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Sedona, Arizona: Red Rocks & 25,000 Miles

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Milestones, Road Trip on January 13, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 518,436

Odometer (ILX): 25,101

As a southern Utah native, I’ve grown up around red sandstone rock formations. The 10,000-resident town of Sedona, Arizona feels a lot like my hometown in terms of the landscape that surrounds it. Saturday’s drive was a 312-mile out-and-back trip in the 2013 Acura ILX, with a slight detour from Sedona to Flagstaff on curvy Highway 89A.

Unlike last weekend’s solo trip to Hope, Arizona, this time I dragged 10 friends along for the ride! We were in 5 vehicles:

Woody and Lucas rode in the 2012 Honda Civic Si
Josh brought his 2012 Lexus IS350
Matt brought a 2012 Infiniti G37 IPL Convertible
We met up with Ryan in his 2006 Acura TL
And Beau rode with me in the 2013 Acura ILX

All 3 of the Japanese “premium” brands were well represented.

Here’s our pre-trip staging at the Circle K gas station in north Phoenix off the 101 freeway and 7th Avenue at about 11:00 in the morning.

These sporty rides look like they’re ready to conquer the hills.

Our first pit stop was the Sunset Point rest area off I-17 after we climbed a couple thousand feet and weather got a little cloudy.

From an online write-up about Sunset Point:

The Sunset Point Rest Area is a large rest area with different things to look at while you stretch your legs. There are:

Vendor Machines
Rest Rooms
Pet Exercise Area
Signs with Interesting Words
Poisonous Snakes and Insects
A Sundial memorial to Transporation Workers
Picnic Benches
… And more!

Thankfully we didn’t encounter any of those poisonous snakes or insects.

Siblings. Woody’s Civic Si and my ILX share the same 201-horsepower 2.4 liter motor and 6-speed manual drivetrain.

There were scattered snow flurries on the 17 as we made our way northbound. Soon we arrived at our turnoff for Highway 179 north which would get us to Sedona in fewer than 10 miles.

Highway 179 curves around various roundabouts, and we started seeing some of the area’s characteristic rock formations right away.

Arriving in Sedona. According to the city’s website, this place receives between 2 to 4 million visitors per year. Those who live there year-round have an average age of 50.

First order of business was to put our hunger to rest, and what better place than an alien-themed restaurant? The Red Planet Diner is another Roadside America hotspot, having attracted guests for decades to its extraterrestrial atmosphere.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve traveled to places of interplanetary nature. In 2005, I took my Acura Legend to Nevada’s state highway 375, also known as the Extraterrestrial Highway, just outside Area 51.

The Red Planet Diner was filled with odd decor.

Sorry aliens; find an ATM!

Most of our 11-person party went with the “signature” Red Planet Burger for $9.49. I enhanced mine with mushroom & avocado for $2 extra.

There were plenty of odd sights to keep us entertained. The food came out surprisingly quick and it was tasty.

This countertop was covered in images that had been taken of UFO or alien sightings over the years.

The exit door has a sign on it that announces our return to Planet Earth.

Outside, our cars lined for a quick photo-op. Combined mileage on these 5 cars is only about 140,000 miles (and over half of those are on Ryan’s TL alone). These are some new rides.

Three of the five cars were not wearing Arizona license plates:

My ILX: Registered to Acura headquarters in California
Matt’s G37 IPL: Registered to Nissan headquarters in Michigan
Ryan’s TL: Registered in his hometown of Yankton, South Dakota

The Infiniti was the most expensive car there, doubling my ILX’s pricetag at $62,000. It’s equipped with the “Infiniti Performance Line” package including a red leather interior. It was also the most powerful car in our lineup at 348 horsepower. The Lexus followed with 306 horsepower and an MSRP just over $40k.

Here’s the gang at Red Planet prior to our departure. Cheesy group pics are my specialty.

Woody’s Civic, named “Rosie Oprah Ling,” stands out in a crowd thanks to her red paint.

Next stop was Mickey-D’s for a hot cocoa.

This McDonald’s on Highway 89A is the only one in the world with its arches painted torquoise instead of yellow. In Sedona, great lengths are taken to preserve the natural appearance of the community. Residents are emphatic about minimizing the “noise” created by urban development, so they’ve enacted strict building requirements. In this case, reportedly the only way the city would allow McDonald’s to build there was if they ditched the yellow M.

Many communities like Sedona are characterized by a lack of street lights. The goal here, of course, is to minimize light pollution at nighttime and allow the stars to more readily be seen.

Next up we visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross was built at a cost of $300,000 in 1956. It rises 250 feet out of a red rock cliff. Upon closer inspection, the chapel is pictured here. It truly does blend in with the surroundings.

Tour admission was free so we took a gander inside.

I spy the ILX in the parking lot below.

A look inside. There was a gift shop in the lower level.

In the distance, “Cathedral Rock” can be seen. I’ve heard this presents a great hiking opportunity but with temps in the 30’s Fahrenheit, we decided to pass for now.

Back to the cars for the final leg of our journey.

This last shot of the chapel was taken out the moonroof of the ILX.

My intent after visiting the chapel had been to hike Devil’s Bridge, the largest sandstone arch in the area. It’s only a 2-mile round-trip hike, but those chilly temperatures (for us Arizonans, anyway) caused us to rethink that idea. I’ll go back when it’s 50 or so degrees warmer and hike Devil’s Bridge. Instead of hiking, we started our ascent to Flagstaff via Highway 89A.

Hwy 89A climbs from Sedona at 4,326 feet in elevation to Flagstaff at elevation 6,910 feet over the course of 25 miles. The views along the highway are especially stunning when fall colors are at their peak.

This road was a playground for my 6-speed equipped ILX. The car is so fun to shift through the gears that I find myself oftentimes downshifting unnecessarily. On these mountain grades, third and fourth gears were just the right match for giving me the power I needed to climb in elevation. Turns are tight and suspension tuning is key. Here’s where I think Acura engineers did a great job at achieving optimal ride & cornering balance for the 2,978-pound ILX.

This is the Google Map view of the twisties.

For a good chunk of this road, my XM radio was not picking up stations due to the canyon walls blocking the signal. I haven’t had that happen very often! Finally we made it to Interstate 17 and regrouped briefly at a scenic overlook.

Interesting to note here that my ILX happened to be the highest-mileage vehicle in our photoshoot, yet was the newest model year! Left to right:

2012 Civic: 18,000 miles
2012 G37 IPL: 11,000 miles
2013 ILX: 25,000 miles
2012 IS350: 8,000 miles

On the way back to Scottsdale, my ILX completed its 25,000 mile mark.

This milestone means that the Acura ILX is now 5% of the way to 500,000! That doesn’t even seem close, but hey it’s worth celebrating!

Thanks for coming along on the latest drive to five.

Update on Gunther Holtorf’s 1988 Mercedes

Readers who’ve been with me awhile will remember when I introduced them last July to Gunther Holtorf, a 75-year-old man who since 1988 has been traveling the world in his Mercedes SUV, having driven in over 170 countries and traversed over 800,000 kilometers. His inspirational world tour has been without fanfare or sponsors. He expects to visit the last 10 countries by August 2013. Following is a quote by Gunther that I found meaningful:

The world is overpopulated and the tourist industry has sent too many people to too many places. We go to the famous places—Niagara Falls, the Taj Mahal—but exploring the globe means you have to look behind the curtain. You have to visit the small villages. Big cities all over the Third World are very much alike. But in the countryside, it’s a different world.

I also especially liked this quote about how Gunther’s travels are a personal undertaking and for no other reason.

I travel for myself, nothing else. I don’t care about communicating with the world and I don’t do anything to please the world. It’s a private undertaking and that’s it. Many travelers, backpackers especially, they undergo all this stress and strain to find an Internet connection. And they sit there for hours typing stories about what they ate for breakfast or whether the customs officer smiled at them or not. Who cares about reading things like that? That’s their world, but it’s not mine.

And then I reflected on how in my last post, I talked about what I had for breakfast in Wickenburg, Arizona. Ha! See the article here from Outside Magazine for more pictures and a detailed update. Be sure to scroll through each of the 12 pages.

Honda History Lesson

Long before Acura came around in 1986, Honda’s been building quality automobiles. The first one dates back to 1963. There’s something endearing about the Hondas of yesteryear – they’re so gosh-darn cute. Ever laid eyes on an N600?

As we’ve advanced so far into the world of bluetooth, iPhone connectivity, and even cars that basically drive themselves (look at the new Lincoln MKZ with its “Lane Keeper” system and adaptive cruise control), we seem to have forgotten the simplicity that could once be enjoyed on the road. Honda’s early cars were innovative for their time. Take a peek at some vintage Honda ads on the Production Cars literature website. Following are some things I learned:

A 1986 Civic “Wagovan” with Real-Time 4-Wheel-Drive. Did you know that this car had a 6-speed transmission with ultra-low first gear?
A 1977 Civic 5-speed got 54 miles per gallon highway, 41 miles per gallon city – an industry first to exceed 50 mpg!
The ad copy on some of these treasures is quality. I especially love the final line on the ad for this 1981 Civic GL. “Is the Civic GL a sports car? There’s only one way to settle this. And it isn’t here.”

My friend Tyler knows that I lust after a 1979 Honda Prelude, the first model year of the Prelude. The gauge cluster on this car actually had the tachometer inside the speedometer and running on the same axis. Little known fact: every Prelude from 1979 to its final year in 2001 was equipped with a moonroof.

Til Next Time

Safe travels to all! Elsewhere in the country, winter storms are making a mess of the roadways. This particular 1994-1995 Acura Legend sedan (photo sent to me by a friend in Salt Lake City, Utah this week) looks to be a victim of said storms.

Meanwhile in Arizona, my neighbors are putting blankets over their landscaping when it threatens to freeze.

Tune in next time!

20 Comments »

Hope, Arizona: Passmore Gas Company

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on January 8, 2013 by tysonhugie

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!

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Saguaro National Park & San Xavier Mission

Posted in Arizona, ILX, National Parks, Road Trip on January 4, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 518,342

Odometer (ILX): 24,218

Over the last few weeks, I’ve made a list of 20 “bucket list” destinations I’d like to visit in 2013. As of January 1st, I’d already crossed one of those off the list. On Tuesday’s road trip, I went to a national park dedicated solely to cacti, traveled the only interstate in the country that’s marked with metric signposts, and stepped inside a historic church that was over 215 years old. Quite the successful day!

Saguaro National Park is so-named for the Saguaro cactus. These cacti can grow as high as 70 feet and live 175 years or more. They dot the landscape in many parts of Arizona, but they are most concentrated in the area which in 1994 was designated as a national park. Saguaro NP is unique in that its total 91,000 acres are split up in two separate “districts” – one which lies east of Tucson, and one to the west. For my New Year’s Day visit, I traveled to the east district, also known as the Rincon Mountain District. It was about a 300-mile round trip drive in the ILX.

Departing Scottsdale on a chilly morning. It’s a rare sight to see frost on the cars around here!

When I arrived in Tucson and fought construction on Houghton Road, I was perplexed by the wording on these signs. Could the placement have been done differently to make the message more clear? As it’s currently written, I feel like I’m being asked to share “The Road Drive” with care.

Saguaro’s east district welcomed me and my friend Josh. He’s lived in the Tucson area for 10 years and this was his first time entering the park.

The entrance station was busy with holiday visitors like ourselves. The only day of the year that this park closes is Christmas Day. The fee was $10 and is good for a week in case I decide to go back for a closer look.

There’s an 8-mile one-way scenic loop that Josh and I took. It’s a curvy one-lane road that would be a ton of fun to drive if the speed limits weren’t so crazily low.

That’s right. FIVE miles per hour. They really want you crawling around these corners! We did see quite a few walkers and bicyclists for safety’s sake, the speed limit is probably a good idea.

A few pictures were taken as photo opportunities presented themselves.

This saguaro in particular is probably pushing 200 years old. They’re a highly protected species. In other parts of the state, I’ve seen these cacti “braced” / propped up by wooden boards if the land / root system is disrupted.

This picture of me standing next to that same cactus gives a sense of the size of these monsters.

Josh and I took the opportunity to park the ILX in one of the scenic turnouts and do a little bit of hiking. The weather was great and the air very clear.

Josh and I stopped by his friend Fred’s house to see an immaculate 2000 Honda Civic coupe with the cleanest (wire-tucked) engine bay I’ve ever laid eyes on.

I headed toward Tucson again but this time veered south from I-10 west onto I-19 south. This interstate is the 4th shortest freeway in the country, at only 63 miles in length. Better said, it’s 101 kilometers in length. And motorists better familiarize themselves with kilometer calculations because this is the only freeway in the country that’s currently signed in metric units of measurement.

This notice at the north end of I-19 advises drivers that they’ll need to pay attention to the distances in kilometers, not miles.

Shortly thereafter, Irvington Road comes up 1 kilometer away. Interestingly enough, the speed limits on I-19 are still in miles per hour, not kilometers per hour.

The reason why this interstate was set up with metric signs is that at the time of construction in 1972, it was thought that this effort would push toward the metric system and that perhaps this would be the first of many freeways in the U.S. to begin using metric distances. Such did not end up being the case, yet I-19 retains its existing signs. Talks have taken place regarding changing the entire freeway to “miles” but business owners have pushed back (they’d have to update their directions) so there has been little traction with that initiative.

Here we go – arriving at the San Xavier Mission for my next destination.

What lies ahead of my Acura ILX in this picture is a 216-year-old “White Dove of the Desert,” also known as Mission San Xavier del Bac.

This is a Spanish Catholic mission located about 10 miles south of Tucson. Though the site was founded in 1692, the building seen here was constructed over the 14-year span of time from 1783 to 1797. Considering its age, I’m surprised just how few restoration efforts have taken place!

Entrance was free of charge. I would have liked to visit the gift shop, but it was closed for the holiday.

Exterior is covered in a traditional mud plaster that was refinished within the last couple of decades. The artwork is pretty ornate as seen here.

The grounds are surrounded by cactus gardens.

Inside, there are multiple chapels. The decoration here is supposedly very similar to what it would have looked like when the mission was new.

View of the ceiling.

Looks like they’ve still got quite a bit of Christmas decor up.

It was a humbling experience to be in this place that is sacred to so many. I saw people paying their religious respects quietly.

To the east, there was a hill with a cross on top that people were climbing up.

Some background on the site, from a placard near the south (main) entrance.

I wonder if these wooden doors are original?

The mission was designated a historic landmark 50 years ago in 1963 by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

Hope you enjoyed the drive!

For any who might find it of interest: Acura ILX sales performance reached an all-time high, with 2485 units selling in December 2012. It’s awesome to see the momentum picking up as we go into 2013. Lastly, did anyone else see this immaculate 1994 Legend L Sedan 5-speed on craigslist in Oregon? It’s rare to see a Legend in this kind of condition nowadays. Somebody scoop this baby up, please! $3,200 for 175k miles.

It inspired me to make vacuum tracks in the carpet of my own Legend:

Happy Friday!

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Tucson Trip: Josh’s Acura Integra

Posted in Arizona, Legend, Reader's Ride on December 20, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 517,831

Odometer (ILX): 22,228

Is there such a thing as too much speed? If there is, then my buddy Josh is pushing the limits.

He’s got a car that in my mind is the ultimate “sleeper.” From the outside, it’s your standard 1995 Acura Integra LS coupe with a lowered suspension and some custom wheels. Big whoop, right? That’s until you peek under the hood or sit inside while it wickedly rumbles at idle. This car gets up and goes. In fact, under acceleration there’s so much power that the tires can’t even grip. Josh had to “feather” the gas pedal to prevent it from breaking loose entirely through all the gears when he took me for a ride. I’d get myself into major trouble with a car like that.

For my Sunday drive this past weekend, I drove about 130 miles each way from Scottsdale to Tucson, Arizona in the Legend.

The ILX took a break and chilled out at home.

The I-10 corridor between Phoenix and Tucson is a critical piece of infrastructure because it connects the two largest metropolitan areas of Arizona. According to a 2008 AADT (Annual Average Daily Traffic) study, I-10 sees over 1/4 million cars a day in Phoenix and over 200,000 a day in Tucson. As of October 2012, there are now advanced discussions taking place regarding the implementation of a passenger rail system between the two cities.

Here we see the back side of the Santa Catalina Mountains that border the north side of Tucson. One of these peaks is Mount Lemmon, home to a particularly fun 25-mile curvy road that I drove with the ILX in August of this year.

Premium fuel was only $3.27 at the Chevron on Valencia Road in Tucson!

On the way to Josh’s place I drove past the Pima Air & Space Museum. This airplane graveyard of sorts is 80 acres of parking for 300 aircraft. For airplane geeks, this is probably like Disneyland. There’s an SR-71 Blackbird among other notable aircraft on display. The next time I’ve got a few minutes I’ll plunk down the $15.50 admission and take a gander.

Here’s Josh – it’s not a very flattering pic of either of us! This guy’s a big Honda / Acura fan, though. His first project car was a Civic hatchback.

Finally I got to take a look at this Taffeta White beast of Josh’s.

Believe it or not, this car started out life as an automatic transmission 1995 Integra LS.

Those are Honda S2000 seats in there!

Here are the tech specs, per Josh:

84.5mm Darton Sleeved B18A1 bottom end
JE Pistons
Manley Rods
OEM Honda B18A1 Crank
OEM Honda B16 Head Ported by Endyn
Skunk 2 Pro-1 Camshafts (nice lope)
Supertech Valves
Supertech Titanium Valvesprings
Supertech Titanium Retainers
72mm Throttle Body
Edelbrock Victor X Intake Manifold
1000cc Injectors
Walbro 450 liter/hr Fuel Pump
GSR Transmission w/Quaife LSD
Full Race Manifold with a Garrett 3076R with Tial BOV and Tial Wastegate.

The Integra runs on E85 and makes 450 horsepower on 16 pounds of boost. Based on my experience in the passenger seat, those 450 horses are all very much alive and kicking. I’m glad I used the restroom before taking a ride.

Thanks, Josh, for letting me take a look at this one-of-a-kind Acura and feature it on the blog!

Have any other Legend fans out there seen this $18,000 Legend GS 6-speed with 98k miles on it in the San Francisco Bay Area? Wow.

More on the racecar ILX that Team Honda Racing – West put together: This is a really great write-up on the the Acura ILX competing at the Thunderhill endurance (25-hour-long) race event in California a couple of weeks ago, written by racecar driver Edward Sandstrom from Switzerland who was one of 5 individuals who spent time behind the wheel. He’s 2nd from the right here (photo by Larry Chen).

ILX Type-S? In our dreams. Actually, though a Type-S package isn’t offered by Acura for the ILX, one Dallas-based dealership has taken the opportunity to create their own. Looks like this one’s outfitted with blacked-out (plasti-dipped?) Premium 17″ wheels, the OEM under-body kit, and a red Type-S badge on the decklid. Thanks, Jeff, for sending!

Even though it won’t be a “white” Christmas for me here in Scottsdale, the season is still very much in full swing. I wonder what I was asking Santa Claus for when I sat on his lap 27 years ago! Toy cars, no doubt.

Last week I went to a holiday concert featuring skilled pianist Nicole Pesce. She’s got talent like you can’t believe! This is one of my faves by her, though it’s not Christmas-related. Nobody gets into the spirit of the season more wholeheartedly than my friend Chuck. His home is always decked out to the max, and he even has a nightly “light show” that’s synchronized to music. You’ll see in this picture Chuck’s 1993 Acura Legend LS coupe (just 30,000 miles young) and his wife’s SC300.

A video taken from the driver’s seat of the ILX while tuned into Chuck’s FM radio station.

This was “too” memorable to miss as a photo opportunity.

And a chance meeting at the grocery store parking lot with a cousin (2006 TSX).

Grab some ‘nog and hit the road this weekend. I’m off to southern Utah tomorrow after work, so the ILX will get some road time.

Later!

5 Comments »

Mystery Castle

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on December 2, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 517,298

Odometer (ILX): 21,385

This weekend I’ve hosted my Salt Lake City-based friend, Branson here in Phoenix, Arizona. We went out on the town to explore some of the area’s “points of pride.” The first was my rooftop. We had to do a check-in and see how my rooftop durability test fleet is holding up. There are six 1:18 scale die-cast cars on my roof. A couple of them have been up there for nearly 3 years.

This 1957 Chevy Nomad ain’t looking so hot. Whitewall tires are now “Yellow”-walls.

BMW 3-series has some faded taillights.

We then pulled the two Acuras out for some photos in Tempe, Arizona near my home. It was fun to be able to see my own Legend driving down the road.

We headed out in the Legend to hit up lunch at Zoe’s Kitchen, then headed up to South Mountain Park — the largest city park in the United States. It covers over 16,000 acres of land just south of Phoenix. There’s a fun 5-mile twisty road (speed limits posted at 15 mph) that winds to the summit overlooking the Phoenix valley. The Legend, though a bit floaty with its worn-out suspension, was still fun to drive up the mountain.

Had the air been clearer, this could’ve been a great shot of the Phoenix valley in the background.

The summit, called Dobbins Lookout, sits at elevation 2,330 feet.

There’s a stone structure at the top of the mountain. It’s not clear whether this was once a dwelling but I think not.

Our next destination was a 67-year-old castle made of garbage. That’s right!

Tours are offered at the Mystery Castle for 7 months of the year, from October through May. This 8,000 square foot home was built over a course of 15 years by Boyce Luther Gulley until his death in 1945. He’d add on to the structure with each passing year, procuring building materials from the surrounding area. Most of the home is constructed of garbage, essentially. Recycled materials like bricks, telephone poles, glass bottles, and even the hubcaps of Boyce’s old car were used.

At the time when the home was built, it was a remote 10 miles away from Phoenix down rugged dirt roads. The home was built for Boyce’s daughter Mary Lou who at the time lived in Seattle. It wasn’t until after Boyce’s death when Mary Lou was 19 years old that the family learned of the inheritance and moved into the castle.

Today, tours cost $10 and take about 45 minutes. Branson and I got to see both levels of the home as well as its 18 rooms and 13 fireplaces. One of my favorite features was a bar next to a wishing well of sorts – a pulley system that could be used to bring drinks up from the level below. It was called the bar of wishes. As our tour guide put it, though, “But it was a dry bar and a dumb waiter, so don’t get your hopes up!”

Another of the fascinating features was a trap door in the lower level. At Boyce’s request, Mary Lou and the rest of the family were not allowed to open the trap door until they’d lived in the castle for 2 years. Within the trap door they found two $500 bills (that must’ve been a sizeable chunk of change in the 1940’s!), some gold nuggets, and a Valentine letter that Mary Lou had sent to her father when she was growing up.

I’d toured the castle a few years ago and I had the chance to meet Mary Lou. She’s since passed away (November 2010) but right up until her death she was still able to scale the steep staircases around the property. She had an affinity for cats, and the castle was home to up to 18 at a time. Mary Lou’s favorite cat, Cleocatra, is still alive.

Master bedroom. This place didn’t have electricity until 1992!

View of Phoenix from the kitchen area. The windows are all hand-made and thus wavy due to glass irregularity.

Our tour guide enthusiastically educated us on this crazy piece of architecture.

Here’s a look at the Legend parked in the desert while we toured one of the patios.

A 1948 Life Magazine feature brought attention to the castle with a picture of Mary Lou at the top of a freestanding staircase in one of the courtyards.

This “Window to Phoenix” was framed by discarded bricks. When the home was built, the entire town of Phoenix would fit in the window.

Entrance to the lower level consisting of a chapel and a bar.

Here’s an ancient organ in the castle’s chapel. It was brought in from Tombstone, Arizona. Notice the window in the wall – it was made from a hubcap off the builder’s car.

And so concludes this tour of offbeat Phoenix roadside destinations! Hope everyone else had a great weekend, too.

3 Comments »

Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year

Posted in Arizona, Vehicle Reviews on October 21, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 17,119

Unsupervised test drives are the best! Even better, how about a unsupervised test drives in a couple dozen brand new 2012 & 2013 models? That’s how I spent my Saturday.

The “active” people of the world have a different set of standards for their cars than does the every day consumer. Can the car accommodate a bunch of gear? How’s the off-road capability? Is it durable? Does it keep up with my fast paced lifestyle? Now in its 9th year, the Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year (ALV) program brings athletes and automobiles together to determine which model(s) of new cars best align with an active lifestyle. When I attended the National Press Launch event for the 2013 Acura ILX & Acura RDX in March, I met Nina Russin who pioneered the ALV event. She’s the journalist behind Carspondent.com.

Nina asked me to be one of seven team captains for the 2012 event. I assembled a team of 10 people to evaluate the new vehicles that were submitted by auto manufacturers to compete in the “Green” category. The event was held on Saturday in Chandler, Arizona and I was excited to play a role!

Thanks to my involvement with the ALV program, I also met Joe Sage, editor of Arizona Driver Magazine.

Here’s my look at how the day went. Right off the bat, I reunited with my friend Brenda, of Brenda Priddy & Company, who was doing photography for the event.

Brenda’s plate has some spy-related meaning in German, but I can’t remember what she said it was!

I team-captained the “Green” category of cars, which included the following finalists:

Mazda CX-5
Toyota Camry Hybrid
Toyota Prius Plug-In
Volkswagen Sportwagen TDI

The venue was Local Motors. LM is an auto manufacturer that has micro-factories in various locations of the United States. This particular location in Chandler, Arizona builds the “Rally Fighter” (background of the below picture). The team there has constructed about 40 cars so far and are taking orders for more. They also allow the customer to spend 6 days working with the assembly crews to help build his or her car! Local Motors will be representing at this year’s SEMA event in Las Vegas next month.

Chuck checks in at the registration table.

Nina kicks off the event.

This is Beverly who came from LA to represent Mazda. She told us about the CX-5 with SkyActiv Technology, allowing it to get 35 MPG on a traditional combustion engine, making it the best in its class.

Team Green gets a lowdown on each of the 4 models we were going to evaluate.

Next we learned about the VW Sportwagen TDI (diesel) which returned as last year’s ALV Green category reigning champion.

Finally, Randy Hunt from Toyota instructed us in the features of the Toyota Prius Plug-In. This car (at just over $40k) gets 50 mpg in hybrid mode and also has an all-electric mode which has a range of 15 miles.

Some of the vehicles in the Luxury On-Road event. In all, there were 35 vehicles in the competition in 7 different categories.

It’s not every day you meet a Honda celebrity! Chris Martin has been with Honda for over 20 years so he’s seen a lot of advancement there. Chris came to Arizona to represent the company’s 2013 Honda CR-V which competed in the Best Value On-Road category.

“Cosmic Gray” I think Randy called this Camry color.

Catered Mexican food for lunch for all participants – yum!

Pictured here with Green team member Chuck, as well as a representative from Nissan, Craig Pike. Nissan competed with the Xterra Pro-4X and the Infiniti JX35.

Taking the Grand Cherokee Overland Edition for a drive on the off-road course.

A few of the Green team folks – thanks guys for your help!

Kyle, Jim, Woody, Tyson, Matt

Here’s my feedback on each of the cars in the category that I was asked to evaluate:

Mazda CX-5:

Pro: Great MPG for a mini-SUV. Impressive value for $30k. Easy to navigate center stack.
Con: Power is lacking. The push-button start is located directly behind the wiper lever! Difficult to even get to.

Volkswagen Sportwagen TDI (Class Winner):

Pro: Sunroof is (as they used to say in Acura SLX advertising) “safari sized” — huge. Engine runs really quiet. There’s a plug housed in the center console facing the back seat. Ride was a nice mix of comfort and sport.
Con: Leatherette interior felt cheap. In order to fold the back seatback down you actually have to use a tool (which the demonstrator didn’t have) to remove the rear headrests!

Toyota Camry Hybrid:

Pro: This thing has guts. As Green team member Kyle discovered and I verified, it’ll lay down rubber on command!
Con: Floaty boaty suspension and numb steering, “blah” styling.

Toyota Prius Plug-In:

Pro: 15 mile all-electric range. 50 mpg in hybrid mode. Whisper quiet at 80 mph.
Con: Yawn! Feels so “detached.” Information center in the dash is overload. Our test car had a tire pressure warning, and the battery pack wasn’t charged. Visibility’s not all that great.

The rest of the winners (and all of Brenda’s pictures) will be posted on the ALV Facebook page, so check there for more highlights.

This was a great way to see where the industry is going and to truly get an idea of just how fierce the competition is these days. It made me appreciate driving home in my Acura ILX – for me, the ILX is the right mix of comfort, performance, economy, and style. The ILX was parked next to Local Motors during the event and got a lot of comments and question from event participants. I should’ve entered it as a competitor…

10 Comments »

Metric Concert: Tempe, Arizona

Posted in Arizona, Concerts, ILX on October 12, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer: 16,801

Rock on! There’s a good reason why I know that the Acura ILX Premium Audio System volume maxes out at level 40 and still sounds crisp and clear. I love my music! And so does Acura, which is why the automaker has partnered with musical group Metric for a tour. The latest destination in the Metric concert tour brought the band to a venue just 5.1 miles from my home: The Marquee Theatre. Easy drive!

I’d last seen the band in June of this year when I drove to the Avalon Theatre in Hollywood. That event wasn’t a concert, but rather a “listening event” where I interacted with band members, music industry representatives, and Acura folks. Since then I’ve become quite familiar with the latest Synthetica album. This week’s event was my first real taste of what the band sounds like live. Marquee has the capacity to hold about 1,000 people.

Heading across the Mill Avenue bridge to head into downtown Tempe for a bite to eat with my friend Kelvin before the show.

Tickets baby!

Inside the Marquee Theatre.

Kelvin and I await the start of the show.

After an opening performance by fellow Canadian band Half Moon Run, Metric takes the stage!

Lead vocalist Emily Haines started off the setlist with Artificial Nocturne.

My favorite song, Speed the Collapse, was played third.

Great show! Outside the theatre, a Crystal Black Pearl Acura ILX 2.0 was on display.

Stickers on the rear doors.

Back to my own ILX after the show.

And rocking out to some fitting music on the iPod as we headed home.

A car is a way for people like me to express identity. For many folks, that means customization. Even though the Acura ILX has only been on sale for a few months, aftermarket accessory companies like suspension-maker TEIN have already started launching products for ILX tuning. I saw these pictures posted on the company’s website.

Pretty aggressive stance on this Fathom Blue ILX!

And don’t you think the ILX would look stunning as a 2 door coupe? AcuraConnected posted a rendering today of a Crimson Garnet ILX photoshopped as a coupe.

This post marks Drive to Five’s 150th entry! I suppose it’s time to start shooting for 500 posts, just like I shot for 500,000 miles, right?

Have a great weekend!

6 Comments »

Tortilla Flat

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on October 3, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 516,084

Odometer (ILX): 15,733

Nothing like a twisty road to put a car’s handling to the ultimate test!

Since the ILX hadn’t yet driven Arizona Highway 88 – the “Apache Trail” – I decided to take a quick Saturday afternoon ride up to Tortilla Flat. This road a favorite among motorcyclists and sports car drivers due to its highly technical nature. It made for a perfect setting to run the ILX 6-speed through its gears. This place is located northeast of the Mesa, Arizona area – shown here at Point A. The squiggliness (my computer doesn’t think that’s a real word) of the line for Highway 88 should tell you something about how fun the curves are!

Here I was reaching the first of two short one-lane bridges. This one is near Canyon Lake.

Canyon Lake in the background is a popular summertime destination for folks seeking a break from the intense heat of this area.

Finally, I arrived at Tortilla Flat. This place was settled in the very early 1900’s (and maxed out with a population of 100) as a stagecoach stop on the Apache Trail. Today it’s pretty touristy. I’ve eaten at the restaurant, though, and it’s good stuff.

Just a few miles after rolling through Tortilla (and a lot more curves) the pavement ends. The next 20 or so miles of road are dirt until arriving at Roosevelt Lake. I drove this dirt road in my Legend a few years back but I wasn’t about to subject my new car to that type of terrain!

Meanwhile, I did grab a couple of scenic shots before turning around to loop back to civilization.

The driving experience in the 2.4-powered ILX leaves little to be desired. The suspension seems to have been tuned for roads specifically like this. Very little road noise even from the pavement that’s deteriorated on certain sections of the road. For being a 4-door sedan, the car is very well planted in corners (there’s far less body roll than my 515k mile Legend!) and it’s light and nimble on its feet. I especially loved the short throws of the 6-speed transmission and the light clutch engagement. This car loves to rev high and scream through the corners – traffic and road conditions permitting. I had a blast!

We All Scream for Ice Cream

Last Friday, I got an extreme sweet tooth craving so I indulged in a mouth-watering treat: Cold Stone ice cream. The Cold Stone world headquarters is located just a couple of miles from the office where I work, and it was here in Arizona (Tempe, to be exact) that the very first Cold Stone location opened back in 1988. The company has now spread to over 1,100 locations nationwide. The store #000001 is located at the southwest corner of Southern Ave & McClintock Rd, right here (Point “B”).

This made for an easy post-work commute in the Acura ILX. The original store is pictured in the background.

I was greeted by a lot of choices, but I already knew exactly what I was going to get.

This, my friends, is the best combination of ice cream mix-ins under the sun. What we have here is a “Love It” size bowl. The ice cream is cake batter, and the mix-ins are cookie dough and rainbow sprinkles. Absolutely delicious!

The ILX owner population continues to grow. The New Owner Sign-In thread on the Acurazine.com forums now has 24 people who have posted about their new rides. Here are some images shared by member “ILXDRIVER” from Toronto, Canada of his Polished Metal Metallic 2.4 liter 6-speed ILX with Sport Underbody Kit like mine has. Looks great!

Legend Update

My Legend got me comfortably to Tucson and back on Friday night (240 mile round trip) without skipping a beat. It will be due for an oil change in just a few hundred miles. I think this is the first time in my 9+ years of ownership history on that car that it’s taken me longer than 3 months to put on 3,000 miles. I thought it would be interesting to post the following image – this is a sticker on the airbox indicating a change interval of 7,500 miles recommended.

I’ve rarely gone longer than around 4k!

I drove the high-miler to work today and enjoyed our (finally!) fall weather. Now if we could just get those daily highs to dip below triple digit range!

Rear windows down allow just enough air flow in the cabin.

The Other End of the Mileage Spectrum

Today I visited one of the 3 Phoenix-area Acura dealerships, Acura North Scottsdale. My friend Dave tipped me off on a minty delicious 1990 Legend L sedan in Tuscany Taupe Metallic with a mere 25,563 miles on the odometer — quite the contrast from my experienced 1994! That comes out to just 1,162 miles per year that were put on this beauty.

This car is absolutely stunning.

These are rare OEM accessory wheels that I’ve never seen in person until today.

Yours for only $7,995!

Interior smelled amazing. The car didn’t have floor mats in it – perhaps they were in the trunk.

A Legend reflected in a Legend.

This is a rarity – the 1990 CD player. I wonder if it works.

The only way the seats could be this supple is if this car has been garaged its entire 22-year life. I almost felt guilty planting my butt in the driver’s seat!

Speaking of Legends as a blast from the past: Thanks to member Ezequiel from the Acura Legend Owners & Enthusiasts group on Facebook for sharing this old newspaper clipping with an ad from his local Boise dealership that dates back to 1995. Only $31,999 for a new Legend!

Here’s one that I saved from the Pioneer Shopper want-ads in St. George, Utah dated about 1998. This black Legend was for sale at a dealership called St. George Motorcars.

And I’ll be heading to St. George this weekend, in fact. The ILX departs tomorrow afternoon for the 400-mile trek, by way of Las Vegas. I’ll be back Sunday.

One of my favorite fortunes I’ve gotten at a Chinese restaurant: You will soon be going on a fun road trip with friends or family. Yes!

Until next week!

5 Comments »

Acura ILX at a Nissan Z Convention

Posted in Arizona, Car Show, ILX on September 23, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 515,647

Odometer (ILX): 15,400

I drove my ILX on a high-speed oval track! The banked curves on the closed course begged to be taken at speed! Even with a chaperone van guiding me, I was allowed to achieve 95-100 mph and it was a thrill with the windows down, moonroof open, and XM radio loud and clear. It kind of felt like this (minus the tricked out NSX):

This weekend I attended a special event at the Nissan North America proving grounds. It’s extremely rare to get an inside look at the site where a vehicle manufacturer does its durability testing. Usually, the only time the public can see inside the facility is through commercials like this.

The ZCCA (Z Car Convention of America) selected Phoenix, Arizona as the host city of the 25th Annual ZCON (Z Convention). ZCON, much like the National Acura Legend Meet (NALM) that I’ve attended for 8 years, brings together owners & enthusiasts once a year in a different part of the country.

As part of the festivities, the Nissan Technical Center of North America (NTCNA-AZ) sponsored a tour day & autocross event. NTCNA is located about 50 miles from my home in Scottsdale, south of the Phoenix area next to a small town called Stanfield.

I headed there bright and early on Saturday morning (only 72 degrees! Fall is here!) in the Acura ILX to see what the event was all about. My soundtrack was provided by Metric. Really loving the Synthetica album — plus, it has special meaning since I got to meet the band a few months ago!

A quick pit stop in Maricopa, AZ at the Amtrak train station was a necessity. I was reminded of my recent Planes, Trains, & Automobiles weekend. This particular station, codename MRC, is a stop on the Sunset Limited train line which runs from New Orleans, LA to Los Angeles, CA.

This sunrise is for real! No photoshop needed!

Soon I was seeing signs for the Nissan Technical Center.

Finally, the entrance to the facility. Right after I took this, I pulled up to the security gate and (along with all other entrants to the campus) was forced to surrender my phone. It stayed with the security personnel for the duration of my stay at NTCNA.

First order of business was a riding tour of the grounds. As I hopped into a white 11-passenger Nissan NV people-hauler van for a tour around the track, there was a family that joined on my particular tour. It was Randy and Ilene Rodriguez with their two small children. Randy is a lead designer at the Nissan Design Center in La Jolla, California. He’s also the “father” of the revolutionary exterior of the current Nissan 370Z bodystyle which debuted for the 2009 model year. Here’s a picture of Randy with his creation at the Toronto Auto Show that year.

This June 2009 article contains a little of Randy’s story with the 370Z. Interestingly enough, the article was written for Import Tuner magazine by Carter Jung, who as of last month is now working in Acura Public Relations. Carter is responsible for the development of press kits, photography and video assets, as well as other communication duties.

Randy’s since done some impressive things too, such as pen the design of the upcoming Infiniti Emerg-E concept vehicle which, when it hits production, will be Nissan’s answer to the formidable upcoming 2015 Acura NSX.

We were driven throughout the expansive facility which contained a number of cool features, each designed with vehicle testing & evaluation in mind:

Mud Splash: They can drive vehicles through depths of water to evaluate intrusion
Salt Spray: Corrosion testing bay
Frame Twist: This one’s only for the trucks, though it looks like it’d be a blast to take a car on. It’s a roller-coaster wavy road intended to determine if the chassis will withstand highly uneven surfaces
Marketability Course: Here, there are sections of road that are modeled after (and constructed identical to) real-life roads. Expansion joints from a freeway in New Jersey, concrete freeway, twisty banked curves from San Gabriel, California, and a deteriorated stretch of highway near Detroit
‘Hot soak’ area with cinderblock walls that block any wind movement and are used to keep air still to see if a vehicle will overheat (a true test of durability when it’s pushing 120 degrees here in Arizona!)
Cold chamber which allows a vehicle to be run from cold all the way up to normal operating temperature.
High speed oval! Minimum speed here is supposed to be 90 miles per hour.
A series of ramps, curbs for impact testing, and other fun features.

Here’s what the area looks like from overhead. They actually allow farmers to grow crops from within the oval!

After the riding tour, I was allowed to drive my own personal car on the track! I followed half a dozen Z cars as we traversed these various types of terrain again. The highlight for me, without a doubt, was the high speed oval. I can only imagine what it might’ve been like if I really let loose and got into triple-digit speeds. Again, without a phone or camera, you’ll just have to picture it in your minds, but it was remarkable and I promise I was grinning the whole time.

Randy signed my copy of the 2012 ZCON program:

I had the privilege of shuttling his wife Ilene and kids back to their hotel which was about a 30 minute drive. They enjoyed the ILX amenities!

One of the most popular bodystyles of Nissan Z at the event was the “Z32,” better known as the 300ZX, which was sold from 1990-1996.

I had a great time exploring the proving grounds. Maybe someday I’ll get the chance to visit the location where Honda does similar testing.

How’s this for a blast from the past? I was rooting through an old box of junk and came across these ancient driver licenses. Turns out I’ve been driving (matchbox cars, then RC cars, apparently) since I was only 3’9″ and weighed 54 pounds!

This next one was from when I was 5’2″ and 96 pounds!

My how times have changed. Another treasure surfaced in those boxes, too. Micromachines! Anyone else who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s has to remember these. Commercial narrator John Moschitta spoke so fast I could barely understand him! Loved the commercials, though.

Speaking of the olden days, my old high school friend Jaesi posted something on Facebook about how certain cars reminded her of friends from our graduating class. The thread lit on fire within the first couple of hours with about 200 comments from others in our class who loved to reminisce about the cars we drove and memories we had with them. It made me dig out this picture to contribute to the dialogue.

As I already shared in a prior post, I’ve always been one to obsess over getting just the right parking space wherever I go. That was definitely the case at Pine View High School in 1998. My red 1989 Honda Prelude 2.0 Si was parked right out front, along the road. No door ding potential here!

ILX Updates

A few lucky people have joined the ranks recently of 2013 ILX owners. One such individual is Colin from Honolulu. I met him via the Acura ILX Owners & Enthusiasts Facebook group. Colin upgraded from an Acura RSX to a Bellanova White Pearl ILX 2.4 6-speed and shared his story on the following link. Congratulations, Colin!

I’m upgraded to iOS6 on my iPhone 4 but I’m still having a tough time getting the SMS text messaging set up. Any tech people want to walk me through it?

One of my favorite features of the ILX is this great cutoff line with the projector HID headlights. The song playing on my iPod when this was taken is “One Day” by Matisyahu. One of my current faves. Give it a listen here.

Legend Updates

Tomorrow, 9/24/2012, will mark the 18-year anniversary of the date that my 1994 Legend LS coupe was purchased new by its original owner in Pleasanton, California with only 288 miles on the odometer. I was lucky enough to score all of the original Bill of Sale paperwork when I bought the car in early 2003.

Saw a pretty sad looking 1991-92 Legend sedan in central Phoenix.

Coming Soon from Acura – Trip to the LA Auto Show!

In April of this year, the new 2014 Acura RLX concept car was unveiled at the New York Auto Show, bring some much needed updates to the aging RL platform that’s been around since 1996 when the Legend (as we know it here in the USA) was discontinued.

The car reportedly will come with Acura’s new Precision All Wheel Steer system (reminds me of my old 4WS Prelude!). The car will be powered by an all-new 3.5-liter direct-injected VTEC V-6 engine producing 310 horsepower. Design wise, Acura is also raising the bar. My favorite feature is the “Jewel Eye” headlights. From a press release that was distributed earlier this week:

Acura’s exclusive Jewel Eye™ LED headlamps use a dual-stacked array of multiple high-intensity LED lamps, with ultra-reflective optical lenses and high-gloss trim, to provide powerful down-the-road illumination, while simultaneously giving the RLX a distinctive and bright-eyed look in both daytime and nighttime conditions.

Since the New York show, many have speculated about just how “true” to the concept vehicle the actual production version will be.

Well, I’ll get a firsthand look in a couple of months! The production version of the 2014 RLX will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show. I’ll be attending the event as a media colleague during the press days on November 28 & 29! Can’t wait.

It’s been a productive weekend for sure. To top it all off, I organized the car detailing supply closet.

In closing for today:

I really liked this commercial for the all-new 2013 Honda Accord. It really captures how Honda and Acura recognize their customers and build their vehicles to fit well into “real life.”

Happy weekend everyone.

15 Comments »

Twin Arrows

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on September 19, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 515,564

Odometer (ILX): 15,127

I get a kick out of visiting offbeat roadside destinations! Maybe that’s one of the reasons why Roadside America is one of my favorite websites to kill time on. After seeing this music video which was put to Depeche Mode’s song “Route 66,” I was intrigued by a set of matching arrows made from telephone poles featured multiple times during the song.

After a little more research, I was inspired to take a 360-mile round trip Saturday drive in the Acura ILX to find these very same arrows.

Bingo:

Success.

The arrows lie along what is now Interstate 40, about 25 miles east of Flagstaff Arizona. For me, that meant climbing from about 2,000 to 7,000 feet elevation and into Coconino County where the Ponderosa Pines dominate the landscape. Perfect weather and a full tank of gas to burn? That’s all the reason I need.

Interstate 17 northbound from the Phoenix area was pretty much wide-open. I set the cruise control in the ILX to 80 and enjoyed the scenery. I did discover one inconvenience. My ‘main’ iPod (a beastly 80 gig “Classic”) has 15,605 songs on it. It was handy to be able to control the iPod using the audio interface on the instrument panel, but when I had a craving for a particular Hoobastank song, I had to scroll through 1,011 artists manually until I got to Hoobastank. There must be a more convenient way to do that! I’ll have to research it when I get time.

A quick side-trip to view a quaint looking log cabin estate alongside the interstate. Six “No Parking” signs in a row. Yet I parked there! But only for long enough to capture this picture of something that I thought looked pretty absurd.

Finally I connected with Interstate 40 in Flagstaff and took it to Exit 219 where the Twin Arrows lie.

Twin Arrows started life as the Canyon Padre Trading Post in 1949. By 1954 when this picture was taken, it was a bustling stop along Route 66. Interstate 40 came along in the 1970’s and paralleled the old road, but probably pulled business away from Twin Arrows because it made Flagstaff (just 25 miles away) even more readily accessible.

Even up until this picture was taken in 1998, the cafe was pretty well kept. In further research, I learned that this cafe is in fact a “Valentine Diner.” A Kansas-based company mass produced these metal diners and delivered them to their destinations on flatbed trucks. This is reportedly one of 7 remaining prefabricated Valentine Diners left standing in Arizona.

However, the cafe was closed that year and the last 14 years have really taken their toll. The arrows themselves were restored in 2009 but the rest of the property has become a trash pile.

The price of the last fuel dispensed at this station, according to one online resource, was $1.39/gallon.

In 2003, concrete barricades (visible in the background of the above picture) were installed along the frontage road preventing access to the site. However, I was able to drive around the barricades about 1/2 mile up the road and back-track on a dirt road to get to Twin Arrows for a closer picture.

My mission of getting to the arrows had been accomplished, but I wasn’t finished with my adventure. My curiosity got the best of me and I decided to see what the inside the buildings might be like. I don’t think this stove has cooked a meal in a very long time.

Ever heard of Urban Exploration? Little did I know that there is a whole ‘hobby’ around going into abandoned buildings and taking pictures there. I’m fascinated by it. In fact, there’s even a website/forum dedicated to providing a venue for people to share their experiences. It’s called the Urban Exploration Resource.

I had to be careful where I stepped since I was in flip-flop sandals and there was broken glass everywhere. Also, if the pictures appear blurry it’s because I was in a hurry! I didn’t want to A) get caught inside in case it was trespassing, B) get attacked by anyone who might be crazy enough to live inside this place, or C) encounter any rabid animals who’d made it their home.

An eery feeling overcame me as I saw a remaining booth from when the diner was in operation.

This garage didn’t have any cool treasures inside it, but I looked.

Finally I’d had my fill of Twin Arrows so I decided to head back to Flagstaff.

Having worked up an appetite, and determined to continue to experience some historic landmarks, set my sights on one of the few remaining restaurants that’s still in operation from having been around during Route 66’s heyday: Galaxy Diner.

On the way there, I spied some other interesting places, like the “Route 66 Dog Haus” where you can drive through the center of the building to get take-out. The lettering above the opening reads: “IF IN DOUBT, BACK IT OUT.”

Historic downtown Flagstaff.

And my next destination, Galaxy Diner at 931 West Route 66 Drive.

Stepping into this place was a trip back in time.

I sat at the bar and chatted it up with a few locals who were enjoying lunches as well.

My selection:

And the temptation was just too strong – I caved and got dessert. I asked the waittress, “Can I just get a small vanilla sundae with a little hot fudge?” She brings me this creation and asks, “Is that all you want on it?” Holy cow! Sugar overload.

The Galaxy hosts a hot rod car show every Friday night. Plenty of great selections in that jukebox!

Farewell, Galaxy, and thanks for a great meal.

Back to Phoenix I went. About 20 miles south of Flagstaff, I hit 15,000 miles. Here’s a video I captured. I’ve realized it’s a lot more “suspenseful” to watch the miles roll by for this car than for the Legend because there’s no tenths digit in the odometer! I had to keep the camera glued to the display while I waited for it to turn. Skip past the first half of the video – it’s boring!

The great news is that my ILX is getting phenomenal gas mileage. This trip meter was reset when I got an oil change 395.8 miles ago. The car has achieved 34.7 miles per gallon since then. Awesome!

Other High Milers

My friend Wayne in Houston who bought my old 1994 Legend GS sedan in Sirius White Pearl sent me an email today. His service advisor at Sterling McCall Acura shared some pictures of a 1993 Honda Accord that’s well into “driven to five” status. This sedan has over 566,000 miles on the original engine. It’s had one transmission replacement. Remarkable! This 1990-1993 bodystyle of Accord is so bulletproof. It’s the same drivetrain that achieved 1 million miles in Million Mile Joe’s car last year.

Check out Margaret Dunning from Plymouth, Michigan. She’s 102 years old and still driving a 1930 “straight 8” Packard.

Margaret is an inspiration! At her age, she’s still probably a better driver than most young folks on the road. Best of all, she appreciates each vehicle for its truly unique characteristics – because not every car is just “four tires and a steering wheel.” My favorite part – and you’ll have to watch until the very end of the clip – is when she puts out a towel on the running board of her Packard before she gets inside. Love this lady! She reminds me a little of Rachel Veitch who I blogged about in April as still driving her 580,000-mile 1964 Mercury Comet. Keep on rolling, Rachel and Margaret!

Lastly:

Ever wondered how to capture that perfect automotive photograph? This short 3-minute video highlights a few of the tips that I’ve used over the years and easy tricks that I’ve also seen the professionals use. Thought some of my readers might find it interesting.

Happy hump day!

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