[mobike008]

Last weekend, I casually opened the WSDOT App (Washington State Department of Transport) where I can see LIVE cameras on every route in the state of Washington including mountain passes.

Below is just a sample of the LIVE views. That day, it was even better visual with snow falling which was the primary reason for making this visit.

I was home alone so I decided to immediately drive to my most favorite Mountain Pass which is not far from home- Stevens Pass.

Stevens Pass is about 55 miles from home and is exactly half-way to German inspired town of Leavenworth, Washington (Leavenworth is touted as the most Christmassy town in entire US).

I woke up leisurely and left home at 1:00 pm and enjoyed the backroads for about 15 miles to connect to the highway which is another 40 miles to the Stevens Pass.

When I left home the weather was rainy and cloudy but, as I neared the Pass, the weather turned out to be gorgeous and sunny.

The plan was simple, drive to the Pass, spend an hour or so flying the drones and then drive back. I haven't been using the drone much and still a newbie so the movements in the video would be jerky and shaky.

Another plan was to drive the Tesla in snow for the first time and test out the new tires and how they perform. This will be my first stint with the Tesla in the cold snow capped mountains and other than it's driving performance, I was also curious to see how the battery charge held up.

I enjoyed my lunch enroute which consisted of a fruit platter.

When I reach Stevens Pass which is around 6000 feet above sea level, I always get a sense of awe and amazement as this place is a different world yet so close to the actual civilization. The mountain ranges are heavily snow capped and everything is “PURE WHITE” to the eyes.

Stevens Pass is a popular skiing destination is one amongst many in Washington. I enquired once and was surprised to note that usually the skiing sessions are sold out at least a year in advance.

Stevens Pass : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevens_Pass

I spent an hour flying the drone and then found spots where I can drive the car in reasonable amount of snow (6-12 inches) and was glad to see how much difference good tires make. It was driving without losing any traction and I was not stuck anywhere in the snow.

Compare this to last year December (2023), when there was an unexpected blizzard outside home and the Tesla had become a swinging machine as the car would dangerously slide and lose traction even with the slightest input of acceleration.

It was a scary drive and for the times it was snowing, I would not take the car out as Pirelli Summer Performance tires was a near death call in snowy conditions.

Anyway, long story short :

Left Home at 1:00 pm and reached at 2:00 pm (55 Miles)
Spent about 2-hours in Stevens Pass
Started my return drive at 4:00 pm and reached home at 5:30pm (Heavy traffic always on return drive as folks going home after skiing)

Charge Stats :

I left home with 80% charge and reached the pass with only 47% charge left.
I drove around a bit and the charge dropped to 41%.
Thoughts crossed my mind if I can reach home without a charging stop as range drops in cold weather (It was -5 Celsius)
As soon as I crossed the mountains, the range altered and despite the heavy traffic, I reached home with 20% charge left. So, basically about 60% of charge was used to drive about 140 miles which is not bad considering the weather conditions.

In the short duration of ~ 5 hours- I witnessed all the seasons

It was raining when I left home
Then it got sunny & spectacular for most part of the drive
It snowed briefly on the pass
Rain & Sleet made there way and the drive got a bit complicated
Then it became super foggy with almost nil visibility
Finally, fog cleared up and skies became cloudy on the return drive

Cheers & Hope you enjoyed the surreal & beautiful views of the Pacific North-West in winters. !!!

WSDOT App



This is the view when I open the WSDOT app. It's refreshed every 5 minutes.



Stevens Pass, Washington.

[mobike008]

Here are some pictures of the spectacular views enroute and at Stevens Pass, Washington.

[mobike008]

Here are some pictures of the Rosso Diablo posing in snow. It was really fun to drive the Tesla in snow with the Continental tires.

They really gave me the confidence unlike the previous set of tires. All seasons are so much better than summer tires. I'm sure something like the Michelin X which is a hard core winter tire would give even more supreme confidence.





















Here are some drone shots from my basic Drone- DJI Mini 3. The image quality is just basic considering it's almost like a starter drone.

I intended to practice on this one before upgrading to a nicer one.

https://youtu.be/LLd1oj7A8Y8

Driving towards Stevens Pass- Surreal atmosphere all around.

https://youtu.be/p0Wd-Ty6hS8

[mobike008]

As I mentioned in my first post, December 2023 we encountered a snow blizzard right where we live.

PNW is not known for heavy snow (in cities) unlike the Midwest or East Coast. We get our fair amount of snow each year but, not the crazy kind that other regions in the US experiences each winter.

Last year, the Tesla was on its stock Pirellii Summer Performance tires and look at the conditions right outside our home. It was a blizzard and it snowed continuously for 2-days. In this condition, driving on summer tires was scary like hell as the car would sway all over the place if I braked hard. So I had to use regen and chill mode and keep a bigger distance between cars to carefully navigate back home.

This was one experience that made me not use the Tesla in snowy conditions. But, this trip to Stevens Pass renewed my confidence and I see why there is so much importance of people maintaining 2 sets of tires (one for winters).

But, I prefer taking the middle path- High End All Seasons that do a reasonably good job of keep you safe in snow conditions.

This is our home community during that blizzard. It was unrecognizable...lol!



Tesla peeking out from the garage. It was heaving a sigh of relief that it's now inside 4-walls..



All these pictures are right outside home. It looks beautiful in the pictures but, it was pretty dangerous to drive in these conditions.



Don't need to drive 50+ miles for these views and sometimes we get it right at home.















A few more videos of the drive to Stevens Pass. If you view the videos, it might give you a perspective of how surreal that location is.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=jZrzmGtNgwQ?feature=share

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hfc5LOJz5C0?feature=share

Arriving at Stevens Pass. Each time I visit, it just blows my mind away.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=dSaMUpIBOrQ

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[SilverSmoke]

It's thrilling even in pictures & videos - can't imagine what it will be like going on LIVE!

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by SilverSmoke

It's thrilling even in pictures & videos - can't imagine what it will be like going on LIVE!

Thanks. It is absolutely surreal and pictures cannot do justice to real views.

And, this is just the beginning of winters. Snowfall and snow on the ground will remain until May and sometimes even till June.