Hope, Arizona: Passmore Gas Company
Odometer (Legend): 518,436
Odometer (ILX): 24,589
Someone with a sense of humor decided to have fun naming his or her propane business. Thanks again to Roadside America, this past weekend I decided to take my Acura ILX and seek out one of the most random destinations I’ve ever heard of: a propane tank with this odd company name painted on the side of it. My route was about 260 miles round-trip and took around 4 1/2 hours.
The first leg of the trip was on Interstate 10 west which crosses the barren desert toward the California state line. At exit 45, I headed north on Avenue 51E (also known as Vicksburg Road) and made my way to US 60.
Highway 60 at one time was the main thoroughfare that got Phoenix people to LA and vice versa. It parallels the railroad tracks. The road was made obsolete when Interstate 10 was constructed in the late 1950’s. I-10 is a much more straight/direct line to the California state line from Phoenix, but sometimes it’s fun to forget about being in a hurry and just take the back roads for no reason. Shortly I arrived at my destination, just outside Hope, Arizona:
Yes, the name on this propane tank is for real. See the background here:
Unfortunately, conditions for photography (thanks to the sun’s placement) were less than optimal.
There wasn’t much to see in Hope — just a few buildings, really.
But as I whizzed out of town, my eye caught something to my left and I did a double-take. “Wait,” I thought. “Did I just see a blatant typo on that sign?” I quickly came to a stop and pulled the ILX to the side of the road, then made a U-turn. Grammar police were in hot pursuit! Yes, indeed. The people of Hope have improperly used “YOUR” (as opposed to “you’re”) on their sign announcing departure from city limits. Ha!
Continuing east on US 60, I rolled through Salome, Arizona (established 1904). There’s not much to see there aside from RV parks, but I did capture images of a few of the hot spots. It’s a shame the Desert Oasis “Bargain Center & RV Park” was closed. I wonder what kind of bargains they had! A savvy shopper’s paradise it must have been.
I thought this little roadside historical marker was entertaining. It talks about the “Laughing Gas Station” that once operated in Salome. If I ever open up a gas station, that is what I’m calling it. Bonus points if you can spot my shadow waving in the background.
That’s it, folks. The entire town captured in the background here. I wonder if this town had ever seen a 2013 model year vehicle until my ILX rolled through.
Got $99,900 and interested in some real estate? Big Mama’s Country Kitchen is up for grabs!
Speaking of real estate, it looks like this agent has picked a winning name for her business. Anything “Legend” is good, right?
Aguila, Arizona (Aguila means “eagle” in Spanish): The Burro Jim Motel. Vacancy! But I didn’t intend on sticking around.
This wooden wagon’s for sale. Any takers for $500? Let me know – I’ve got a picture of the sign with the phone number on it!
25 miles of straight, flat pavement later, I arrived on the outskirts of Wickenburg, Arizona. This town feels like it’s stuck in time, 100 years ago. And I think the residents there like to keep it that way on purpose.
The AT&SF locomotive #761 is on display near the railroad depot. This locomotive is a “2-8-0” arrangement (refers to the layout of the wheels — 2 leading wheels, 8 driving wheels on 4 axles, and 0 trailing wheels). It was built in the 1890’s and was decommissioned in the 1950’s when it was donated to the city, but it wasn’t until 10 years ago, in June 2003, that was moved to its current location next to the old depot.
Considering that my last blog entry was all about the Saguaro cactus, I found it fitting that I park the ILX in front of the Saguaro Theater. It opened in 1948 and was restored in 2006 and is still open today (looks like I could’ve stuck around for a matinee of The Hobbit at 2:30 p.m.).
Next door, I saw a saw a couple satisfied customers come out of the Twin Wheels Cafe, so I decided to give it a whirl for breakfast since it was only 9:30 a.m. and I hadn’t yet eaten anything except a Pop Tart.
Cowboy atmosphere abounds here.
Coming back from a restroom break, I got sidetracked reading all of these printed-out jokes / quotes on the wall.
My server “Methanie” was extremely friendly. I opted for the meat lover’s omelet – highly recommended.
Twin Wheels is open daily at 7 a.m., but closed on Wednesdays.
I thought I was seeing double when I spotted these stop signs while leaving town. They really mean business!
It reminded me of these duplicate signs I saw last week on Interstate 19 (likely part of a sign replacement project that’s underway). My tax dollars at work!
Hope you enjoyed the drive to Hope!
Have any of my readers heard of the Endurance Rally Association? A coworker taught me about it this week. This is an organization that organizes road rally events worldwide. They’ve even got one that runs from New York to Seattle. It looks like 51 vehicles participated in 2011. The next will be in May 2015. I’ll be there.
I met a new Drive to Five follower this week named Ryan who’s as big of an Acura fan as I am. He’s owned a 2002 CL Type-S and is currently driving an Anthracite 2006 TL. His car has only 78,000 miles on it and drives like new. It’s fully equipped with navigation.
Ryan’s an architecture major at Arizona State but his car is proudly wearing South Dakota tags from his hometown. Ryan says the drive to & from SD each year (about 1,400 miles each way from here) are a definite highlight of his year. I can’t say I blame him!
Ryan and I may be meeting up for some Acura drives in the near future, so stay tuned! Thanks for chauffeuring me to lunch!
It’s tradition to drive the Legend to work once a week, and today was the day. It was glistening in the afternoon sunlight thanks to a one-step Meguiar’s cleaner/wax that I applied to the body over the weekend.
About 8 miles of my drive home were eastbound on Shea Boulevard with the sunset in my rearview mirrors.
Since I had my SLR camera in the car, I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures.
The next two were taken at a place called “Lyle Fish Point.”
Signing out until next time!
drivetofive 
January 9, 2013 at 5:09 am
Great pictures and written prose. I loved how you whizzed out of town. Next blog, please do a better job of making sure the sun is at your back with each picture taken. Keep up the good work and remember to keep the ILX or the Legendary Legend between the white lines!
January 9, 2013 at 7:29 am
Haha, thanks Kevin! I’m a master at whizzing out of town. Even on my visits to these places, I typically don’t linger very long. Car idles, songs keep playing, and I hope back in after my pics to attack the open road yet again.
January 9, 2013 at 7:29 am
Hop, I mean. Apparently I’ve got “hope” on the brain this post.
January 9, 2013 at 9:59 pm
I knew you were good at detailing but WOW the paint looks wet on the coupe.
January 10, 2013 at 6:53 am
Thanks 🙂 Yeah I spent a couple of hours on the paint over the weekend. Started with a full clay treatment, then the cleaner/wax, buffed off by hand with microfiber towels. Rain-X’d the windows, wiped down the engine compartment, dusted the interior, and treated the leather with Meguiar’s Leather Care. We should work on your ES sometime!
January 10, 2013 at 2:54 pm
I would honored, the ES’s paint is crazy soft I have a clear bra on the front but the roof is where all the rocks end up 😦
January 10, 2013 at 10:11 am
Another great mini journey. I love how you just take off on these excursions. I often wonder if the fact that you have such nice weather in your neck of the woods makes these trips easier to go on. Do you think you would rack up as many miles if you had rain 7 months of the year as we seem to have up here?
January 10, 2013 at 10:58 am
Terry, I get ants in my pants if I try and sit around on a weekend. Always itching to see some new turf. I’ve got a trip planned for this upcoming Saturday, too. The ILX makes a great cruiser and I’m definitely spoiled by the great roads & weather here. My friend in Calgary, Alberta sent a picture of his morning commute today – roads covered in ice and traffic at a crawl. I’d probably stay home a lot more if things were like that around here. Hope you’re getting some doses of sunshine and enjoying your ILX as often as you can.
January 10, 2013 at 12:01 pm
Seriously??! YOUR instead of YOU’RE? On an official, professional city sign? Where was the proof patrolman? Ouch! Another set of great photos and documentary. I drive vicariously through you. See you in a week!
January 10, 2013 at 12:30 pm
It’s absolutely, positively for real! I’d have to think that at some point, the painter, installer, or SOMEONE of authority in local town government would have said something before it got installed. The fact that it’s a spelling error makes the roadside destination even more “offbeat.” Maybe that’s why they intentionally leave it there. Made me stop, didn’t it?
January 10, 2013 at 6:09 pm
Tyson,
I noticed in one of your pictures of the Legend parked in a parking lot that you park in a corner spot. Did this happen by chance or do you do that on purpose?
As for me, even though my 2005 Acura TSX is now 8 years old, I still, to this day, always try to get a corner spot when i park in a public lot so that at least one side of it is protected and other side is further away from the adjoining space. I will do this even if I have to circle the lot and park further away.
January 10, 2013 at 8:13 pm
You’re absolutely on target. That is “my” space at the office. No, it doesn’t have my name anywhere on or near it, but it just happens to be the most car-friendly space that’s available when I arrive around 7:00 a.m. each weekday. I intentionally pull as far as I can toward the curb side.
I do this everywhere that I park, actually. Grocery stores, malls. If I’m at a mall with a parking structure, I’ll go all the way to the top floor where I’ve got the entire place to myself. I did a post on Drive to Five called ‘Parking Paranoia’ – definitely seems to be a fitting diagnosis for your behavior too.
January 12, 2013 at 12:33 pm
LOL! I had a good laugh today reading this. Someone who understands me. I also try my best to find a corner spot every single place i park. Movie theater, grocery store, work, deparment stores, destinations on long distances trips. “Car friendly” parking spots as you put it, are one of my favorite things in life. But you have even me beat in one department. While i will also go up the parkng structure in a mall, i am content if I can find a secure spot in one of the upper floors. I do not need the entire top floor to myself! I also do not need an entire empty floor on one of the lower floors. Even when the car was new, the 5th floor out of a six floor garage was okay with me. I could share it with others as long as my spot was secure.;-)
January 10, 2013 at 9:51 pm
I can’t believe you didn’t stop in front of the singing frog mural in Salome. It’s an homage to local humorist Dick Wick Hall, who wrote about the frog who couldn’t swim because he lived in the desert.
January 11, 2013 at 6:07 am
I know! I saw a marker discussing something about the desert frog, but either the story went way over my head or I was in too big of a hurry. I also did a little bit of research on the town name “Salome,” and it had something to do with a woman who didn’t have shoes so when she walked on the hot desert sand, she hopped around like she was dancing. But what the heck does the word “Salome” have to do with dancing? I stopped researching there, LOL.