Lessons learned: HSV to ATL

So Juneteenth, FSD drove me from Huntsville AL to Atlanta GA, round trip +300 miles, and free charging for the whole trip.

• Choose a motel with free charging and breakfast within commuting distance - Best Western Acworth Inn, reasonable rates, 15-30 miles from Atlanta
  • Arrive when rooms are first opened, 2 PM EDT,
  • J1172 and Tesla L2 chargers are not ICEd.
  • Take a charge, nap and shower.
  • Counter rush hour drive, 15-30 miles to Atlanta.
  • Pet friendly, $15/each, with a dog walking area.
• Goin' East - passing into an eastern direction timezone means pretty much limits activities to evening and night on the arrival day. The next day is wide open, enjoy.
• Google restaurant references - you can pay more and get less. Try to find an active forum, say Facebook or others, and ask real people about what you want to eat. The Google reference was 'technically' correct but failed to point out they sell a lot of Cajun seasoning lightly flavored with sea food.
• Full Self Driving (FSD) Interventions by frequency:
  • Biology breaks - go early, drive easy, and walk doggies too. You eat, they eat. You poop, they poop. Everyone is happy.
  • Twisted STOP sign - intersecting roads at an acute angle can have the stop sign twisted just enough to stop the car.
  • Scenic and short cuts - add a way point to the trip and the car will do the rest.
  • Sunglasses and clear UV safety glasses - these protect your eyes and defeat the cabin camera nags.
  • Goose the accelerator as needed - FSD is sometimes cautious and you can best judge when our quick cars can make it without scaring the oncoming traffic.

I'll be headed back to Atlanta, June 27 for the circus.