kazfather
New Member
- First Name
- Charlie
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2026
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 3
- Location
- Hilton Head Island SC
- Vehicles
- 2026 R1S
- Occupation
- techie
- Thread starter
- #1
Took a day trip up to Roan Mountain Tennessee for the Rhododendron festival and tried out the Rivian Adventure network for the first time since owning our 2026 R1S dual performance.
On the way we stopped at Holy Smokes Texas style BBQ and shared a meal. The brisket was amazing and the staff were super friendly. Had some great conversations with the fellow patrons that mostly revolved around dogs of course.
When we got to the festival we were concerned about parking and then as we charted our course towards the RAN charger we were pleasantly surprised that both chargers were open and operational.. We parked at the ranger station and plugged in with no issues. Talked to the ranger and picked out a hiking trail that ended up being a bit more strenuous than we had expected. A few hours later we finished our 5 mile loop and the car had more energy than we started (us not so much) when we left our house at Lake James in Morganton NC.
Unfortunately, we missed the full blooms of the rhododendrons by a week or so and a recent storm had knocked down most of the remaining ones. We didn’t go to the festival either as we opted to hike over hitting the vendors. Next year we will plan better
From there we drove another 8 miles up to Carvers gap with our pups Penny and Benny. Yeah I know… who names their dogs like that? I guess we do. Anyhow the view from Carvers gap was amazing as there is a panoramic view of NC, TN, and VA mountains from the top. the weather was amazing and at least 10 degrees cooler than where we started in the foothills.
Overall, we had a great ad-hoc adventure, hiked some great trails, saw some amazing views and regenerated most of the way home down the mountain. How awesome is it to drive 120 mile round trip up the mountains and not pay a penny for fuel or charging.
I got to experience the Rivian Adventure Network first hand and am a true believer that this is the future. Keep them coming Rivian… love that it took me to a spot that I would have passed by otherwise.
Adventurous Forever indeed.
On the way we stopped at Holy Smokes Texas style BBQ and shared a meal. The brisket was amazing and the staff were super friendly. Had some great conversations with the fellow patrons that mostly revolved around dogs of course.
When we got to the festival we were concerned about parking and then as we charted our course towards the RAN charger we were pleasantly surprised that both chargers were open and operational.. We parked at the ranger station and plugged in with no issues. Talked to the ranger and picked out a hiking trail that ended up being a bit more strenuous than we had expected. A few hours later we finished our 5 mile loop and the car had more energy than we started (us not so much) when we left our house at Lake James in Morganton NC.
Unfortunately, we missed the full blooms of the rhododendrons by a week or so and a recent storm had knocked down most of the remaining ones. We didn’t go to the festival either as we opted to hike over hitting the vendors. Next year we will plan better
From there we drove another 8 miles up to Carvers gap with our pups Penny and Benny. Yeah I know… who names their dogs like that? I guess we do. Anyhow the view from Carvers gap was amazing as there is a panoramic view of NC, TN, and VA mountains from the top. the weather was amazing and at least 10 degrees cooler than where we started in the foothills.
Overall, we had a great ad-hoc adventure, hiked some great trails, saw some amazing views and regenerated most of the way home down the mountain. How awesome is it to drive 120 mile round trip up the mountains and not pay a penny for fuel or charging.
I got to experience the Rivian Adventure Network first hand and am a true believer that this is the future. Keep them coming Rivian… love that it took me to a spot that I would have passed by otherwise.
Adventurous Forever indeed.
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