Brian Ettling and Tanya Couture standing in front of their electric cars in Portland, Oregon on May 10, 2026.

This is a 3-part blog about my wife Tanya and I switching from my 2002 Honda Civic LX manual transmission car to owning 2 electric cars. This blog is written in 3 parts: 

Part 1: Tanya decides to buy her Electric Car in March 2026
Part 2: The death of my 2002 Honda Civic in late April 2026  
Part 3: Tanya and I choose to buy an Electric Car for me in May 2026

Tanya and I attempt to shop for a used EV to replace my dead Honda Civic 

On Wednesday evening, April 29th, my 2002 Honda Civic blew a head gasket and died. The car stopped running 35 miles from home. It left me stranded until a tow truck came to bring my car and I back to Portland. The next day, Tonkin Gresham Honda Service informed me that they could repair the head gasket at $2500 or build a new engine at $5,500. 

I was in shock because the car never broke down on me before in 24 years of own the car. It was the only car I ever owned. I did not want to spend any more money on this car. 

On Thursday, April 30th, I I texted this to Tanya after I told her my vehicle died the day before:
 
“If I get a car, I want an EV or no car at all. Frankly, I would rather not own a car and just use public transit. However, my work as an organizer requires me to have a car. I don’t want to be locked into another gasoline powered car. Yes, there are probably problems with EVs but I would rather deal with those issues than oil changes, overheating engines, etc”

That afternoon, Tanya and I went to Tonkin Gresham Honda to talk to their sales representative, Ben. He mentioned a white 2019 Nissan Leaf EV with a range around 150 miles and a price around $13,000. I asked if we could test drive it. Ben responded the vehicle needed some dealer inspections before he was authorized to allow it to be test driven by prospective buyers. 

Ben was in his early twenties, looking barely out of college, like the other car salesmen we encountered recently shopping for EVs. Yet, he acted meek and genuine. He was slender and lanky. He looked more like a librarian you would trust to find sensitive personal information than the typical slick, overly confident, oozing with enthusiasm car salesman. He was someone you would root for in a movie or real life to make a sale, especially if you needed to buy a car. 

Tanya and I did not want to make a rash decision buying a car, so we could be patient waiting until the Leaf passed dealer inspections before test driving it. At the same time, it was a relief that we could leave my defunct Honda Civic at this Gresham Honda dealership until we decided to purchase a car. While we were at the dealership, we got all my personal belongings out of my Honda Civic and then headed home. 

Friday, May 1st, I carpooled with Nick Walden Poublon to The Dalles to knock on doors for his Oregon House District 52 campaign to try to win the May 19th Democratic primary election. A Portland TV reporter interviewed him that afternoon. I took publicity photos and a video as the TV reporter conducted an on camera interview with Nick. As the tradition with Nick, he bought a Burgerville milkshake for me on the drive back to Portland whenever rode together. 

On Saturday, May 2nd, I borrowed Tanya’s Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV to canvass for Nick in the Corbett area. I knocked on doors for residents who lived along the Columbia River Highway in the Columbia River Gorge. I drove far to engage with voters who lived in private homes by the Eagle Creek Fish Hatchery, which was a 32-mile drive from where we live in outer northeast Portland. I took Tanya’s car on some sketchy narrow steep gravel roads to try to interact with some voters. I estimated I drove over 75 miles total that day. On my drive leaving the hatchery, I noticed the dashboard flashed at me that the stored battery power was below 20% and the battery should be charged soon. 

I drove to the Columbia River Outlet Mall where they have an Electrify America Level 3 Fast Charging Station. I ate my sack lunch from home waiting to charge Tanya’s Hyundai Ioniq 6. It took about 16 minutes from the level 3 hyper fast charge station charging the EV’s battery from 19% to 80%. It cost a whopping $.64 kilowatt per hour with a total cost of $32.51. This was much more expensive than the $.17 kilowatt per hour at the Rockwood Library, but it was great to have Tanya’s EV charged up to 80% within 16 minutes. 

On Sunday, May 3rd, I carpooled with Nick Walden Poublon to canvass in The Dalles. Of course, he treated me with a milkshake afterwards. When I returned that evening, Tanya and I had doubts about buying the Nissan Leaf EV from Tonkin Gresham Honda. We were concerened about the short battery range. Even more troubling, we read reports of the EV battery overheating and potentially catching fire after getting charged using Level 3 fast charging stations. Thus, fast charging would not be available on this EV. 

In the days before, Katie Collins, Nick’s campaign manager, told me that her husband Chris had a Nissan Leaf from that era. I texted Katie that evening to see if Tanya could chat with Chris. Katie and I exchanged phone numbers for Tanya and Chris so they could chat about Chris’ Nissan Leaf experience. Chris advised Tanya that an older Nissan Leaf with a shorter range and an outstanding recall on the battery might not be the best fit for us. 

On Monday morning, May 4th, Tanya and I texted while she was at work and I was at home trying to figure out what to do about my car situation. She thought we should possibly buy a hybrid like a Toyota Pruis for me. I was adamant that I did not want a car that ran on any type of fossil fuels, including hybrids. However, my car died when I just spent over $4200, almost emptying my checking account. I was desperate for an inexpensive car.

In my text message to Tanya, I wrote:

“Thank you so much for your love and patience, Tanya. This is so hard because I am going through a life changing transition right now. My green Honda Civic was the only car I ever owned. I was so proud of that car. It gave me an independence to do whatever I wanted. It was always there for me, so I always tried to take care of it. The car died a a terrible time when my finances are not doing well. I am not getting paid to do what I love to do. If I drive another car, I want to be proud of it and make a statement that we can’t keep driving petroleum based cars that are causing climate change, fueling wars, powering petrostates that are very undemocratic, and giving money to large fossil fuel companies that are destroying our democracy and environment. 

I know this is a huge financial decision for us. I am not in a financial position to get another ideal car for me right now. It has me feeling very depressed. 

We will overcome this challenge though. I appreciate you and how supportive you are! Thank you for being with me in this very turbulent time for me right now”   

The good news is that Tanya was just as determined and enthusiastic as I was that we should buy an EV for me. A few minutes later, Tanya forwarded to me texts from Ben, the salesman at Tonkin Gresham Honda. The first one he wrote the day before on Sunday: 

“Hey, I’ll look forward to connecting as well.  I didn’t know if I should have reached out today, sadly the 2019 Leaf plus did sell over the weekend.  Glad there are more options we can explore.  I’d seen a 2016 Leaf to suggest also.  Have a good evening, talk tomorrow : )

Tanya responded she spotted on the internet two 2023 Hyundai Kona EVs at Tonkin GreshamHyundai, one was certified pre-owned. Plus, she saw a listing for a Chey Bolt EV. However, she could not find a price for them. She gave Ben the VIN (Vehicle Identification) numbers for both cars. Ben texted back: 

“Hey, quick update.  Reviewed the options you mentioned.  I do not see the Chevy Bolt in our system.  For the Hyundai Kona EV options both are on sale for $20,990.  Considering how similar they are I’d go with the certified one if I were in your shoes.  Sadly I wouldn’t be able to sell that one as a Honda dealer.  Only pre-owned non certified vehicles of other manufacturers.  Hope this info is helpful, look forward to hearing yours and Brian’s thoughts.”

Tanya and I were pleased how helpful Ben was. He hoped to buy a car through him especially since my Honda Civic was parked on the dealership lot. We hoped we would be able to get some kind of trade in value for the car, even if the engine was now inoperable. 

We were surprised that someone bought the Nissan Leaf so quickly without the dealership finishing its inspection. It brought seriousness to our car shopping that we were competing against other car buyers in a ferocious hunt for affordable EVs. Our upmost feeling was relief that the car sold. It took a challenging decision off our hands. We liked the price, but we had deep concerns about the Nissan Leaf’s range and overheating battery issues.

After Tanya came home from work after 4 pm, we decided to drive to Tonkin Honda in Gresham to have a conversation with Ben about our next step forward with possible EVs to purchase. 

When we arrived at Tonkin Honda, Ben stood near the door chatting with some of his work colleagues. He was pleased to see us and immediately led us to his desk. He apologized that the white 2019 Nissan Leaf sold so quickly over the weekend. Tanya and I appreciated him saying that, but we felt fine and held no grudge that the car sold. Ben seemed at a loss as far as what Tonkin Honda could sell us as far as EVs. He suggested the Honda Prologue EV that we could even lease. However, Tanya and I were not interested in that Honda EV model. It was out of our price range and too large of a vehicle for us. It was a joint model built with Chevrolet. It did not seem like Honda was serious about offering established reliable EVs yet. 

We told Ben that we were thinking about going to Tonkin Gresham Hyundai to check out their used Kona EVs. He agreed with us that it was a smart car shopping thing to do. He again advised us to prioritize the Certified Preowned (CPO) Kona over the other EV, since the CPO Kona would have been fully inspected, serviced, and would have a better warranty than the non-CPO Kona EV. He was candid that he would love our business, but it would be outside of his scope if we bought a vehicle through Tonkin Hyundai. We appreciated his consistent sincerity and wish we could have bought an EV through him. 

I brought up the uncomfortable fact that my Honda Civic was still on their parking lot. Ben was not worried at all. He said it was not bothering anyone, and we were fine keeping it there while we were deciding what to do next. I gave Ben another extra key to the vehicle and another manual we discovered at home over the weekend while I sorted through my belongings that used to be inside my Honda Civic. He was fine with us putting the manual inside the car. 

Tanya and I went to see my now defunct 2002 Honda Civic for the last time. I probably should have taken a photo and said farewell. It was such a steady and reliable friend over the years. I could not fathom in that moment that it was my last time interacting with the car. I felt disappointed that it died on the highway on me the previous week. Yet, in the end, the car gave all it could to me at 333,109 miles. It was not the car’s fault that it could not get to 333,333 miles. My dream was over to squeeze more years out of it. 

As well as the Honda Civic served me, I hope that it was still useful in its parts to add life to another car. I am all about reduce, reuse, and recycle. However, I planned to use this car as a trade in to get hopefully several hundred dollars to reduce the price of the next car. After I traded the car in, it would be out of my hands if the parts would be recycled. 

Tanya and I choose to Buy a 2023 Hyundai Konga Electric Car for me on May 4, 2024

Tanya and I then left Tonkin Gresham Honda to drive a few miles to go to Tonkin Gresham Hyundai to check out their used Kona EVs that Tanya saw listed online. Soon after we parked Tanya’s Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV on the Hyundai lot around 6 pm, it did not take us long to find the certified preowned grey 2003 Kona EV on the lot. We found an employee so we could request a test drive. The employee then introduced us to Dax, a young buff gregarious salesman, who sat in the back seat as I took the EV for a short test drive. 

Tanya and I fell in love with this EV immediately. It was the perfect size for me. This Kona performed smoothly and comfortably when I took it for a test drive. Tanya and I could not find any objections to the price, plus the clean and well-maintained condition of the EV. It had over 26,000 miles with a price over $20,000. We did not want another EV buyer to grab it before we chose to buy it. We did not think we could bargain this price lower, and we were good with that. We decided that evening to buy the car. 

We then had to sign a stack of papers. Tanya wrote a check for the downpayment to finalize the sale. I remarked to Tanya that I would miss having a green colored car. She cheerfully responded that this Kona’s grey color started off with the three letters just like green: g-r-e. I laughed and readily agreed with Tanya that I felt assured that the Kona’s grey color had the same first three letters, g-r-e, as the green color of my old Honda Civic. 

Dax charged this Kona EV as we completed the paperwork. As it became dark around 8 pm, it was a joy to drive it off the lot and to our apartment complex. My dream came true to be driving my own EV, thanks to Tanya financing it. I will always be grateful to her. For years, I wanted to own an EV, especially if my Honda Civic died. Tanya enabled this dream to come true. 

On Tuesday, May 5th, I eagerly started driving my new 2023 Hyundai Kona EV, especially for my democracy and climate organizing. I put around 50 miles on the car that day knocking on doors for Nick Walden Poublon in the Corbett, Oregon area. It was a gorgeous balmy most cloudy spring day when I canvassed homes in the most western part of the Columbia River Gorge. During my lunch break, I proudly took two selfie photos of my new EV in front of the Vista House scenic overlook of the gorge. I posted one of the photos the next day on my social media announcing to the world that I my Honda Civic died and I switched to an EV. 

Learning to charge my 2023 Hyundai Kona Electric Car 

On Wednesday, May 6th, I took my Hyundai Kona EV to the Rockwood Library for the first time to give the battery some charging. I immediately ran into a problem. I could not get the charge port door on the EV open to charge the car. I then drove the EV three miles to the Gresham Tonkin Hyundai to see if Dax, the salesman who sold me the car, could help me open my charge port door. Dax, was not available. However, a female salesperson congratulated me on buying the car recently. She happily showed me how to get the charge port door open. I then returned to the Rockwood Library. I charged the EV for about 2 hours for a cost of $2.15. 

I entered a new world with charging EVs with a steep learning curve. When I decided to end the charging session at the Rockwood Library, I could not get their OpConnect Charging Station cable and nozzle to disconnect from my EV. It was securely stuck on my EV’s charge port and would not detach. I was anxious to start knocking on doors for Nick that day, but I was unsure what to do to remove the charging nozzle. I did not want to damage the nozzle, cable, or my EV. I asked the librarians for help. One librarian who owns an EV came out to help me. Somehow, we got the charging nozzle detached from my car, but we did not know how we did it. 

That evening, I choose to stop by the Fred Meyers grocery store in Troutdale. This shopping center parking lot had a Blink Level 2 charger that I wanted to try using while I shopped. I could not get the Blink Charger to start charging. I called the customer service number on this charging station to have someone help me turn on the charger. It worked! I charged my EV for 21 minutes for 2.27 kilowatts per hour for a cost of $.49 per kilowatt hour. The Rockwood Library was still the cheapest place for me to charge at $.17 per kilowatt hour. Like my other charging sessions, I had trouble getting this Blink charging station to stop charging and disconnect. Fortunately, I phoned the Blink Customer service hotline. The same employee that assisted me to start my charge, 20 minutes earlier, then helped me to stop the charging. He remotely pressed the right buttons to get the charging nozzle to release its grip on my charging port. 

On Thursday, May 7th, Nick Walden Poublon and I decided to meet at our rendezvous point at Columbia Gorge Outlet Mall to possibly carpool together in Hood River. While I waited for Nick, I decided to spend several minutes charging my Kona EV at the Electrify America. I would only get a few minutes of charging and add a few minutes to my range before Nick arrived. I got over 5 kilowatts charged on the battery at a cost of $3.39. It cost $.64 per kilowatt hour on a slower Level 2 charger to charge at this Electrify America Columbia Gorge Outlet Mall charging station. The Rockwood library only cost me about $.17 per kilowatt hour. Therefore, I did not want to charge often at the Electrify America charging station at that outlet mall. 

Like my previous charging experience at the library, I had difficulties disengaging the charging nozzle from my car’s charging port. I called the help desk number on the charging station monitor to see if I could get a receptionist to stop charging my EV and enable the nozzle to disconnect. The Electrify America call center representative stopped remotely my charging session. She pressed a button so the charging nozzle disconnected loosely from my charging port. 

I marveled at modern technology of the ability to call someone remotely. They could tap a few keystrokes on their computer to end an EV charging session, plus tell the machine to end the tight nozzle connection to my EV charge port. Good thing the Electrify America employee on the phone helped me. I had a fantastic day with perfect spring weather to knock on doors in the Corbett area of the Columbia River Gorge. 

Nick and I mutually agreed when we met at the Columbia River Gorge Outlet Mall parking lot that each of us could knock on more doors effectively if we canvassed separately that day. We enjoyed canvassing together, but it made more sense to drive individually to our areas that day. Therefore, I would be on my own, driving my car separately to the Corbett area with the opportunity to experience driving my own EV that day. 

That evening Thursday, May 7th, I started charging my Kona EV at the Honda Training Center, located about a half a mile from where Tanya and I lived. I waved my credit card in front of the ChargePoint charging kiosk to start the charge session.  I started charging at 8:15 pm and the battery stopped charging when it reached 80% at 11:24 pm, about 3 hours and 9 minutes later. It cost me a total of $4.27, and the charging rate was $.20 per kilowatt hour. The Rockwood Library was still cheaper at $.17 per kilowatt hour, but the Honda Training Center was the most convenient place for me to charge since it was only a half mile walk to my home. 

On Friday, May 8th, I completed canvassing one small section in Hood River. I left that area around 5 pm to make it to the Honda Training Center to start charging around 6 pm. Sadly, I could not get the ChargePoint charging kiosk to start with waving my credit card. Tanya drove her car to meet up with me. She helped me learn how to use the ChargePoint app on my cell phone to place my iPhone directly in front of the charging kiosk to initiate the charging. I appreciated her help because I got 4 hours and 45 minutes charging my Kona EV from 6:35 pm to 11:20 pm to bring my EV to an 80% battery charge. It cost me a total of $5.95 charge it that day. 

By Saturday, May 9th, I was a routine to canvass in Hood River for Nick during the day. Then leave Hood River around 5 pm to head to the Honda Training Center ChargePoint station. I arrived around 6:17 pm and started charging my EV around 6:19 pm. Tanya picked me up in her EV so I did not have to walk home. It took 5 hours and 21 minutes to charge my Kona EV to 80%. It stopped charging at 11:19 pm. It became a daily habit to walk from home to the Honda Training Center to pick up my car around 11:20 pm. Fortunately, it was May, so the weather had an evening coolness, but it was not frigid or rainy like the Portland winters. That day it cost me $6.20, which made sense because it took more time to charge than the previous day. 

Tanya suggested I start charging my car early in the mornings. However, I did not want to get up super early to charge my car. I wanted to immediately start charging it when I returned home from work so I would be all set to drive over 100 miles round trip to Hood River the next day. The good news was that Sunday, May 10^th was Mother’s Day. Katie had not assigned me any areas to knock on doors that day. Canvassing can be awkward on Mother’s Day. People are often gathered with their families if they are home and not as interested in chatting with political canvassers that day. It was a welcome day off for Tanya and me to go hiking and spend time together. Tanya needed to charge her car at the Honda Training Center. It was fun to drive there in my EV and then take a photo of us with our EVs together before we went on a hike. 

Monday, May 11th, Katie assigned me to canvass in Cascade Locks, Oregon. It was less of a commute than driving to Hood River. It would be 72 miles round trip, instead of around 106 miles round trip to Hood River. Thus, I would not need as much of a charge for my EV to reach 80%. I could canvass later into the evening that day until after 7 pm before heading back home. I arrived at the Honda Equipment facility at 7:50 pm and I needed to charge my EV until around 11:16 pm to get to an 80% charge. I had another late-night walk to my EV at the Honda Training Center to retrieve my car. This 3 hour and 26-minute charge cost me a total amount of $4.40. 

Tuesday, May 12^th, Katie asked me to knock on doors in The Dalles, a much farther drive than Hood River. The Dalles is roughly 75 miles one way or 150 miles round trip from where Tanya and I live in Portland. This longer commute meant it would drain the EV battery even lower than Hood River, and it would take more time to charge after work. When I returned home, my battery charge was less than 20%. For this day, my solution was to charge it for several hours at night and then for a few hours in the morning to get the battery up to an 80% charge. 

My most frustrating lowest point learning to charge my electric car 

I started charging my EV at the Honda Training Center at 7:47 pm. Around 12:51 am, I walked the half mile from the apartment where Tanya and I live to the charging station at the Honda Training Center to stop charging and disconnect the charging cable and nozzle from my car. I figured I would charge it for the remaining amount of time needed in the morning. I was not ready to leave my EV parked overnight away from home. 

When I arrived at the Honda Training Center shortly before 1 am, I stopped the charge remotely on my iPhone. However, I could not get the charging nozzle to disconnect from my EV’s charging port. It felt like the nozzle was cemented on my EV’s charge port. It would not budge no matter what tricks I tried. I felt so angry and helpless that there was no one around to help me at this very late hour. I called Charge Point’s helpline listed at the charging kiosk to see if anyone could help me. No one answered the phone. I tried restarting the charging since it was stuck, but I could not get the Charge Point kiosk to start charging my EV again. 

It became obvious there was nothing else I could do but to leave my EV parked at the Honda Equipment in front of the Charge Point kiosks. I had to walk home to get some sleep that night. I left a note for Tanya to see if she could help me in the morning. She saw my note soon after she awoke. I then woke up and we decided she would drive us both to the Honda Training Center to see if she could get the nozzle to disengage. 

To my amazement and disbelief, Tanya got the nozzle to disconnect immediately and easily. I was not sure what her trick was. However, I needed to learn whatever it was quickly because it was not the first time that the charging nozzle became stuck on my charge port. 

When I woke up on the morning of Wednesday, May 13th, I received little sleep that night. Even worse, my stress level was high since I could not get the charging nozzle off my EV’s charge port. It was hard to sleep thinking my car might not be safe. In the previous nights when I retrieved my car from the Honda Training Center, I heard people partying and laughing on the other side of the street sitting around underneath a tree. They never noticed my car unattended, but what if they did? What if I could never get the nozzle off? Lots of what ifs raising my blood pressure. 

I charged my EV at the Honda Training Center for over two hours that morning in the rain. Later that day, I drove 75 miles to The Dalles to canvass for Nick. It was a lovely overcast day. I canvassed on a bluff overlooking the town where I took a good panoramic photo, with the Columbia River bending around the north side of the city, and The Dalles Dam on the eastern edge of this urban area. I knocked on over 50 doors that day. I ended work at 6 pm to start heading home. I arrived at the Honda Training Center around 7:10 pm. The battery charge was less than 20%. I charged my EV until 10:30 pm, walking home in-between to have dinner with Tanya and then return to stop charging to take my car home to get some sleep. 

Using 2 Electric Cars to hike on a new trail for us on Tanya’s birthday 

The next morning, I woke up exhausted from working several days straight, plus dealing with the learning curve of how to charge my EV. If it was up to me, I would have relaxed at home, plus worked on chores such as laundry, on this day off. However, Thursday, May 14th was Tanya’s birthday. She took the day off so both of us could go on a big hike that day. I had little energy that day, plus I needed several hours to charge my EV up to 80% before heading The Dalles or another location to canvass for Nick on Friday, May 15th.

Besides my EV battery, my emotional and physical batteries were low that day. I needed a recharging that required rest and an easy day. The ironic part was that Tanya wanted to do a big hike for her birthday. We have been married for over 10 years, plus we dated for over 2 years before that. Our tradition was that on one of our birthday’s, the person having the birthday could choose whatever they wanted to do that day. 

Tanya’s first choice for her birthday was to hike Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge. She wanted to hike on that trail all the way to Tunnel Falls, which would be a 12-mile hike. We were chatting around 8:30 am and I thought we would be getting too late of a start, plus I hinted I did not have the energy for that hike. She then suggested hiking up Dog Mountain on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. That’s a 6-mile trail round trip with a 2,800-foot elevation gain. I remember when we hiked that trail several years before that it felt highly strenuous for me to the extent that I did not feel a need to do it again. I found some way to gently tell her that I no motivation to hike that trail that day. 

Tanya then suggested we hike from Larch Mountain to Multnomah Falls. I liked that option. For years, Tanya and I hiked around the summit trails of Larch Mountain and the trails around Multnomah Falls. We knew from the signs at both locations that there was a 7-mile connecting trail connecting Larch Mountain to Multnomah Falls. To hike that trail around trip would be over 14 miles with a 4,200-elevation gain. Tanya and I both felt that would be too much of a day hike for us. We are not backpackers, so we don’t do trails like this over more than one day. 

For years, my idea was to hike this trail with friends using 2 cars. We would meet at Multnomah Falls, leave one car at the I-84 parking lot. We would then drive in the other car together to the summit of Larch Mountain. Park and leave the other vehicle there and then hike downhill from Larch Mountain to Multnomah Falls. We then carpool together from the Multnomah Falls parking lot to the Larch Mountain summit parking lot to retrieve the other car. We would then go home separately. Our only problem, in previous years, was that we only had one car, my Honda Civic, and we could not find anyone to do this adventure with us. We can close once in 2023 with a climate friend and her husband. However, when the four of us drove up on the road to Larch Mountain, a gate blocked the remaining the road stating it was closed for construction. 

Now that we had 2 EVs, problem solved!  We could hike Larch Mountain to Multnomah Falls 7 miles one way in a day! I quickly gathered my belongings for us to hike and headed out the door with my car sometime after 9 am. I did not bring a map because we hiked numerous times in the Larch Mountain and Multnomah Falls areas. We knew the area well, expect we knew nothing about the connecting trail. We assumed we would easily figure it out once we were hiking. 

Tanya then drove her EV to meet me at the I-84 Multnomah Falls parking lot. We arrived at the parking area around the same time. We then carpooled in her car up to the Larch Mountain summit parking area. It was an overcast day that had rained the night before. We did not bother to go to the Sherrard Point Overlook at the summit to see views of Mt. Hood and other Cascade Mountains. The low grey clouds indicated no distant or near mountains were visible. 

Tanya and I began hiking from the Larch Mountain summit area parking lot to try to find the trail connecting Larch Mountain to Multnomah Falls. Over the years, Tanya and I hiked several times on the Larch Mountain loop trail. We admired the tall Douglas Fir and other large pine trees on this trail that reached towards the sky and made the sun hard to see on a clear day. As we hiked downhill on Trail 441 for over a mile and a half, we came up to a familiar wooden junction sign that said “Columbia Gorge Highway 6 miles.” The sign made no mention of Multnomah Falls, Multnomah Falls Lodge, or I-84. However, around the corner, a posted wooden sign pointed to the Multnomah Creek Trail and the Multnomah Spur. 

Tanya and I felt confused by the signage. We did not know what that meant to hike on the trail leading to the Columbia Gorge Highway. Where would this trail lead us to on the Columbia Gorge Highway? Unless we were hiking down to Multnomah Falls and the I-84 Multnomah Falls parking lot, this trail downhill was not going to help us. 

We hiked a mile further on the Multnomah Spur Trail, but it did not lead us downhill. We kept heading east instead of north towards my car. After I scrambled across unstable rocks on a creek where I almost lost my footing and slipped into the water, it felt like everything was wrong. I noticed a sign heading to Franklin Ridge, which was a forested outcropping a mile and a half east of Multnomah Falls. I then knew we took the wrong path. In my exhaustion of lack of sleep, plus recent struggles with trying to get the charging nozzle unstuck from the charging point on my EV, I let out huge primal scream at the top of my lungs. Tanya was several hundred yards behind me. She did not seem to hear my outburst. 

When she reached me, I shared, “We went the wrong way. This trail leads to Franklin Ridge. It does not look like it will get us back to Multnomah Falls. I am tired and exhausted. I think we need to head back to your car so we can start heading home.” 

Tanya did not know what to say since she was in a good mood enjoying her birthday. She replied, “I am fine if we hike to Franklin Ridge. It would be something new for us to see. Plus, I think it does reconnect to the trail going to Multnomah Falls.” 

With my lack of energy and frustration with us taking the wrong trail, I responded, “I think I am just going to start hiking back to your car.” 

We hiked back to the junction with the wooden sign stating, ‘Columbia Gorge Highway 6 miles.’

I told Tanya, “This is the way down to Multnomah Falls. This signage is terrible. Looks like we are at the junction. We might as well hike down to Multnomah Falls and my car on this trail.” 

Tanya smiled and brightened up with the decision we would hike on this new trail for us. We wanted to complete this trail for years, and now we would make it happen. As I hiked back on the Multnomah Spur Trail to this junction, I decided I did not want to spoil Tanya’s birthday. Even more, we came this far, we might as well complete this journey we started. 

As soon as we started down Trail 441 leading to Multnomah Falls, we knew we made the best decision that day. Tanya and I loved this trail. It had the excitement of visiting a brand-new location. The landscape changed several times as we hiked downhill on this trail. For over a mile, we hiked through a spooky section of burned dead trees that probably succumbed to the 2017 Eagle Creek fire. The trail had a lot of loose large rocks that wanted to trip me or wrist my ankle. The standing dead trees gave a much deeper penetrating view of the forest and the crested ridges above this sloping downhill small canyon we were walking down the trail.

White Trillium flowers bloomed in large groups next to the trail, almost like they were posing for a group photo. One of the wooden bridges across Multnomah Creek collapsed into a huge sagging shadow of itself. Tanya and I crossed this trail bridge cautiously, fearing we could slip into the jagged rocky creek just a few feet below us. For most that bridge, I slid on my butt using my hands to drag me forward so I would not go sliding off into the creek. 

Lush green vegetation almost as tall as Tanya and me underneath the burned-out trees made their statement that this forest was healing and would eventually return as another tall majestic Pacific Northwest forest. As we hiked a couple of miles further, the burned-out area was gone. We now hiked in an old pine tree forest providing a big canopy that we could only get small glimpses of the sky. Multnomah Creek became wider as we continued to traverse on this trail. Several large creeks, small waterfalls, and running brooks of water joined with Multnomah Creek making the creek a few inches deeper and louder as it continued its course downhill. 

As we hiked through the forest, my bad mood dissipated. I shared with Tanya, “I am so glad we did this today. I love it here! This is different than any other trail we have done in the Gorge.” 

Tanya was enthralled with the beauty of this area. Stopping periodically to take photos and admire the scenery. It warmed her heart to know that I was no longer grumpy but thrilled to be there. Before we knew it, we connected with our familiar Wahkeena Multnomah 5-mile loop trail that we took countless times over the years. It was almost 3:30 pm. The afternoon was starting to get late, so we were a bit anxious to return to my car. At the same time, we would miss this new trail we finally got to explore that day. On the connecting trail from Larch Mountain to Multnomah Falls, we saw no one. Tanya and I had that trail all to ourselves. It was a nice birthday gift from nature to have just the solitude of Tanya and me on this trail that day. 

From the Wahkeena Multnomah Loop Trail junction to Multnomah Falls, we now had a 1.7-mile hike. Again, it was all downhill losing elevation. We hiked downward basically the whole time. Thus, our knees, ankles and shins were getting tired of bracing us as gravity and momentum pushed us downhill as we hiked. It rained lightly as Tanya and I reached the 11 paved switchbacks on the remaining part of this trail leading down to Multnomah Falls. I needed a bathroom, so that quickened my pace to reach the restrooms at the end of this trail. 

I reached Multnomah Falls Lodge bathroom around 4:20 pm. We returned to my Hyundai Kona EV at the I-84 parking lot around 4:30 pm. I then drove my car to the Larch Mountain parking area to retrieve Tanya’s Ioniq 6 EV, making it up there after 5 pm. The summit parking lot was over a 4,000-foot elevation above sea level. Tanya and I set our EVs for maximum brake regeneration so our EVs would use the higher friction to slow down the cars on a down slope to grab more energy for our EVs’ batteries. Both of us marveled how we did not lose any miles driving 16 miles downhill from the Larch Mountain summit to I-84 in the Columbia Gorge. Each of our EVs actually gained a few miles for our batteries using our maximum regenerative braking. 

Tanya and I felt exhilarated completing this new hike on her birthday. Yet, our bodies were exhausted from this 8-mile downhill hike, including hiking a mile off course. Tanya chose to go to our neighborhood Thai restaurant, Sa Ba Thai, that we regularly dine at once a month, for her birthday dinner. We topped off the day with Burgerville ice cream for dessert. 

We could not have accomplished this new adventurous hike for Tanya’s birthday without our two EVs. Thank goodness Tanya decided to get 2 Hyundai EVs in the space of 2 months, especially while my 24-year-old Honda Civic died in the middle of all this change. 

Conclusion: The joy of owning and driving my first electric car  

It was a dream come true for Tanya and I to own an EV. Even more, to decide to each have our own EVs for our transportation needs. 

On Friday morning, May 15th, my EV needed to charge for over 2 hours at the Honda Training Center. When my car finished charging at 80%, I struggled for a few minutes to get the charging nozzle off, then I discovered a trick that caused the nozzle to detach nice and easy. I immediately texted Tanya with my discovery: 

“Hey Tanya! 

I hope you are doing well. Happy Friday! I just wanted to share an update that I did struggle for about a minute or two with the Charge Point charge nozzle. However, when I clicked 3 times on my fob to unlock my car, the nozzle came off super easy. I think the car has a security feature to lock the nozzle on the charge port unless the car is fully unlocked. It seems like Hyundai does not want people tampering with the charge ports, nozzles, etc. for a Kona EV, etc, so they make it very hard for the nozzle to come off unless the car is fully unlocked with the fob or the unlock button inside the car. I thought hitting the unlock button twice with my fob did the trick, but I might have to do it 3 times so that the car knows it needs to be fully unlocked, including the contact between the charge cable nozzle and the Kona’s charge port. That’s my thinking this morning“

After I learned to click 3 times to unlock the car, I never had a problem with a stuck charge port nozzle again. From that point forward, I had no issues with my EV. I was in love driving my Hyundai Kona electric car. 

My last day canvassing for Nick was Monday, May 18th. I drove to The Dalles that day to knock on doors to see if I could find any last-minute voters who had not voted. However, by this point, nearly everyone I encountered had voted. I knocked on doors by the outer portion of northeast The Dalles. I had great views of The Dalles Dam with the Columbia River cascading over the dam’s spillways and the barren prairie Columbia Hills located behind the dam. I even canvassed a subdivision that sat high over a hill overlooking the dam. 

I had a great conversation with a union organizer who already voted, but not for Nick. We wanted to hear each other’s point of view about the candidates we supported. He invited me to come inside his home so I could see the view of the dam out his large family room window.

By that evening, nearly no one was home in this neighborhood. The few people who answered their door turned in their ballots that day or days before. My work was finished. It was now up to the voters to decide if they would support Nick. 

Election Day, Tuesday May 19th, I was at home all day packing and preparing for my flight the next day. On Wednesday, May 20th, I planned to fly to St. Louis to visit family May 20-31. Tanya worked up to that Friday, May 22nd. She joined me in St. Louis to visit our families May 23-31. 

While I packed for this vacation to St. Louis, I charged my EV one last time before the trip. I drove it to the Honda Training Center around 9 am. The battery charge was less than 20%. I then walked home while the vehicle charged to pack my suitcase and complete other errands before the trip. The time flew trying to get all my tasks accomplished that day, including taking out a mound of recycling to our apartment recycling bin, as well as last minute laundry. While I was busy during the day, it took about 7 and half hours to charge my EV. The cost was $9.20 and I gained about 180 miles of charge for the battery. 

I was proud and thrilled when I added up my total miles driven and charging expenses for the month. On May 31st, I posted this on social media: 

“For #ClimateAction, I have driven this Hyundai Kona electric car (EV) since May 4th. During that time, I put 1,519 miles on the car while it cost me just $80 to charge it using public level 2 chargers, and one level 3 fast charger for a few minutes. I would have pay a lot more in gasoline if I still had my Honda Civic car to drive that same distance.“

I never want to go back to driving a gasoline powered car. I love my 2023 Hyundai Kona EV. I hope to have this car for many years to come. I plan on taking very good car of this car, like how I tried to take excellent car of my 2002 Honda Civic LX stick shift car for 24 years. 

I am ecstatic about driving an EV. I hope you will transition to an EV when the time is right for you! If you have the means to get an EV, do it. You will love it!