NALM Day 3: Maggie Valley, North Carolina
Odometer (Legend): 524,675
Day Distance: 407 Miles
I made it! Today was a light day in comparison to yesterday’s marathon: Just 5 hours, 45 minutes and only 400 miles to my final destination in Maggie Valley for the 9th Annual National Acura Legend Meet.
The Legend was rip-raring to go as I departed from Jackson, Tennessee this morning.
Fuel at Sunoco somewhere in Tennessee. Like I told my friend Chris, “I don’t even wait for the receipt to print. I hop back in the driver seat and head out!”
It felt great to finally see that blue marker closing in on its destination.
Asheville! The finish line is now in sight.
Lots of bridges today – a rare sight for an Arizonan like me. “River” to me frequently just means the bridge is crossing a dry river bed.
Torrential rain came down between Knoxville and the North Carolina state line. Traffic slowed to a crawl and even with the wipers on the highest setting, they couldn’t keep up. Once the clouds parted it was a beautiful canyon.
Two tunnels on I-40 eastbound.
If I had an aftermarket exhaust system, this is where I’d let it roar.
It felt weird using a green-handled nozzle at the gas station and I had to remind myself, “THIS IS NOT DIESEL.” I double-checked the button before I selected the 93 octane, anyway.
Quick oil level check – all systems good! I’m running Valvoline 5W30 oil.
And finally, I arrived at the Maggie Valley Creekside Lodge and received a warm welcome from all those who had already arrived.
These guys gave me a little grief for my aftermarket audio system and some missing hardware under the hood (thanks to those deer collision incidents in 2007) but overall they were impressed with how things looked!
One lonely Prelude in the background – my friend Chris drove down from Maryland in his 1991 Si 4WS 5-speed. It’s a beauty with around 220,000 on the odometer. The Legend in the foreground belongs to Alex.
Nice looking lineup!
Chaka’s engine bay. Many of these Legends have had extensive upgrades & improvements.
Reunited with Alan from Florida who helped plan the meet. He gave me my commemorative NALM shirt.
It’s good to be here!
We’re rolling to dinner shortly at a restaurant called “LEGENDS.”
Signing out from North Carolina!
drivetofive 
August 23, 2013 at 7:59 pm
Love following your blog. I had to sell my Acura due to job loss but picked up a 2000 Toyota Camry LE with the 2.2l 5SFE engine and has 214k on the clock and runs well. I just did a full buff of the paint to revive it all except the badly chipped hood and bumper. Its getting all its maintenance caught up next week $2k Worth. Let’s see if it can hit 300k!
August 23, 2013 at 8:08 pm
Hey Russell, I guarantee that Camry still has plenty of life left. Sounds like you have some important maintenance coming up so that will extend the life of the car greatly. I’m convinced that for most cars (when properly cared for), 200k can be just the beginning. Keep me posted on your travels and if you ever needs your Acura fix, you’re welcome to take mine for a spin.
August 24, 2013 at 6:21 pm
Wow Tyson! Looks like an amazing time. I had to laugh at the aftermarket audio system. Always nice to associate with car guys who appreciate originality. Seems like most people I hang around keep nagging me to ‘slam’ mine. Nope, stock wins.
August 25, 2013 at 5:48 am
Stock is best for someone like me, too. I just need a car that’s reliable for long trips like this. My ‘mod money’ goes to maintenance instead.