MY BLUE TESLA

Each year I make at least one or more trips to Las Vegas from the San Francisco Bay Area to attend conferences. On my first Model S road trip, the mission was to see if the Supercharging experience lived up to the hype - it worked well enough on the way to Vegas. That said, going from Harris Ranch and having to route through Tejon Ranch and then going to Barstow felt like a bit of a detour. When looking at the map, you’re essentially going down south to get to Tejon Ranch, then going back up north/east to get to Barstow. It’s a rather inefficient path.

Now that the Mojave Supercharger is available, there’s no need to divert through Tejon Ranch and I can route through Bakersfield.

Most Supercharger stops that I’ve been to have had plenty of options for dining and taking a break. At Mojave’s Supercharger, however, the options are quite slim. The 6 charging stalls are right in front of Anthony’s Grill serving Mexican food. I stopped by here on my way to Vegas and the food was pretty good. It’s in the middle of a desert so it was quite the dry heat.

There's a Stater Bros. market nearby and a few other old businesses like a Radio Shack, but otherwise any usual entertainment options are relatively few. In addition, Anthony’s Grill is closed on Sundays so if you stop by then with an empty stomach, you’ll have to look elsewhere like the Barbie's Primo Burgers a few steps away (http://www.yelp.com/biz/barbies-primo-burgers-mojave).

That said, Anthony's Grill mentions the Superchargers on their website. If you're reading this and en route to Mojave for a stop, their menu is online to plan your meal ahead: http://www.anthonysgrillmojave.com/.

So while the location is convenient between I-5 and Las Vegas, it’s a small town so set your expectations accordingly..