Today was a strange day. I returned to Los Angeles from Phoenix the night before. I drove there to visit friends, and decided I would feel more comfortable driving a traditional gas vehicle for 400 miles on my own, so I borrowed my mom's Lexus. This morning I left her home with Pepper, in my all electric Bolt. I normally get a full charge at a charging station near her home before I leave, but this time I did not. I had 145 miles (supposedly) left before I would be out of electricity. Since it's only 105 miles door to door, from her home to mine, I figured I would be ok.
Well, around the checkpoint near Camp Pendleton I looked at the odometer and noticed I only had about 35 miles left. I wasn't sure I could make it home, and started to panic. Luckily I had two apps on my phone which told me where nearby charging stations were. I decided to go to the Oceanside train station, where I knew there were a number of charging stations. I got there with about 22 miles left. (car was on reserve at this point). Well, you have to have a registered Blink card to activate the charger, and I don't have that. I only have Chargepoint and Evgo. So, after walking around the train station for 15 minutes and talking to workers, I knew I was not getting the car charged there. Luckily, there was another charging station only a mile away on N. Cleveland, in a public parking garage. I found it easily and plugged in. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I walked out of the parking garage, and discovered a coffee bistro and bar, called Parlor Donuts. What a find. I ordered coffee and a french toast donut. They had maybe a dozen different delectable flavors, and I can't wait to try another. I sat outside the busy cafe, met some lovely people from Oceanside and spent 15 minutes talking with them. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons! I was panicked about running out of power, and in the process, I found a fabulous new coffee and donut shop, met some new friends, and discovered that I CAN work things out if I have to. Next time you're near the train station in Oceanside, try Parlor donuts. They have about 6 locations around the country, including Denver, Nashville, and Evansville, Indiana.
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