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Archive for November, 2016

Thanksgiving 2016: Zion National Park in Southern Utah

Posted in ILX, National Parks, Road Trip, Utah on November 27, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 549,008

Odometer (ILX): 187,248

Trip Distance: 849 Miles

What are some of the most expensive toll roads you’ve driven?

On Thursday morning, I paid $30 to drive 14 miles on State Route 9 in southern Utah. $2 per mile! But that’s a small price to pay for this kind of scenery-per-mile, right?

Truth is, that fee was actually the cover charge for Zion National Park, and it just so happened that I needed to pass through Zion in order to get to a Thanksgiving feast that was awaiting me at Aunt Jodi’s house on the other side in Rockville.

Knowing, though, that I wouldn’t need to re-enter the park since I’d be taking a different route home, I decided to “pay it forward.” It was Thanksgiving Day, after all. As soon as I got through the park and exited its west end, I hit the brakes, threw the hazards on in the ILX, and rushed out the driver door to hand my park pass to an unsuspecting motorist going the opposite way who was waiting in line at the ranger station to enter. “Do you want a free park pass? It’s good for 7 days,” I told the driver of a white SUV. “Umm, sure!” he said as he took the brochure and receipt. “Happy Thanksgiving!” I yelled as I ran back to the ILX and drove away.

Growing up in southern Utah, my family’s home was only 45 minutes from the gates of Zion National Park. Zion is one of Utah’s 5 colorful national parks, established 97 years ago and covering over 200 square miles in the southwest corner of the state. There are some key features including waterfalls, gardens, and picturesque sandstone cliffs carved away by the Virgin River at the base. Holiday tourist traffic was heavy on Thanksgiving but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the scenery and stopping for a few photos on my quick drive through.

My favorite feature of the park is 1.1-mile-long tunnel called the Zion – Mount Carmel Tunnel. It was carved away in 1930 and shortened the distance from Zion to nearby Bryce Canyon by 70 miles. The tunnel is narrow and requires a special escort for oversize vehicles. The interior of the tunnel is completely black except for 3 or 4 spots where there are ‘windows’ opening up to the outside canyon. Unfortunately cars are not allowed to stop at those windows.

We dined heartily on turkey and trimmings at Jodi’s. It was good to see my brothers and a couple of my cousins. Here are a few photos and a short video from my Thanksgiving weekend. Check out my cousin Dillon’s dance moves at 1:46 in. I hope you and your families had an enjoyable one.

Highway 89 northbound just south of Page, Arizona

Utah state line near Lake Powell in Page

I liked this Parry Lodge in Kanab, Utah

Highway 9 westbound

Curvy road after exiting the tunnel

These backdrops never get old

Quick jaunt to Salt Lake to visit a family member in the hospital

Sunset off mom’s back patio on Saturday night

Visiting a couple of my favorite little people, nephew Rex and niece Vivienne

I was shocked on Thursday evening when my friend Chris messaged me about an article that had just been posted on Jalopnik about my garage and Acura collection. Jalopnik is one of the largest automotive media pages around – with over 300,000 followers on Facebook, 150,000 YouTube subscribers, and a huge presence overall. A couple of months ago, I had shot a quick email over to editor Andrew Collins who I also knew to be an Acura driver (with a > 200,000-mile TL). He took enough interest in the story to put together an article about it.

The level of response was pretty nuts. My blog had its best view day in its 5-year history, with 2,558 views and over 1,200 visitors the following day. Both the Facebook post and the article itself got about 300 comments each. I was terrified of reading them but eventually got the nerve. To my surprise, most were overwhelmingly positive. I’m glad a few people out there can relate to a my madness or at least consider it a little bit entertaining.

The blog, by the way, is sitting at around 496,000 views overall since I started it in March 2011. That means we are shortly coming up on a Drive to Five milestone of a completely different nature. Thanks for being part of it!

15 Comments »

Quick Trip to Los Angeles: Historic Honda Roots & Dinner in West Hollywood

Posted in California, Car Show, ILX, Integra, Maintenance, NSX, Road Trip on November 20, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 548,869

Odometer (ILX): 185,579

Trip Distance: 758 Miles

Would you believe that American Honda, the powerhouse that sold a record 1.5 million vehicles across the Honda and Acura brands in 2015, got its humble roots selling just motorcycles out of this small office space in Los Angeles? Some 57 years ago, here at 4077 W. Pico Boulevard, the company first took root in the United States, but it has forever since changed the landscape of the powersports and automotive industries.

Today, that same office space has changed hands probably more times than one could count, and is currently leased by an acupuncture & wellness facility. Sadly the condition has deteriorated substantially and the neighborhood isn’t all that great. I happened to be in the area yesterday morning so I stopped by for a pre-sunrise photo. The building is available for lease, and it would sure be a lot of fun to move in and create a museum or replica of the way things used to be. Dreams.

Looking westward down Pico Boulevard. The roads were surprisingly quiet at this hour.

Thanks to the lady selling tamales on the street next door for taking this quick shot of me.

Last Sunday, I met up with a few fellow second-generation Acura Integra drivers at a park in Tempe, Arizona for a little meet & greet. Now 26 years old, this bodystyle has aged pretty well and the few that survive are in the hands of enthusiasts like the handful of guys I met that day. It seems most people consider the Integra a blank canvas upon which to express his or her own sense of style, but I’ve decided to keep mine original to its 1992 factory configuration.

It’s always fun to meet with other car-nuts at events like these. Especially in cases, like this one, where the host brought out Dunkin Donuts to share with everyone. Thanks to German for that!

For years I’ve waited for the right opportunity to take a photo of my “Vig” at “The Vig.” The Vig is a restaurant on 16th Street in central Phoenix that has some of the best brunch in the valley.

The 1992 NSX has been under the knife for the past week or so, getting a completely refreshed Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) to rectify a warning light that’s been showing up for a long time. Braking performance under normal circumstances have been unaffected, but the ABS is deactivated when the light is on. This is a very common issue for the early NSX models like mine, and luckily Science of Speed offers an upgrade kit designed specifically for this application. It involves retrofitting the later model year (2002-05) NSX components.

I’m picking up the car the first part of this coming week. SOS did also recommend a few other maintenance items that will wait until my next major “90K” service coming up in 4 years. The timing belt and water pump were changed in January 2011 under the previous owner’s ownership, so they aren’t quite due yet. That was a $2,200 service at the time.

For having driven the NSX 26,000 miles in the 5 years I’ve had it, it’s actually been relatively inexpensive to own & maintain. GEICO did just raise my 6-month premium to $179 because the street address at which I now reside is higher risk. Interestingly enough, the NSX is still far cheaper to insure with full coverage than the 2013 ILX (which comes in at over $300) even though the NSX is certainly worth much more.

This weekend’s travels took me to California on Thursday afternoon. The Los Angeles Auto Show kicked off last week with Media Days being held on Wednesday and Thursday. Typically, I would have been there as a journalist with the Redline Reviews team to cover the event’s new car reveals, but my work time-off situation wouldn’t quite allow for it.

Still, I was determined to participate in the after-hours stuff so I set out in the afternoon for what should have been a six-hour drive to Hollywood for a dinner engagement with about 30 other people. Lucky for me, I also gained an hour due to time zones because that drive in reality ended up taking over 8 hours. Construction zones in multiple places on Interstate 10 and the expected LA rush-hour traffic made for slow going.

‘

My Garmin Nuvi GPS unit crept up its ‘delay’ timer the closer I got to my destination.

At least red is a pretty color!

I did finally make it to the venue at “Tortilla Republic,” though, and just 15 minutes before it started. Here, I’m pictured with Sofyan, Aaron, Rob, and Peace who are the backbone of the Redline media group. I’m hoping to partner with them in two months at the Detroit Auto Show if I can play my cards right with the time-off request. Cross your fingers!

Hollywood’s “Walk of Fame” is home to 2,500 stars like this in the ground. It was walking distance from my motel and I happened to snag a picture of one of the stars, Mariah Carey’s, while en route to breakfast on Friday morning.

Sunrise in downtown Los Angeles

I made one major pit stop on the way home, to see some friends in Palm Springs. Scott & Sandy are a couple who I’ve featured on the blog previously. Their ever-evolving automotive collection spans a wide variety of tastes, from their 1992 NSX to a 1980s Mercury Bobcat (rebadged Pinto), to their latest: a 1964 Mercury Park Lane which they just had brought over on a transport truck from Houston. It’s waiting for some brake work so we didn’t take it for a spin, but those guys sure have some great taste in cars!

I took a spin in their 41,000-mile (!) 1976 Cadillac Seville which rode like it was on a cloud.

Also checked out Scott’s latest toy: a 1991 Civic “RealTime 4WD” wagon that he’s going to restore.

Many thanks to Scott and Sandy once again for their hospitality.

Finally today – I’d like to make a quick introduction to my friend Melissa, who has launched her own blog. It’s called “Working from Home.” In today’s workplace, thanks to the advances in telecommuting, you can be in virtually any part of the world and still be connected to your day job. I’ve participated in conference calls from the road, logged into my email from airplanes and hotel rooms, and been on Skype meetings while in another state. It’s starting to matter less and less that you’re seated in desk 4S018 at Phoenix Plaza Corporate Office staring at 4 cubicle walls.

Case in point: I worked with Melissa on a daily basis for over 4 years, but I never met her. She was over 2,500 miles away at our Rhode Island office and I was based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Did the geographic distance make us any less productive as coworkers? I honestly don’t think so. And herein was born the opportunity for Melissa to create an outlet where she could share some of her learnings over the many months of working from home.

Be sure to check out the article “Are You On Mute?” under the “Real Work” section. It’s one of my faves.

Have a great Thanksgiving week!

18 Comments »

Saturday Drive: Remember the Alamo (Lake), Arizona

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on November 13, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 184,729

Trip Distance: 303 Miles

Nature’s peaceful silence was remarkable as we looked out from the Bill Williams Overlook upon one of Arizona’s most remote bodies of water, some 40 miles out into the desert northwest of Wickenburg. Aside for the crunch-crunch of shoes on the gravel when someone walked, it was perfectly quiet and there wasn’t another soul as far as the eye could see. We had to stand there and appreciate it for a few minutes.

Just then, the growl of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle broke the silence and we were joined by what may very well have been Alamo Reservoir State Park’s only other visitors that day. Lance from our group called the biker couple “Merl and Pearl.” And they were pleasant company! Nice enough, in fact, to snap a photo of us.

It had been awhile since I did any exploration in the Great State of Arizona, so I pulled out Google Maps a few days ago to see what I could dig up. A search for “Arizona State Parks” gave me a myriad of results so I started looking at places I hadn’t yet been. One such destination was Alamo Lake, tucked deep into the wilderness of La Paz County and far from any sort of modern civilization. The map, in fact, reveals just how far away it is from everything. And – how far it is from Nothing. Seriously, “Nothing, Arizona.” It’s on the map, right there to the north.

The lake covers 4,900 acres and was created in 1969. Today, it’s occasionally open for water skiing and other recreational sports, but due to exceptionally low water levels currently (some 45 feet below normal), only fishermen and swimmers are allowed out on the lake. Darn, I forgot my swim trunks.

Our day started out in Central Phoenix where my friend Mike and his family met up with me, James, Lance, and Miles to set out in 3 vehicles for the ~300-mile round-trip loop to the lake and back. I took the lead in my ILX, with James and Mike following in a 2017 Cadillac XT5 and a 2017 Acura TLX (a loaner thanks to Pauly Acura in Chicago since they have Mike’s 2009 TSX captive for an airbag repair).

The first 100 or so miles of the trip were on the highly-traveled Interstate 10 corridor which connects the Phoenix area to Los Angeles. From there, we headed north on Vicksburg Road which would soon connect us with US Highway 60. The 60 was once the main thoroughfare from Phoenix to LA long before the interstate punched through the desert.

One of many oases (I think that’s the first time I’ve used that word in plural form) along the path was the teeny town of Hope, Arizona. It consists of little more than an RV park, gas station, church, and antique store. But perhaps its most remarkable feature, for me anyway, is the sign greeted by visitors as they exited the east end of town, which in gramatically-incorrect form, tells people they’re now beyond hope.

Our trio of vehicles headed north on Alamo Highway from Wenden and ventured deeper into the desert for the next 35 miles until we arrived at the park entrance. I counted just a couple of other vehicles along the way. The park ranger at the small visitor center was very friendly and gave us some tips on how and where to navigate our way around the area. He even waived our $7-per-car entry fee and gave us passes for free. He recommended hitting up the Bill Williams Overlook, which was our next stop 1.4 miles up the road. That’s where we met Merl and Pearl.

By now, everyone had worked up an appetite. I’d noticed a couple of small blue signs alongside the road on our way to the lake which read “WAYSIDE.” I’d also asked the park ranger about this. It’s a restaurant, he told us. But it was about 3 miles down a dirt road. I looked to Michael and asked if he’d be okay taking his 2,700-mile (loaner) TLX on such a road, and he said he didn’t mind. Of course he didn’t!

Wayside was indeed quite the oasis. I couldn’t help but wonder as I kicked up a cloud of dust on the dirt road headed toward it, passing massive Saguaro cacti, “There’s a restaurant out HERE?” We had the entire wait staff’s attention as we placed our orders for green chili burgers, chili cheese fries, and fried zucchini. There was a surprising selection of food for being in the middle of nowhere. Our orders took a while to prepare, but we enjoyed the downtime because it gave Lance a chance to battle me in a game of billiards (in which I beat him).

Heart attack, coming right up!

The return trip took us through more of Arizona’s oft-bypassed and cowboy-themed Western towns including Aguila (Spanish for “eagle”) and Wickenburg. The sun was starting to creep below the western horizon in our rearview mirrors by the time we arrived back in the Phoenix Valley. It was a long day but enjoyable thanks to the great company we had. Thanks for coming along for the adventure!

Group shot at the entrance/exit to Hope

Lonely desert backroads

Entrance to Alamo

Map of the Alamo Lake area in the Visitor Center

Narrow road toward the dam (damn) overlook

Some dam facts for you

You can see how low the water level is right now

ILX & TLX with their occupants, minus Michael’s 7-month-old baby Benjamin

Looks like a nice swim

5 MPH, 5 MPH, 5 MPH. Do you think Wayside Oasis doesn’t want people to stir up dust?

Arrival at our lunch spot

The Wayside doesn’t look like much. The staff members were nice, though!

…. Plus you can get gas there. 87 octane for $3.65. No Premium available.

Pennies on the men’s room floor!

10 Comments »

NSXPO 2016 in Orlando, Florida

Posted in Car Show, NSXPO on November 8, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend Sedan): 150,724

Odometer (Legend Coupe): 548,850

Odometer (ILX): 184,321

Today, I’m taking you to Florida. I sadly missed the opportunity to drive 2,140 miles each way from Phoenix to Orlando this past weekend, but it was for the best. With my new job giving me very limited paid time off, I had no choice but to catch a flight on American and fly the friendly skies to this year’s annual gathering of crazy Acura NSX enthusiasts. It was still very much worth it!

It’s hard to believe that the last NSXPO in Palm Springs is already a year behind us in the rearview mirror. The Orlando planning crew raised that ever-lofty bar even more so: This year’s event has introduced some of the biggest venues and the most organizationally “put together” agenda I’ve ever seen. On Thursday, a group of 200-someodd NSXs cruised together to the Kennedy Space Center for a special tour. And on Friday, that same group took to the world-renowned Sebring Racetrack for a performance driving event.

My Friday evening flight took about 4 hours, but seemed like 7, thanks to the time zones on my west-to-east travels. Longtime friend and fellow Legend lover Alan Jackson was kind enough to leave me a “rental” vehicle at the Orlando airport: the 1994 Acura Legend coupe in Milano Red that he’d purchased from my mother back in 2010. The odometer at crank of the key was just under 170,400 miles and it fired to life like new.

Fellow car-nut Brian who’s local to Orlando was kind enough to show me around that evening. While certainly not a “fun” destination like Disney World nearby, one very important Orlando place in recent news is the Pulse nightclub where dozens of people were killed in June. It happened to be literally around the corner from Brian’s home so I got a photo there while paying my respects.

One of the traditional NSXPO events is the “Concours d’Elegance,” which is basically a car show. The entire northeast section of the Springhill Suites hotel parking lot in Winter Garden was overtaken by NSXs when I arrived on Saturday morning. Right off the bat, I received a text message from my friend Jermaine from New Jersey. “When did you get here?” He’d seen me wandering around outside from an upper floor of the hotel. Jermaine is one of many former Legend owners who have taken their Acura ownership to the next level by getting involved in the NSX game. Check out his Rio Yellow 2000 NSX here:

There was a BBQ between 11:00 and 1:00 in the parking lot. I attended a panel discussion in one of the conference rooms and learned some very insightful information. Among the participants was Chris Willson, owner of Science of Speed, an NSX performance shop located in Chandler, Arizona. Chris and his team have taken the initiative to create the “Heritage Program” which focuses on sourcing or reproducing critical parts which have been discontinued. For example, the NSX “twin disc” clutch has been discontinued from American Honda so owners who are seeking to buy a “factory” replacement part are left having to seek other aftermarket alternatives.

Just a few miles up the road, the Orange County National Golf Club hosted our large group in a banquet room for a formal dinner and program that evening. Keynote speakers included Ted Klaus, Project Leader for the NSX, as well as seasoned race veteran Peter Cunningham who has recently taken a new role in leadership for the RealTime team, as well as others from Honda R&D. Peter will be at the helm for the 2017 season race campaign of the NSX “GT3” racecar. I happened to be seated at dinner across from a guy named John who’d just finished a 13,000-mile cross-country road trip in his own Berlina Black 1991 NSX. I was in good company!

Oooh, fancy awards. Everything about NSXPO was high class.

No trip to Florida would be complete without a stop at the state’s most exclusive and exciting theme park: “Legend Land.” Otherwise known as Alan Jackson’s house in Floral City, Legend Land has become a mecca of sorts for the Legend enthusiasts. Alan and his wife Nancy welcomed me to their beautiful estate where we enjoyed a lakeside lunch of Italian sausage and homemade potato salad.

I also got to witness firsthand the replacement of a left rear wheel speed sensor on a 1994 Legend coupe belonging to local enthusiast Thomas. My friend Alex took me back to the airport in his 6-speed BMW 5-series. It had quite the roar thanks to its V8 and custom exhaust system.

Though short, my visit to Orlando was definitely sweet and I was glad to reconnect with old friends as well as make a few new ones. Thanks for coming along for the adventure! Enjoy a few pics & a short video.

Hanging with my buddy Brian

Interesting ‘wizard’ gift shop on Irlo Bronson Road in Kissimmee, FL

Hey, that doesn’t look like an Acura ZDX to me! Nice try.

Few shots from the parking lot at the host hotel in Winter Garden

Love this “Monaco Blue” color. It’s rare!

My friend John Komar (right) and his brother both brought their NSXs out.

Brooklands Green: 1994-95-only color.

Check out this odometer!

Original engine. That was on this 1991 NSX:

I got a kick out of his comment on the judging form in response to “why he should win” the Best of Show.

Racing legend Peter Cunningham selling T-shirts

Imola Orange Pearl. Pictures don’t do this color justice! Notice, even the leather interior was orange!

Doing a drive through Walt Disney World

Tee time, anyone?

A few 2017 NSXs were on hand, including this Valencia Red beauty.

Poolside at the host hotel.

Orange County National Golf Club, cocktail reception.

Sunday morning drive to Floral City to return my rental car.

Arrival at Legend Land, pictured here with Alan and Alex.

Working on Thomas’ Legend coupe.

Quick shot with Abby (the pup), Nancy (Alan’s wife) and a gator statue.

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500k Milestone Five-Year Anniversary & Shapshots: An Acura a Day for 7 Workdays

Posted in ILX, Integra, Legend, MDX, NSX, Vigor on November 4, 2016 by tysonhugie

Because why not? Space #1 B1-346 always looks nice at my office.

Thursday, October 27 – 2017 Acura MDX

Friday, October 28 – 1994 Acura Legend Coupe

Monday, October 31 – 2013 Acura ILX

Tuesday, November 1 – 1994 Acura Legend Sedan

Wednesday, November 2 – 1992 Acura NSX

Thursday, November 3 – 1992 Acura Integra GS-R

Friday, November 4 – 1994 Acura Vigor GS

Hard to believe it’s been 5 years since the day I drove to Acura’s headquarters in Torrance, California and rolled onto the red carpet with 500,000.1 miles on the odometer in my 1994 Legend coupe. I’m now 48,850 more miles down the highway in that car and don’t plan on retiring it any time soon. Many thanks to those of you who have been along for the ride from the beginning, as well as those who came onboard more recently!

I’m catching a flight this afternoon to Orlando, Florida for this year’s NSXPO event. More to come on that soon.

Have a great weekend!

20 Comments »

Drive to Five Review: 2017 Acura MDX Advance; Canyon Lake Legend Meet

Posted in Arizona, Legend, MDX, Vehicle Reviews on November 1, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 548,850

Odometer (MDX): 1,817

Last Thursday at Bashas’ supermarket in uptown Phoenix, I put the newest Acura MDX to the test doing what it does best! I made all the soccer moms jealous with every family’s dream ride: a three-row SUV that brings the comforts of home into a grocery-getter that’s surprisingly fun to drive.

This striking $57k top-line model brings in all the bells and whistles, including some new-this-year amenities for second-row passengers: heated seats and captain chairs. The kids never had it so good!

Prior MDX write-ups are here. I’ve been lucky to get my mitts on a couple prior iterations of this fine people-mover:

Now in its third generation, this 2017 model is the ‘refreshed’ version of the bodystyle that debuted in 2014. This latest version wears Acura’s refreshed front end with a grille devoid of the “shield” we’d become familiar with since 2009. Instead, the styling is now derived from Acura’s Precision Concept and is pentagonal in shape. Continuing rearward, the design is clean and carried over from prior iterations. The wheels are 20″ in diameter and a handsome design. Bling bling!

The MDX gives me a “they’ve thought of everything” feeling. The lights on underside of the sideview mirrors turn on as you approach the vehicle at night to illuminate the ground below. The liftgate is powered electronically. And the auto start/stop feature (a fuel-savings enhancement to shut off the motor temporarily at idle when stopped) can be triggered by the level of brake pedal pressure applied. It took me a couple of minutes to figure that one out, but I fell in love with it when I did.

Bottom line: this is the most technologically-advanced MDX ever, and it has to be: the three-row luxury SUV segment in which it dwells is extremely competitive. And clearly Acura is doing something right: The MDX is the brand’s top-selling vehicle, moving over 5,000 units in October 2016 (up 23% over the prior September).

My test vehicle was a White Diamond Pearl All-Wheel-Drive “Advance” model with Tech, Advance, and AcuraWatch packages. Basically, “fully loaded.” The driver seat is 10-way adjustable. The climate control system has 3 zones. Everything is push-button or even hands-free. If you can’t get comfortable driving this MDX, you’re a lost cause. I had my fair share of fun with it during my 7 days of cruising around in it. The MDX is the king of the urban jungle. I noticed that for being a larger vehicle it’s still easy to navigate in crowded city streets and still has great visibility.

It’s easy to see why SUVs have such a stronghold on modern families. It was nice to have the higher step-in height, and I loved being able to reach straight out the driver side window to swipe my badge and get into my office’s parking garage (as opposed to being in the ILX and having to reach upward to reach the sensor). Similarly, ATMs are so much more convenient when they’re right at arm level. I could get used to that!

Power delivery in the MDX is smooth and predictable with the 290-horsepower, 3.5-liter engine and 9-speed automatic transmission. For having so many gears, I found the MDX to do surprisingly little gear-hunting. It is decisive and determined to understand its driver. While my travels didn’t take me off the beaten path, based on my prior experience with putting a third-gen MDX through its dirt-road paces, I would proclaim this SUV just as comfortable on-road as off-road. Versatility is the name of the game.

Is there room in my garage for an MDX right now? Absolutely. Do I have a need for one? Not at all. Which isn’t to say it would come in handy from time to time. As a single 34-year-old, I may not fit the target buyer market for this vehicle. For those who do, it hits an absolute bullseye.

Many thanks to Acura for letting me behind the wheel!

Few other fun pieces of news below from the past week or so.

1979 Honda Accord from The Simpsons – Thanks, Tim, for sending this to me. Love it.

MDX at night

My friend Daniel stopped by in his 2012 Acura TL, bringing the Acura count at my place to 8.

I put up some new posters at the house including three nice, framed 24×36 prints.

Battery replacement for both Legends! Both were 4+ years old. Thanks Autozone.

On Saturday morning, I met up with some Legend owners for a cruise to Tortilla Flat near Apache Junction in eastern Mesa, Arizona. We cruised up Highway 88 through the Tonto National Forest.

Left to right: Gabe, Leon, Tyson

Leon’s interior on his 127,000-mile 1994 LS coupe in Pearl White is really nice.

Gabe’s car looks great too considering it is 24 years old and has 257,000 miles.

Great scenery all around!

Group shot

Headed back toward civilization, but stopping at the shores of Canyon Lake for a pic.