SoCal Year 5 LEAF & EV Gatherings - See Year 6

[garygid]

Good question to raise in the Eastern USA subforum.
You need several things:

1. Find a Manager (and creator) for your LEAF/EV Gatherings thread.

2. Have the Manager create a "New Jersey LEAF/EV Gatherings"
(or similar) thread in the Eastern USA subforum. Only the creator
of the thread can change the thread's title, by editing the first post.

3. Find a suitable location, with sufficient parking, flexible seating,
and some other attraction. I find that food works, something like
Hometown Buffet, or similar. Consider Range and Charging issues.
I generally go test the location, the food, facilities, cleanliness, etc.
and get an OK from the location's management before suggesting
the location for a Gathering. Good PR is important.

4. Choose a date and time that seems reasonable. I use 8 AM,
meeting until about 11 or so, and Saturday morning, when people
often do not have other things scheduled. Avoid holiday weekends.

5. Keep the thread up to date, and consider any helpful suggestions.

6. Go to the "Gathering" and see who else shows up. Hint, take a
friend, and at least you have a nice leasurely breakfast with a friend.

7. Do not leave early, you want to allow for folks arriving late.

 

[garygid]

For those planning ahead (from this thread's first post):

------ 60th month Gatherings - End of our 5th year ------
Gathering #60a: 8 Aug 2015 at the HTB in Cerritos (or ?) for breakfast.
(**) possibly the 15th, what?
Gathering #60b: 29 Aug 2015 a (**) breakfast potluck at Jeanne's home.

------ 59th month Gatherings ------
Gathering #59a: 11 July 2015 at the HTB in Cerritos for breakfast.
Gathering #59b: 25 July 2015 at the HTB on 17th St in Santa Ana.

------ 58th month Gatherings ------
Gathering #58a: 6 June 2015 at the HTB in Cerritos for breakfast.

** Scout out the new Golden Corral in Bellflower for Saturday breakfast at 8 AM on June 13th.
** The first Golden Corral EV breakfast in Bakersfield is on June 20th.

Gathering #58b: 27 June 2015 at the HTB on 17th St in Santa Ana.

------

 

[garygid]

Our next Gathering is in Cerritos at the HTB on South Street, just
2 blocks East of 605. Only 2 days, one hour, and 34 minutes away.

My little Maltese "puppy" Heidi needs your prayers and good energy
to avoid death and empower her to be able to recover. She has been
in critical care since Tuesday evening in the VMSG pet hospital in
San Juan Capistrano. She is my darling, loving, little girl, who has
been there to want up in my arms and to give me a kiss (nose lick)
every single time I came home, for the past 13.5 years.
Please help bring her back to health, and back to her sad "dad".

 

[garygid]

Good News:
The prayers, good energies, God's hands, and the splendid
doctors, along with Heidi's desire to recover and come back
home... are working. She got off the critical list last night,
and is making good progress toward recovering. I feel the
weight of the ages lifting off my sholders.

So, whatever you are doing to help, keep doing it, and my
loving puppy will be able to come home. And the vet people ...
will be able to make the next payment on their yacht.

See you Saturday, in Cerritos.
Sincerely, Gary (and Nancy and Heidi)

 

[tbleakne]

Very grateful to hear that Heidi is recovering. I know she is very special for you.

I heard Bill McKibben, the famous environmentalist (350.org, fighting Keystone Pipeline), give an inspiring speech last night at Pomona College in Claremont.

I will see tomorrow morning whether I feel up for the drive to Cerritos.

 

[garygid]

Thanks Tom,
Although we would like to see you, getting good rest and sleep is
more important. Phil will not be there because his mom just died.
It seems that a lot of folks are needing prayers and good energies.

I hope to arrive with Steve in about 4 hours and 1 minute.

 

[garygid]

Two LEAFs, two Rav4EVs, two Teslas, and a Coda
bringing 8 people, including one new hairstyle,
and one new face.
A smaller group, but with good discussions.

I has a very nice visit with Heidi, for over a half hour,
but she needs to begin eating to get off the IV tube.
Thanks to All, Gary

 

[garygid]

Tomorrow (Saturday) morning we will scout out the new Golden Corral to see if
it is suitable for a Gathering. It looks like an EV Cluster is forming,
with Dori, Richard, and Jason coming, and Phil (and possibly Steve)
riding with me. With 5 or 6, that is a "Cluster" rather than a full-on
Gathering.

Jason and I will spend some time using my CAN-Do
program to examine some Rav4EV data that Jason has been logging.

I intend to get there when it opens for breakfast, at 8 AM.

17308 BELLFLOWER BLVD
BELLFLOWER, CA 90706
(562) 925-5557

This new GC is just a few miles from our Hometown Buffet on South
Street in Cerritos. From the HTB, one would go north on 605
(less than a mile) to 91, and go west on 91 a couple of miles to the
Bellflower exit. Then, go left (South) on Bellflower, under the 91 freeway,
and take the first (immediate) left and you are there. Turn right into
the GC's parking lot.

Anybody is welcome to join us for this "extra" Cluster event, but we
are basically scouting the place, and testing their food, service,
seating possibilities, noise levels, line lengths, and parking.
It could be very crowded, and there might be some pressure
to eat and free up the table for people waiting to sit down.
But, as usual, we will be having a good time

Cheers, Gary

 

[Sondy132001]

So since 4th of July is on a Saturday, will you do the gathering on the 11th ? After all this time I am finally free on Saturdays in July ! In Orange County/Santa Ana ?

 

[91040]

Yes. July 11 in Cerritos. Gary updates the first post in this thread with meeting dates and locations.

We are looking forward to meeting you.

 

[garygid]

Also see the 2nd post on this page.

Tomorrow, 20 June, 4 or 5 of us are going to Bakersfield to help
bolster the EV meetings there.

Saturday the 27th of June, we are at Hometown Buffet in Santa Ana on 17th.
Then, the 11th of July, Gathering in Cerritos, avoiding the weekend of the 4th.

Last week, on the 13th, the Golden Corral in Bellflower was good,
but our 5 reviewers gave it mixed reviews. But, we might try it
sometime for someplace different to Gather.
Possible seating issues, but we were fine, but
their waffle making machines were broken,
so that was a show-stopper for one reviewer.

Cheers all, see you in a week and about 10 hours.

 

[garygid]

The 5 of us had a good adventure going to breakfast in Bakersfield.
Starting before 5 AM, I prepared to leave at 6, getting Heidi fed and
medicated. The scheduled breakfast was at the Golden Corral in
Bakersfield at 9:30. I met Dori just a few miles away at a convenient
hotel, and we got to Jason's home at about 7:30, where we packed
the Tesla with Tom, Jason, and his wife. We made it over the Grapevine
beautifully, in spite of some wind at the pass, and regenerated most of
the way down to the Central Valley. We exchanged some of our
tired out electrons for fresh, fully excited electrons, enough to get us
from the Tejon Ranch Supercharger to the GC, and back, with some
extra for "as needed". We arrived at the GC parking lot at 9:21, and
zipped right in, with no waiting line. First phase well accomplished.

We 5 plus the 3 there, and one latecomer, made a "cluster" of 9,
with our Tesla, a Rav4EV, and 2 LEAFs, I think. Good food and chat,
and our combined experience even taught them a few things.
We hope that they manage to attract more locals for their EV club.

To head homeward at roughly 11:40 or so, we decided to go see the
Majove Supercharger, even though the car warned us that the climb
up to the high desert would likely leave us with only 13% charge, but not
taking into consideration the air conditioning, the extra weight in
the car, the over 100 degree temperatures, or possible headwinds.
After some debate, we decided to drive slower than the speed
limit, and go for the adventure. We made it, and took shelter in
a nearby grocery store, rehydrating, as the car recharged in
the full sun and eye-drying 107 degree heat.

 

[garygid]

Leaving Mojave, taking freeway 14 south through the high desert,
we went through Lancaster and then Palmdale, eventually decending
to pick up I-5 just north of its intersection with 210. From there, it was
just a few miles to Jason's house, and we 5 tumbeled out of the Tesla,
somewhat stiff, sore, and greatly relieved to be able to stretch and rest
a bit. Thanks Jason for the hospitality and good company.

Eventually Dori and I left Sylmar for Orange County, but the traffic
congestion on I-5 was brutal, and the trip home took about 2.5 hours.
However, Heidi was REALLY happy, and greatly relieved, to see me again.

I learned the answer to one question that I did not even know existed:
"How far is too far to drive for breakfast?". :shock: :lol:

 

[JasonA]

Yeah, that day was actually 115* up at Mohave and the SC station actually used battery storage! Actually Chris Howell took a ton of pics!
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/40440-Supercharger-Mojave-(went-LIVE-on-03-27-2015)

Anyways, back at my house.. I had the SINGLE LARGEST USAGE DAY ON RECORD! :lol: :lol: :twisted:

:twisted: 189kw :twisted:

I had my Rav charged.. 2 Tesla's charging... and a Leaf that charged later before midnight.. not including a house that was kept at 74* all day in 98* weather!

:shock:

Sat was a fun day!!!

 

[LeafyD]

What an adventure indeed! That was one of the most fun (and educational EV-wise) road trips I’ve ever taken. The company was wonderful, the food filling, the hosts, Paul and friends were exceptionally welcoming and what great landscape to drive through. From the lines of wind-power propellers as far as the eye could see to the “golden” native flora along the Tejon Ranch perimeter, to the awesomely varied topography winding through the Tehachapis and back down through the Antelope Valley to Jason’s house and the much appreciated rest and visit there. Thanks again Gary, for letting me tag along, and everyone else for the excellent day’s company!

With next week's breakfast in Santa Ana I hope to achieve the "Grand Slam" of four EV breakfast buffet meetups in one month! Of course I'll share this dubious accomplishment with Gary since I've never known our branch manager to miss many meetings, if any.

 

[garygid]

Our next Gathering is in 2 days, 1 hour, and 32 minutes.
Be there to join in the fun and frivolity.

Saturday, the 27th of June, 8 AM and ongoing at the Hometown Buffet
on 17th Street, 2 blocks East of I-5 in Santa Ana. Going East on 17th,
if you cross the train tracks, you have gone about 200 feet too far.

Since the last Gathering, we have eaten in the Golden Corral in Bellflower,
just a couple of miles from our Hometown Buffet in Cerritos, and at the
Golden Corral in Bakersfield, a trip enabled by Tesla's Supercharger
network, using SC's at Tejon Ranch, Mojave, and San Juan Capistrano.

I am planning on arriving at 7:58, but the HTB doors do not open
for breakfast until 8:00. See you there, if the creeks don't rise.

 

[garygid]

Two hours and ten minutes until we Gather again.
Go, go, go.

 

[garygid]

The last Gathering attracted 5 brands of cars, and 13 people.
The next Gathering is in Cerritos, at the HTB there, on 11 July 2015.
August will be the end of 5 years of Gatherings.

 

[garygid]

Happy 4th of July day to all, from Gary, Heidi, and Nancy.
We appreciate all of your support, help, and encouragement.

 

[garygid]

Our next EV Gathering is at the Hometown Buffet in Cerritos, on
this coming Saturday. Join us for breakfast about 96 hours from
now, about 2 blocks East of 605 on the South Street exit.

If anybody needs me to bring anything, please post here.
Cheers, Gary

PS: I believe that today is special at IHOP, with a short stack
of pancakes just 57 cents from 7 AM to 7 PM.