6000 Mile EV Road Trip - Stay 15
Vancouver, British Columbia CANADA | July 13-15, 2024
Written by John Martinson
The drive from Revelstoke to Vancouver included a near 4,700-foot descent between Merritt and Hope along the Coquihalla Highway that was quite steep—8% grades over a few 12-mile segments, likely the longest steepest road I have ever been on. Thank goodness for regenerative braking. Tesla caches were left at the Salmon Arm, Kamloops and Hope Superchargers.
We were in Vancouver 2 nights at the OPUS Vancouver in Yaletown and decided to rest and catch up on writing before venturing to the next segment of our trip on Vancouver Island. Our corner hotel room was colorful and spacious with great views of the vibrant city.
For our first night, we ate al fresco at our hotel’s dining room outside on the sidewalk where we counted EVs driving by. The tally after an hour and a half was 105 Teslas (about even between Model 3 and Model Y, 2 Model S), 6 Ford Mustang Mach-E , 2 Hyundai Kona EV, 2 Kia EV6, 2 Chevy Bolts, 1 Chevy Bolt EUV, 1 Ford F-150 Lightning EV, a Polestar 1, 3 Polestar 2, 2 Hyundai Ioniq 5, 1 Chevy Blazer EV, 2 Honda Motocompactos, 1 Kia EV9, 4 Toyota BZX, 2 VW ID.4, and 2 Kia Niro EVs.
As I no longer own a laptop computer, I’ve been doing all my writing on an Apple Vision Pro—Apple’s new spatial computer. It allows me to have multiple large screens open at the same time so I can do research while I am writing. And when I say large, I mean really big, like 4’ x 6’ (that’s feet, not inches) or larger, depending on the size of the room. In fact, at the Prince of Wales hotel in Watertown, one screen was easily 8’ x 12’. Working on such a large screen is so much better as the font size is far more readable. I use a fully functional version of Microsoft Word designed for Apple Vision Pro and I have access to all my files stored on the Apple Cloud including photos. I can also communicate using Teams, Zoom, FaceTime, text, and email. Other native apps include all of the Apple software suite, and I can get anything off the App Store.
There is a lot more functionality, such as the ability to watch movies (including 3D) and TV shows on a wide screen with special sound. The IMAX app is extraordinary. Accessing Panorama photos creates a space such that you can view it as if you were there, and in Environments, you are working in a spatially active environment like a mountain lake during a light rain where you can hear and see the rain drops on the lake. These run in the background while you are working.
The Apple Vision Pro is small, portable, and can be operated on battery for a limited time. Although there is a virtual keyboard, I use my full-size Bluetooth keyboard and other Bluetooth additions such as the Trackpad. When ordering, you provide your eyeglass prescription for inserts that make your headset natural viewing.
Stellar!
