Day 08 / 31

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Tulsa → Branson, MO

Into the Ozarks with the wife

225 miles
~5 drive hours
Lowell AR Supercharger first charge
Indian Point Campground (USACE) tonight

Weather: Rainy 62°F start out of Tulsa, humid Ozark spring with possible storms toward Branson

The day, by the numbers

Miles driven200.8mi
Cost per mile32.0¢ / mi charging
Towing efficiency1.22mi / kWh200.8 mi · 164 kWh
Energy164kWh used · 88 kWh charged across 1 session
Wind20mph ESEMostly headwind
Temperature76°F62 – 90°F range
Peak elevation1,614ft↑ 4,080 ft↓ 3,730 ft
Avg speed40mph · 5 hr moving

Converging on Branson, MO

Three EV trucks, three corners of the country, one campground

Friends meeting up in Branson, MO for a few days. Here's where everyone is as of the morning of May 21, 2026, rolling in from different directions on electrons.

Us @wattreach

Rivian R1T

Waking up in Tulsa, OK

from San Diego, CA

151 mi out
Alan @TesCalendar1

Ford F-150 Lightning

Fishers, IN

from near Toledo, OH

453 mi out
Tom @IAmSuburban

Ford F-150 Lightning

~30 min north of Birmingham, AL

from Florida

413 mi out

Photographs

Day 08 in pictures

The white Rivian R1T and silver Airstream International parked on wet pavement at the Blue Whale of Catoosa on a rainy overcast morning, the blue sperm-whale sculpture sitting in its spring-fed pond in the background among green trees, concrete sphere bollards lining the lot — 1 / 29The Blue Whale of Catoosa in the morning rain. Rig parked by the pond, the smiling blue whale behind.

The "Blue Whale of Catoosa" sign at the attraction entrance, a black starburst-bordered panel with a painted leaping light-blue whale and yellow arrow, mounted above the pond's edge with green trees behind under a grey sky — 1 / 29The Blue Whale of Catoosa in the morning rain. Rig parked by the pond, the smiling blue whale behind.

Enjoying the EV towing data? Fund the next leg →

Stops, in order

The day

photo

Route 66 Rising sculpture

First stop, ~0.4 mi south of Mingo RV Park on Mingo Rd at the Avery Traffic Circle (Mingo Rd + E Admiral Pl), on the original 1926 Route 66 alignment. A 30-ft-tall, 70-ft-long steel Route 66 shield with "Tulsa" across the top, half-submerged in the ground and ringed in swirls of tan and teal. Dedicated 2019 on the site of Cyrus Avery's old motor court. Quick sunrise photo a half mile from the campsite before breakfast.

Map 36.1612, -95.8664
food

Breakfast in Tulsa with Diana

Breakfast spot still open, nothing locked in yet. Coffee at Hometown Coffee in Locust Grove was the morning fuel for now.

Map 36.1539, -95.9928
photo

Blue Whale of Catoosa

Headwind on this leg 20 mph from the ESE

2680 N Highway 66, Catoosa OK 74015, ~15 min northeast of Tulsa on the way to Joplin. The 80-foot smiling blue sperm whale that Hugh Davis built in the early 1970s as an anniversary gift for his wife Zelta, set in a spring-fed swimming pond off Route 66. One of the most beloved roadside stops on the Mother Road, free to visit, easy gravel pull-in for the rig. Quick morning photo stop before the run to Branson.

Map 36.1933, -95.7339
food

Hometown Coffee, Locust Grove

Headwind on this leg 20 mph from the ESE

203 S Main St, Locust Grove OK, on US-412 east of the Blue Whale. Coffee stop in the restored City Drug Store building, the original "Cigars / City Drug Store / Ice Cream Soda & Mineral Water" sign still hangs over a full soda fountain (syrup bottles, a red tractor-seat stool). Out back is a "Welcome to Our Porch" lounge with mismatched vintage couches, a wall of books, Connect Four, and a world map. The barista wrote "Have a great trip!" on the cup sleeve, and the restroom sign settles the whole debate: "Whatever... just wash your hands." A genuinely warm small-town stop.

Map Official site 36.1985, -95.1681
charge

Lowell AR Supercharger

Headwind on this leg 20 mph from the ESE Climbs this leg +650 ft

10:25 AM CDT, 898 W Monroe Ave, Lowell AR, the day's only DC fast charge. 87.82 kWh in 33 min on a 350 kW stall, $36.88 ($0.38/kWh + 9.75 percent AR tax). Trip B from Mingo on arrival: 111.6 mi at 1.15 mi/kWh (96 kWh used). A white GM BrightDrop electric delivery van pulled in to charge right next to the R1T and Airstream, a fun EV-on-EV moment at the Walmart-country Supercharger. 70°F, elevation 1,321 ft.

Map 36.2553, -94.1528
scenic

Missouri state line ("Missouri Welcomes You")

Crosswind on this leg 20 mph from the ESE

~11:47 AM CDT. Crossed from Arkansas into Missouri on the two-lane up toward Branson, the "Missouri Welcomes You" sign just past a railroad underpass in the Ozark woods. Last state line of the outbound leg, Branson is the turnaround.

Map 36.4985, -93.9318
sleep

Indian Point Campground

Headwind on this leg 20 mph from the ESE Descends this leg −600 ft

Multi-night stay begins, the basecamp for Branson over the holiday weekend. Starlink keeps us online to get work done from the lake while the Rivian R1T comes off towing duty for around-town runs. Four nights here.

Map 36.6302, -93.3510

By the numbers

Day 08, logged

Miles driven: 201 mi
Efficiency: 1.22 mi/kWh 820 Wh/mi
Avg speed: 40 mph
Energy used: 164 kWh
Moving time: 5 h
Total climbed: 4080 ft
Total descended: 3730 ft
Temp range: 62, 90 °F
Avg temp: 76 °F
Wind: 20 mph ESE

Day 8 final, Tulsa to Branson via the US-412 / NW Arkansas route (not the I-44 / Joplin line): 200.8 mi at 1.22 mi/kWh, ~164 kWh used. Trip A closed at Indian Point at 1,946.1 mi (1,946.1 - 1,745.3 leaving Mingo = 200.8). Two clean legs, Mingo to the Lowell AR Supercharger, 111.6 mi at 1.15 mi/kWh (96 kWh), run in the rain into a stiff E/SE wind (KXNA + KTUL averaged ~20 mph, gusting to 33-41), then Lowell to Indian Point, 89.3 mi at 1.30 mi/kWh (68 kWh) once the rain cleared and the road tipped down toward the lake. Rainy 62°F start out of Mingo (overnight L2 there had added 103.9 kWh, unplugged 7:08 AM at 87 percent); the rig read ~90°F parked in the afternoon sun at camp, though official Branson air topped near 75°F. The day's only DC fast charge was Lowell (10:25 AM, 87.82 kWh in 33 min, $36.88) with a BrightDrop electric van on the next stall. Morning stops: Route 66 Rising (7:12 AM), the Blue Whale of Catoosa in the rain (7:30 AM), Hometown Coffee in the old Locust Grove City Drug Store (8:30 AM), then the Missouri state line (~11:47 AM). Pulled into Indian Point on Table Rock Lake ~3:35 PM and set up the Airstream lakeside. Branson is the turnaround: the trailer stays parked here four nights on 50A (charging at will), and the Rivian comes off towing duty for around-town adventures, we will keep logging its untethered efficiency while it runs solo.

Charging sessions

1 session · 87.82 kWh added · 33m · $36.88

Tesla Supercharger

Lowell AR Supercharger

Added

87.82 kWh

Duration

33m

Cost

$36.88

10:25 AM CDT, 898 W Monroe Ave, Lowell AR 72745. 87.8209 kWh delivered in 33 min on a 350 kW DC stall (S/N GF29202020G1M-3). $0.38/kWh × 87.8209 = $33.60 + 9.75 percent AR tax $3.28 = $36.88 total (Invoice 3000P0309062680). The day's single paid charge; took the US-412 route through NW Arkansas rather than I-44 to Joplin. Trip B from Mingo on arrival: 111.6 mi at 1.15 mi/kWh, 96 kWh used. Trip A: 1,856.8 mi at 1.2 mi/kWh trip-to-date (1,856.8 - 1,745.3 = 111.5 mi, a clean match to the Trip B).

Nearby: Lowell sits between Springdale and Rogers in the Walmart-HQ corner of NW Arkansas, so the Supercharger draws a steady EV crowd, a GM BrightDrop electric delivery van pulled in to charge right alongside the R1T and Airstream. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is ~15 min north in Bentonville if the schedule had room.

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

Tesla Supercharger

Lowell AR Supercharger

898 W Monroe Ave, Lowell AR 72745. 350 kW DC stalls in NW Arkansas, the day's one and only paid charge. We took the US-412 route southeast through Locust Grove and Siloam Springs into NW Arkansas instead of the I-44 / Joplin line, then up US-65 to Branson. 87.82 kWh in 33 min, $0.38/kWh + 9.75 percent tax = $36.88.