drivetofive

Odometer (Legend):  522,081

Odometer (ILX):  37,519

I’ve come a long way since this picture was taken in 1982.  Many thanks to my great mom for always riding along on my Drive to Five travels, whether online or in person.  Happy Mother’s Day!

Today I’m going to take you to 5 different destinations in the Tucson, Arizona area that I visited yesterday in my 2013 Acura ILX 2.4 6-speed.  I headed out on Interstate 10 eastbound to make the ~120 mile drive from the Phoenix area with a few hot spots in mind.  Here they are, in the order I saw them.

1.  Sentinel Peak / “A” Mountain

The University of Arizona was the first university in the state.  It was founded in 1885 and currently there are about 40,000 students participating in its programs.  In March, 1916, a huge “A” was constructed on the side of Sentinel Peak just west of town.  It’s a basalt rock formation that measures 160 feet tall by 70 feet wide.  After the September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks, it was painted red, white, and blue (also the school’s colors) but it’s since been whitewashed.

This is the View of the “A” as seen from Interstate 10 just before exiting the freeway at Congress Road (slightly hidden behind that tree).

Nearing Sentinel Peak Road, I saw a sign that indicated I was getting close to the A.  This marker could easily be mis-read as “a mountain,” instead of “A” Mountain.  Either way, I continued my ascent up the 2,900-foot elevation gain to the summit.

Much like at Gates Pass where I traveled a few weeks ago, there were several forewarnings about the grade and width of the road as I approached the section with greatest elevation gain.

The road becomes one-lane and one-way as the top of the peak approaches.  This was a fun little stretch of road in the 6-speed-equipped ILX as I downshifted to get maximum torque while looping around the top of the mountain.

Strangely, though, this road has no guardrails.  It can get a little dicey trying to wind up the hill when bicyclists are trying to share the narrow roadway.

Finally at the top of the peak, I took a picture of my car with downtown Tucson in the background.  Tucson is the headquarters of Pima County and is home to over 500,000 people.  Since air conditions were favorable, I was able to clearly see downtown Tucson in the distance.

Facing south, the outskirts of town were visible.

2.  Longhorn Grill:  Amado, Arizona

In my endless search for the most offbeat destinations I can find, I stumbled across this restaurant in southern Arizona shaped like a longhorn skull in Amado.  My trip to the Longhorn Grill required a 33-mile southbound drive on Interstate 19 which I talked about in my post on Saguaro National Park.  I-19 is unique in that it’s perhaps the only interstate in the country that’s signed with metric distances.  Amado is a tiny teeny 295-person town, so the few businesses in operation there were easy to spot.

Before I checked out Longhorn, I first pit stopped across the street from it at Cow Palace.

Cocktails, steaks, sandwiches, and package liquor are found here.  This is definitely a one-stop shop.  Cow Palace has hosted movie stars and other notable personalities since the 1930’s.  There’s a picture of John Wayne hanging in the entrance.

The restaurant is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.  I didn’t dine there, but I did take a look at the menu and there are some great sounding selections, including:

• Bacon Wrapped Filet:  Tender and lean 6 oz filet with roasted garlic butter.  Served with baked potato, smashed red potatoes, palace beans, fries, or Spanish rice.  Includes vegetables, fresh baked bread and your choice of soup or salad.  $24.99

And for dessert:

• Giant Sticky Bun:  House made cinnamon roll baked in brown sugar, butter, and cream glaze.  $4.99

This is a storage container sitting near the main lobby of the restaurant where meats are shown.  Customers may purchase special cuts of steak that are aged for 7, 14, or 21 days.

At noon on a Saturday, this place was dead.  I caught a few glances with the bartender who probably wondered why in the world I was taking pictures of his restaurant.  It looked like it’d make a great place to host a party, though!

Next door to Cow Palace lies the “Mini Market Amado Market Market.”  I wonder if they’ve sufficiently communicated the fact that this is a market?

My gaze quickly shifted to those 30-foot-tall horns mounted on the building looming behind me:  the long-awaited Longhorn.  This building was built in the 1970’s and has been home to a variety of different companies — most recently, a steakhouse.  The restaurant has been closed since mid-2012, so I can’t help but wonder if perhaps the Cow Palace put this place out of business.  Competition is fierce in this one-horse (one-cow?) town!

The temptation was just too great to overcome when I saw a small one-lane road leading off into the middle of nowhere, so I switched the ILX into 4×4 mode (not really, but there were unpaved stretches that did require higher clearance) and began exploring a little.

As it turns out, there wasn’t much at all to see out there, but as always, the drive afforded plenty of scenic photo-ops including this railroad crossing.

3.  25-ton Tiki Head

Exactly one week after pit-stopping to see Giganticus Headicus on Route 66 in the northern part of the state, I decided to find its sibling.  I made my way back to Tucson via I-19 (again, notice the metric signage in the picture below).  Speed limits are still posted in miles per hour instead of km/h.

I exited at 22nd Street on the same exit that goes to Silverlake Rd & Star Pass Blvd.  Talk about a confusing interchange!

On my way to get lunch with my friend Josh, I drove past Chapman Acura, the Tucson area dealership, and saw that they had a nice Silver Moon ILX 2.0 automatic on the lot with aftermarket wheels.

Josh is a long-time Acura fan and currently owns two Integras.  I featured his white Integra turbo in a blog post a few months ago, and his daily driver Integra is the red one shown here.

Here that tiki head.  The story on this one starts around 1969 when entrepreneur Lee Koplin built a miniature golf course east of Interstate 10 on Speedway Boulevard.  The golf course, called Magic Carpet Golf, survived until 2007 when it went out of business.  The fate of the tiki head, along with many other stucco sculptures, was quite uncertain at the time.

Thankfully, the head found its new home at 305 North 4th Street, seven miles away from where the miniature golf course was located.  It now sits atop a bar called The Hut.  It reportedly cost $20,000 for the bar to procure and transport the head by sawing it off its base.

Interestingly enough, nobody wanted the sphinx statue from Magic Carpet which weighed in at several tons.  It ended up getting bulldozed in 2011.

4.  30-foot-tall Neon Cactus

Just a little up the road from The Hut stands a huge tribute to neon signs of old.  This illuminated cactus was constructed in 2010 on a road that was the first divided highway in the state of Arizona.

The south side of the cactus reads “Miracle Mile.”  The name is in reference to a title given by Arizona Highways magazine after the road’s completion in 1937.  Since the road had a median, it was considered the “miracle mile of safety.”

I found a picture of what the cactus looks like at night.  I’ll have to go back and check it out soon.

5.  Muffler Man

We don’t know much about this fiberglass statue on Stone Avenue except that he’s an artist’s rendition of Paul Bunyan and watches over an intersection while holding an ax.  The first muffer man on record was constructed in 1963 and since then many more have followed.  Most often, these statues are 18-25 feet tall and carry mufflers, tires, or other automotive parts in their hands.  This guy looks like he’s got a fresh coat of paint.

During the holidays, his ax is exchanged for a candy cane.

Hope you enjoyed getting acquainted with a few of Tucson’s offbeat attractions!  Driving around to find them in my Acura ILX felt a bit like a scavenger hunt.  It sounds nerdy, but each time I found one I got a little more excited than I probably should have.

My last stop on Saturday night was the Scottsdale Pavilions car show.  This is a parking lot near my place that fills up every single Saturday, year-round, with all sorts of vehicles.  I happened to park next to a souped up Subaru.

Hope the weekend has treated everyone well!

Odometer (Legend):  522,026

Odometer (ILX):  36,879

Trip Distance:  480 miles

For this weekend’s ILXcapades, we find ourselves venturing back to the heyday of automobile travel as we know it.  Route 66 – the “Mother Road” – has long been known as the most talked-about corridor in popular culture.  Its entire length ran about 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, but the road was decommissioned 28 years ago in the mid-1980s.  This is a map of the original route.

Since then, it’s been bypassed, bulldozed, or otherwise forgotten except for in a few special sections where Route 66 heritage is embraced. I’ve driven a couple of those areas (Oatman in the Legend in 2007 and Flagstaff in the ILX last September).  My friend Jack and I took my 2013 Acura ILX on a 9-hour adventure to explore some yet-unseen roads in northwestern Arizona.  Our first stop was the Wikieup Trading Post off Highway 93.

Wikieup is known as the “rattler capital of the world” due to the number of rattlesnakes in the area.

And they aren’t kidding!  This is one snake skin on display hanging on the wall above the door to the restrooms.

On the road again and playing one of my all-time favorite driving playlists: the Top Gun soundtrack.  The ILX Premium Audio System definitely did the song “Danger Zone” justice when blasted at max volume of level 40.

Once we approached Kingman, it was clear we’d entered Route 66 territory.

We went to the historic part of town where a yearly classic car “fun run” was taking place.  Streets were closed off and there were vendors, entertainers, and classic cars all over the place.

By now, we’d worked up an appetite and the sign for “Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner” was calling our names.  Mr. D’z was once a small cafe & gas station in the 1950’s and 1960’s.  It’s now the hub of several annual car shows.

I went with the “Route 66 Bacon Cheeseburger” and a frosty mug of homemade root beer.  I do recommend it!

Out front, we saw a few eye catching rides, including this tow truck inspired by Tow Mater from the 2006 Disney / Pixar movie “Cars.”  More about Cars later.

Let’s get this Route 66 party started!

Here I’m posing like Vanna White next to a destination marker showing where Jack and I would be headed in the ILX shortly.

Our friend Mike was in town as a judge for the classic car show so we met up with him briefly.

Then, Jack and I were on our way.

The 83-mile section of Route 66 between Kingman and Seligman is a well-preserved stretch of old 66 that’s stuck in a time warp, and that’s why I wanted to drive there so badly.  Traveling the same point-to-point via the parallel Interstate 40 would shave off over 20 miles and probably 1/2 hour of drive time, but this drive wasn’t about speed, it was about taking time to experience the sights along the way.

The road heads northwest from the Kingman area and quickly slims down to 2 lanes from 4.  Not far up Route 66, we saw the (now abandoned) Kozy Corner Trailer Park.  There are a couple special things about this particular trailer park.

First of all, the trash can warns everyone nearby that it’s full of baby rattlesnakes.  I didn’t peek inside to confirm that.

And secondly, you might have noticed that giant green head sitting out front.  That is called “Giganticus Headicus.”  It’s 14 feet tall and was created in 2003 by someone named G. Arnold.

Continuing on, our next pit stop was the general store in Hackberry, Arizona.  Here we found all sorts of collector “stuff.”

Antique collectors:  plan to spend awhile here.

75 degrees and sunny for our drive – couldn’t have asked for better weather!  Speed limits varied from 35-65 and the ILX 6-speed made a great cruiser.

It only takes a blink to miss some of these small towns that we passed through.  Truxton is one example.  From the entrance of town limits to the exit took only a few seconds to drive.

But those few seconds were entertaining, nonetheless.  I enjoyed seeing these old motels and there seemed to be a lot of classic cars parked alongside the road for sale in places like this.

About halfway to our destination of Seligman, we passed through a town called Peach Springs.  Traffic through Peach Springs died down sharply after Interstate 40 was opened about 20 miles south in 1978. According to Wikipedia, Peach Springs “survived as the administrative base of the Hualapai Indian tribe but suffered irreparable economic damage.”

Just 55 miles northeast of Peach Springs, visitors will find the Hualapai Indian tribe town of Hualapai Hilltop.  This place serves as the trailhead for an 8-mile hike that drops into the Grand Canyon and now-famous 120-foot-tall Havasu Falls, a place which has been on my to-see list for several years now.

The town itself is pretty run-down with the exception of the Indian-run visitor center.

I did find this photo-op worthwhile, though.  This is an old service station dating back to the 1920’s.

A nearby informational sign reads as follows:

Historic John Osterman Gas Station:  This property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 15, 2012. The John Osterman gas station was one of several privately owned and operated businesses in the town of Peach Springs during the 1920s through the 1950s.  The building, constructed by Osterman in 1923, was a vernacular design of poured concrete block and built in the tradition of the “House with Bays” form.  It featured an office resembling a small house and a series of attached garage bays.  The design, in addition to allowing the sale of gasoline and other automotive products, is indicative of the large amount of repair work the station undertook over the years.

It looks like the pumps out front still read $2.99 / gallon which means it wasn’t closed that long ago.

For the next 37 miles, we dodged tumbleweeds and cruised alongside the train tracks as we continued eastbound.  There were several “Burma Shave” roadside sign sequences that I enjoyed.  These types of signs were a huge part of roadside America from 1925 until the 1960’s.  They are small signs spaced at periodic distances alongside the road to advertise a brand of shaving cream. Here are a few of them that Jack and I took note of:

• IF YOU DON’T KNOW
• WHOSE SIGNS THESE ARE
• YOU HAVEN’T DRIVEN
• VERY FAR
• Burma Shave

• ANGELS WHO GUARD YOU
• WHEN YOU DRIVE
• USUALLY RETIRE
• AT SIXTY-FIVE
• Burma Shave

And finally, toward the end of the route:

• JUST THIS ONCE
• AND JUST FOR FUN
• WE’LL LET YOU FINISH
• WHAT WE’VE BEGUN
• ????

The last stop on this historic drive was in the small town of Seligman, home to fewer than 500 people.  It’s the birthplace of Route 66 (at least they’d like to think so).

When Disney/Pixar was putting together the 2006 film “Cars,” director John Lasseter met with the business owners in Seligman to talk about the town’s history as a stopping point on the Mother Road.  He ended up basing the fictional town of Radiator Springs loosely on Seligman.  To jog your memory, here’s the cast of the film, including star Lightning McQueen.

The grammar Nazi in me wanted to step into this gift shop and tell them they’d spelled “memorabilia” wrong, but I guess a misspelled word here and there is what keeps a place like this even more interesting.

I’d heard of Roadkill Cafe but never knew it actually existed.  Here Jack is standing with the ILX in front of such a place.  The slogan here is “You Kill It, We Grill It.”

Some of Roadkill’s entrees are:

• Splatter Platter
• Swirl of Squirrel
• Big Bagged Stag
• Highway Hash

Main Street looks a lot like one would expect.  It’s a tourist trap in every way, but I loved it.

For me, the most awaited point of interest had arrived:  Snow Cap Drive-In, seen in the background here:

Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In has greeted motorists for 60 years.  Its founder, Juan Delgadillo, died 9 years ago but the enterprise continues serving up great food AND a great cultural experience for those who make a stop there.  Delgadillo’s son and daughter run the business today.  A 1936 Chevrolet with a Christmas tree attached to the back of it is on permanent display out front (seen at left below).

Where else can you find menu selections like “dead chicken”….

And “cheeseburgers with cheese”?  Truly this place is worth checking out if you’re looking for something offbeat.

Don’t get too comfortable, though, because sleeping in the restroom out back is prohibited.

Inside the Snow Cap, the walls are lined ceiling-to-floor with pictures and business cards from guests who have visited since this place opened in 1953.  I added my business card to the mix.

The line was fairly long but I was determined to sample something off the menu.  Meanwhile, we became acquainted to some of the other visitors.  Most were from other countries!  Snow Cap had a lot of entertaining pictures and signs, including this one about the company’s credit manager, Helen Waite, that took me a few attempts to understand.  Say it out loud a time or two:

These ladies were hilarious.  They have a plastic mustard bottle that they “squirt” at customers and a piece of yellow string comes out the tip.  I thought for sure I’d have mustard all over my shirt when I looked down.  I asked if I could have a small ice cream cone and she brought me a miniature one. Then I asked for a lemonade and she said, “Would you like ice with that?”  I said, “Yes please,” and this is what she came out with:

The jokes kept rolling when she asked if I wanted a “straw” and she handed me a piece of hay instead.  When it was time to get my change back from a $20 bill, she started passing out my change to OTHER CUSTOMERS.  Ha!  We got all that cleared up and headed outside…  via the door with two different handles.  Did I say this place is offbeat?

Jack and I wandered around the backyard of Snow Cap while we enjoyed our vanilla ice cream cones.

That pretty much wrapped up our Route 66 adventures as we soon got on Interstate 40 and took it to Highway 89.  After heading south on Highway 89, we passed through the tiny communities of Paulden and Chino Hills in the 55 miles until we reached Prescott, then we headed over to Interstate 17 via Hwy 89A and then Hwy 69.  I enjoyed rowing the 6-speed ILX through its gears on these back roads.

Later in the evening, I met up with my friends Kevin and Kelvin.  Kevin is the proud new owner of Modern Steel Metallic 2013 Honda Accord EX.  After having driven a Toyota Corolla for 12 years, I nudged Kevin into the Honda dealership and he was really impressed with what the Accord had to offer.  He’s thrilled with his new ride!

We got a few pictures with Kelvin’s 1993 NSX, my 1994 Legend, and Kevin’s 2013 Accord at a parking garage in Scottsdale.

Congrats, Kevin, on joining the Honda family!

Until next time, enjoy!

Odometer (Legend):  521,637

Odometer (ILX):  34,590

Trip Distance:  241 Miles

The Phoenix-to-Tucson Interstate 10 corridor is already a familiar route for my Acura ILX 6-speed.  I’ve driven those 120 miles many times — it’s nice to escape the big city (Phoenix metro area is home to 4 million) for a smaller town feel.  Tucson has just over 500,000 residents and affords great attractions — and more importantly, great roads.

Many months ago, I learned about a must-see “driver’s road” called Gates Pass that existed in the mountains west of the Tucson valley.  It wasn’t until today that I was able to actually experience it.

Making my way out of the Phoenix area, I veered east on Interstate 10 from Loop 202.

About 96 miles after hopping on the 10, I exited Speedway Boulevard in Tucson and noticed that there were signs guiding me to Old Tucson to the west.

Saguaro cacti thrive in this dry, desert environment.  Speedway Boulevard soon slimmed down to 2 lanes from 4, and I started seeing warning signs for Gates Pass.

Gates Pass is a scenic stretch of road that was named after Thomas Gates.  It originally dates back to 1883 when he wanted a shortcut through the mountains.  The road officially starts 7 miles west of Tucson after exiting Interstate 10 at Speedway Boulevard.  Though only a very short 6 miles in length, it’s notorious for being dangerous.

Gates Pass is one of the most dangerous areas to drive around Tucson. The road is narrow and winds around the edge of a large mountain with just a few feet space between the edge of the road and a deep drop off to the valley below. Because of this driving danger, Gates Pass is not open to commercial and large vehicles over 40-50 feet long.

Well, here we go!

Entering Tucson Mountain Park, which encompasses about 20,000 acres of land and established in 1929.

Getting creative with camera angles.  I took it slow and enjoyed the scenery.  Thankfully, there was very little traffic.

I pit stopped at a pullout to enjoy the view for a few minutes.

And soon thereafter, I descended the cut of road seen in the background here.  No guardrail, just some 10 mph curves that have to be handled very carefully – especially when bicyclists are encountered (which is what happened to me!).

I met a very nice couple who took this picture for me.  I asked, “Make sure the car’s in the picture too,” which of course led them to ask why.  I ended up spending about 15 minutes telling them everything about the car and the blog.  They loved it!  And I did, too.

Continuing on Gates where the terrain leveled out a bit.  There were a few more pullouts for photo-ops.

After my drive through Gates, I made a stop at Old Tucson.  This is an old movie set dating back to 1938.  It was first used as a backdrop in the movie “Arizona” (1940) but has since been used in over 400 movies, TV shows, or other features, most of them Westerns.

Entry is $17 for adults but Arizona residents get a $3 discount.  I arrived just in time for the doors to open at 10:00 a.m.

When I set foot into Old Tucson, I truly felt like I was teleporting myself 150 years into the past.  Dirt streets surround over 60 buildings that have been created as part of movie sets over the years.  Even the employees wear period-correct clothing and ride around on horses.  I had to be mindful to watch the ground for horse droppings!

Here’s a (poor quality) video that I shot with my iPhone while wandering around.  The soundtrack that I added seemed very fitting.

I took a 30-minute walking tour with about 25 other people.  Old Tucson gets its name because it’s actually modeled after the original Tucson, Arizona from the year 1863.  When Old Tucson first opened, Gates Pass was only a 1.5-lane dirt road and was very treacherous.  Still, 15,000 people attended opening day and paid 25 cents each for admission.

This original 1939 adobe building is modeled after the first school house in Tucson, built in 1868.  In some films, though, this building was used as a bar instead.

John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Elizabeth Taylor, and Kurt Russell are just a few of the stars who have walked these streets.  This taxidermy shop is one of the original 1939 adobe buildings as well.

Here I am standing in front of the Hotel Del Toro.  This was used in the 1986 movie “Three Amigos.”  That film was supposed to be set in Mexico — thus the reason for the Spanish looking architecture seen here.

I could almost feel the presence of Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short!  The mountain behind them in this picture is clearly visible while standing on the main street in Old Tucson.

Here are a few other shots from around the town.  There are various shops throughout the grounds.

The Saloon and Hotel below doubles as a 13,000-square-foot sound stage and it was built in 1968.

In the distance below, the Mission can be seen.  Unlike most of the other buildings in Old Tucson, this is not a “four-sided” building – it’s only a facade.  The original Mission burned down in a 1994 fire and the replica didn’t have an interior.

Stagecoach rides were available at the O.K. Corral for $3.  I didn’t take the time to do this, nor the (free) 7-minute train tour, but the next time I go back I will definitely check them out!

Speaking of trains, on display at the north end of the facility is this 1872 steam locomotive.  It was used in the film Union Pacific in the late 1930’s, as well as the Clint Eastwood film “Joe Kidd.”  At one point during this locomotive’s life, it was even shipped to Switzerland to appear in a movie there.

Here’s a look inside the courthouse, furnished and ready for its next film debut.

No Acuras allowed.  We travel by horse & carriage around here!

This was my favorite place in all of Old Tucson:  Rx Elixir.  It’s a sandwich shop and soda counter.

Peeking out from above that colorful Mexican blanket is Sharon, the operator of the Rx Elixir.  I went with the Cold Turkey & Cheese Sandwich for $9.  It was a huge sandwich!  Sharon fixed it up with sourdough bread and some homemade pesto mayonnaise.  I highly recommend it.

Here I am about to indulge in my delicious and wholesome lunch.  That ice cold Sioux City Sasparilla root beer really hit the spot to wash it all down.

On my way out, I went inside another of the buildings and saw this prop cannon that was used in the John Wayne 1960 film “The Alamo.”

Last shot with the ILX next to an original lift on display out front.

From Old Tucson, I headed north on the curvy, two-lane Kinney Road.  This was a great driving environment for the ILX with its tight suspension and 6-speed transmission.  I drove past the western region of Saguaro National Park.

That’s a wide road!

This small wooden sign caught my eye in a tiny town called Picture Rocks (population:  8,139).

The Community Center, as it turns out, is that trailer in the background below.  It’s no wonder the sign says “Donations Needed.”  This place has seen better days!

Just a bit further up the road at the intersection of Sandario & Picture Rocks, I found a very special place.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think I’ve found my next auto mechanic: Titan Tire & Wheel.  Just to be sure you won’t miss it, it’s painted bright red and yellow.

But wait!  There’s more.  They also have and “sale” railroad ties, in case I’m ever looking for any!  Talk about one-stop shopping.

Batteries too!  Well, I’ll be darned.

Whoa!  HELLO!!  They do oil changes.  Think they’ve got 0W20 oil in stock for my ILX scheduled maintenance?

Kidding aside, I love places like this.  And I’d happily let them work on my ILX.  Maybe just for a tire rotation.

🙂

The ILX flew past this lineup of mailboxes so quickly that I didn’t have time to count them, so I promptly pulled over and looped back.  There were 37 of them in a row!  Some in decent shape, others barely standing.

There was just one more place that I wanted to check out on today’s adventure:  Nickerson Farms Restaurant in Picacho, Arizona off Interstate 10.  After having inhaled that turkey sandwich at Old Tucson not long before, I was far from hungry.  But Nickerson isn’t the place I’d go to satisfy my appetite anyway.  You see, the restaurant’s been closed for over 30 years.

That old boot next to the sign presumably used to have another one next to it.

This particular Nickerson Farms is believed to be the best-preserved of of all the Nickerson “hulks” that are still standing today.  It was in operation from the early 1960’s until 1979.  Since then, it’s been completely abandoned.

In the below picture, see the vehicle parked in the shade underneath the arch that’s farthest away?  That is a blue 1980’s Pontiac Sunbird.  When I pulled up behind it in the ILX, a young man shot up lightning-fast in the driver seat.  He’d been napping in there.  I think I gave him the scare of his life this afternoon!  After parking, I assured him that I was “nobody,” and that I didn’t care if he was catching some shuteye on the shade.  It looked like he’d been living in his Pontiac for some time.

Since the building is clearly visible from Interstate 10, it’s become the victim of plenty of acts of vandalism over the years.  Windows are boarded up.  The brick facade on the exterior has crumbled entirely.

The dual glass doors at the entry way were broken out.  I ducked underneath the handle and let myself inside the building to take a look around.  I was glad to be wearing tennis shoes instead of flip flops due to all the glass on the floor.

The creepiest part about this place was that the original red Naugahyde diner booths are still there, covered in over 3 decades worth of dust.  There were enough holes in the walls to allow a little bit of natural light inside the building, but I relied on my camera’s flash to capture the scene better than my eyes could.

Books and garbage littered the floor.  I looked down and saw this little gem:  A 1990 Buying Guide Issue from Consumer Reports.  I couldn’t resist flipping to the section on Acura vehicles.  Page 165 has the comments on the Acura Legend, which at the time was still in its first generation:

The Acura Legend felt sporty.  Handling was precise and acceleration strong.  Seating was roomy and very comfortable.  The Legend has an excellent repair record.  Bumper test damage:  None.

Time to get out of there – this place was giving me the creeps. Back out the broken glass door I went.

And homeward bound with yet another fun Acura adventure under my belt.  Thanks for coming along as always!

Odometer (ILX):  34,184

Ham, sausage, bacon and sharp cheddar.  Those fine ingredients are the makings of the Country Combo omelet at my favorite brunch place in Phoenix:  The Good Egg on Central Avenue.  On Sunday morning, the Acura ILX made its way there with its cousin, a 2006 TL owned by a friend of mine.

Jeremy’s TL has just 111,000 miles on it.  The 2004-2008 TL bodystyle has been a longtime favorite of mine.  This TL is powered by a 270-horsepower, 3.2 liter 24-valve V6 engine.  Jeremy regularly gets 29 mpg on the highway.

After brunch I had a few minutes to kill so I continued down Central Avenue to the south.

At the entrance to 15,000-acre South Mountain Park lie the remains of a building that was once a candy store. The building was constructed in 1936.  As of the 1960’s when the owner was in his 70’s, it was still in operation.  It’s called Scorpion Gulch. Here’s a picture of the area from an undated historic archive:

Oddly enough, I’ve lived in Arizona for over 7 years and never even seen a scorpion, but apparently they’re out there.  I’ve probably jinxed myself and will have one in my shoe tomorrow morning when I get dressed.

During late 2012 and early 2013, a “stabilization” effort took place at Scorpion Gulch wherein new window frames were outfitted for the building and the roof was removed (it was too dangerous before).  Only the walls remain.

From a 1966 article about Scorpion Gulch:

In 1936, Lunsford purchased the 100 feet of frontage. He personally hauled the rock and built the store with living quarters attached where he and his wife lived and operated the business. His wife died several years ago and Bill now lives alone.

He doesn’t make much money, what with giving away bottles of pop, and he is one of the few remaining merchants who sells penny candy. He probably gives away more candy than he sells. He just can’t resist giving away candy and pop to his “grandchildren” who lack the necessary money.

It would’ve been great if Scorpion Gulch was still in business so I could buy a drink and a treat.

Does anyone else get nervous like me when they see these “SEVERE TIRE DAMAGE” devices that you can’t back over?

Fun with a mirror in a parking structure in central Phoenix.

And some raindrops later in the week that did little more than muddy up the car.

At the other end of the country, Alan in Florida is putting his 1992 Acura Legend sedan to the test.  He recently pulled a boat with his car.  Now there’s a fine looking tow rig if I’ve ever seen one.  I’m sure he turned a few heads at the marina.

On Monday night, I had a visitor from out of town.  Jake has a 1992 Acura Legend LS Sedan in Sirius White Pearl with 135,911 miles on the odometer.  He’s had it since Fall 2011 and and it’s in excellent condition!

Keen-eyed Legend enthusiasts will notice that Jake ditched the factory 15″, 20-spoke from 1992 and replaced them with some really nice refinished 16″ GS wheels.  His updates carried on to other parts of the car, too.

Up front, a body-color front grille graces the hood.  And inside, Jake has incorporated a GS shift knob.  He went to great lengths to track down some dual piston “Type II” brake calipers and installed those too.

Jake’s next plans for the Legend are some new leather and possibly some window tint.

Thanks for stopping by, Jake!

Finally, I recently came across a list of the 27 “official” Parkways, Historic Roads, and Scenic Roads in the state of Arizona.  It’s time to start crossing these off.  Here’s the list (website allows download of the 6-page PDF).

One in particular that caught my eye was Sky Island Parkway.  So many nearby roads begging to be driven!

Let’s see where I end up next.  Saddle up.

Odometer (Legend):  520,482

Odometer (ILX):  32,234

Trip Distance:  292 miles

The middle east would make a fun road trip destination, wouldn’t it?  Too bad the logistics are a headache.  I found a nearby substitute that will have to suffice for now. My friend Justin was raised in a remote town in east-central Arizona called Bagdad.

Similar to some other small towns in Arizona like Bisbee, Bagdad got its start as a copper mining town in 1882.  Today, there are around 2,500 people living there.  The town is actually owned by Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold, the company that operates the mine.  Justin told me that since the entire town is technically property of the mine, everyone rents their homes from Freeport.

For this trip, Justin and I took the 2013 Acura ILX 2.4 6-speed and my friend Matt took a “test vehicle” from his work at the Nissan proving grounds.  This is a Medium Brown Metallic 2013 Pathfinder 2WD “Platinum” with leather and a huge sunroof.

Our first stop was for fuel & drinks in Wickenburg, Arizona at the Shell station.

I saw this sign posted on the window of the convenience store and it reminded me of a similar anti-litter campaign from the days when I grew up in Utah called “Don’t Waste Utah.”

Located in the hills about 100 miles northwest of the Phoenix metro area, I’ve often seen this sign on Highway 93 northbound and been intrigued about Bagdad.

Heading eastbound on Highway 97, the roller-coaster ride began.  This two-laner is posted at anywhere from 15-35 mph on most of the corners — and for good reason.  Most of those corners are “blind,” and the road is not banked in such a way that aggressive driving can be done safely.  Justin had lots of stories about folks who have lost control of vehicles out there.

The ILX handled the terrain with ease and it was a nice workout for the 6-speed gearbox to slide through its gears.

Soon we reached an intersection and headed left another 4 miles to the town entrance.

Entering Bagdad:  “The Best Copper Town Anywhere.”

Here is a story about how the town allegedly got its name:

“Please don’t associate our town’s name with that of Baghdad, Iraq.  Please note the “h”.  Bagdad has always been a mining town. As legend has it, the first miners were a father and son team. The ore was hauled out on mule teams in bags. (see the “Historical Photos” link) The son would be mining, filling the bags with ore. The father would be getting the things the son needed to mine. When the son needed another bag to fill, he would yell, “bag Dad”. Consequently the name Bagdad was derived. It had nothing to do with Iraq.”

It was about that this time when we realized just how fitting it was that Matt ended up bringing this particular Nissan Pathfinder on our trip.  It’s equipped for the Middle East markets!  Notice that the “OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR” on the passenger sideview mirror is in Arabic.

The air bag warning on the passenger sunvisor is also in Arabic.  Matt’s gauge cluster was in kilometers per hour.  How fitting that he brought a Middle East spec Nissan to a town called Bagdad, right?

First order of business was to refuel our bodies with some delicious hometown grub.  Bagdad has 2 restaurants and 1 grocery store.  Only 1 of the restaurants was open on Saturday when we arrived.  It was called “The Diner.”

Fast, friendly service in here!  A group of people who’d just toured the Bagdad mine were seated near us.

I opted for the classic “Main Street” burger.  It rivaled the green chile burger from Sparky’s in Hatch, New Mexico but wasn’t quite as delicious.  Still, the curly fries were to die for.

Happy to be experiencing some of the local sights and sounds of Bagdad.  That’s Justin seated next to me.

I’m serious – those curly fries were amazing.

The Diner’s operating hours are a bit funky, so I thought I’d share.  It’s open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. only.  It’s closed every Monday.  And it’s closed from March 24th through April 1st for Spring Break, so don’t try and go this week!

Next we took a short driving tour of the “hot spots” in town, including the high school.  Justin graduated in 2010 and he says his class had 23 people in it.  The mascot, appropriately for a town called Bagdad, is the “Sultan” (see the painting on the side of the school in the below picture).

The ILX took a rest while the 3 of us saddled up in the Pathfinder for some off-road adventures.  It was a good thing, too, because the terrain that Justin directed us to required some high ground clearance.

Along this one-lane stretch, we dropped down into a canyon that was full of sandstone rock formations that made great hiking potential.  This particular pullout had a fire pit and a bench – it’d be a great place to have a bonfire and camp out.

Enjoying our perfect weather and sunshine.  It’s too bad that some of these rocks have been been tagged with graffiti.

This one looked like it’d be fun to rappel from – if I knew how to do that sort of thing.

Making our ascent back up the mountainside with Matt at the helm of the front-wheel-drive Pathfinder.

Justin led us on a short hike to a site where we were able to get up close to some rusty, abandoned mining equipment.  We only had to cross over one barbed wire fence (Shh!  Don’t tell anyone!) to get to it.

I have honestly no idea what this type of equipment was used for but perhaps some of my readers will enlighten me.

Glistening in the distance, I spotted something that looked like chrome.  I had to investigate further.  What we ended up finding was an abandoned 2-door car with its leaf springs raised up!

Matt and Justin, climbing on/around the overturned vehicle trying to identify it.  I’m guessing it’s from the 1960s.

There were no badges left, and there were only a couple of part numbers identifiable.  It would be fun to find out what kind of car this was / is.  This is taken from the front.

View toward the back, taken from the driver’s side.  Notice one of the yellow gas shocks still attached there.

Close up of the back bumper and a slight look at the muffler.  I couldn’t believe how immaculate the chrome looked, while everything else had completely rotted away.

View from the rear end.  Somebody help us out.  What in the world is this car?

It was only about a mile up the road where the entrance to the mine was found.  I hadn’t thought to make a tour reservation beforehand, so we didn’t go on-site, but we were able to view some of the tailings from the visitor parking lot.

Some information about the mine can be found here, on the Freeport McMoRan website.

Bagdad is an open-pit copper and molybdenum mining complex.

Bagdad is home to the world’s first commercial-scale concentrate leach processing facility (2003) and one of the longest continuously operating solution extraction/electrowinning (SX/EW) plant in the world (1970). An unincorporated community, Bagdad is one of two FCX “company towns;” the other is Morenci, Arizona.

The Bagdad operation includes a 75,000 metric ton-per-day concentrator that produces copper and molybdenum concentrates, an SX/EW plant that can produce up to 25 million pounds of copper per year from solution generated by low grade stockpile leaching and a pressure leach plant to process molybdenum concentrates.

Fun with a convex mirror just outside the mine’s main entrance.

And just up the road – the Bagdad Airport with a few tiny planes stored there.

Back in the ILX, we looped around Highway 97 toward Kirkland, Peeples Valley, Yarnell, and Congress, and then reconnected with Highway 93 after a dramatic drop in elevation on Highway 89.  A few stretches of this road were just one-lane.

Rolling through Morristown, Arizona, home to 227 people as of the last census in 2009.  This is also home to now world-famous internet sensation, Tardar Sauce — otherwise known as “grumpy cat.”

For those who haven’t yet met Tardar:

And finally the last stretch of our drive was via a brand new stretch of freeway called Loop 303 which took us to reconnect with I-17 southbound just north of Phoenix, Arizona.

Bagdad – check!  I’m systematically crossing off a bunch of to-see destinations in and around Arizona this year.

Classic Car Ad

In the year of my birth, Cadillac launched a new feature in its 6.0 liter V8 engine that powered its mammoth cars:  An 8 cylinder that was able to cut fuel to “unnecessary” cylinders under certain driving conditions, thereby increasing fuel economy.  Similar systems are common today, but in 1981 this was pretty revolutionary.

There’s more detail on Cadillac’s “8-6-4” engine in the below scan:

My favorite paragraph was this:

“How reliable is it?  The system has been proven in over a half-million miles of testing.  It’s that reliable.  All electronic components are solid-state, including the digital computer itself.”

Yeah, because who could ever conceive a car going beyond 500,000 miles back then?  Cadillac’s V8-6-4 system, I’ve learned, only lasted a year before it was discontinued due to issues.  I guess they should’ve pushed for a million miles of testing.

Hope the weekend treated everyone well!