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Northern Arizona Part 1: Antelope Canyon

Posted in Arizona, Hikes, ILX, Road Trip on February 2, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 532,450

Odometer (ILX): 112,154

Trip Distance: 572 Miles

Saddle up for a drive! We’re past due for some high adventure.

The area along the Utah-Arizona state line is one of the most oft-photographed locations in the southwest. The Grand Canyon, Vermillion Cliffs, Monument Valley, and other landmarks offer endless opportunities for backcountry exploration in some remote – and stunning – desert landscapes. This weekend, I took a couple of friends to a little-known slot canyon located on the Navajo Indian reservation near the small town of Page, Arizona: Antelope Canyon.

Named originally for a herd of antelope that freely roamed the area, this canyon is a very sacred place to native people who live in the vicinity. From the Navajo Nation website:

To older Navajos, entering a place like Antelope Canyon was like entering a cathedral. They would probably pause before going in, to be in the right frame of mind and prepare for protection and respect. This would also allow them to leave with an uplifted feeling of what Mother Nature has to offer, and to be in harmony with something greater than themselves. It was, and is, a spiritual experience.

Like other canyons in the area, Antelope was formed over time by erosion from rainwater which has cut the deep channels in the sandstone rocks while also smoothing the edges to create the “flowing” appearance of the walls. Since 1997, the canyon has been accessible via tour guide only. Part of the reason for that is because the dangers of slot canyon hiking can be extreme: that same year, 11 tourists were killed by flash flooding in Antelope. Back then, the ladders going down into the canyon were wooden and got swept away. Today, metal ladders are bolted into place. The “upper” canyon that we hiked didn’t require any ladder access.

Caramel frappaccino in hand (or in cupholder, rather), I cued up the windshield wipers on the ILX on Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. and set out for the rainy open road with three friends: Chris, Peter, and Stephen. Our drive northward on I-17 to Flagstaff was wet and foggy, but we arrived just in time to meet up with a car-full of other roadtrippers who would be joining us for our excursion. Jason of Driven for Drives brought along Alec, Jennifer, and Jouhl in his recently-acquired 2004 Mazda 6. Now with 8 of us in total, we had about 130 miles left to go before hitting our destination.

Highway 89 descends from Flagstaff’s pine-covered 7,000 feet in elevation to the barren, yet beautiful, red sandstone valley below at around 4,300 feet. We entered the Navajo Indian reservation which covers 27,000 square miles and spreads across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. By this time, the sun had started peeking through the clouds and the scenery was non-stop. I kept a close eye on Jason’s Mazda’s headlights in my rearview mirror and he didn’t fall too far behind.

By about noon, we’d rolled into the small town of Page, Arizona. Page thrives on tourism thanks to being on the shores of nearby Lake Powell and close to Antelope Canyon. However, because January is off-peak, we found very little traffic or difficulty getting a table at lunch right away for our large group. The “super burrito” at Fiesta Mexicana hit the spot – and soon, we were ready to go canyoneering.

Much like the early pioneers must have arrived in covered wagons, we donned our sweatshirts climbed into the bed of a lifted Ford F-250 pickup with a blue canopy overhead and our tour guide from Antelope Canyon Tours gave us the lowdown. “It’s a 20-minute drive to the mouth of the canyon,” she said, “and half of that will be on a dirt road.” Sure enough, before long we were bouncing along in a sand-covered wash toward Upper Antelope Canyon.

This particular stretch of the canyon is only 1/4 mile long but has some of the most incredible rock formations I’ve ever seen. With each turn, our guide would shine her flashlight and point out different features & shapes: the face of Abe Lincoln, the “Heart of the Canyon,” a pattern that looked like it was woven, and many others. We did the best we could to get some pictures along the way but in the 120+ foot depths of the canyon and under mostly overcast skies, many times it was too dark for a photo to do it justice.

The next chapter of our day was a quick jaunt to the Utah state line just a few miles north on Highway 89, for the sake of a couple individuals in our party who hadn’t yet been to that state. Jason turned over the Mazda to me for part of that drive, and I fully enjoyed it! We had thought of touring nearby Glen Canyon Dam but the visitor center had closed at 4:30 p.m. right as we arrived, so we had a brief pow-wow in the parking lot to decide our next move.

And for that next move, you’ll have to tune in next time! It’s special enough that it deserved its own post. Thanks for coming along, and enjoy the rest of these pics and a short video in the meantime.

Road trippers Stephen, Peter, Chris, and Tyson

Approaching Flagstaff on Interstate 17 northbound

I’m okay with those gas prices in Flag!

Gearing up to head out

Suspension bridge in Cameron, Arizona: Built 1911, it’s 680 feet in length. It was damaged by an overload of sheep in 1937 (!) and was retired in 1959.

The “Little Colorado River” which that bridge crosses. Looks pretty muddy to me.

Lunchtime for some hungry travelers in Page at Fiesta Mexicana

Our limousines for the next portion of the trip

Awaiting our 1:30 p.m. tour departure in Page

Peter, Stephen, Chris, Jouhl, and Jason riding along in the back of the truck

Entrance to Upper Antelope Canyon

Inside the canyon

Views all around

Jouhl and Jennifer looking up

Tyson and Jason

Tyson, Jason, Jouhl, Stephen – and Peter in front

And the entire group, on our way back through

Not allowed!

Back at Comfort Inn – Room 324 gave me a perfect view of the cars.

Utah state line with Jason

Lake Powell – 9 trillion gallons’ worth! I took the ILX across this lake on a ferry last year.

Glen Canyon Dam, completed in 1966

Hey, check out that milestone!

Until next time. Oh, and a shameless plug! Mom’s Lexus is for sale. Link!

9 Comments »

Saturday Drive in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on January 25, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 111,069

Trip Distance: 90 Miles

Sometimes a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city is just what you need to recharge. The teeny town (read: Population 6) of Tortilla Flat, Arizona is a step back in time to 1904 when it served as a stagecoach stop during construction of nearby Roosevelt Dam. Today, the town retains its wild west heritage and welcomes dozens of weekend visitors, just like me, who need an occasional break from the urban grid.

Exiting US 60 at Idaho Road, Arizona Highway 88 winds itself through the Superstition Mountains for about 18 miles as a two-laner lined with gigantic saguaro cacti leading up to the townsite. The bright blue desert sky didn’t have a stitch of cloud in it, and temperatures were perfect for windows-down and moonroof-open cruising, so I hit the road with a few friends:

Chandler, Jack, and Midge (the Border Collie) joined me for Saturday’s eastward trek in the ILX. My favorite part about the drive to Tortilla Flat is that the road has two one-lane bridges near Canyon Lake. It takes careful planning & coordination with oncoming traffic to decide “who’s up next” when it’s time to cross.

Tortilla Flat’s only restaurant, Superstition Saloon, was busy with an early afternoon lunch rush, but we got seated right away. Lining the walls that surrounded us was a wallpaper of a very unique type: Dollar bills. The walls, pillars, and sometimes even the ceiling, were absolutely covered in $1’s. Each one had a handwritten Sharpie message inscribed on it. I noticed that most of the bills near our table were dated around 2009. I asked the hostess at the front desk, “How much money is on these walls?” She told me the bills totaled up to around $200,000! The burger with green chili slices was exceptional, and Jack’s open-faced “Killer Chili” burger with homemade chili on it looked pretty tasty, too.

We felt like hiking around a little bit after lunch, so we wandered across the street and down to Mesquite Creek which is a tributary of the larger Salt River. Midge loved romping around on the boulders and playing fetch with any stick she could get her mouth on. A couple of times she took a dip in the water for a gulp or two. The dangers of the desert became apparent when Midge inadvertently got her paw stuck on a branch of cholla cactus. The cholla’s needles are incredibly grabby – even to the point of seeming “sticky.” Chandler had to perform a few minutes of extraction to clear the needles from Midge’s paw while she patiently waited.

Quick photo-op with Jack.

We noticed that a couple of people were coming out of the General Store with ice cream cones, so the temptation overcame us and we went for some dessert too. I recommend the waffle cone and chocolate! We were in a “country” mood for the return drive so while Jack dozed off in the backseat, Chandler and I treated our ears to a few hits from Tim McGraw and Sam Hunt. Midge may have caught a few minutes of shuteye, too. Here are the rest of the pictures from our adventure.

Clean ILX after a hand-wash late last week.

Menu cover to Superstition Saloon restaurant.

A look inside the restaurant.

Some decor outside the General Store.

Mine replica and some fun antique artifacts in the surrounding area.

Nothing quite like a bright blue sky.

Acura NSX meet-up later that evening with a few friends. I drove my 1992 down to meet up with everyone.

Group at dinner.

Few other blurry pictures, but you get the idea. We have a a great group of NSX enthusiasts here in Arizona.

Few more of the cars.

Formula Red is such a great color on these cars. But, I might be biased.

Hope the weekend has treated everyone well!

8 Comments »

Pics: Birthday Weekend 33

Posted in Arizona, Hikes, ILX on January 2, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 109,058

Odometer (NSX): 99,301

Happy New Year! Got a grab-bag of pics to share today as we kick off 2015. I’m feeling pretty ancient these days! I hit my 33rd milestone birthday last Sunday, December 28th. All threes, baby. Kind of like that road trip in July 2008 when I rolled threes in my Legend.

The outpouring of birthday wishes was overwhelming. At least a couple dozen of the posts on my Facebook page had some reference or another to car stuff, like this special Happy Birthday graphic made with Honda & Acura emblems.

This was one of my faves:

As well as this from Dillon:

Thanks, Dillon!

And a few references to road trips rounded out the mix:

One friend (HondaPro Jason) even went to the effort of making me a video! My mom made a special card for me.

The whole weekend was filled with festivities. Every year between Christmas and New Years, my dad & stepmom come down to Arizona from Utah to visit. We always find fun projects to work on around the house. This time, we focused our attention on the front yard. The area near my front door has always been a bit of an eyesore.

The ILX doubled as a pickup truck when I went to Lowe’s and picked up 17 bags of large river rock. We ended up making at least two other trips – transporting probably 40 bags or more.

Step 1 – Clearing out the area.

Step 2 – Dad working on a pesky root that was in the way.

Step 3 – Laying down the new rock.

Step 4 – Finished product!

My dad also got me some storage containers for my cabinet in the garage and we organized it.

Time for an ILX bath.

And a visit from Joe who drives this 165,000-mile 1995 Legend LS coupe.

It was great to catch up with Joe again.

But wait, there’s more. Walter, who owns the gorgeous 2015 Legend Coupe, stopped by in his new Acura RLX Sport Hybrid.

That pearl white was blinding in the afternoon sunlight.

We took a quick spin around the block and onto Loop 101 for a spirited onramp acceleration exercise. This car can get up and go!

Gorgeous from every angle.

Those 19’s really set the car off.

Just 110 miles on this beauty.

There were only 250 of the SH-AWD RLXs produced. It’s a very limited-edition model.

Dinner with some friends.

Sunday morning hike up Hayden Butte in Tempe.

View overlooking the city. Gorgeous December day!

The ILX got its 3rd set of tires on New Year’s Eve. I went with Michelin Primacy MXM4’s from TireRack. I got 56,649 miles out of my last set. The cool thing is, I picked up an extra full-size 17″ wheel, so now I’m using that as a spare tire instead of the teeny little donut that came with the car.

And finally, my old red car had a fun week in the hands of my buddy Devan who was back visiting from school in Indiana for the holidays and needed a “rental.” He took good care of it and even gave it a detail.

Foam bath

All clean

Check out those racing stripes in the carpet!

Follow Devan’s detailing biz on Instagram at @dnaautodetailing. He does great work, as you can tell!

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

38 Comments »

Christmas Day Road Trip to Show Low, Arizona

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on December 26, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 532,138

Odometer (ILX): 108,657

Trip Distance: 338 Miles

There’s no feeling quite like the “life flashing before your eyes” panic you get when you’re running to a car and lose your footing on a sheet of ice on the sidewalk. Silly me, I should’ve known better than to disregard the freezing conditions when I bolted to the ILX at 7:22 a.m. this morning to start my 3-hour return drive to Phoenix from the mountains in Show Low. I’d give $1 to see what I looked like trying to stay upright while balancing a laptop bag and my backpack on my shoulder. Somehow, I didn’t meet the pavement head-on and as soon as I caught my breath again, I was laughing it off.

It was just 17 degrees when I started the car – and as many of you know, its battery is already near-dead. Luckily, the ILX cranked to life and I turned on BOTH seat heaters, cranked the temperature to “Hi” and activated the defroster. That was before I realized the windshield was covered in ice and I couldn’t see a thing. My Chase Sapphire credit card made a decent impromptu ice scraper as I cleared an area large enough to see out of before driving out of the neighborhood.

The Phoenix-to-Show Low drive on Christmas morning yesterday was a repeat of one I’d taken exactly a year prior. It seems to have become a bit of a tradition for me to get in the car and venture to the Sitgraves National Forest when most others are opening presents and sipping on hot cocoa. Here’s last year’s trip write-up when I took the same route, which will detail the driving experience of the Salt River Canyon – one of Arizona’s most scenic day-trips. Today, I’ll focus more on the town I visited on Route 60 after passing through that canyon.

After cruising eastward from Mesa on Route 60 toward the mining towns of Superior and Globe, I rolled through the canyon and took a series of pictures of the rest stop at the base – which was closed last year but has since re-opened. The steel arch 1934 bridge across the Salt River and its 1996 replacement made for a nice photo op while I wandered around the facility before continuing up the other side of the canyon. My playlist, by the way, for the ascent consisted mostly of Peter Cetera music. Songs like this one were being blasted.

Show Low is a neat little community in the White Mountains that was established in 1870 and incorporated in 1953. Due to its elevation at just over 6,300 feet, the town experiences all four seasons, unlike Phoenix which somehow skips over winter altogether. Legend has it (see what I did there?) that the town’s name has roots in a poker game between two early settlers of the area, Corydon E. Cooley and Marion Clark. The area in consideration comprised 100,000 acres and they decided whoever could show the lowest card would be the winner, and the other person would have to move. Cooley had the deuce of clubs and won the game. Today, Show Low’s main street is called Deuce of Clubs.

A friend of mine had rented a cabin near Torreon Golf Course that provided a cozy place for a group of us to crash out. But first, I attended his family’s Christmas dinner and feasted on 3 full courses of deliciousness. Friday’s return trip to Phoenix offered up some amazing views of snow-dusted landscapes and bright, blue sky. Road conditions between Heber and Payson on Route 260 were slippery due to the prior night’s snowstorm, but I took things easy and made it home safe and sound in just a little over three hours.

Thanks for coming along on the drive! Here are the rest of my pics.

Loved these organized, linear cloud formations approaching Superior on US Route 60

Queen Creek Tunnel, constructed 1953

Heading up Route 60 from Globe, Arizona. I had the road to myself.

Self-explanatory.

Each time the sun broke through the clouds, it would ignite the hills in vivid colors.

Some rock formations in the distance.

I asked some nice tourists to take my picture.

Parking at the rest area at the base of the Salt River Canyon.

1996 (background) and 1934 (foreground) bridges across the Salt River

This is the one that carries all the automobile traffic today.

Graffiti on the red bridge.

Perched and enjoying the scenery in the canyon before getting back into the car.

I love how ornate the 1934 steel bridge is. Today, it’s only open to pedestrian traffic.

View from the steel bridge, looking up the Salt River.

Looking back toward the steel bridge from the parking area.

Heading back up the canyon, and stopping to check out this teeny little cabin.

Back at the top of the canyon after the 2,500-foot ascent on curvy roads.

Getting closer to Show Low!

Just in time for some light snow flurries. Brrrrr!

Nightly accommodations at the cabin at Torreon Golf Club.

My friend gave a gift to himself, from himself. At least that’s a good way to ensure you get what you want!

Friday morning frost.

The ol’ credit card ice scraper trick.

Quick picture while I let the car warm up before heading out on the 3-hour return drive.

Crisp as can be. I love a big blue sky.

Heading westward on US Route 260 toward Payson.

Lowest that I saw the temperature dip to. This is probably a record for the car, in the 2.5 years I’ve had it.

Breakfast in Payson, Arizona: Ever seen a McDonald’s that will kick you out if you stay longer than 30 minutes?

Quick break along Highway 87 on the descent back to the Phoenix area.

Have a great weekend!

10 Comments »

Palm Springs Again: Roadside Assistance

Posted in California, ILX, Road Trip on December 9, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 532,000

Odometer (ILX): 107,466

Trip Distance: 536 Miles

“Quartzsite tow” I googled on my iPhone. When the representative from Everett’s Towing answered the phone, I told her my situation. “I’m at the Bouse rest area eastbound on I-10 about 30 miles from Quartzsite with a dead battery. Can you send a truck to give me a jump?” Meanwhile I was reaching out of my comfort zone by walking up to random people at the rest area: Tourists in a rental Caravan, a guy in a white PT Cruiser, a couple in a black Acura TL-S, and a family in a Ford pickup. Nobody carries jumper cables these days!

Location reference. AKA: Middle of nowhere, smack-dab in the desert.

My predicament happened because while my friend Justin was in the bathroom, I left the car’s ignition turned on so that I could stay in the car and use my work laptop which was plugged in to recharge. I guess the laptop sucked a lot more power than I thought it did. When Justin came back and hit the red START button on the instrument panel, lights flickered, the engine jolted briefly, and then everything went dark. My heart sank as I realized what had happened. At over 107,000 miles and with 2.5 solid years of daily use, the ILX’s battery has been getting a little more tired lately so I should have known better.

Stressed out about making it home to Phoenix (still a 90-minute drive away) so Justin could make it to a volleyball tournament, we anxiously watched the clock as we awaited help from the tow company. Then, a light bulb went on. We remembered that stick shifts can be push-started. It was a long shot, but we decided to try our luck at doing the same with the ILX. Because of the angle of the parking lot, it made the most sense to conduct our experiment in reverse, so I took the driver’s seat and released the parking brake. Justin gave the car a hearty push from up front and I started coasting rearward in reverse with the clutch depressed. When I felt like I had some pretty good momentum, I kicked my leg off the clutch pedal abruptly and the car came to life. Genius! Saved by a manual transmission.

Meanwhile, I felt bad leaving the tow driver high & dry so I called and offered to pay him for the time he’d already spent heading my direction. Lesson learned: I’m putting jumper cables in the car tomorrow.

It was a quick out-and-back weekend trip to Palm Springs, California for a party hosted by my friends Scott & Sandy. Their beautiful home was dressed to the max and bustling with dozens of people, Christmas music, and plenty of cheer. Justin and I had the chance to take a spin in Scott’s nicely restored 1966 Mustang in the perfect top-down weather before making our return trip to Phoenix the following day. Here are a few quick pics from the weekend.

Pit stop in Desert Center, California

Interstate 10 westbound

Backyard with a golf course view

Party hosts

Home exterior, with the palms decked out in blue lights

Following Scott in his new 1993 Legend LS coupe

Taking a look at some old iron. Pictured here is Scott’s 1959 Mercury Park Lane. Massive!

Out for a spin in the 1966 Ford Mustang 289 V8 with “Pony Package” interior.

Mustang in rare “Emberglo” color. A real beauty!

19 Comments »

Quick Drive: Warner Valley, Southern Utah

Posted in ILX, Road Trip, Utah on December 1, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 531,910

Odometer (ILX): 106,356

Trip Distance: 12 Miles

As sunset drew near one evening during our visit to St. George, Utah for the Thanksgiving holiday, my friend Ryan asked me if I knew of “any good drives” in the area. “Pssssh” I thought. “Of course!” It wouldn’t be a Tyson-Ryan road trip if there wasn’t at least a little bit of off-roading, like that one time we drove Hell’s Backbone. That’s why, at first thought, the remote area of Warner Valley came to mind.

It had been a long time since I visited Warner Valley. Maybe 18 years? I know for a fact that we went camping there when I was in Boy Scouts, and I was probably 14 at the time. The landscape I’m sure hasn’t changed much, but the steadily sprawling urban development has encroached on what was once barren wilderness back then. This road trip didn’t just rewind the clock 18 years, though. It rewound the clock to 190 million years ago, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. That’s because Warner Valley is home to some of the best-preserved dinosaur tracks in the southwest. There are, in fact, about 400 examples of dinosaur tracks that have been found in the area since it was originally mapped in 1989.

Ryan and I took to the dirt road with enthusiasm and started kicking up some dust. The red one-laner snaked its way through the sagebrush and led us past some areas where people were set up with firearms and doing target practice. We gladly continued onward from there. I did get a little nervous because the road conditions got a little sketchy – the gravel gave way to sand which was quite deep in places. Remembering that one time when I got the ILX hopelessly stuck in the sand, I knew that I needed to keep my momentum to avoid that. My car’s traction-control assistance did kick in a number of times as the front tires lost grip in the sand.

Luckily, Ryan kept a pretty good pace from ahead of me and I stayed on his tail despite being enveloped by a cloud of dust. The desert’s colors really took on vivid hues as the sun dipped down in the western sky. Soon, it became pretty clear we’d run out of daylight before getting down the road much further, so we opted to loop back once we arrived at the site of the Fort Pearce Historic Site. It’s a small stone structure that was built in 1866 during Utah’s “Black Hawk War.” Native Americans from the Ute tribe were trying to drive out the Mormon settlers. In a series of battles, 100 Indian lives were lost and 70 Mormons. The 42 x 22 foot structure was one of several guard posts that were built during that time. The war ended by about 1873 and the remains of Fort Pearce stand as a reminder.

(photo credit Washington County Historical Society)

I’ve heard of “instant karma” but never seen it in action until Ryan and I started heading back to toward civilization. Despite the fact that we were clipping along at 30 miles per hour, a Ford pickup came up in my rearview and got uncomfortably close. It was clear he wanted to blast past me, but the road was far too narrow at that time to allow it. At the next possible area, I did scoot to the right and he flew by, spraying a cloud of dust in my direction. It was just seconds later, as the driver took his truck halfway up the berm on the left side of the road in an attempt to pass Ryan, that he lost control of his truck and ended up spinning it sideways in the deep sand and having to stop. I passed him with a chuckle and Ryan and I continued on our merry way.

Thanks for joining on the trip!

Dinosaur track photos:

(photo credit stillexploring.com)

Heading out on the dirt road, following Ryan’s dust cloud

Quick photo op in the middle of nowhere

Another angle

Love the red sandstone scenery

ILX + S2000

Great sunset skies out in the desert

And headed back to civilization

Return drive to Phoenix on Saturday morning

The Virgin River Gorge section of Interstate 15

The Legend getting out for its weekly “walk” around the block.

14 Comments »

Thanksgiving Group Drive: Snow Canyon State Park, Utah

Posted in ILX, Road Trip, Utah on November 28, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 105,770

Trip Distance: 426 Miles

Back in the 1850’s, southern Utah’s Mormon settlers discovered a beautiful canyon while searching for lost cattle. That place later became known as Snow Canyon State Park after prominent Utah pioneers Lorenzo and Erastus Snow. Since that designation in 1958, it has since become a favorite recreation destination for hiking and other outdoor activities.

The canyon’s views of the red and white sandstone rock formations are beautiful at any time of day, but I enjoy them especially in the early morning light. For many years while living in the nearby city of St. George, I visited the canyon for car photoshoots and videos. Here’s an example of one such video I filmed there (7 years ago! The Legend had “only” around 260,000 miles on it at the time).

It seemed only fitting that I kick off the Thanksgiving holiday with a car meet-up and road trip, so I rallied a few people including my younger brother Payton and a few Honda/Acura-owning buddies so we could get out and enjoy the gorgeous morning and the open road.

Payton’s car was by far the quickest of the group. It’s a highly modified Lexus IS300 and it’s known to peel out in just about any of its 6 gears. At over 600 horsepower, it’s more power than I’d ever know what to do with. The last touch on his build will be to reattach the front bumper but mechanically the car is “done.”

Nice color-matched custom interior dash trim. Notice the stereo has been removed, a custom aluminum plate added, and ready for additional gauges.

Driver’s side interior.

The beast of an engine. I should have taken a better picture of this, but the attention to detail is unmatched. It’s spotlessly clean and all of the finishes have been either custom painted or powder coated.

Heading up State Route 18 toward the entrance to Snow Canyon.

Getting passed by Cody’s Cashmere Silver Metallic 1993 L 5-speed sedan.

Nearing the north entrance to Snow Canyon State Park.

Park Entry

It’s amazing how close in hue the Intensa Blue Pearl (Lexus) and Kinetic Blue Pearl (Acura) are.

ILX and Blair’s 2007 Acura TL Type-S with 106,000 miles

Solo shot

In my element!

Standing with the 3 Acuras

Checking out Cody’s Legend engine

Cody’s interior smells like new, and the driver’s seat is near perfect

That car turned over 74,000 miles on the way up the canyon: It’s just a baby considering it’s nearly 22 years old.

Legend trunk.

Ryan’s 2001 Honda S2000 rounded out the mix of cars. It’s Berlina Black with 148,000 miles.

Thanks to Cody for these next 3 awesome pics.

Standing with Payton in Snow Canyon

Obligatory family family photo before turkey dinner at mom’s

Hope everyone had a great holiday! I’m making the return trip to AZ tomorrow morning and will have more to share about this weekend’s adventures in coming days. Safe travels to all.

4 Comments »

2014 Los Angeles, California Auto Show

Posted in California, Car Show, ILX, Road Trip on November 20, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 531,869

Odometer (ILX): 104,848

Trip Distance: 764 Miles

It would have cost me $460 to fly round-trip from Phoenix on Southwest for this week’s trip to Los Angeles. Was there any question I’d rather get behind the wheel and just drive? Still I get the “Are you driving or flying?” question from plenty of people who don’t yet know me well enough! For this trip, I had a copilot who’s a fellow seasoned driver: Jason from Las Cruces, who you’ve read about on Driven for Drives, accompanied me on this trip to the City of Angels.

The LA Auto Show started in 1907 with 99 vehicles on display at a skating rink. Since then, it has evolved into one of the largest annual automotive events in the country, filling 760,000 thousand square feet of space at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I’ve attended on two occasions in the past:

2012
2013

I attended this year’s show as an Associate Editor for DC-based automotive media company Redline Productions. Jackson and Sofyan from the Redline management team had asked me to work with them on some vehicle launch videos, and I was excited for the opportunity to collaborate with them again. Jason rolled into Phoenix on Tuesday afternoon from Las Cruces, New Mexico, and we hit the road just in time to savor some of Phoenix’s worst afternoon stop-and-go westbound traffic on Interstate 10. It was a relief when we finally broke free from the gridlock and set the cruise on 80 for the next 5 or so hours.

(photo credit to Jason)

Taking the ILX for a quick lap around Los Angeles International Airport’s terminal 5 to scoop up Sofyan and Rob, we checked in at the Sheraton in downtown LA for the night and charged up our batteries – literally and figuratively – for the adventures the following day would provide. Equipped with our press credentials and loads of ambition, we attacked Wednesday’s Auto Show with organization and strategy.

Throughout the day, each automaker got a 25-minute window of time to “wow” the journalists. We got ahold of the schedule and decided which press conferences we each wanted to attend. When we weren’t following the hordes of press people around, we spent time tidying up our scripts and networking with old friends, some of whom we hadn’t seen since last year’s show. I ran into Acura’s Chuck Schifsky and we caught up for a few minutes.

I got my moment in the spotlight when I did an on-camera preview of the newly-refreshed 2015 Chrysler 300 (above picture captured by a friend during my on-cam time), and then had some free time to explore at my leisure. Some of the automaker booths offered free food, drinks, and swag, so I was keen to keep my eyes open for such goodies. In all, I walked over 5 miles during the day while exploring the huge conference center, according to my iPhone’s “Health” app.

The afternoon hours flew by, and before we knew it, the 5:45 p.m. PA announcement was made: The show halls would be closing in 15 minutes. We hurried to wrap up our current activities and then made our way back to the hotel. The evening’s activities included dinner with a friend from Acura’s PR team and then a drop-in at a Hyundai-sponsored after-party at historic Hotel Figueroa.

Honda’s all-new 2016 HR-V model, a subcompact crossover based on the Honda Fit platform, was the subject of my focus on Thursday morning for day 2 of the auto show. After completing a quick vehicle intro on camera for Redline Reviews, I scampered quickly to the Acura press conference which was scheduled to begin at 9:35 a.m. Luckily I was able to score us some second-row seats for the entertainment. Right on cue, we were surrounded by thundering music, spotlights through smoke, and a gigantic countdown clock on the big screen ahead of us.

Acura’s Senior Vice President Mike Accavitti took the stage and teed up his introduction of the refreshed 2016 Acura ILX. As most of my readers will know, the ILX debuted for the 2013 model year and aside from some new standard features, has been largely unchanged since. For 2016, the car will now get a host of new appointments to sweeten its appeal to young car buyers looking to enter the luxury segment.

The climax of Mike’s presentation happened when two Acura ILX models – one in silver and one in stunning Catalina Blue – blazed their Jewel Eye headlights at us and drove up onto the elevated stage. Mike proceeded then to teach us a little about what makes the new ILX so special.

Among those highlights are the following:

Now-standard 201-horsepower, 2.4 liter direct-injected 4-cylinder motor (up 51 horses from the prior “base model” engine)
Standard 8-speed dual-clutch transmission
New front & rear styling, including signature Jewel Eye headlamps
Addition of power passenger seat and available memory seats
Seven-inch touch-screen on the instrument panel
New trim levels: Standard, Premium, and Technology Plus.
Available A-SPEC package for Premium & above – rolling in 18″ wheels, fog lights, suede seat inserts, red instrument illumination, gray interior stitching, and aluminum brake & throttle pedals
Advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies (blind spot detection, rear cross traffic monitor)

I’m saddened by the elimination of the 6-speed manual as a transmission offering, but I love everything else about the new ILX. It looks like Acura has listened to customers who had complained about the previous ILX 2.0-liter “base” engine being underpowered, at only 150 horsepower. I love the resurrection of of the “A-SPEC” name, as it’s great to see Acura getting back to its “Precision Crafted Performance” heritage. I look forward to taking a new ILX for a spin.

Among the show’s other world debuts were some important vehicles, 18 of which are listed on the show’s Wiki page under the “2014” heading. All-too-soon, it was time for Jason and me to collect our gear and ponder the 400-mile trek back to the desert. We said farewell to our friends from Redline Media and grabbed some boxed lunches to-go from the Media Center, then hit the road. Jason was great company for the drive and I thank him for coming along! Thanks also to the Redline Productions team for making it a great experience. I hope that you as my readers enjoyed the show as much as we all did. Below are the rest of my pics!

This is a video of an 8-minute segment of the Acura press conference, leading up to the ILX rollout/unveil.

Wednesday morning view from the 20th floor of the Sheraton in downtown Los Angeles

Jason, Tyson, Rob, Sofyan, ready to tackle the first day of the Auto Show

Media Center: Getting set up with our camera gear

The 2016 Acura ILX waits under black covers until its reveal the following day.

Celebrity encounters in the Media Center: Steve Ewing, Sr. Editor of Autoblog, and Steve Siler, featured author in Car & Driver

Another celebrity encounter: Davis Adams of Honda Public Relations, and “Lance the Driver.”

And a third! This is the MAN behind Acura: Mr. Kurt Antonius. His name appeared as the designated point of contact on the press releases back in the mid-1980’s when the Acura brand was created as a separate entity from Honda. He’s since retired, but still comes back to attend the shows from time to time. It was great to run into him!

Honda HR-V debut

Filming the HRV with Jason and Sofyan the following morning

Dinner meet-up with great friends

Hyundai after-party with a plexiglass cover over the swimming pool at Hotel Figueroa so we could walk on top of it.

Additional pictures of today’s 2016 Acura ILX unveiling – first, Mike Accavitti’s presentation.

This is the A-SPEC model that rolled out to the stage in Catalina Blue.

Interior

Rear

Rear again

Front

2.4 liter engine

Driver’s side interior

Driver’s side exterior

Accompanying silver ILX on display, with the new accessory 18″ wheels

Nice looking rear end

My good friend Scott who works for Acura’s media agency, Mullen

A few other sights from around the show: Mazda – with Jason conducting a review of the newly-revised 6

Volkswagen’s sexy new “Golf R”

Subaru

Toyota

Hyundai

Infiniti

Infiniti concept car

Bentley

Audi

BMW

Lexus

My trusty old car when leaving the Sheraton to head home from Los Angeles.

Whew!!!! Thanks for reading!

14 Comments »

Las Vegas to Palm Springs: Crossing the Mojave National Preserve

Posted in Arizona, California, ILX, Road Trip on November 14, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 531,809

Odometer (ILX): 103,603

Trip Distance: 628 Miles

“Stop the car RIGHT NOW!” I ordered to Justin as my eyes affixed on the quickly passing Roy’s Motel sign on the passenger side of the car. Obediently, he cocked the steering wheel to the right and we skidded to a stop on the gravel shoulder from about 55 miles per hour in a cloud of dust. The lengths that I go to for a photo-op is sometimes extreme!

What had caught my eye was a remnant of old Route 66: A true time capsule of architecture from 1936 in Amboy, Nevada that stood as a reminder of what the Mother Road once was. Justin positioned the ILX for a photo op and I immortalized the moment digitally for you all to enjoy.

Determined to keep the weekend fun going, on the heels of our Zion National Park hike, Justin and I decided to explore some new turf and visit friends in Palm Springs, California. My mom served up some delicious sourdough French toast and we hit the road with a full tank of gas and full stomachs. The 100 mile stretch between St. George, Utah and Las Vegas, Nevada was a repeat for me as I’ve driven it hundreds of times. Still, the Virgin River Gorge through the northwest corner of Arizona always provides amazing views in any direction. In its day, it was one of the most expensive stretches of interstate in the country.

It was the route we took after rolling through Las Vegas that brought some excitement to the adventure. Shortly after crossing into the California state line (and passing the landmark “Buffalo Bill’s” casino & rollercoaster) in Primm, we rolled onward for only about another 10 miles on Interstate 15 southbound before exiting on Nipton Road at mile marker 286. I turned over the ILX reins to Justin for a little while. The next few hours were spent in the desert backcountry – winding our way along two lane highways that combined whoop-de-doos, seemingly endless straightaways, and plenty of roadside scenery to enjoy. Pavement conditions were less than optimal, as Justin frequently had to dodge huge potholes while clipping along at 65 to 75 miles per hour. At least the ILX steering is pretty responsive.

It’s a good thing we had fueled in up Las Vegas because amenities were extremely sparse out there. We rolled around with windows down, moonroof open, and music blaring — the temperatures were perfect for an open-air cruise. We blasted through the town of Cima without even batting an eye, but Kelso was worth a closer look. It got its start in 1905 as a railroad depot for the line between Utah and Los Angeles.

When the mining industry boomed in the 1940s, the population maxed out at around 2,000 residents. The mines, however, were only open for a decade and – you’ve all heard this story before – the town pretty much dried up. Today, the original 1923 depot has been restored and serves as the visitor center. Fun fact: Due to its remote nature, Kelso residents didn’t get access to television until the 1970s. (nice overhead shot here from Scott Haefner)

Further down Kelbaker Road from Kelso, we drove past 45 square miles of sand dunes in the Mojave Desert Preserve. The road crossed over Interstate 40 and eventually led us to our next pit stop in Amboy – home of Roy’s. I wish Roy’s was still open for business, but its doors shut shortly after the interstate bypassed Amboy in 1972. Can you imagine being able to time-travel to the heyday of Route 66 and experience what it must have been like? Amboy’s population is 4, and those residents refer to their town as “The ghost town that ain’t dead yet.”

There’s not a heck of a lot to see or do in Amboy today, but just a bit to the west (and visible from the highway) is a 6,000-year-old cinder cone volcano that looks like it would be fun to hike around in or on. Our destination in Palm Springs awaited – and Justin was anxious to pick up the pace – so we moseyed onward. We breezed through State Route 62 in the town of Twentynine Palms, named by a colonel who surveyed the land in 1852. Palm Springs was just another hour beyond that, and we arrived just in time for a fantastic sunset.

Here are the rest of the pictures from this leg of the journey.

Accident-induced traffic at the NV/CA state line near Primm. All that red!

Justin driving past the Kelso railroad depot.

Distance marker near Kelso.

Kelso sand dunes.

I loved this straightaway with telephone poles running parallel to the road.

Rock formations nearing Amboy.

Arrival at Roy’s in Amboy, California. Look closely for a special message Justin sent me from the moonroof of the car.

And yet again.

Waiting for a freight train to pass by.

ILX interior.

Monday morning: heading back to Phoenix from Palm Springs.

Rest area just east of Quartzsite, Arizona.

Love how friendly the interpretive signs are: “Enjoy Arizona.” We sure did!

Thanks for joining!

Hey, on the subject of car longevity:

My friend Scott shared this article with me. It shows just how much butt-kicking Honda does with regard to vehicle reliability when compared to other makes. My favorite part was the section about how the Accord model singlehandedly “beats all of Europe.”

Enjoy! Link here.

6 Comments »

Utah’s Zion National Park: “The Subway” Hike

Posted in Hikes, ILX, Road Trip, Utah on November 12, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 531,804

Odometer (ILX): 103,488

Trip Distance: 80 Miles

Grab a $5 footlong before getting started with this post. The Subway I’ll be introducing you to today, however, isn’t any kind of sandwich. It’s something far better: It’s one of the most remote and scenic canyons in the country. Growing up in southern Utah, I was lucky to have several national parks right in my own backyard. Utah, in fact, is often considered the country’s national park capital because there are five parks in close proximity.

Zion National Park covers 229 square miles but it’s most known for 15-mile-long Zion Canyon. Its designation as a national park happened almost exactly 95 years ago, in November 1919 under U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. The canyon itself is up to 1/2 mile deep and cuts through the sandstone rocks in dramatic red and orange colors. Back in May 2013, I shared a throwback post about a few of my visits to Zion including my favorite hike of all time, Angel’s Landing, which ascends a narrow pathway through terror-inducing heights with 1,500-foot cliff drop-offs on both sides. Yeah, don’t lose your footing.

For years I’ve known of a hike called The Subway but it wasn’t until this weekend that I actually got the chance to experience it. Due to its treacherous nature and in the interest of preservation, access to The Subway is heavily restricted by the National Park Service and a backcountry permit is required. My mom reserved a permit for our group several months in advance, so we set aside the date and planned our visit around a fixed date.

Bright and early on Saturday morning (do people ever say they got up “dark and late”?), five of us piled into my ILX and headed toward the entrance to Zion in Springdale. It was a cozy squeeze but only about a 40-mile trek. We ran into a traffic delay just before entering park limits, thanks to a 10K run that caused a road closure. By the time we’d retrieved our permit from the Visitor Center, driven 8 miles up Kolob Terrace Road, and unloaded our gear, it was around 10:45 in the morning when we started the hike.

For the next 6 hours, we’d be traversing some of southern Utah’s most rugged and scenic landscapes – with many of the fall colors at their peak, too. Motivated and full of energy, we practically skipped down the singletrack dirt trail for the first 1/2 mile or so. Terrain was level for the time being. Soon, though, we started dipping down rocky, steep (and sometimes slippery) red dirt as we made our way to the base of the canyon. A few of us had walking sticks, but Justin and I did the best we could to find our footing without the assistance. The lower in elevation that we got, the more clearly we could hear the babbling of the Virgin River as it carved its way through the canyon. Aside from a couple of cairns here and there, we had very few points of reference to go on. Sometimes, the trail was wherever we wanted it to be.

We frequently had to climb up, over, or around boulders that were bigger than SUVs. They came in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Some had edges that looked so precision-cut, they almost seemed man-made. About an hour into the hike, it became apparent that getting our feet wet was going to be inevitable, so we swapped our footwear for water-friendly Teva sandles and continued onward. Multiple times we did end up having to cross the Virgin River as we headed up the canyon. One of my favorite things about The Subway hike was its solitude: In our entire day of hiking, we encountered probably fewer than two dozen people.

It seemed like it took forever, but we finally started noticing that the canyon narrowed and we crossed over some eye-catching tiered waterfalls. Just around the corner, The Subway was there in all its glory, and we spent some time in that area admiring the surroundings. The actual section of the hike that has rounded subway-like walls is only about 1/4 miles in length. It lies between two peaks called the North and South Guardian Angels.

Glancing at her watch, my mom alerted us to fact that it would start getting dark in just 3 hours. The last place any of us wanted to be at dusk was stuck inside the canyon, so we somewhat hurriedly started back-tracking toward the trailhead. I found it interesting that the reverse hike often times offered completely different looking views than what we had seen on the first leg. It was a bit unnerving when Justin and I came across a group of 3 people who were terrified: “We’ve think we’ve missed the exit.” (referring to the area where we needed to climb up out of the river bed and ascend to the trailhead). Justin and I were quite certain we hadn’t yet gotten to to that point in the trail. Still, it made my heart skip a beat to think that we might end up hopelessly lost and need to spend the night in a dark canyon.

Sure enough, we did find our way out and we spent the last ounce of our energy (and our last few drops of bottled water) on climbing the 1,000 or more feet in elevation to the parking lot, just as the sun started dipping beneath the horizon. I passed by a man who was clearly struggling to carry a bunch of camera gear and offered to lighten his load. He graciously accepted the offer and had me unlatch his heavy tripod so that I could carry it to the top for him. It was such a relief to get to the summit and know that we had finished our mission safely.

The Subway offered up an experience that I won’t soon forget! More pictures follow below – hope you enjoy them.

First, a very short (15-second!) video.