drivetofive

Odometer:  7,980

Trip Mileage:  2,520

By now, you’ve probably figured out that I don’t sit still in any given place for too long.  I was greeted upon arrival at the NALM host hotel in Brookfield yesterday by Kevin (looking at his watch), “Okay, you’ve got ten minutes.”  It wasn’t far from the truth!  Fewer than 24 hours after reaching my destination in Wisconsin I was pulling up the anchor yet again and hopping back on the road.  Places to go, people to see.

I’m in Missouri now – chalk that one up to another “new” state for my ILX.  Here’s a recount of the day’s journey.

Kevin from Duluth, Georgia has this gorgeous Vineyard Gray Legend sedan.  He asked that I leave my mark on the car in the form of a signature. Sure, why not!  It’s not every day I get to write on someone’s car in permanent marker!

Trunk liner now immortalized (and devalued, probably).

Meanwhile, we readied ourselves for a photoshoot just down the road in Brookfield.  Tom from Connecticut gives the ILX wheels a quick wipe.

We take our photoshoots seriously!

Let’s get these cars lined up!

That’s more like it.  But wait — Student Driver!?  Yeah, I pulled out the magnets for a little photo-op fun.

Here’s the gang.  Great people, and excellent friends of mine.  All connoisseurs of fine Acura automobiles.

I may not have had a Legend at this meet, but these folks can still appreciate almost anything with an “A” badge on the grille.

Now a solo Legend shot for good measure.

Parting ways already – and on my way back to the southwest via Hwy 194 and Interstate 43 to Illinois.

Anybody else get a kick out of watching their reflection drive by in a tanker truck sometimes?

Central Illinois, somewhere off southbound Interstate 55.  This isn’t the El Paso you’re thinking of!  The distance from El Paso, Illinois, to El Paso, Texas is a whopping 1,396 miles.  That’s an adventure for another day (week)!

Normal, Illinois.  I didn’t dine at Woody’s.

I did, however, feed Alex.  He lapped up some 92 octane at $3.88 / gallon.

Finally some signs mentioning St. Louis – my next pit stop.

Discovery:  Those “Elapsed Time” screens in the driver’s information center can only accommodate 99 hours, 59 minutes of time.

St. Louis’ “Gateway Arch,” as seen from the 64 freeway.  This landmark stands 630 feet tall, making it the tallest man-made monument in the United States.  I would’ve loved to park the ILX in front of it for a picture, but alas I had a dinner commitment to get to.

This gorgeous 1995 Legend LS coupe belongs to my friend Dave who I met through the Acura Legend forums.  When I met Dave in 2005 at the first National Acura Legend Meet, his car only had around 50,000 miles on it.  Today at 130,000 it looks almost exactly the same.  This guy is meticulous and it shows.

And what better place to dine than one that appreciates ‘Legendary’ taste?  Lion’s Choice.

Thanks, Dave, for meeting up!

The Legend’s styling just never gets old.  Does anyone agree with me that it looks a hundred times better than that Prius next to it?

Westbound on I-44 for today’s final stretch.  Road sign announces Cuba straight ahead!

That’s right!  Cuba, Missouri.  Home to 3,230 people.

Now onward to Springfield we go.

Just when the road started to get a little boring, this song came on the iPod and I cranked it to full volume and got fully recharged.

Record-setting MPG average for me right here.

This particular motel in Springfield is a familiar place to me.  Last summer I stayed here when I was driving my Legend to New Jersey.  In fact, I parked it in this very same parking space where my ILX is sitting this very evening.

But what about that old 514k-mile Legend?  I’ve been asked by many.  Well, I received an updated status today along with the below picture.  The front end paint work is now complete, but needs reassembly.  From what I can tell, the paint work turned out nicely!

Good evening and until next time!

This entry was posted on July 27, 2012 at 10:03 pm and is filed under ILX, 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.