Coronado Cays residents Sue Steven and Craig Blasingame, described by friend Patricia “Pat” Clabuesch as adventurous, decided to cycle from the Canadian border to the Mexican border, along the west coast. They coordinated the beginning of their trip with picking up their brand new car, a Tesla 85S, at the factory. Their plan involves one person biking while the other does necessary errands like charging the car, securing groceries and posting to a blog they started so their friends can follow their journey. Some time each afternoon, they will switch positions and the other person will cycle.
Their quest down the coast began September 15, 2014 as they picked up a new all-electric vehicle at the Tesla factory in Fremont, California. They received a tour of the factory and then drove to a body shop where they had the back of the car taken apart so that a hitch could be installed for their bike rack. Sue and Craig, both retired, embarked on this unusual voyage to, in their words, avoid “becoming antiquated when it comes to technology.”
Since the Tesla is a completely electric car, the learning curve for the couple was steep as they soaked in how to drive the vehicle, seek and find charging stations, and monitor the energy use. Along the way, their accommodations have included a hotel, a hostel, Warm Showers hosts, a tent and the back of the car. If the places they stayed had a charging station, they could sleep in the car and not worry about emissions because it’s completely electric. They found, though, that once they entered California, none of the state parks offer electric hookups. This forced them to change their routine slightly; now, they charge the car during lunchtime.
Along the way they have met other cyclists and enjoyed the magnificent scenery that the west coast has to offer. They took a dune buggy ride in the Oregon dunes and toured the Tillamook cheese factory. They toured a few lighthouses and met friends in Half Moon bay for dinner. The stay in Santa Cruz ended up being two nights (a day off from riding) because Big Sur (the next stop) was booked for the three- day weekend (Columbus day). They were able to enjoy a private tour of the Long Marine Center given by Pat’s son, Steven.
The scenery has been wonderful and the people have been friendly and interesting, but Sue and Craig are looking forward to seeing their friends in Coronado again. They plan to roll up to the California-Mexico border today, Saturday, October 25. Pat and other friends will be there to meet them. If you would like to join them, 10 a.m. is the time and Border Field State Park is the place.
Pat has known the couple for about a year. They are “a cool couple” according to Pat, and she wanted to share their adventure with eCoronado.com readers. Sue and Craig’s adventures aren’t limited to their biking expedition, however.
Pat says she first met the couple at the Coronado Cays Yacht club, where the three are on the same trivia team. CCYC hosts a trivia night each week on Monday nights and Pat estimates there are usually about 80 people who attend. It gets pretty competitive as teams vie for prizes and bragging rights. Pat said, “I look forward to it every week! We love having Sue and Craig on our trivia team. They are both so smart.”
They are also a fun and generous couple. Each month, as part of a program that Sue organized for the Yacht Club, folks kayak into the bay to watch the full moon rise. Pat has some physical limitations that could limit her ability to participate, but she is able to get out and enjoy this event because of Craig’s help. He carries her from the shore to the kayak and back when they are finished.
If you’d like to know more about Craig and Sue’s biking adventure, you can see the route they took and each stop they made by visiting this website, and can read the blog they wrote during the trip here.
All photos courtesy of Sue Steven and Craig Blasingame.
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Kellee Hearther
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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