Casteyanqui.com | Electric Vehicles | Day Trip to Cedar Breaks

Day Trip
to Cedar Breaks
in our Model 3

Mark D Larsen
July 21, 2023

Cliff Hanger
(Click to enlarge)

Tamara’s friend Hedy was due to fly home to the Netherlands the next day, so we decided to give her one more tour of the natural wonders in this area. We had already taken her to visit my sister in Telluride, but she had yet to see Kolob Canyon, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and the Brian Head ski resort. Here are photos of that one-day trip.

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

We drove to the Visitor Center at Kolob Canyon.

Unfortunately, at the Center we learned that there had been a sinkhole that destroyed part of the road in the monument, so we would only be able to drive 3 miles up the canyon, not the entire way to the top.

I was pleased to see that the solar array was still powering the Visitor Center.

I was disappointed, however, to find that the Level 2 EVSEs that I helped Zion National Park install were no longer in service. At the Center they didn't know what the problem was, or if they would soon be operational.

This is as far up the road as we could drive, which nonetheless gives a picturesque view of the canyon one could hike overnight to reach the main part of the National Park.

And the peak visible from the parking lot epitomizes the original Paiute name for the park, Mukuntuweap (“land straight up”).

We continued on to Cedar City and drove up the canyon to Cedar Breaks.

At the summit it is possible to get a glimpse of Zion in the distance.

Here is shot zoomed in to better see the peaks of Zion.

Moxie was glad to be in the cooler temperatures in the mountains.

A new Visitor Center is under construction at Cedar Breaks, but we could stop at the gift shop to pick up a map of the monument.

This sign warns tourists that, in stormy weather, it can be dangerous to stand on the exposed viewpoints over the canyon.

And here is a truly magnificent view from one lookout.

Here are Hedy, Tamara, and Moxie with the cliffs in the background.

They wanted to reciprocate by taking a photo of me and Moxie at the same viewpoint.

Moxie, of course, is the most photogenic of all!

We then drove to Brian Head to get an early dinner. Unfortunately, the Thai restaurant where we had eaten in the past was no longer there, so we opted to get some pizza instead.

Moxie was more than ready to sample a bit of pizza toppings.

It was wonderfully cool on the outside deck of the pizza parlor.

We pulled into the driveway after driving 189 miles at 4.48 miles-per-kWh since our last charge on this one-day roadtrip. Regen braking had helped boost our range, but the soaring heat where we lived had eroded it.

Speaking of heat, the next day we drove Hedy to the airport in Las Vegas to catch her flight home, and this is what the temperature gauge in Correcaminos displayed.

After arriving back home, mother nature treated us to a colorful sunset.

I always enjoy a day trip to visit Cedar Breaks, and I think it was a nice farewell opportunity for Tamara’s friend to enjoy before boarding her plane home. I will report that, yes, Autopilot misbehaved several times on this short day trip, putting both Tamara and Hedy on edge, but I was always able to intervene and keep the car under control.

We drove to the Visitor Center at Kolob Canyon.	Unfortunately, at the Center we learned that there had been a sinkhole that destroyed part of the road in the monument, so we would only be able to drive 3 miles up the canyon, not the entire way to the top.
I was pleased to see that the solar array was still powering the Visitor Center.	I was disappointed, however, to find that the Level 2 EVSEs that I helped Zion National Park install were no longer in service. At the Center they didn't know what the problem was, or if they would soon be operational.
This is as far up the road as we could drive, which nonetheless gives a picturesque view of the canyon one could hike overnight to reach the main part of the National Park.	And the peak visible from the parking lot epitomizes the original Paiute name for the park, Mukuntuweap (“land straight up”).
We continued on to Cedar City and drove up the canyon to Cedar Breaks.	At the summit it is possible to get a glimpse of Zion in the distance.
Here is shot zoomed in to better see the peaks of Zion.	Moxie was glad to be in the cooler temperatures in the mountains.
A new Visitor Center is under construction at Cedar Breaks, but we could stop at the gift shop to pick up a map of the monument.	This sign warns tourists that, in stormy weather, it can be dangerous to stand on the exposed viewpoints over the canyon.
And here is a truly magnificent view from one lookout.	Here are Hedy, Tamara, and Moxie with the cliffs in the background.
They wanted to reciprocate by taking a photo of me and Moxie at the same viewpoint.	Moxie, of course, is the most photogenic of all!
We then drove to Brian Head to get an early dinner. Unfortunately, the Thai restaurant where we had eaten in the past was no longer there, so we opted to get some pizza instead.	Moxie was more than ready to sample a bit of pizza toppings.
It was wonderfully cool on the outside deck of the pizza parlor.	We pulled into the driveway after driving 189 miles at 4.48 miles-per-kWh since our last charge on this one-day roadtrip. Regen braking had helped boost our range, but the soaring heat where we lived had eroded it.
Speaking of heat, the next day we drove Hedy to the airport in Las Vegas to catch her flight home, and this is what the temperature gauge in Correcaminos displayed.	After arriving back home, mother nature treated us to a colorful sunset.