Sunday, May 17, 2026

Painted Desert + arrival at American RV Resort

Color-soaked Painted Desert badlands, then I-40 east into Albuquerque

Weather: Cool morning at Holbrook (73°F at 8:44 AM); warm afternoon at Gallup (81°F at 3:07 PM) with 15 mph wind from the south-southwest (KGUP).

The day, by the numbers

  1. Miles driven252mi
  2. Towing efficiency1.25mi / kWh252 mi · 202 kWh
  3. Energy202kWh used · 220 kWh charged across 2 sessions
  4. Peak charge rate219kW
  5. Wind15mph SSWMostly crosswind
  6. Temperature77°F73 – 82°F range
  7. Peak elevation7,251ft↑ 3,810 ft↓ 3,310 ft
  8. Avg speed53mph · 4.8 hr moving
Photographs

Day 04 in pictures

Stops, in order

The day

  1. charge

    Holbrook RAN

    8:19 AM start to 9:15 AM end (56m 16s). 101.14 kWh added at charger US-TWN-5TD-1A, $65.74 gross at $0.65/kWh, net $0.00 via referral perk. Trip A morning baseline: 754.0 mi at 1.24 mi/kWh (~604 kWh trip-to-date).

  2. must do

    Petrified Forest NP, North Entrance

    Tailwind on this leg 15 mph from the SSW Climbs this leg +550 ft

    Enter from I-40 exit 311. Hit the Painted Desert overlooks along the north rim; we did Tiponi → Kachina → Pintado as a quick morning loop and exited back to I-40 east.

  3. photo

    Tiponi Point Overlook

    First Painted Desert overlook. Morning light, big sky, eroded red bentonite badlands all the way to the horizon.

  4. photo

    Kachina Point / Painted Desert Inn

    Historic 1930s adobe inn at the rim, small museum, classic overlook.

  5. photo

    Pintado Point

    Best wide-angle Painted Desert view in the park. Wall-edge overlook, easy pull-in for the rig.

  6. charge

    Gallup RAN

    Tailwind on this leg 15 mph from the SSW Climbs this leg +800 ft

    3:07 PM arrival, 3:08:22 PM start to 4:13:27 PM end (1h 5m 5s). 119.8 mi from Holbrook RAN at 1.19 mi/kWh (100 kWh used, ~2h moving). 118.52 kWh added on charger US-C6H-WQQ-3B, $58.08 gross at $0.49/kWh, net $0 via referral perk. Battery up to 95°F on the I-40 climb, motor temps 127 to 138°F, ambient 81°F. Trip A cumulative at arrival: 873.8 mi at 1.24 mi/kWh, 704 kWh, 18h 59m moving.

  7. sleep

    American RV Resort

    Crosswind on this leg 15 mph from the SSW Descends this leg −750 ft

    West side of Albuquerque off I-40 exit 149, 50-amp FHU. End of the Painted Desert + Breaking Bad House day.

Mission, the senior black-and-tan German Shepherd, walking on artificial-turf inside a chain-link dog run at the Holbrook KOA at sunrise, with the silver Airstream and the KOA office cabin visible through the fence behind him
Day 04 Mission, first dog-run lap at the Holbrook KOA. 5:42 AM, sun barely up.

Towing segments this day

The charge-to-charge data, leg by leg.

Every towing leg logged today off the Rivian dashboard, with its elevation profile. Open one for the full per-segment data: efficiency, energy, grade, wind, temperature, and battery state of charge.

Charging plan

Where the electrons come from

  • RAN charge Rivian Adventure Network

    Holbrook RAN

    Charger US-TWN-5TD-1A. 300 kW max DC, 500A max current. Rivian rate $0.65/kWh, other-vehicle rate $0.67/kWh, idle fee $0.50/min after a 10 min grace. ~1 mi south of the Holbrook KOA, perfect first charge of the day before the Petrified Forest run.

  • RAN charge Rivian Adventure Network

    Gallup RAN

    Charger US-C6H-WQQ-3B. 300 kW max DC, 500A max current. Rivian rate $0.49/kWh, other-vehicle rate $0.58/kWh. Stencil-marked "EV Trailer Parking Only" stall behind the Gallup Safeway, easy in and out for the rig. 118.52 kWh in 64 min, $58.08 gross, net $0 via referral perk.

Common questions about Day 04

Where is the Holbrook Rivian Adventure Network charger?
Holbrook RAN sits about 1 mi south of the Holbrook KOA Journey, a quick first charge of the day before the Petrified Forest NP run. Charger ID US-TWN-5TD-1A. The pedestal is rated 300 kW DC max, 500A max current, with Rivian-vehicle pricing at $0.65/kWh and other-vehicle pricing at $0.67/kWh (idle fee $0.50/min after a 10 min grace). Our 101.14 kWh fill in 56 minutes had a gross of $65.74; net $0.00 via the Rivian referral perk.
What is real-world EV-with-Airstream efficiency on I-40 east from Holbrook to Gallup?
Our Rivian R1T Tri-Max towing a 23 ft Airstream International held 1.19 mi/kWh on the 119.8 mi Holbrook → Petrified Forest → Gallup leg of I-40 east. 100 kWh used over about 2 hours moving, climbing from 5,000 ft Holbrook up to 6,500 ft along the way with the Painted Desert overlook loop tucked in. Battery temperature climbed to 95°F under 81°F ambient (no thermal taper at the next charge). Plan range as ~180 mi between charges on this section of I-40.

Detailed charging data

14 receipts, app screens, pedestal displays, and Rivian dashboard readouts. Click through with the arrows; tap the tile to view full size.

Trip A 754.0 mi at the Holbrook RAN, 9:29 AM check. 604 kWh trip-to-date.
Trip B 95.1 mi at Holbrook morning, last leg from Flagstaff plus the KOA hop.
Holbrook RAN pedestal at unplug. 101.14 kWh in 56 min, $65.74 gross at $0.65/kWh.
Holbrook RAN pricing card. 300 kW DC max, $0.65/kWh for Rivians. Net $0 via referral.
Gallup arrival. Trip B 119.8 mi from Holbrook at 1.19 mi/kWh, 100 kWh, battery 95°F on the climb.
Trip A 873.8 mi cumulative at Gallup. 18h 59m of moving.
Trip A efficiency. 1.24 mi/kWh, 704 kWh cumulative through Gallup.
Trip A 754.0 mi at Holbrook RAN, 9:44 AM with the morning 73°F ambient on the status bar.
Trip B 95.1 mi rollup at Holbrook RAN. 1.2 mi/kWh, 79 kWh through the Flagstaff to Holbrook leg + this morning's KOA hop.
Energy Monitor at Gallup. Last Charge Session breakdown from the Holbrook stop, climate and drivetrain pulls broken out.
Plug-in at Gallup. 21% SoC, targeting 100%, charger US-C6H-WQQ-3B starting to ramp.
Gallup RAN pedestal at unplug. 118.52 kWh in 1h 4m, $58.08 gross at $0.49/kWh. Net $0 via referral.
Gallup RAN pricing card. 300 kW DC max, $0.49/kWh for Rivians.
Gallup RAN receipt. 118.52 kWh in 1h 5m 5s, 218.75 kW peak, $0.00 net.