7,000 miles of road trip memories
From Colorado peaks to desert dams, with a flat-tired Tesla in between
Late last year, I drove across the country and back again. If you've never done it, I can't recommend it enough — from purple mountains to fruited plains, there's so much to see in our beautiful, magnificent country. Here's a selection of some of my favorite pictures that will hopefully inspire you to take a trip of your own and, if you learn from my trials and tribulations, make sure to pick up roadside assistance coverage before you go.
Winter in the Rockies.
A lesson learned the hard way: the Model 3 doesn't have a spare... and Tesla roadside assistance doesn't cover third-party tires. Make sure you have a Friend With A Truck nearby if you're going to get a flat. Props to Nokian Tires for getting a replacement tire to the middle of Colorado in less than 48 hours.
Found some holiday spirit along the way.
An unexpected roadside companion.
Miles of empty road in eastern Arizona.
Old meets new — from steam power to hydroelectric.
About our sponsor: I'm excited to partner with Nokian Tires. I've been running their winter tires on my own vehicles for years — both the studded and non-studded versions — long before they sent me free ones. Nokian has been making specialized winter tires since 1936, and they're genuinely the experts when it comes to cold-weather performance. What else would you expect from the Finnish?
They've also just launched the Surpass AS01, a new ultra-high-performance tire designed for longer tread life than typical UHP options.
Happy to answer any questions about tire choices for your specific vehicle and driving conditions — just hit reply to this email.
