drivetofive

Odometer:  485,141

Trip Mileage:  4,012

Lightning storms outside are crazy here!  Just about 15 minutes east of t0wn I ran into a huge thunderstorm that slowed Interstate 40 traffic down to about 45 mph.  I’m tucked in for the night at a motel after another long day in the car.  I got drenched while having my window down at the Taco Bell drive-thru next door after this fuel stop at Phillips 66.

This morning I enjoyed the sights near Shenandoah National Park as I headed westbound on I-66 from Vienna and then I-81 which took me southwest through Roanoke, Virginia.

Another one of those huge crosses!  Third one I’ve seen this trip.  This one is off I-81 in Bristol, VA – right near the VA/TN border.

Welcome to Tennessee!

Knoxville, Tennessee.  For lunch, I went to the busiest Wendy’s in town!  The parking lot was so full I had to park in the entrance to it.  A tour bus parked behind me shortly afterward.  There were brochures for “Dollywood” on the counter in there.

I’ve never seen instructions like this on a gas pump before (also in Knoxville).  Can people really not figure this out on their own?

Wendy’s Frosty!  My fave.

I rolled 485,000 on the 495 freeway approach I-65 South, en route to my friend Steve’s place in Franklin, Tennessee, just south of Nashville.

Here, I had the chance to drive my dream car.  Steve has (in addition to a gorgeous Cayman White Pearl 1995 Legend LS Coupe) an immaculate Formula Red 1997 NSX-T with 48,000 miles on it.  We took the car out for a spirited 20-mile or so run around the countryside.

I learned that in the 3 years Steve’s owned the car, I’m the only person to have driven it besides him!  It was an honor.  The feel of the 6-speed manual with custom short-throw shift kit was an incredible driving experience, and I thank him for it!

When I left Steve’s place in Franklin, the GPS routed me to I-40 via some very cool backroads (94 and 100).

Car did great today.  Arkansas is next up tomorrow!

This entry was posted on July 25, 2011 at 2:46 am and is filed under Legend, NALM, Road Trip. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.