NALM 2015 in Houston, Part 5: Final Leg, El Paso TX to Scottsdale AZ
Odometer (Legend coupe): 537,971
Odometer (Legend sedan): 149,635
Day Distance: 434 Miles
It wasn’t until I popped my waffle out of the iron onto my paper plate this morning at the Hampton Inn that I realized it was in the shape of the state of Texas. I guess they want to make sure people remember where they’re waking up.
Today, I bring you the conclusion to a 5-part, action-packed, 2,655-mile round trip drive to Houston, Texas from Scottsdale, Arizona. My friend James and I departed last Wednesday evening so it’s taken us 6 days to cover that kind of ground. Technically, though, we collectively covered 5,310 miles, since we took two of my cars. I’m a little afraid to find out what my credit card statement tells me on the next billing cycle — anyone want to guess what I spent on Premium gas?
Gabe and James (another James, this one driving the red Legend sedan) rolled into El Paso late last night and shared our hotel room. After we fueled up and had a pre-drive chat, it was time to once again head westward on Interstate 10. Only a few miles down the road, we crossed into the “Land of Enchantment.”
In fewer than 200 miles, we crossed another state line into Arizona and I said, “It’s about time!”
I set the pace at 81 miles per hour for our 4-Acura convoy and we were pleased that traffic was light, weather was good, and road conditions were optimal. Even as tired as I was, it was still a better way to spend a Monday than sitting inside an office. Our only stops were in Lordsburg, New Mexico and then in Picacho Peak, Arizona. When we got to the Phoenix metro area, I stuck my arm out the window to send Gabe & James D onward to California while James L and I continued to my place. Gabe and James have another 6 and 10 hours to drive today, respectively. Crazy.
I’m thrilled with how well the cars performed. For having a combined 687,606 miles on them, the trip went absolutely flawlessly. The only fluid I had to add to either car was some of Kevin’s power steering fluid to the coupe once we got to Houston. Oil and coolant levels remained perfect on both vehicles. All I have to do is get that tire nail hole patched from Saturday, throw the tire back on the coupe, and it will be ready for another cross-country trip.
I’ll include just a few photos from today, and hope to have a video ready to share later this week. Many thanks are due to the folks who made this trip possible: To TJ Vetrone for putting on such a world-class event, to James Lee for driving my second car, to Chris Miller for working night & day to get his car ready for the meet so I’d be able to see it there, and to the many other friends who I interacted this weekend who feel more like family to me at this point. Thanks, and I’m already looking forward to the 2016 event wherever it ends up being.
Dust storm warning sign on I-10
So close, but yet so far!
Tucson downtown skyline
Photo from James whilst approaching the Phoenix area
Lo and behold: A Rosewood Brown Vigor sighting, just a few miles from my house.
Home, tucked away, and in dire need of a car wash to get rid of some slaughtered bugs.
Thanks for being a part of the adventure!
drivetofive 
September 28, 2015 at 3:41 pm
2700 Miles + 12 Cities + 3 States + 2 Legends = 1 Epic Adventure! Thanks for having me along for the ride!
September 28, 2015 at 4:47 pm
Thank YOU for being a part of it! It was a whirlwind few days but I enjoyed every minute and every mile. Thanks for taking great care of my car along the way. Now to clean up those bugs!
September 28, 2015 at 4:49 pm
Thank you for signing my rear deck lid. I put only 1,996 miles on the Polar Bear.
September 28, 2015 at 4:50 pm
I’m glad we remembered to take care of business. And I’m glad we did that before the awards ceremony, or I probably wouldn’t have had time! Polar Bear is officially in the NALM Signed Decklid Society. It’s an elite group of cars! I wonder which you’ll bring to NALM 2016?
September 28, 2015 at 7:51 pm
That waffle… hahaha. Glad the trip was a success and free of any unscheduled stops. Those older Acuras won’t be stopped!
September 28, 2015 at 9:26 pm
Thanks for your confidence, and for following us every step (tire revolution) of the way, Brad! I can always count on you! 🙂
September 28, 2015 at 8:32 pm
I couldve guessed they made waffles the shape of Texas. Looks like some more great scenery too
September 28, 2015 at 9:27 pm
Definitely, I love the southwest. Dawn and dusk are the most beautiful times of day. I just wish the weather would cool down a bit more. I heard on the radio this evening that we’re still going to hit a high of 106 degrees later this week.
September 28, 2015 at 9:29 pm
Hi Tyson,
Welcome back home! Wow your legend sedan almost got 150,000 miles soon. How long did you brought your legend sedan and how many miles? I’m glad that you had a great time at the events in Texas. I can’t wait to see turn 540,000 miles on your legend coupe soon! 🙂
September 28, 2015 at 9:47 pm
Thanks Josh! I bought the Legend sedan in 2008 with 132,000 miles and the Legend coupe in 2003 with 95,000 miles. Both cars are pretty close to hitting big milestones soon! Thanks for following the blog 🙂
September 29, 2015 at 7:17 am
It will be nice to go home after work and
NOT have to work on the Legend; at least not for a couple days. It was great getting the twin GS together and can’t wait to see Danis montage of photos and videos in the near future. I’m very tired after this last 1500 mile sprint.
September 29, 2015 at 9:29 am
Exhausted here too, but the trip was totally worth it. Having those twin GS 6-speeds together at the same time was a very rare occurrence. It hadn’t happened for over 21 years. I will work on my video tonight.
September 29, 2015 at 11:06 am
Premium gas for 2 cars, 5,310 miles, my guess for fuel cost is $750.
September 29, 2015 at 11:15 am
You may very well be correct. I didn’t save any receipts. Tack on 4 hotel night stays and all the dining out, and it made for a very pretty expensive vacation. But worth it.
September 30, 2015 at 4:53 am
I spent $307 to travel 3191 miles.
September 30, 2015 at 6:07 am
Quite the bargain!
September 29, 2015 at 2:02 pm
Your cars are just too awesome! I don’t even want to guess how much premium gas for two Legends and 5,310 combined miles costs. Obviously it seems worth it. 🙂
September 29, 2015 at 4:11 pm
Oh, worth every penny! Already looking forward to next year, wherever that ends up being. Maybe you’ll join us?! 🙂
September 29, 2015 at 10:18 pm
Oh I hope to join the festivities of NALM someday!
September 30, 2015 at 2:54 am
Thankfully it was just the bugs that got slaughtered this time, and not the much larger furry Texas pests. Always a pleasure seeing you, old friend, and reading your amazing blogs about your adventures.
September 30, 2015 at 6:06 am
Agreed! I didn’t have my deer-hunting permit with me this time, so it’s a good thing I left the wildlife alone. Hope to catch up with you again soon! Long live the mid-90s sport coupes 🙂
September 30, 2015 at 8:57 am
I guess $850 total for gas. YOWZA!
September 30, 2015 at 8:59 am
Let’s just not think about it too much! The memories were “priceless,” so I’m not too worried about the gas expense 🙂
September 30, 2015 at 1:05 pm
HOME AT LAST!! Gas will be $750.00
September 30, 2015 at 1:29 pm
I’ll post the results on the blog soon. It’s funny looking at the statement online though. It almost looks like duplicate credit card transactions, until you realize that one amount was just slightly higher than the other. The sedan consistently got better mileage than the coupe. But they were always really close.