Colter and Jaego Short are my guests for this episode of the podcast, emanating from Bozeman, Montana. We leave tomorrow for the 2,500-mile drive to Maine in the Model Y. Stay tuned!

Today's drive in the Model Y from Longmont, Colorado, to Casper, Wyoming, was undramatic compared with yesterday's challenge downloading and installing the new operating software. That made it possible to enjoy every mile of the prairie scenery and to enjoy Grace's very smooth ride. In the photo, she gets a quick boost of juice at a Tesla Supercharger in Wheatland, Wyoming.

Greetings from Colorado! I picked up Grace, the new (used) Tesla Model Y, today in Boulder and thought I would have an easy time downloading the last software and installing it in the car. As it turned out there was some drama involved, at a McDonalds. Tomorrow Grace and I will head north to the Cowboy State en route to reconnecting with Darlene later this week in Bozeman, Montana. Onward!

In two days I will pick up Grace, our 2020 new (used) Tesla Model Y at a Toyota dealership in Boulder, Colorado. Very exciting, especially because a major new software update from Tesla is offering owners the chance to request the Full Self Driving Beta. My ace sales guy John David Herbert at Larry Miller Toyota is going to download and install the software update and tap on the request button for FSD. Much appreciated, John David!

A lot has happened on our Tesla adventure during the two years since the last episode of this show. In this recap, you will hear why we traded in Tess for a Model Y named Yoshi the Bitmobile, and what happened on August 22nd in Lyman, Maine. Stay tuned for future episodes of Edge of the Road, as we return to the Great American West for the next chapter. 

This is the view out my window here in Cambridge, where we are visiting for a week before heading back to Denver. This gives me a chance to catch up with the latest system update on Tess, which adds autopilot on navigation capabilities. Also, the automatic parking seems to be improved, or I am getting more used to it. This month marks a year of Tesla ownership and 12,000 miles of electric joy. 

My cousin Kevin Tighe and I compare notes on our Model 3's. His, a blue number like the one shown above, arrived two months ago. Ours is parked in our neighbors' yard in Cambridge while we are in Denver. Kevin and I connected today by Skype and agreed--we love this car!

On the Road to Maine

I'm sorry for the long hiatus without uploading an episode of this show. Life has been complicated lately. 

But here we are, riding in Tess up I-95 to Ocean Park in the off season, a beautiful time of year to be in Maine. 

You will hear a list of minor problems that have developed since we last spoke, and why they don't in any way diminish my love for the Tesla Model 3. 

It's the future on wheels. 

It's been almost three months since I took delivery of our Tesla Model 3. Last night was the first time my wife Darlene has driven it, and I recorded the historic event. She says she wanted me to have time to learn the complexities of the car, which I may have over-emphasized. Behind the wheel, her first reaction was "What's the big deal?" 

My cousin Jim, by comparison, went into orbit with delight when I took him for a test drive. You'll hear both of them in this episode.

My apology for the poor audio quality of my recording in the car. I'm not sure why my Zoom HD 1 did such a poor job, and I trimmed as much of the distortion as possible.

If you have questions or comments, please email me at PodChronicles AT gmail DOT com. 

Thanks for listening!

I finally received a wireless update of our Tesla Model 3's software today. Version 2018.26.1 includes the Summon feature, which enables me to move Tess forward or back using the Tesla app on my iPhone. This is a very weird experience, because you feel as if you are operating a toy car with a remote control, except the toy car is suddenly huge--a real car that's acting like a toy. It goes very slowly, and you have to keep your finger on the Forward or Reverse button the whole time.

Also in this episode, I will tell you what I learned on a round trip drive to Boston and back from Ocean Park, Maine, this week. Short version: driving with AutoPilot features is simply less of an energy drain than unassisted driving, especially if you find yourself driving into a major city like Boston during rush hour.