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Texas Roadtrip - Part 1
Driving to San Antonio

Mark D Larsen

June 9-11, 2025

As I stated in the initial page for this roadtrip, it took me three days to drive to San Antonio, spending two nights in motels. Consequently, these narratives will prove ever longer and more tedious than my other posts, and I wouldn’t blame readers if they want to merely skim over what follows.

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

Wanting to just drive through Las Vegas and get my first charge in Primm, I had charged Rocinante to 100% that morning.

The navigation screen predicated that I would arrive there with 17% in the Battery.

Here is my customary introductory video.

As I promised to report in the above video, at the summit the display showed 2.3 mi/kWh.

After descending from the summit it now read 6.4 mi/kWh. Rocinante’s regen is impressive!

We got onto the I-15 freeway to Las Vegas.

Coincidentally, my first camping trip in our trailer was at Valley of Fire.

I was pleased to see numerous new solar farms in the Nevada desert.

Moxie was a great traveling companion, and was likely curious to know where we were headed.

Here we are entering Las Vegas.

Now we are approaching Primm, where we'll plug in.

In Primm there is an odd defunct roller coaster. In all the time we’ve driven through Primm over the years, I've never seen it working.

Our stats when we arrived showed that, contrary to the prediction, we still had 44% in the battery.

A warning on the charger screens stated that there were intermittent problems getting power from the utility, but I managed to find a charger that was working.

Moxie was familiar with this facility, having visited it on our trip to California.

In hardly any time at all, we now had an 80% charge.

The navigation showed the map to our next stop in Needles, CA.

This video is when we exited I-15 and turned onto Nipton Road.

Moxie decided to just take a nap.

We’re on the Nipton Road that I'd never driven on before.

We drove through the Joshua Tree National Monument, approached the town of Searchlight, and turned onto the Veteran’s Memorial Highway.

That four lane highway turned into only two upon entering California.

We finally got onto Highway 40 to reach Needles.

We could see green fields as we approached Needles.

The town and more greenery came into view.

The charging site was nicely covered with a solar canopy.

Given that the temperature was so high, I welcomed its shade.

Oddly enough, a huge electric bus then stopped to charge next to me.

We again had an 80% charge.

The navigation now directed us to Quartzsite in the south.

We passed many sculptured peaks on this road.

Moxie was likely confused about where in the world we were.

More oddly shaped mountains stretched to the east.

We also passed an inspection station.

We drove by this bridge before reaching Quartzsite.

We arrived with 36% in the battery.

Unfortunately, one of the chargers was inoperable. Even worse, several EVs were waiting to charge. As a result, we ended up spending more time waiting than it took to charge.

We finally had a turn to plug in.

Moxie needed a potty break, but did not like the extreme heat.

When the charge reached 79%, we unplugged.

We now headed farther south across some government proving grounds to reach the next stop in Dateland.

I spotted a Saguaro cactus in this desert.

More rugged peaks.

A towering chimney.

Dry and hostile mountains ahead.

We finally emerged into green fields…

…on both sides of the highway.

Turning onto I-8, we continued toward Dateland.

We had 18% in the battery when we arrived.

Only one other EV was at the Dateland chargers.

Once again, Rocinante was ready to keep driving.

The navigation would take us to the chargers in Casa Grande.

We saw more green fields. There must be an aquaduct from the Colorado River that helps feed these farms.

We later saw areas covered with Saguaro cacti.

A moon started to appear in the east.

I noticed the sunset hitting my side mirror.

I snapped this photo as the sun touched the horizon.

We pulled into Casa Grande with 30% in the battery.

I plugged in with the moon overhead, also shown in the photo at the top of the page.

I was glad that I could park opposite the charger stall, making it easier to plug in where my port is located.

We soon were again charged to 80%.

The navigation directed us to Benson, where we'd spend the night.

We arrived with 28%.

We plugged in before going to our motel.

Another 80% charge to continue our journey the next morning.

Good morning, as we head to Lordsburg NM to charge.

We drove by some amazing bolders and rocks before reaching the border.

They were piled up alongside I-10, and I remembered seeing them on my cross-country roadtrip years ago.

An overhead sign stated that NM was 28 minutes away.

I spotted pecan orchards that I remembered seeing previously.

Here I correct my memory about where those orchards were located.

There were more dry and rugged mountains near NM.

And here the state welcomed us.

I comment on crossing that border and entering areas sometimes affected by dust storms.

We still had 37% in the pack at Lordsburg. Unfortunately, one of the chargers had "reduced power," so I switched to another one, as I narrate in the next video.

This site was sponsored at a Chevron station.

In no time the battery was at 80%.

Navigation now showed us the map to Deming, NM.

A video describing the charging sessions in Lordsburg.

A railway paralleled the road, with oil tanker cars (ugh!) sitting on the tracks.

What struck me as particularly odd was that next to the railway there were numerous beak yucca growing, almost as though someone had planted a row of them alongside the tracks.

Lordsburg and Deming are fairly close to each other, so we arrived with the battery at 54%

I located the Walmart with the chargers and plugged in.

Soon enough, we were ready to keep driving.

The map now showed us the direction to El Paso, TX.

Here we are approaching where I-10 curves south.

If it weren't for the pollution, these peaks would be breathtaking.

Cops were waiting to catch speeders.

The highway construction in TX was truly irksome.

It finally started to open up a bit and the congestion eased.

I could see some hills in Mexico across the Rio Grande river.

On this side, there are more hills overlooking El Paso.

I was surprised that we still had 42% when we arrived, probably boosted by the slow speeds through the construction.

Moxie was awake, and wanted a break, despite the heat.

The chargers were all occupied when we arrived, but when I finally was able to plug in to one, its rate was among the slowest I have ever seen.

I checked the navigation miles from El Paso to Van Horn to see how much of a charge we would need to get there.

Because the charge was so slow, I decided to unplug at 78% rather than exceed the 30-minute allotted time for my free session.

There were huge rain clouds ahead, and I anticipated that we might hit a downpour.

Here I describe what happened when charging in El Paso.

Oddly enough, I had to stop at a Border Patrol Inspection Station where they were checking out all drivers and passengers to see if they might be undocumented immigrants. They just waved me through. Made me wonder if it would have been different had I spoken Spanish to them. Hmmm.

Sure enough, the skies were growing darker and more threatening.

As we approached Van Horn, the drops began to fall. Soon it was a real cloudburst.

When we arrived in Van Horn, I had to grab my jacket and hat to plug in the car.

Despite the storm, the battery soon had enough power to keep driving.

The map gave us directions to Ft. Stockton, where we would spend the second night.

We're driving to Ft. Stockton, where we encountered a real fiasco for the night. Specifically, when we arrived at the Motel 6, they informed us that the electricity was out and that they had no idea when it would be restored. Consequently, they couldn't even check me in! We went to get a bite to eat, and returned to find the electricity still off. Even worse, strong winds had blown roof tiles off the motel endangering the cars parked in the lot. It was obvious that Motel 6 was not going to accommodate us, so I called BringFido to cancel that reservation and find me another pet-friendly motel with working electricity in the town. They sent me to a Days Inn, where they were more than happy to put us in a nice room. However, to add insult to injury, when I returned home the next week I found that Motel 6 had charged me for the room, regardless! Readers make note: do NOT support Model 6 in the future. I will never stay with them again for such unprofessional, inflexible treatment.

After our night at the Days Inn, we went to charge and saw that there was 24% still in the battery.

The 150 kW charger estimated it would take only 16 minutes to reach 80%.

Moxie was feeling a bit wary because of a strong storms that we had experienced.

The chargers were at yet another Walmart site.

Sure enough, back at 80% in short order.

The map now directed us to Ozona.

Here I again describe the fiasco that I mentioned above. To reiterate, do NOT support Motel 6: they do not deserve the business when they treat their customers so poorly.

In the distance, I could see several wind generators.

We eventually drove past a row of them closer to the highway.

There are a large peak ahead with a topknot. Shall we call this formation Dolly's nipple?

More wind generators.

And here is a short video of the turbines turning. I love seeing these, especially if they’re supplanting oil pumps! I also point out the very steep rock sides of the highway.

Arriving in Ozona with 26% left.

This site was at a Hampton Inn, and the receptionist was friendly and accommodating of me using the restroom.

Ready to go again.

Now the navigation gave directions to reach Junction.

Driving through the green humidity of central Texas.

37% left.

One charger was broken.

I plugged into a 150 kW unit without a problem.

You wouldn't have believed all the bugs on the front bumper! I must have driven through an entire swarm of them, whatever they were.

Soon an EV6 pulled into another stall.

Finished the 80% charge.

Went to find a restroom —to no avail!

The map showed the way to San Antonio.

I mention in this video that I intended to charge up again before heading to Amanda's home, but later had to change plans because of the horrific, confusing, congested construction in that part of San Antonio. So I just drove directly to her home instead.

The countryside around San Antonio is green and lush.

I pulled into Amanda's garage with a 34% charge. She told me to plug into her 120V portable charger. After a couple of days, it was charged up again despite the slow rate.

After this tiresome, boring saga, readers will likely appreciate the subsequent post for this roadtrip in which I focus on the time spent with my family members.

Wanting to just drive through Las Vegas and get my first charge in Primm, I had charged Rocinante to 100% that morning.	The navigation screen predicated that I would arrive there with 17% in the Battery.
Here is my customary introductory video.
As I promised to report in the above video, at the summit the display showed 2.3 mi/kWh.	After descending from the summit it now read 6.4 mi/kWh. Rocinante’s regen is impressive!
We got onto the I-15 freeway to Las Vegas.	Coincidentally, my first camping trip in our trailer was at Valley of Fire.
I was pleased to see numerous new solar farms in the Nevada desert.	Moxie was a great traveling companion, and was likely curious to know where we were headed.
Here we are entering Las Vegas.
Now we are approaching Primm, where we'll plug in.
In Primm there is an odd defunct roller coaster. In all the time we’ve driven through Primm over the years, I've never seen it working.	Our stats when we arrived showed that, contrary to the prediction, we still had 44% in the battery.
A warning on the charger screens stated that there were intermittent problems getting power from the utility, but I managed to find a charger that was working.	Moxie was familiar with this facility, having visited it on our trip to California.
In hardly any time at all, we now had an 80% charge.	The navigation showed the map to our next stop in Needles, CA.
This video is when we exited I-15 and turned onto Nipton Road.
Moxie decided to just take a nap.	We’re on the Nipton Road that I'd never driven on before.
We drove through the Joshua Tree National Monument, approached the town of Searchlight, and turned onto the Veteran’s Memorial Highway.
That four lane highway turned into only two upon entering California.
We finally got onto Highway 40 to reach Needles.
We could see green fields as we approached Needles.	The town and more greenery came into view.
The charging site was nicely covered with a solar canopy.	Given that the temperature was so high, I welcomed its shade.
Oddly enough, a huge electric bus then stopped to charge next to me.	We again had an 80% charge.
The navigation now directed us to Quartzsite in the south.	We passed many sculptured peaks on this road.
Moxie was likely confused about where in the world we were.	More oddly shaped mountains stretched to the east.
We also passed an inspection station.	We drove by this bridge before reaching Quartzsite.
We arrived with 36% in the battery.	Unfortunately, one of the chargers was inoperable. Even worse, several EVs were waiting to charge. As a result, we ended up spending more time waiting than it took to charge.
We finally had a turn to plug in.	Moxie needed a potty break, but did not like the extreme heat.
When the charge reached 79%, we unplugged.	We now headed farther south across some government proving grounds to reach the next stop in Dateland.
I spotted a Saguaro cactus in this desert.	More rugged peaks.
A towering chimney.	Dry and hostile mountains ahead.
We finally emerged into green fields…	…on both sides of the highway.
Turning onto I-8, we continued toward Dateland.
We had 18% in the battery when we arrived.	Only one other EV was at the Dateland chargers.
Once again, Rocinante was ready to keep driving.	The navigation would take us to the chargers in Casa Grande.
We saw more green fields. There must be an aquaduct from the Colorado River that helps feed these farms.
We later saw areas covered with Saguaro cacti.	A moon started to appear in the east.
I noticed the sunset hitting my side mirror.	I snapped this photo as the sun touched the horizon.
We pulled into Casa Grande with 30% in the battery.	I plugged in with the moon overhead, also shown in the photo at the top of the page.
I was glad that I could park opposite the charger stall, making it easier to plug in where my port is located.	We soon were again charged to 80%.
The navigation directed us to Benson, where we'd spend the night.	We arrived with 28%.
We plugged in before going to our motel.	Another 80% charge to continue our journey the next morning.
Good morning, as we head to Lordsburg NM to charge.
We drove by some amazing bolders and rocks before reaching the border.	They were piled up alongside I-10, and I remembered seeing them on my cross-country roadtrip years ago.
An overhead sign stated that NM was 28 minutes away.	I spotted pecan orchards that I remembered seeing previously.
Here I correct my memory about where those orchards were located.
There were more dry and rugged mountains near NM.	And here the state welcomed us.
I comment on crossing that border and entering areas sometimes affected by dust storms.
We still had 37% in the pack at Lordsburg. Unfortunately, one of the chargers had "reduced power," so I switched to another one, as I narrate in the next video.	This site was sponsored at a Chevron station.
In no time the battery was at 80%.	Navigation now showed us the map to Deming, NM.
A video describing the charging sessions in Lordsburg.
A railway paralleled the road, with oil tanker cars (ugh!) sitting on the tracks.	What struck me as particularly odd was that next to the railway there were numerous beak yucca growing, almost as though someone had planted a row of them alongside the tracks.
Lordsburg and Deming are fairly close to each other, so we arrived with the battery at 54%	I located the Walmart with the chargers and plugged in.
Soon enough, we were ready to keep driving.	The map now showed us the direction to El Paso, TX.
Here we are approaching where I-10 curves south.
If it weren't for the pollution, these peaks would be breathtaking.	Cops were waiting to catch speeders.
The highway construction in TX was truly irksome.	It finally started to open up a bit and the congestion eased.
I could see some hills in Mexico across the Rio Grande river.	On this side, there are more hills overlooking El Paso.
I was surprised that we still had 42% when we arrived, probably boosted by the slow speeds through the construction.	Moxie was awake, and wanted a break, despite the heat.
The chargers were all occupied when we arrived, but when I finally was able to plug in to one, its rate was among the slowest I have ever seen.	I checked the navigation miles from El Paso to Van Horn to see how much of a charge we would need to get there.
Because the charge was so slow, I decided to unplug at 78% rather than exceed the 30-minute allotted time for my free session.	There were huge rain clouds ahead, and I anticipated that we might hit a downpour.
Here I describe what happened when charging in El Paso.
Oddly enough, I had to stop at a Border Patrol Inspection Station where they were checking out all drivers and passengers to see if they might be undocumented immigrants. They just waved me through. Made me wonder if it would have been different had I spoken Spanish to them. Hmmm.	Sure enough, the skies were growing darker and more threatening.
As we approached Van Horn, the drops began to fall. Soon it was a real cloudburst.	When we arrived in Van Horn, I had to grab my jacket and hat to plug in the car.
Despite the storm, the battery soon had enough power to keep driving.	The map gave us directions to Ft. Stockton, where we would spend the second night.
We're driving to Ft. Stockton, where we encountered a real fiasco for the night. Specifically, when we arrived at the Motel 6, they informed us that the electricity was out and that they had no idea when it would be restored. Consequently, they couldn't even check me in! We went to get a bite to eat, and returned to find the electricity still off. Even worse, strong winds had blown roof tiles off the motel endangering the cars parked in the lot. It was obvious that Motel 6 was not going to accommodate us, so I called BringFido to cancel that reservation and find me another pet-friendly motel with working electricity in the town. They sent me to a Days Inn, where they were more than happy to put us in a nice room. However, to add insult to injury, when I returned home the next week I found that Motel 6 had charged me for the room, regardless! Readers make note: do NOT support Model 6 in the future. I will never stay with them again for such unprofessional, inflexible treatment.
After our night at the Days Inn, we went to charge and saw that there was 24% still in the battery.	The 150 kW charger estimated it would take only 16 minutes to reach 80%.
Moxie was feeling a bit wary because of a strong storms that we had experienced.	The chargers were at yet another Walmart site.
Sure enough, back at 80% in short order.	The map now directed us to Ozona.
Here I again describe the fiasco that I mentioned above. To reiterate, do NOT support Motel 6: they do not deserve the business when they treat their customers so poorly.
In the distance, I could see several wind generators.	We eventually drove past a row of them closer to the highway.
There are a large peak ahead with a topknot. Shall we call this formation Dolly's nipple?	More wind generators.
And here is a short video of the turbines turning. I love seeing these, especially if they’re supplanting oil pumps! I also point out the very steep rock sides of the highway.
Arriving in Ozona with 26% left.	This site was at a Hampton Inn, and the receptionist was friendly and accommodating of me using the restroom.
Ready to go again.	Now the navigation gave directions to reach Junction.
Driving through the green humidity of central Texas.
37% left.	One charger was broken.
I plugged into a 150 kW unit without a problem.	You wouldn't have believed all the bugs on the front bumper! I must have driven through an entire swarm of them, whatever they were.
Soon an EV6 pulled into another stall.	Finished the 80% charge.
Went to find a restroom —to no avail!	The map showed the way to San Antonio.
I mention in this video that I intended to charge up again before heading to Amanda's home, but later had to change plans because of the horrific, confusing, congested construction in that part of San Antonio. So I just drove directly to her home instead.
The countryside around San Antonio is green and lush.	I pulled into Amanda's garage with a 34% charge. She told me to plug into her 120V portable charger. After a couple of days, it was charged up again despite the slow rate.