The other day we were driving up to Vancouver from Seattle when a new Tesla Supercharger popped up on our navigation dashboard. Apparently a new Arlington Supercharger opened up a little while ago to add one more charging option along this drive route and we thought we would check it out.
We usually stop in Burlington to charge. We love that there are close bathrooms and a variety of food options including a coffee stand, a Jack in the Box, a burger restaurant and a Starbucks within a short walking distance. This route is also close to the Chuckanut Drive turnoff if we want to take a scenic drive. It’s also a necessity to stop here because there are a lot fewer charging stations in Vancouver BC. And on the return trip from Vancouver to Seattle, I love stopping in the summer months because there is usually a fantastic fresh berry stand nearby the charging station too. When we got our Tesla, I didn’t know if we would like stopping to charge, but we have really enjoyed our stops as a family because we usually find new things we wouldn’t have had we not had to stop and my guys all love bringing footballs and other toys to play with outside to break up the 3 hour drive.
We were excited to see what fun things we would find at this new charging station. To get to the Arlington Supercharger we followed the signs to the Angel of the Winds Casino and headed down a pretty, pastoral 2 mile drive off of the I-5. I love driving past farmland in new places so I was pretty excited to explore this area.
When we arrived at the casino, the Superchargers were easy to spot-they were right next to the gas station and it was amazing to see how many stalls there were. The Arlington Supercharger has 16 supercharging stations in comparison to the 8 we usually have in Mount Vernon. We also noticed about 4 other free electric vehicle spots nearby and 4 Tesla travel plugs too.
But this is where we began to feel a little stuck. With two young boys in the car, we looked at the bathroom at the nearby gas station and decided to head to the casino and hotel to see if there were any other options. Unfortunately the coffee stand in the casino was closed, and there was a restaurant that looked nice but we weren’t really planning on staying for long enough to have a sit-down meal. We found a couple bathrooms inside too but there was a long wait for the one my kids could use. And because many people were smoking near the entrances of the casino, the inside was pretty smoky too and I only saw one other family with children in the lobby so I wasn’t sure if we were really supposed to be there with kids.
We went for a little wander outside and the parking lot is quite huge so there is a lot of space for walking. I think if we were to charge here again we would probably pack a picnic or pick up something on our way to eat and just munch near the car and play football while we wait. I really wish there were more options for families at this charging station-it is in such a great location for us to stop on our way back to Seattle and the area is really pretty.
(PS. If you are shopping for a Tesla model S or X and need a referral code we have a few left on this referral.)
(PPS. Do you drive electric with your family? I’d love to hear about your experiences. Thanks!)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
This is awesome! And I would LOVE a Tesla – what a fun ride!