in the table at the top of the page.
At daybreak the next morning, Moxie and I started the journey back home. We again stopped at the Superchargers in Mountain Village to replenish the battery to 80%.	And again the charge rate was only 96 kW, with a wait time of 26 minutes..
With 1 minute to go to reach 80%, the rate hadn’t changed.	The display now guessed about 237 miles of range to return to Moab.
The navigation predicted we'd arrive with 36% remaining.	While descending the canyon I had to laugh upon seeing that regenerative braking had increased our percentage to 81% and our range to 242 miles, with a completely exaggerated energy efficiency of 999 miles-per-kWh!
I recorded this video when we were about the emerge from the canyon.
Moxie knew the routine on such long drives, and settled down to take a well deserved nap.	To the west we could see rain clouds over the La Sal Mountains. Sure enough we got sprinkled on before reaching Moab.
This is the southernmost peak of the La Sal Mountains.	Since we’d been driving for more than two hours, I decided to check the “fatigue meter” in the car, and it showed that my attention level had dropped to “normal.”
Once again we were in the red sandstone deserts near Moab.	We again passed Hole-In-The-Rock in the opposite direction.
When we arrived at the RMP Electrify America chargers in Moab, I was astounded by Rocinante’s readout. We still had 54% (not 36%) in the battery, with a remaining range of 172 miles and an energy efficiency of a whopping 6.4 miles-per-kWh. I had never seen such a high result after driving for nearly 3 hours straight.	Rocinante was the only EV charging in that pristine setting.
The initial charge rate hit 234 kW.	However, with 1 minute to go, this time it had dropped to 99 kW.
The guess-o-meter now estimated a range of 261 miles.	I set the navigation to take us back to Ivie Creek, and the display predicted that we'd arrive there with only 5% in the battery, which I knew from experience was an underestimate.
Here we are driving back up the canyon from Moab.
I have to chuckle over the name of this town. Are its residents Hoi Polloi?	Here we approach the sandstone “reef” formation where we’ll climb back up that picturesque winding road in the video above.
When we visited Capitol Reef National Park four years ago, I took a photo of “Fern’s Nipple,” apparently named for Butch Cassidy’s favorite prostitute. Well… inspired by that example, I think it only fitting to call this formation “Melania’s Nipple.”	We again drove past the “Ghost Rocks.”
We could see the mountains where Ivie Creek is located.	As we got closer to Ivie Creek, it looked like we would hit some rain storms.
We arrived at the chargers with 23% (not 5%) in the battery, but we'd only achieved an energy efficiency of 2.8 miles-per-kWh.	Luckily, we only felt a few raindrops while charging there.
The charging rate was still at 121 kW with 1% to go to reach 80%.	We now had 284 miles to reach Beaver.
We’d supposedly arrive there with 25%.	At Richfield we drove past the familiar red hills…
…as well as its dormant volcano.	We arrived back at the RMP Electrify America site in Beaver with 37% (not 25%) in the battery, with a better efficiency average of 3.1.
The charge there took only 12 minutes.	The rate was still at 149 kW with 1 minute to finish.
We now had a predicted range of 222 miles to drive home.	I was again impressed to see the charging curve of our session.
The navigation said we’d arrive with 22% in the battery.	We drove past the entrance to Kolob Canyon.
Almost to St. George, we could see the peaks in Zion National Park on the horizon.	And here is Pine Mountain welcoming us home.
The last stretch to reach our Ivins community.	We arrived with 30% (not 22%), but with a lower efficiency of 2.9 miles-per-kWh than on previous trips, probably because I was driving at the 80 mph speed limit, anxious to get home.