Now, Kyle was in the military for 24 years and I suspect he got used to waking people up at ungodly hours. He had clearly developed a successful technique because at 4.30am the house started shaking with the sweet sounds of Dire Straits and the Sultans of Swing. If that wasn’t enough to stir us from our slumbers, then his next act of human alarm clock was even more extreme; a blur as Kyle ran down the stairs accompanied by the some of the most famous words on the trip so far: “WAKE UP MAAAAAAAAN!”. This was repeated several times as he excitedly bounced around the room like a tennis ball on steroids!

And before we knew it he was shaking us out of our sleeping bags and getting us on our feet. It was by far the most vigorous and effective wakeup call we had ever had. He then introduced us to “3 in 1 American flavoured Mongolian Coffee” which certainly helped the waking up process. If any one of you have a logical explanation of precisely what 3 in 1 American flavoured Mongolian Coffee is, please let me know. Anyway, it certainly was tasty, and before long we were readying the SRZero and support van for the next leg.

With the desert sun rising in front of us, the convoy of the SRZero, support vehicle, motorbike and Kyle’s car headed off with Nik and Kyle leading in the SRZero. For half an hour we drove east on the famed Route 66 until we came to Barstow which is where Kyle had to leave us to go to work. It was unfortunate to see him depart as over the last 36 hours he had somehow become an integral and cherished member of the team. We wish him all the best for the future and we hope that he can find the time to bunk work and join us on our travels somewhere!

After Barstow we headed east and after a few more hours of boiling hot desert sun (even though it was still so early in the morning) the infamous skyline of Las Vegas loomed up ahead. After seeing this city in so many films and pictures, it was a surreal and giddy experience driving up to the Strip in such an outrageous car!

Now, I have had one or two emails from misinformed individuals who lambast RGE for being a disorganised rabble. The truth is that this is far from the case, and for most days we have several contingency plans for where we can charge the car and get some sleep ourselves. On this occasion, we had several options, all offered by the kind members of the local Las Vegas Electric Vehicle Association (LVEVA). However, being on the Strip with the SRZero, we felt we had to try our luck at one of the big hotels.

And so we headed for the Mirage, which was highly recommended to us by some friends as a fantastic place to stay! In we drove into their carriage driveway; jaws brushed the floor as we silently cruised by and came to a halt outside the main entrance. Before long we had several of the managers outside, and the team were animatedly explaining to them how we had the idea of charging the car up in their facility, and then displaying it in the middle of the entrance for all to see. Oh, and we wanted to hold a media event there.

They were a little shocked to say the least, but in true Las Vegas style, they made it happen, and all the necessary clearances and permissions where swiftly obtained from the higher authorities! And to polish it all off, we were offered a highly discounted rate to stay in their hotel…perfect! The hotel’s engineers were sent down to help us locate a plug while the rest of the team happily chatted away to the growing audience. While doing so, the local contingent of EV enthusiasts came by to see the hotel, and as with San Francisco several days earlier, we spent a happy while going into detail about the car and project.

After just 2 more hours, the car was on charge in a secure part of the hotel’s garage, we were checked into the hotel, showered, changed, and ready to explore a little. As for the rest of the day, there’s a famous saying which goes something like: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!”

We completely agree!

As always though, it was never as easy as expected. While Toby and I were on our way back from LA, we heard from the others that the chargers had tripped the circuit breakers in Kyle’s house early on in the night and we had nowhere near enough charge to make it to Vegas today. Damn!

So, after resetting the circuit breakers and getting the car back on charge, all we could do was wait. The hotel was kind enough to let us hang around for a bit longer without paying, but soon they kicked us out and Kyle welcomed us into his home for the day. Here, we made best use of the internet by catching up on emails, web updates, and blogging. But soon the lake (yes, a lake in the middle of the desert believe it or not!) beckoned and we had to take a quick swim and kayak in the lake to refresh ourselves.

However, other than work and the occasional swim, not much else happened aside from checking on the car and ensuring that it was charging, which it was. We calculated that the car would be ready for the drive to Vegas at 5am the next morning, so we took the opportunity to catch a few hours to sleep before the early start.

Throughout the day, Kyle allowed us free access to his house and possessions in a demonstration of complete generosity and relaxation, despite how keen he was to have a drive in the car. In fact, Kyle was the coolest, most laid back guy we had met so far on the trip, and it was really great getting to know him while stranded in the desert. So, a big thanks from team RGE to Kyle!