Sometimes I take the long way. Just because. My attitude is something like this Acura ad from 1994:
For this weekend’s short & sweet drive, my friend Jack and I took the 2013 ILX to explore a 37-mile stretch of highway that’s a “road less traveled.” Dating back to 1926, US 80 was once an Atlantic-to-Pacific highway. Everything west of Dallas, however, has since been decommissioned.
The stretch of Old US 80 that we drove was bypassed in 1956 when a larger, more direct Highway 85 was opened just east of the old highway. It’s the rounded left side of this box that illustrates today’s journey:
I first learned of this road thanks to a post by member “jdmrex1” on the AZHT forum which is a gathering place for Arizona import car enthusiasts. He took pictures of his CRX on a bridge and they caught my eye, so I decided to check it out for myself.
Setting out from Phoenix, we made our way eastbound on Buckeye Road toward where Old US 80 starts.
We blew right past the post office in Arlington, Arizona without even realizing it, but I looped back for a picture. As of the 2010 census, there were just 194 people living here. It’s remote to say the least.
Here’s where we took a step back in time to the 1950’s and enjoyed the route that people back then would have seen as they traveled from the Phoenix area to San Diego or vice versa.
Desert Rose Bar, Cafe, & Arena. Talk about an all-in-one. Believe it or not, I think this place is still in business because there’s a review posted as recently as 2 years ago on Yelp.
Shortly down the road, I pulled the ILX off Hwy 80 into a gravel parking lot on the east side of the road. Here we were faced with the machinery of the Arlington Cattle Company. This is a 170-acre facility with quite a bit to offer:
In addition to three tailored feeding programs, we offer a 24 hour receiving & processing crew, truck & cattle scales as well as an on call veterinarian. We work around the clock to maintain the clean & safe environment necessary for cattle to reach their optimal gain per day.
Just a few more miles down the road, we rounded a corner and saw the long-awaited 1,662-foot-long bridge that I’d viewed in pictures a few days before.
I learned that this location is the Gillespie Dam Bridge which crosses the Salt River. It’s a steel truss bridge that was commissioned in 1926 by the Highway Department. It was completed August 1, 1927 at a cost of $320,000. At the time, it was the longest highway bridge in the state of Arizona.
The was part of US 80 until 1956 when it was decommissioned. The bridge itself was added to the National Register of Historic Places on the year I was born, in 1981.
When looking to the north from the bridge, the old Gillespie Dam (1921) can be seen. Fishermen were out in full force enjoying the weather like Jack and I were. This dam was breached in 1993 and has never since been rebuilt. You can clearly see the broken area here.
In 2011-2012, the bridge underwent a $7.9 million rehabilitation project which included construction of an “Interpretive Plaza” where we were able to walk up to an elevated platform for a nice vantage point of the entire bridge.
Here’s the parking area of the Interpretive Plaza.
The platform is pictured at left here.
Jack and I hopped back into the ILX and continued south toward the end of this stretch of our journey, in the tiny town of Gila Bend, Arizona. A metal cobra and dinosaur greeted us at the Shell station.
We enjoyed some lunch before departing from this fine town. (A little sarcasm there – Gila Bend really doesn’t offer a whole lot to see or do!)
From there we took Hwy 238 about 40 miles to Maricopa, Arizona and then down Hwy 347 north toward the Phoenix area.
We approached the south end of town and met up with a couple friends at Firebird Raceway. There were some import car race events going on, sponsored by NASA (National Auto Sport Association – Arizona Region).
Nick, Matt, and Jack
This is the motor to Nick’s 1990 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo. It’s a beast. This entire powerplant is fresh – while his car’s chassis has around 170,000 miles on it, the motor itself is only a few thousand miles old. Nick says he spent twice as much on the engine build as he spent on the car itself. This sucker is fast — and loud.
The color is called Aztec Red. I still think the 300ZX design has aged very well, much like Acura’s original NSX of the same era.
A few other events were going on around there, including a drifting competition, so we headed over there.
We watched our friend Brandon put this Subaru through its paces on the track. His AWD capability gave him a distinct handling advantage.
And back at my house, we had a bit of a car detailing party. My friends call my home the “Hugie Autospa” because it’s the go-to place for anyone who needs to shine up their ride. Here is Jack with his obnoxiously-colorful (but awesome!) 2001 BMW M3 6-speed.
The 300ZX even got a little bit of love.
First time this garage has seen two non-Acura products at the same time!
I had a great time today driving and working on my cars and spending time with friends.
“Follow Me” on Instagram
I bit the bullet and signed up for Instagram this week. I don’t know a thing about it, but it was the best way for me to see the latest pics of my niece and nephews that are getting uploaded daily. If you want to follow me, look me up! @tysonhugie
Ever since my friend Jason and I met up in Bisbee a couple of months ago, we’ve been wanting to coordinate another drive together. This time, I put the planning responsibility on Jason and traveled to his hometown in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I grabbed my friend Chris and we hit the road around 3:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon to head eastbound on Interstate 10 from the Phoenix, Arizona area.
This rainbow sighting happened just north of Tucson.
For dinner, we pit stopped at one of my favorite restaurants: Texas Roadhouse. I love this place so much that I downloaded their app to my iPhone. For any who are seeking recommendations, I like the 6 ounce sirloin (medium), with sides of steamed veggies and mashed potatoes. Best $9.99 I’ve ever spent for a steak dinner!
I had to capture the above picture inside the restaurant since the “Be Legendary” sign was calling my name.
Our drive that night was 394 miles of all-interstate driving until we got to my Jason’s house right off I-25 in Las Cruces. The ILX achieved 32.4 miles per gallon even though for a good part of the drive I had the cruise control set at 80 miles per hour. The rest of the time, speeds varied since we went through pockets of heavy rain.
Jason and I didn’t waste any time before pulling out my huge atlas and laying the ground work for our travels the following day. He’s done quite a few travels in his Honda Accord coupe which are being captured on his blog, Driven for Drives.
I got the chance to learn quite a bit about Jason. He and I actually met “electronically” via this blog, but in-person this was only the second time we’d met.
Jason and his friend Jouhl are entrepreneurs. They operate a business called Wisebliss which specializes in bonsai trees. But these aren’t just any bonsai trees, these are hand-crafted “biobonsai” miniature trees made from a plant material that needs absolutely no care. Finally a plant that even I could keep alive.
Check out Jason and Jouhl’s website here. They’ve got some really neat stuff.
I also browsed through Jason’s extensive collection of car magazines. The first one that I grabbed was a 1993 Motor Trend “New Car Issue” that had a write-up on the Legend.
Saturday morning was a sunny day in Las Cruces, with an expected high temperature in the 60’s.
Jason, Tyson, Chris
First order of business was a photo-op at none other than the World’s Largest Chile! I’ve been known to seek out lots of “largest” things, including the largest firecracker, which is located in Nevada.
From there we headed eastward on US-70 toward Organ Mountain. A sign on the roadside told us we were fewer than 40 miles away from our destination.
Along the way, we took a twisty one-lane side-road toward Aguirre Spring.
Following Jason
This warning sign means business!
After we made our way back to US-70, weather ahead looked good but there were clouds looming in the distance. Or were they not clouds after all?
Jason in hot pursuit this time (well, not really, since we were both going only 70 mph) as I took the lead for a little while.
It was around this time that Chris spotted a Silver Moon Acura ILX going the opposite direction as we were. Looked great going down the road. I think that was the first Silver Moon I’ve seen in “real life” outside those sitting on a dealership’s lot. Finally, we made it to White Sands and pulled off toward the visitor center at our left.
White Sands is a field of white sand dunes in the southwestern part of New Mexico. It covers over 143,000 acres and was designated a national monument by President Herbert Hoover in 1933. The “sand” actually consists of gypsum crystals, and this site is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
Entry was $3 per person, but Jason picked up the tab for all 3 of us. Thanks, Jason! I owe you.
The two-lane highway headed north into the monument area. Heavy winds had pushed sand across the roadways. Chris told me that they actually use sand plows to move it out of the way as necessary. It looks a lot like snow!
Some parts of the road were quickly getting drifted as the sand got kicked up by the wind. What I’d thought were clouds earlier in the afternoon were in fact caused by sand in the air. *cough, cough*
We made it to a parking area and took a break to soak in the surroundings.
Much like the scenic Monument Valley drive that I did a few weeks ago, White Sands also offers an un-paved loop for people who want to get a little more up close and personal with these sand dunes.
It truly felt like we were in another world!
The area is extremely remote. There is a missile testing facility just north of the monument called the Trinity site. This is where the first atom bomb was detonated in 1945.
Here you can start to appreciate how windy it was. Even with sunglasses on and my hoodie pulled over my head, I got sand all over the place. In my hair, eyes, mouth, and nose. All part of the experience!
And it wouldn’t feel right to have a world of sand at my disposal without kicking off my tennis shoes and digging in my bare feet.
It was around this time that I gave Jason the opportunity to take the ILX for a spin. He commented on how “solid” the drivetrain felt. Clutch effort, he noted, was significantly lower than in his Accord. He liked the width and diameter of the steering wheel and he commented that he exhaust note made the car sound aggressive.
Back on Hwy 70, we were cautioned about the traffic coming toward us from either direction at 70-80 miles per hour.
It was only about 45 minutes until we arrived back in Las Cruces and veered north on Interstate 25.
Exit 241 was for Hatch, New Mexico. A sign indicated that “Truth or Consequences” was north of us. I’ve always thought that was a funny name for a town. The town was originally called Hot Springs, but it was changed in March 1950 to be named after a game show on TV! More about that here.
The exit for Hatch was about 30 miles north of the Hwy 70 interchange on I-25. Shortly off the freeway, we drove past “Hot Damm Chile” and the opportunity for a picture was too much to resist.
Hatch, New Mexico is the Chile Capital of the World. There is even a Chile Festival held each Labor Day which can attract up to 30,000 people to the small town of fewer than 2,000 residents. We had to give the famous “Sparky’s” Restaurant a whirl, so we followed Jason there.
I opted for the Green Chile Cheeseburger pictured here, coupled with steak fries and followed by a root beer float. They’re serious about this burger being “world famous.” In fact, each time a customer ordered this burger, the clerk would exclaim, “World Famous!” as she rang up the total. The burger & fries only came to $5.99.
Odd decor was the name of the game around here.
We all ordered the same delicious thing.
This was the juiciest burger I’ve ever eaten. Absolutely melted in my mouth. So good!
The last picture I got as we started our 377-mile return trip to the Phoenix area was this shot of an Adopt-A-Highway sign on Hwy 26 just south of Hatch.
The misplaced apostrophe drove me nuts. When I shared this with a friend of mine via text, he said, “Lol, maybe they should try cleaning their stores before committing to a highway.” I got a good laugh out of that.
Posted in ILX, Trains on March 5, 2013 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend): 520,096
Odometer (ILX): 30,203
Any mode of transportation that involves a set of wheels interests me. Well, and even some that don’t:
On Saturday, friend and I took the Acura ILX to a place in Chandler, Arizona called the Arizona Railway Museum. We’re both train nerds, having completed two train rides on Amtrak last year. The ARM is home to a dozen or more historic train cars (and a couple of locomotives) that are on display for the public to view for a $2 entry fee.
Original sign from Southern Pacific showing departure times.
Entering the yard where a series of display cars awaited us.
Here’s a bedroom with bunk beds inside the car AT&SF (Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway) #405, built by Pullman and delivered in 1927.
This is one of the dining rooms. This particular car was vandalized and lit on fire a couple of decades ago. It’s since been restored and repainted in period-correct colors.
Our tour guide described this 1910 car as a “men’s smoking car.” Only men were allowed to smoke, apparently!
Here’s a feature that I thought was pretty innovative. A “shoe locker” is located just inside the entrance to each of the bedrooms. At night, attendants would go down the hallway, open up the locker from the outside, and polish the passengers’ shoes! “But yours don’t look like they’d need shining,” said our tour guide as he looked at our sneakers.
Check out this hand-operated “bike” that was used to survey tracks. Kind of like an early 1900’s exercise bike!
This room is set up for “day” use.
Below, I’m seated in the lounge of a Pullman car that was built in Massachusetts in 1879. In 1901 it was the president’s car on the South Carolina & Georgia Railroad. Accommodations are pretty nice!
For some reason the wood paneling in this hallway made me think of the Titanic. I guess this train car would’ve been in service right around the same time as the ship was built in the early 1900’s.
Before the days of freon, cooling of the cars was achieved by blowing air over ice!
We crawled up inside the below diesel locomotive dating back to July 1950. Quick stats:
1,625 horsepower
900-gallon fuel capacity.
58 feet long
Weighs 292,000 pounds (146 tons)
60 mph maximum speed
Here’s Matt pretending to pilot (engineer) the Southern Pacific #2562 steam locomotive which has a fascinating story featured here. It dates back to 1906 and at one point in its history was nearly sold as $1,500 worth of scrap metal.
Our next stop on the train to-do list was a place in Mesa, Arizona called Roy’s Train World. I found a couple goodies for my N-scale train layout there, including a used Amtrak Bachman locomotive for only $20.
Here’s my train set in action.
Speaking of rail, my friend Ryan shared the below graphic with me recently. It illustrates a potential route network for a high-speed rail system in the United States. Could you imagine taking a 220 mph train to get from A to B? Ryan’s skeptical about the viability of such a system. “They might have oversimplified the route over the Rockies. Not sure if a train can go 220 mph through snow drifts at 11,000 feet.” I tend to agree with him.
New Car Mania
The Acura fever is contagious! After spending the last several years driving a Honda Pilot, my step-mom traded up to an Acura MDX last Friday. She picked it up from Jody Wilkinson Acura in Salt Lake City, Utah – the same dealership that hosted the National Acura Legend Meet in 2010.
Here is one of the pictures pulled from the online ad. This MDX is in a new-for-2013 color called Graphite Luster Metallic and it has the Ebony interior. It’s equipped with the Technology package so it has navigation and all the goodies.
Here’s the traditional key handoff picture with Tanya and the salesperson, James, who she worked with.
When my dad called me to tell me about their purchase, I instructed him immediately to take a picture of the odometer. They were just getting on the freeway after leaving the dealership and the MDX had 13 miles on it.
First fuel-up in Beaver, Utah. They wasted no time getting started on the break-in for the new ride, leaving directly from the dealership to take a 303-mile drive to St. George, Utah to spend some time with the grandkids. As you can see, the MDX got some dealer-installed accessories before leaving the lot, including the roof racks and the running boards. Looks great!
Congrats, Tanya!
The MDX has consistently been Acura’s best-selling model. However, when put into perspective with the Honda brand, Acuras are still pretty rare. In February 2013, it sold 2,946 units which was fewer than a third of the number of units as the Pilot sold (9,614) in the same timeframe. The Honda Media Newsroom release is here. The ILX also had a pretty good month at just under 2,000 units sold.
Another new car story took place this week, when my friend Matt (who works for Nissan / Infiniti) traded in his company lease vehicle, a silver 2012 370Z Sport for a new 2013 model this afternoon.
This is a new color for 2013 called Magma Red. Also new are the LED lights integrated into the front bumper which serve as daytime running lights.
Left: 80 miles on the odometer. Right: 520,080 miles on the odometer. The Z is powered by a 3.7 liter V6 engine that produces 332 horsepower.
Matt’s car is equipped with the 6-speed manual transmission and the Sport package which includes upgraded brakes and larger diameter wheels which are a new design for the 2013 model year.
This car is also equipped with a backup camera within in the rearview mirror.
First fuel-up at Costco – the same exact pump, in fact, where Matt filled up his old Z last year.
It’s only a matter of time until he heads for the hills in this canyon carver!
Legend Updates
I spent a few minutes working on the Legend this weekend. The front passenger side bumper light lens was cracked and had taken in water. I found a really nice one on Ebay that had arrived, so I went ahead and installed that. Here is the comparison between old and new.
Speaking of the front end of the Legend, I was reminded of a day in August 2008 when a curb stone in a parking lot “grabbed” my bumper as I was backing out and detached it. That was an embarrassing day. Legends are kind of notorious for this due to the design and the low clearance.
Seeing the car all bruised up like that reminds me of 2007 before it went in for bodywork after I hit those deer. Here’s a picture I recently dug up of me and my dad on the day I sent the car in for rework in northern Utah.
In ILX maintenance news, at 30,047 miles the car went in for an oil change at Acura of Tempe.
The engine air filter was changed as well. Tires are still original and were marked as “yellow” status for wear. The only recommendation that the technician made was for a manual transmission fluid service due to the mileage.
For any who might’ve missed it, here’s a video documenting the build of the 2013 Acura ILX that competed earlier year in an endurance race called 25 Hours of Thunderhill.
I leave you with this! I might have nightmares about it tonight :D.
Posted in ILX, Road Trip, Utah on February 26, 2013 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend): 519,826
Odometer (ILX): 29,917
Over a 3-day weekend, I drove nearly 1,500 miles in the ILX through some of the most scenic (and remote) roads in the country. I’m going to break this trip write-up into the 7 destinations that I visited.
(1) Cisco, Utah Ghost Town
Back in December, I first learned of a town called Cisco when I was riding Amtrak’s “California Zephyr” train line from Denver to Salt Lake City and we railed past it. The image stuck with me and when it came time to do my 2013 annual trip planning, Cisco made the list. I’ve always had a fascination with ghost towns and one of my favorite ILX road trips was to Modena, Utah a couple months ago.
This time, I had a friend driving along. Ryan from Logan, Utah has a black 1996 Audi A6 Quattro with 225,000 miles on it. Ryan and I have known each other since his Acura Legend-owning days. Our meeting point on Saturday morning was Salina, Utah, a tiny town just north of Interstate 70 on Highway 89 in the central part of the state. I made my way northbound from St. George on Interstate 15 first. When I took the ramp for eastbound I-70, this was one of the first distance markers that I saw:
Traffic? No such thing out here on an early Saturday morning in February.
Pulling off at Richfield for 91-octane fuel at Flying J.
When was the last time you saw — or used — a payphone? You’ll be humming the tune to Maroon 5’s song “Payphone” for awhile now.
Only about 15 miles further east down the road, I met up with Ryan in Salina at the Burger King there. While I waited, I had some Cinnabon rolls – my diet was horrible that day. But that was a tasty breakfast!
We made our way eastbound on the 70 to Green River – no services for 110 miles! Again, this is some remote back-country.
The scenery is great. We went up through a mountain pass and then had many many miles of 6%+ downgrades as we made our way toward the 191 interchange.
Green River was kind of run-down and the cold wind was unpleasant. Chilly enough, in fact, that I didn’t even stop for a picture of this building on Main Street, but rather took it on the fly.
Our next stop after that was Cisco. This town was once a water-refilling station for locomotives but it has been abandoned for decades. The movie “Vanishing Point” was filmed there in 1971. The town was a little – well, a lot – off the beaten path. I led Ryan and we went on Hwy 128 after exiting I-70 at mile marker 204.
There’s a point at which a sign denotes that the road is no longer state-maintained. We kept going beyond that. Several miles, in fact. Soon I could see the decrepit buildings of Cisco on the horizon and I pulled over when we got there.
Time to take a peek inside some of these run-down relics.
This place is so remote and eery. As we walked around in mud that nearly sank us to our ankles, the door to an open motorhome blew back and forth in the breeze and squeaked like something from a horror movie.
I hopped up inside the motorhome pictured at left in the above and saw that there was an unopened packet of Ramen Noodles on the kitchen counter.
Some vinyl records were scattered across the floor, along with a bunch of trash. We looked inside a number of the other abandoned vehicles around the area. There isn’t a single home that appears to be inhabited at this time.
Even the “best-kept” ones are boarded up with No Trespassing signs.
Anybody looking for a clean one-owner 1980’s Camaro?
Ryan and I found the post office. It was a tiny one-room shack that reeked horribly of cigarette smoke, even with the windows broken out. A leather chair and a desk still sat behind the counter.
That picket fence out front could use a fresh coat of paint.
A sign about postage rates hung on the wall above the desk, dated 1995 (see in the picture below). I don’t think this place has seen much activity in at least the last 18 years. This article, which features an interview with Cisco’s last “postmistress” herself (Sharon Dalgleish), discusses what it’s been like for Cisco over the years.
Notice the mud caked onto my shoes! It’s a good thing my ILX has all-weather floor mats.
Here is what the post office once looked like. I would have loved to visit Cisco during the town’s boom.
After a few pics, it was time to get the heck out of there. Here we’re parked in front of the Cisco Landing Store. I imagine it’s been closed for quite some time. The restrooms are outhouses.
(2) Highway 128 & Dewey Bridge
Next we turned toward Moab on two-lane Highway 128 where a sign told us it’d be 42 miles away.
My Garmin GPS absolutely refused to let me go that way – it told me for the next 10 miles or so to “turn back!” but I was determined to scout out this road. As it turns out, the scenery was well worth any additional mileage! Rolling hills, transitioning from snow-frosted rocks to giant red-rock walls alongside us. We crept along parallel to the Colorado River.
I passed a sign for the historic Dewey Bridge and immediately hit the brakes in the ILX (luckily Ryan wasn’t following too closely in his Audi). This landmark bridge has some fun history. Here’s a quick run-down:
Constructed in 1916 by Midland Bridge Company of Kansas City, Missouri
Bypassed in 1988 by a new bridge for automobile traffic to the west
Restored in 2000 as a pedestrian and bicycle path
Burned down in 2008 by a 7-year old playing with matches!
Before:
During the 2008 fire:
And this past Saturday. All the remains from the bridge are the cables!
Charred stump:
When it was constructed, Dewey Bridge was the second longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi. From Wiki:
In 1916, the bridge was dedicated with a strength test by having approximately 70 attendees attempt to cross the bridge at once. The total was seven wagons, two people on horseback and several on foot. The bridge was designed to support the weight of six horses, three wagons, and 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) of freight.
Then I had Ryan drive through a huge mud puddle and took some pictures. What’s Audi “Quattro” AWD for, anyway?
We continued the remaining 30 or so miles to Moab via scenic byway 128.
High canyon walls prevented my satellite radio from getting any signal.
(3) Arches National Park
In 1996, the state of Utah launched a new style of license plate to celebrate the its centennial. The main feature on the plate was Delicate Arch, a massive sandstone formation in Arches National Park in the southeastern part of the state. Ever since then (I was 15 at the time), I’ve wanted to see the arch in person.
While the northern part of the state is home to what’s become known as the “Greatest Snow on Earth,” the southern part of the state has a vastly different (desert) landscape. Utah is home to FIVE national parks, including:
Arches
Bryce Canyon
Canyonlands
Capitol Reef
Zion
Each one is unique in its own way. I’ve not yet had the chance to travel to Capitol Reef or Canyonlands. This past weekend, I crossed Arches off my to-see list. Arches is home to over 2,000 natural sandstone arches. It covers over 76,000 acres and was designated as a national park in November 1971.
Ryan and I made it to the junction of 191 near Moab and headed north. Ryan parked his car in a lot and hopped in the ILX with me so we could drive on into Arches just a couple miles up the road. Entry was $10 for our car. The road climbs sharply and winds along though some of the most spectacular rock formations I’ve ever seen.
We found our way to the Delicate Arch trailhead and parked. At this time it was chilly and overcast, but no moisture. There’s an old log cabin at the trailhead too — the original home of the Wolfe family, settled in 1888.
The hike was only 1.5 miles each way but quite steep as we scaled the sandstone rocks. Though at times we were scaling the surface of rocks, our pathway was still well marked thanks to stacked rocks that would guide us.
Soon we got to a point where the trail was hugging the side of a cliff and it was COVERED IN ICE!
I couldn’t even go a step further until I got on my hands and knees and crawled. I never fell but I slipped a number of times. We encountered a really friendly girl who told us we were close to the finish so we pressed onward.
Suddenly, we did arrive! Pictures do not to the arch justice. The arch is absolutely huge, at 65 feet tall.
Climbing it is not allowed. Right in front of it there’s a HUGE sandstone bowl that you could fall into.
And a drop-off on the other side of it, along with various formation around the rim of the bowl.
To put things into perspective size-wise, look at us standing below the arch here:
The downhill hike went faster but was treacherous with the ice. The snow started picking up heavily as we got to the lower elevations and approached the parking lot. We opted to head down the hill toward the visitor’s center. Ryan and I made our way through Moab and then headed southbound on Highway 191 in the snow.
Snow was accumulating pretty quickly at this rate. Of all the beautiful days in the forecast, we had to pick the one that had inclement weather!
(4) Hole In The Rock
Can you imagine carving an entire home out of the inside of a sandstone rock? That’s exactly what a man named Albert Christensen did. It took him 12 years to carve a 5,000-square-foot home into the red sandstone just south of Moab. The home, called Hole N” The Rock, is open for tours for $6 but the gates were closed when we drove past. I visited this place in my Legend in June 2005 when it had 176,000 miles on it:
Because of how well the rock insulates the home, there is no A/C required during the summertime!
Cozy little interior:
And a picture from Saturday with the ILX:
(5) Monticello, Utah
On the road again – southbound on Highway 191.
As my friend Kristy was telling me directions to her family-owned pizza business, she told me “Go past the light 2 blocks.” THE light. As in, there’s only one in town. We’re talking about a very small place here (1,958 people to be exact). I liked this run-down service station.
Kristy and her sister were the only ones working at Thatzza Pizza at 201 South Main Street.
Fast, friendly service – right here!
Ryan and I made chit chat – I hadn’t seen Kristy for a couple of years since she lived in Phoenix. It was good to catch up. We ordered a ton of food – meat lover’s pizza and some cheese bread for me. Ryan got some special ‘jalapeño bacon’ on his. Kristy set us up a table to eat in the back room while she visited with us. She told us about her 3.5 year old daughter and how her home is a converted movie theater. Thanks, Kristy!
Ryan and I wanted to head southbound on 191 before it got too dark. It was only 20 more miles to our nightly destination in Blanding, Utah but the snow was blizzard blowing and there were probably at least a dozen or more deer warnings in that 20-mile stretch of road! I was ultra paranoid since I’ve been known to have deer encounters before. It was a white knuckler at 45-55 mph the entire time, but we made it.
(Flashback) Four Corners
Here’s a place I’d wanted to revisit this weekend but didn’t. Four Corners is famous because it’s the only spot in the country where visitors can simultaneously stand (on all fours, anyway) in four different states — Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. This spot was first marked in 1875, with the first permanent marker being placed there in 1912. Despite its remote location, Four Corners is visited by thousands of people each year. Here is a picture from a visit to Four Corners in the Legend in 2005:
(6) Highway 261 & the Moki Dugway
On Sunday morning, Ryan and I were the only ones at the Blue Mountain Inn in Blanding. We had the entire continental breakfast to ourselves – it was eerily quiet at the hotel (probably because it was 1 degree outside and tourist season has not nearly begun). It was a gorgeous blue sky morning with fresh snowfall outside. I randomly discovered a new road that I thought would be fun to try. It was Hwy 95 west to Hwy 261 (“Trail of the Ancients”) south. It all started when I saw on Google Maps what looked like a teeny little “knot” in the road, circled in green here:
A closer look:
Hmm. Let’s zoom that once more:
Whoa – sign me up for that curve action! When I went to satellite view, I was a bit discouraged to see that the road is unpaved, but after a little bit of internet research I was assured that conditions were acceptable for passenger car travel and only 3 miles of it are unpaved/gravel. Highway 261 is a favorite among many. In fact, I learned about one particular lady who’s been going there every year since 2002.
I was nervous about road conditions due to the snowy weather the night before, but at the same time I was somewhat excited about the idea of trying an all-new route. This would also allow us to go right past Monument Valley on Hwy 163. Plus, I’d already seen Four Corners so it didn’t have as much appeal. Ryan was totally amped about trying the new proposed route because of a 3-mile dirt section called Moki Dugway.
There was snow accumulation on the road as we made our way southbound on 261. Based on the fact that there were zero car tracks, we must’ve been the first ones out there that morning. I was nervous but I kept both hands on the wheel and a moderate speed. Ryan tailed me in the Audi which is equipped with AWD and snow tires. The ILX was sure-footed and confident with its Michelin Pilot tires. We passed only 2 vehicles in the 30 or so miles until the Moki Dugway section started.
Warning!
5 mph corners!
Then the adventures began. The switchbacks on this road are awesome! I had Ryan snag some pictures from a high vantage point as I snaked around the bends.
No guard rails here. We were about to experience an 1,100-foot drop in only a 3 mile distance. Hold your breath.
Remember that twisty road I’d seen on Google Maps? Feast your eyes:
Look very closely at this next picture. There’s a tiny silver speck toward the right hand side of the frame. There’s my car.
These Utah grades were no match for the ILX’s 201-horsepower engine and exceptional braking. Ryan’s Audi has a 12-valve V6 engine. He says the car’s not overly powerful but the transmission is geared smartly – the car uses its power (172 horses) well.
I will definitely be going to back to revisit that section of Highway 261 in the near future.
(7) Monument Valley
Our last destination was on Navajo land where we would see sandstone rock formations up to 1,500 feet tall. This map shows (location “A” – the red flag) where Monument Valley is located, at the Utah / Arizona state line.
About 10 miles after the Moki Grade we joined with Highway 163 and headed through the town of Mexican Hat, named for a rock formation that looks like a sombrero. I had stopped here in 2005 on a “Utah Tour” in the Legend.
June 2005 in the 1994 Legend LS Coupe
February 2013 in the 2013 Acura ILX
Not a lot has changed in 8 years!
Ryan took this picture while he was following me down this forever-long straightaway on Highway 163. They call this the “classic road shot.”
As I shared in a prior Drive to Five post, Monument Valley is my favorite place to drive. I took the Legend there in 2008. It was only $5 to enter the Monument Valley park – the rate hasn’t changed in the last 5 years! Monument Valley was established in 1958 as a preserved environment under the Division of Natural Resources.
Ryan opted to park the Audi and we took the ILX on the 17-mile dirt road which starts right off the Visitor Center parking lot. Road conditions were unfavorable thanks to some rocks and ruts, blowing sand and snowflakes at times, and temperatures in the high 20’s and low 30’s. But I carefully got the ILX through it. We got some funny looks from people in 4×4 trucks. But the scenery was unmatched! We saw these 11 landmarks and many others.
Another size comparison. Can you see me standing there in my blue hoodie? These sandstone cliffs make you feel absolutely tiny.
We saw a few rental cars out and about – Chevy Cruze, Ford Mustang, Dodge Avenger. But nobody else was crazy enough to take an Acura on a road like this, except for me.
We enjoyed the scenery from the comfort of our heated leather seats.
Ryan taking pictures from the passenger seat:
Here’s a video of the ILX coming up the last stretch on our return to the Visitor’s Center.
Thank goodness the ILX has over 6 inches of ground clearance, because I used up each and every one of them!
Homeward Bound
The remaining 320 miles home to Phoenix were nice and relaxing. Our next stop was in Kayenta – tiny little town with stray dogs running all over the place. Interestingly enough, the Burger King there was the nicest BK I’ve ever been to. We topped off our tanks at Chevron and then headed on Highway 160 westbound toward Hwy 89. There was not any noticeable “extra traffic” due to the detour of 89 from further north (cracked highway near Page) that was sending people our way.
We had snow flurries off and on until the junction past Tuba City where 160 meets 89. Then Ryan followed me the remaining 14 miles to the Cameron Trading Post next to the bridge. He took Hwy 64 to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. I was on my own after that – only a short stop in Flagstaff to top off my tank, then homeward bound. The storm clouds at 7,200 feet in Flagstaff weren’t dropping much snow, thankfully. I’ve never been so glad to see 50 degrees on the external temp readout before – that happened in about Camp Verde, Arizona on I-17. It was great to be home!
Coming Attractions
I’ve got a trip planned to New Mexico in 10 days, and I received approval for some time off in August to go to the National Acura Legend Meet (NALM) in Asheville, North Carolina. This’ll be a fun 3,960-mile trip!
“On the road again. Just can’t wait to get on the road again.” Willie Nelson said it right! Tonight I’m in my hometown in St. George, Utah. About 215 miles into my 422-mile drive from the Phoenix area, I pulled off Highway 93 just north of Kingman, Arizona for a few pictures in the town of Santa Claus. Well, ghost town, I should say.
Starting in the late 1930’s, Santa Claus was a popular tourist destination along the highway. There was an inn and a restaurant, featuring such dishes as “Chicken A La North Pole,” and “Rum Pie A La Kris Kringle.” The business owners even offered a remailing service whereby people could direct letters to have them postmarked as “Santa Claus.” This is similar to what happens in North Pole, Alaska, where I drove the Legend in 2006.
There isn’t much that remains today of this place. Popularity declined in the 1970s. By the 1980s, it had been removed from maps, and in 1983, the entire town was put up for sale for $95,000. Nobody bought it.
However, it’s still up for grabs if anyone’s in the market for some prime commercial acreage:
A few years ago I stopped here in the Legend. At the time, the wire fence hadn’t yet been installed and I wandered through the buildings. It was quite the eery feeling, since the buildings have been abandoned since the mid 1990s. I will update this post when I get home to Arizona on my laptop computer and dig those pictures up.
Christmas Tree Inn, 1940s
Christmas Tree Inn, 2013
An old wishing well is about all that remains of the landscaping. When I stopped here the last time, there was still a miniature train called “Old 1225” out front on a small section of track. It has since been removed.
Here’s the Santa Claus gas station in 1940:
And below in the background, you can see what it looks like today:
The “Entrance” sign, and all wood trim, is very weathered and worn.
Next up, after rolling through Las Vegas, I pulled off for a restroom break in Glendale, Nevada. There wasn’t much to see:
A sign on I-15 northbound announced “Winter Driving Conditions,” but to me it looked like “ideal” driving conditions.
Finally I arrived in St. George after exactly 6.5 hours of travel time. First stop was to check in at my brother’s business, called H&S Performance. They specialize in diesel performance parts, but they’ve got a few other toys sitting around, like this 1997 Lincoln Towncar stretch limousine. I’ve driven it a few times and it’s a riot. Anyone who drives it is required to wear a chauffeur cap that stays with the car at all times.
My younger brother Payton (25) picked up a new ride a couple of weeks ago that he’s wasted no time in modifying. This is his “Intensa Blue Pearl” 2002 Lexus IS300. The metallic blue color is stunning in person. Payton’s first car was a 1986 Acura Legend base model sedan that we’d picked up for $300 and he drove for a year. He’s come a long way! This Lexus has just under 123,000 miles on it.
This car is powered by a 3.0 liter 6-cylinder Toyota 2JZ-GE motor that pushes 215 horsepower stock.
It looks like the first generation IS (model years 2001-2005) and the ILX are pretty similarly proportioned from this angle.
Payton’s windows are tinted at 20% all the way around — the same level of tint that I have in my car. The wheels are called Work Emotion CR Kai. They’re 18 x 8.5 front, 18 x 9.5 rear, and +38 offset all around. He had to roll the fenders just slightly to keep them from rubbing under load.
The suspension setup is an adjustable BC Racing BR Series coilover suspension. Payton took me for a ride in the IS and for being aggressive visually, it still rides really nice.
Since these pictures were taken, Payton tonight wrapped the roof in black vinyl. It looks extra sporty.
One of my favorite interior features of these Lexus IS300s is the “cue ball” shift knob.
This IS is highly optioned, with the rare factory flip-up navigation unit. Controls are located near the center console and are really intuitive to operate.
Engine is totally stock now.
I’ve had a great evening spending time with my family here. My grandma “Doce” is one of my blog’s most loyal followers. Tonight we had dinner at her place. Our fingers in this picture are pointing to a spot on the Utah page where we’re currently standing – in the city of St. George which lies in the southwestern corner of the state. Thanks gma for coming along with me as my permanent passenger on these drives!
And this here’s my pride and joy – my niece Vivienne. She’ll be 2 years old in April.
The Legend is doing well. I noticed that my passenger side bumper turn signal lens is cracked and filled with condensation, but when I went to order a new one I learned that it’s been discontinued. This is becoming more and more common as time goes on. First, the accessories were discontinued. Now, the impact is even hitting “real” parts. I ended up finding a used one on Ebay and it’s being shipped currently.
Here’s a fun Legend that popped up this week in Tucson. 347,000 miles. And somehow it ended up with “pie plate” OEM 16″ wheels off the 1996-1997 Acura 3.5RL (refinished in black). It looks decent for the mileage!
And a quick note of congratulations to Francesco from Italy! Drive to Five has been following his mileage accumulation since May 2012 when he had 240,000 miles on his 2005 Fiat. Last Thursday, he rolled the 270,000 mark. That comes out to 167,813 miles.
His car continues to look great both inside and out.
Can’t wait to see that 300,000 mark!
One final story to close with: I was fueling up with some 91 octane at a station off the Brigham Road exit in St. George. A long-haired young guy, probably in his 20’s, started approaching me and I thought for sure he was going to ask me for money. Well, he did, but he did it cleverly:
Him: “Hey man, if I play you a couple of songs with my guitar, would you be willing to spare a gallon or two of gas?”
Me: “Don’t worry about the songs, but here’s $5.”
Him: “Cool, thanks man! What’s your name?”
Me: “Tyson (and we shook hands). Good luck with the guitar. And thanks for the offer!”
As I was getting back into the ILX, he said, “Thanks Tyson!” I noticed he was driving a gigantic 1980’s GMC conversion van. My $5 is probably only going to get him 15 miles in that thing.
Posted in Arizona, ILX on February 20, 2013 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend): 519,776
Odometer (ILX): 28,402
There’s a reason I choose to live in the Phoenix, Arizona area: I love the sun. We get more than 300 days of sunshine per year. The temperature reaches / exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit over 110 days per year (that’s 30% of our days!). Needless to say: it’s toasty — which is why today’s weather threw everyone for a loop. Suddenly at work, all of my colleagues flocked to the windows and exclaimed that it was snowing. It’s the most accumulation I’ve seen in the 7 years I’ve lived in the area.
To those like my family who live in Utah, this is nothing. But to those of us who are used to shorts & flip-flops year-round, it’s a bigger deal. And traffic on the roadways reflects that. Thankfully, my work commute is on back-roads. The 101 freeway southbound was a parking lot, last I checked online.
Will the cacti survive?
Leaving the office:
It just doesn’t seem right to have palm trees & snow in the same picture.
Soon, though, everything had melted. Ahead of me on Arizona Highway 87, storm clouds loomed:
And then came the rains:
But they made for an amazing sunset, and since I had my SLR camera in the car, I pulled into a random rain-filled alley and snapped a few pictures.
Elsewhere in the state, other crazy things are happening. Highway 89, one of the roads that I’ve traveled countless times on my trips to Utah, buckled due to shifting mountains – presumably from the moisture.
The “A” marker shown here at the Utah/Arizona border is the location where it occurred.
What a crazy experience that must have been for the drivers who came across it.
I’ll be traveling in that area this weekend with the ILX so the new detour (which adds 45 miles) will affect me. Imagine what it would have been like if I had encountered this gaping hole!
Just so I can include some Legend pictures in this post: How about a similar white background that ISN’T snow? These are pictures from June 2007 when I was scouting out the area a week prior to competing at the Bonneville 100 open-road race. The Legend had 290,000 miles on it, and I was visiting the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah. These flats are famous for their sheer… well… flatness! Land speed records are set here frequently. The salt flats cover an area of 40 square miles.
During rainy season, it’s highly possible to have “standing” water on the salt flats. Once I saw a 4×4 pickup completely buried to its axles in salt mud. Exercise caution if you ever venture out there!
Remote area near the salt flats:
Finally, a little bit of trivia:
When people learn about how many miles I drive every year, I often get asked, “Don’t you spend a fortune on gas?!” Well, here’s the answer to that. Yes, I spend quite a bit. I always fuel up with 91 octane gas. Below is a spending report that I pulled from my primary Wells Fargo checking account, showing only expenses related to Automotive / Transportation:
In the second half of 2012, I spent an average of $647.66 per month on gas. The highest expense month, July, was nearly double that amount (as some may recall, that’s the month when I traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for NALM). As fuel prices inevitably start creeping up this time of year, it definitely dampens my desire to keep driving all over the place. At least I know the ILX is getting 32+ miles per gallon!
I love southern California. From 2001-2003, I lived in north San Diego County. Over the last 10 years, I’ve traveled back frequently. This time, I decided to take my friend Jack along for the ride. Here’s what our route looked like:
Trip distance: 882 Miles
Observed fuel economy: 32.0 MPG
Other Acura ILXs seen on the road: 0
6:30 a.m. came bright and early on Saturday morning. I watched the sun rise in my sideview mirror as we made our way westbound on Interstate 10.
Treat stop in Tonopah, Arizona at 339th Avenue. Dawn in the desert is a beautiful time of day with its soft light.
Shortly after the crossing the California state line, we had to stop for a mandatory California Agriculture Station inspection. Though, it was hardly an “inspection,” since the representative merely waved me onward and we rolled past.
Jack’s favorite song came on my Sirius XM radio so we had to sing along. I think I had it stuck in my head for the entire rest of the day.
Once again I’ve maxed out the timer on my ILX’s information display in the gauge cluster.
This fuel stop at Chevron near Indio, California looked a bit like a Honda meet, with a silver Accord and an Acura RSX joining the party. Premium (91 octane) fuel ran $4.59 per gallon. I topped off the ILX’s 13-gallon tank and we were on our way.
Jack and I soon passed the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, home to over 3,000 windmills. The blades on each one of these windmills are 116 feet long and when they’re spinning, they sweep an airspace of just under an acre!
From I-10, connected with US-60 west and then I-215 south, which turned into I-15 south. Soon we arrived at our first destination.
One of the towns that I lived in was Fallbrook, located in northern San Diego County. At the time, I was volunteering as a representative of my church and Fallbrook was my assigned area. The town’s claim to fame is that it is the “Avocado Capital of the World.” There’s an avocado festival held each year in the spring. Southern California is home to 59,000 acres of avocado groves, accounting for 95% of the United States’ avocado production. I’m getting hungry!
August 13, 2001
I was 19 years old and driving a church-issued Chevy Prism.
February 16, 2013
Age 31 and driving a 2013 Acura ILX.
Notice that the sign has changed slightly over the last decade. The font and image are different, the population has gone from 38,000 to 44,000 and somehow the city’s elevation has mysteriously “sunk” from 900 feet to 685 feet!
Highway 76 took us toward the Pacific Ocean. Soon we were breathing that fresh humid air and the water was in sight!
The “Strand” is a stretch of road that winds along the beach in Oceanside.
The ILX found its way to some convenient hourly parking while we wandered to lunch and soaked up some sunshine in 79 degrees.
This is the view on the Oceanside Pier. It was first built in 1888 (but has been rebuilt several times since then). It’s 1,954 feet long, making it the longest wooden pier on the west coast.
At the end of the pier is a restaurant called Ruby’s. I had a mushroom, Swiss, avocado burger and it was excellent! Here are a few other sights from around the area.
I paid a visit to a couple of great families in the area, including the Cordadas:
And the Linvilles, Veronica and Renzo. The picture I was holding here is a shot from 2001 when I used to visit them regularly.
These cookies are called “alfajores.” They’re Peruvian and have dulce de leche filling. Veronica knows how to spoil me!
Our next journey would take us through Escondido (Spanish for “hidden”) on California State Route 78, also known as the San Pasqual Rd. We climbed from Escondido’s 600-foot elevation through a series of tight, banked curves up the hillside. Soon we arrived on Main Street in Ramona, at 1,400 feet.
I lived in Ramona for about six months in late 2001. The below is a picture that was taken of me back then. While the town is only about an hour or less from downtown San Diego, it definitely feels quite remote and is a taste of the “countryside” for those in San Diego who wish to retreat from the hustle and bustle.
Ramona, interestingly enough, is referred to as the Valley of the Sun — as is my hometown, Phoenix, Arizona. Jack and I grabbed drinks at a gas station where the 78 highway arrives into town. We’d soon be traveling those remaining 23 miles (see the sign in the background) of country roads to Julian.
Heading eastbound from central Ramona.
We made a quick side-trip to see the home that I lived in during my time in Ramona. It was actually a converted horse stable – a two-room tiny dwelling. It didn’t have (or need) air conditioning but we used a space heater during winter months. Why I was standing on the rooftop when this was taken in 2001, I have no idea.
Yesterday, this was as close as we could get, due to a posted “No Trespassing” sign. The property may have changed owners.
The view, however, was every bit as great as I remembered it being.
We began to climb even further in elevation as we approached Julian. This tiny town owes its heritage to the mining industry and it experienced a gold rush after ore was discovered there in 1869.
Main Street in Julian was bustling with tourist activity. This guy was offering carriage rides with his miniature horse.
We parked and took a walk around.
Here’s a look at Main Street in Julian. This place is most famous for its apple pies. Still full from lunch at Ruby’s, we didn’t partake this time, but I’ve had the pies before and they’re amazing.
The town sits at over 4,200 feet – high enough that snow storms are common during the wintertime. Weather was amazing during our visit, but there were piles of melting snow scattered in various locations along Main Street.
I took a peek inside the Chamber of Commerce.
When I saw the below picture hanging inside a Julian coffee shop, it caught me by surprise. It’s a sketch of an old Ford pickup parked in front of a place called Shady Dell. Shady Dell is located in Bisbee, Arizona, 478 miles away from this location! I was just there a few weeks ago in the Legend.
More from Main Street, Julian:
Dropping back down the hill toward sea level, we popped in to see the McBrides – these are some of my favorite people.
We took Highway 67 to Poway Road into Poway, then got on Interstate 15 southbound to Highway 163 southbound. For those who may someday travel to San Diego, make some time for dinner at Luna Grill Mediterranean Cuisine on University Avenue.
The chicken kabob was absolutely amazing!
This morning at the Best Western, the ILX awaited us anxiously for its 367-mile final leg of our journey, back home to Scottsdale, Arizona. Jack drives a yellow BMW M3 6-speed, but he enjoyed his time in the passenger seat of the ILX. He also took full advantage of the seat heaters. It was a gorgeous 76 degrees outside during the drive home, yet he had the seat heater in “HI” position the whole time!
For most of this last part of the trip, we stayed on Interstate 8 which runs along the Mexican border. There are a number of places where motorists can look to the south and see the international border fence very close to the freeway. There are also multiple stretches of this road that actually dip below sea level. Just west of Yuma, Arizona, we rolled through the Algodones Sand Dunes.
The dunes cover an area 45 miles long and 6 miles wide. A hundred years ago, it was nearly impossible to traverse these sand dunes by car. But 98 years ago in 1915, a wooden “plank” road was installed over a 7-mile stretch. See the background of this picture:
Almost all of the plank road has since been removed or otherwise destroyed. Just a very small section remains for display purposes. It is very weathered:
The road was used between 1916 and 1926. The marker in the below picture was put in place October 16, 1971. It reads:
This unique plank road seven miles long was the only means early motorists had for crossing the treacherous Imperial Sand Dunes. The eight by twelve foot sections were moved with a team of horses whenever the shifting sands covered portions of the road. Double sections were placed at intervals to permit vehicles to pass. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 845.
The ILX awaits in the distance. I didn’t cruise around the sand dunes much because I didn’t want to get stuck! Today, the Algodones Dunes are used by a variety of recreational vehicles. Jack and I saw a bunch of people out cruising around on ATVs.
That was our two-day SoCal adventure! Exhausting, yes. Worth it? Without a doubt.
Back in July 2007, I went to an Acura Legend meet in Austin, Texas. My car had just barely under 300,000 miles on it at the time. In a wild series of events, I ended up hitting two deer on Highway 290 just west of Austin that weekend. Unbelievably, the damaged Legend still hobbled its way back to Arizona, and then to Utah for a front end rebuild. Here’s a thread with some pictures of the meet.
Taking over a gas station:
Legend lineup (and a Taurus in the mix):
Dining at Bone Daddy’s BBQ:
One of the great people who I met that weekend was my friend Mark. He showed up to the Acura Legend meet as the odd-man-out in an extremely clean Chestnut Brown Metallic 2000 Ford Taurus. Mark and I have kept in touch since then. I recently learned about his search for a rare mid-1990’s Japanese coupe called the Subaru SVX and I randomly decided to take a peek at the local Phoenix area craigslist posts to see what I could find. I stumbled across a pretty immaculate black one and forwarded the link to Mark. Well, fast forward several weeks to now: Mark ended up striking a deal with the seller and buying that car.
He flew in to Phoenix on Friday night and we picked up his friend Russell later that same evening.
The ILX got shuttle duty as we drove the 103-mile drive to Tucson where Mark was to pick up his new ride Saturday morning.
Having way too much fun. Russell, in the back seat, is a Ford fan and knows everything there is to possibly know about Focuses. (Foci?)
And of COURSE I was proudly wearing one of my Acura hooded sweatshirts.
Mark taking care of business.
Finally, we arrived at the designated meeting place & time in Marana, just north of Tucson off Interstate 10.
Here’s what gets ME excited: maintenance records! This huge folder dates back through the car’s entire lifetime.
Mark installing his temporarily permit before departing on his 1,300 mile drive home to Houston.
Customary “key handoff” picture with the seller, Rich.
Regarding his new ride: The Subaru “Alcyone” SVX (which stood for “Subaru Vehicle X”) was sold from 1992 through 1997 but in fairly limited numbers (fewer than 2,000 per year). All came equipped with a 3.3 liter 6-cylinder engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission. Most were all-wheel-drive but a few were sold as front-wheel-drive. Mark’s 1995 SVX is a top-of-the line LSi with leather and all the toys.
Here’s the view from the backseat. I’ve always wondered what those half-windows were like. The rear ones actually go down, just like the Legend coupe’s do!
Of all the places I could have taken these two Texans for lunch, they wanted In-N-Out Burger!
Double-Double with cheese.
Following Mark to a shop called Motorsport, on 1st Avenue & Grant in Tucson, where Mark picked up a couple of goodies for his SVX. He bought some JDM clear corner lenses and an Alcyone center taillight panel.
Here we are parked next to a rare French Citroen SM. This car is quite odd to look at. A Citroen enthusiast friend of mine, Scott, told me that these cars have hydraulic suspensions. They can actually lift up on 3 tires and thus do not require a jack when changing a flat. How odd!
The shop also had this white Taurus SHO with a 5-speed manual transmission. You don’t see many of these!
Group shot: Russell, Tyson, Mark
Mark and Russell are well on their way home to Houston now! Safe travels guys!
Tovrea Castle
Ever since I moved to Arizona in early 2006, I’ve known of this castle off the Loop 202 freeway just east of central Phoenix. It’s so perfect that it looks like a wedding cake. I learned that it was called Tovrea Castle but it wasn’t until today that I truly got up close & personal with this interesting structure. Once a home, it’s now owned by the city of Phoenix which offers tours. I was in today’s tour group for the 8:30 a.m. session, so my friend Kevin and I went to check it out.
Tovrea was built from 1929 to 1931 by an Italian native named Alessio Carraro. He intended for the castle to be a hotel and resort, but just two years after the castle’s completion, it was sold (presumably due to financial difficulties during the Great Depression). One of the problems was also the fact that the adjacent property was a stockyard, and who would want to stay at a resort next to a stockyard? The castle was bought by Edward Tovrea at that time. Just a year later, Edward passed away, but his wife Della continued to live there until her death in 1969.
The city of Phoenix purchased the castle and the 35 acres that it sits on in and it’s been open for tours since last year (Arizona’s centennial year) after it underwent a restoration effort. The cactus grounds that surround the castle have over 5,000 cacti. So come with me on this tour of a historic Arizona landmark!
Here’s what the castle looks like from the Loop 202 freeway between the cities of Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona. It’s the closest I had ever gotten to it, until today.
Arrival at the visitor’s center on Van Buren Road in the ILX.
The castle is pictured in the background here:
Our tour guides took us back in time and shared lots of details about this place. The river rocks that line the cactus gardens were hauled by the truckload from the Salt River. Mr. Tovrea once owned over 250 acres of land but the castle now sits on just 35 acres, as some of the original parcel has been sold & developed.
The rocks were painted white by the original builder.
Our 8-person group hopped into a golf cart and we were driven around the grounds while we learned about them.
Among the odd features of the landscape surrounding the castle are a reflecting pool, an aviary, and even a horseshoe pit.
Some of these Saguaro cacti have been here since 1928. We know this because Carraro’s landscaper marked them by wrapping a piece of wire around the base that had a tag on it. The cacti are still thriving. These types of cacti can live up to 200 years.
This was taken from the south side of the castle on one of two leveled-out mounds. It is presumed that these areas were either intended to have later structures built on them or to serve as parking lots.
A wooden shack that still stands on the property (not pictured) was home to the 15 workers that Carraro employed while the castle was being built. Apparently, he would show up at the beginning of each day and draw a picture in the sand/dirt of what he wanted them to accomplish that day. He didn’t adhere to any kind of blueprint. The ultimate definition of “winging it!”
Another small home on the property.
Finally we got to approach the building from what would have been the main hotel entrance. Notice the Arizona state flag flying from the top of the castle.
Inside the lobby, we got to see artifacts that had been preserved from the castle. Among other things, a spittoon is there. When the restoration effort was taking place between about 2009-2011, workers tried to preserve as much of the original structure as they could, and they saved any special items like that which were found.
The castle actually look a lot bigger from the outside than it is on the inside. A second lobby at the other end of the building contains a scale model on display. We only were able to tour the main and basement levels of the structure, since the City of Phoenix has deemed the upper floors not able to withstand the weight of larger tour groups. In the second level of the castle, there are 6 bedrooms that share 1 common bathroom.
This steep staircase leads down to the basement, which was our next stop after the main level.
Ever seen anything like this?
From a placard about this metal box:
The metal box is an “annunciator.” Patented by the Edwards Company in 1882, it contains a set of white tags numbered from one to twelve. Wires connected the machine to the basement and rooms upstairs, enabling future guests to gain the attention of a hotel employee simply by pressing a button. It probably emitted sound.
For me, the most fascinating part about the tour was the following story about Della Tovrea who was attacked while sleeping in the kitchen in November 1968. Burglars had entered around 11:00 p.m. Check out the full story on this picture:
The bullet hole remains in the ceiling to this day!
Pictures from the basement part of the tour:
The basement had a ceiling plaster that looked like an upside-down lemon meringue pie. I didn’t get a picture of it, but there was a huge safe and a vault down there. This hallway from the basement leads to the cactus gardens outside.
I had a great time on the tour. I wish I could’ve had “unsupervised” access to the ENTIRE facility because I guarantee there are many secrets to be discovered.
Hanging with Ryan, Spencer, & Ari
It was time for a little Sunday drive in the Legend, so Ryan joined me for an afternoon trip to a part of Phoenix called Ahwatukee.
We visited Ari who’s been working on restoring a Milano Red 1993 Legend LS Coupe 6-speed manual. Spencer’s Cashmere Silver Metallic 1994 Legend LS Coupe 6-speed manual is in the background.
This car has about 205,000 miles on it but drives really well. Aside from some cosmetic issues (clearcoat peeling, dash cracking), it really seems like it’s good for another 200,000 miles or more.
These cars just keep going and going. Anyone else see this 350,000 mile 1994 Legend on craigslist in New Jersey this week?
These cloth seats were some spares that Ari had sitting around. Since the car is an LS, it left the factory with leather seats but at 20 years old, those were well beyond their usable life so Ari swapped these in. They look and feel really nice.
Ari’s also working on dismantling a 1992 Legend LS sedan in his backyard. This guy knows every nut and bolt of a Legend.
Just a little bit taken apart in here:
Next, I followed Spencer over to one of our local “Pick-&-Pull” junkyards. For $2, you bring your own tools and wander around the lot looking for anything that might be of interest or value.
Spencer’s car looks and runs great for 228,000 miles. He and his father recently redid the interior with fresh new leather.
Arrival at the Pick-&-Pull facility off 56th Street & Chandler Boulevard.
There were at least 8 or 9 first generation (1986-1990) Legends in the yard, but this was the only second generation (1991-1995) that we ended up seeing. It was a 1992 Legend LS sedan in a non-factory color. We learned from looking at its door jams that this car was originally a Cashmere Silver color.
When I’ve got Acura-owning friends at my house, the neighborhood must wonder about my sanity! As well they should. Thanks Ryan for stopping by.
It was time to head for the hills in my freshly-washed Acura ILX 2.4. Beckoning mountain roads, a full tank of gas, and a weather forecast of sunshine with 75-degree temperatures are all the motivation that I needed. This weekend’s trip looked something like this. Google told us to expect a 249-mile round trip of just under 5 hours drive time:
On Friday night, Alex the ILX got a much-needed bath. I’ve always used Meguiar’s car care products, and my preferred product for cutting the grime is called Deep Crystal Car Wash. Just a little bit in a bucket is all it takes!
These 10-spoke 17″ accessory wheels can be a chore to clean, but the results are always worth it.
Saturday morning, I revved up that 2.4 liter engine and joined a few friends for the drive.
Aaron: 2013 Audi S5; Turbocharged 3.0 liter V6. 333 horsepower through a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission
Matt: 2012 Nissan 370Z; 3.7 liter V6. 332 horsepower through a 6-speed manual transmission
Tyson: 2013 Acura ILX; 2.4 liter inline-4. 201 horsepower through a 6-speed manual transmission
It was a perfect day for moonroof-open cruising as we made our way up Interstate 17 from my home in Scottsdale.
Aaron’s S5 was clearly the glamour girl of the group. Those LED headlights looked extremely sexy coming up in my rearview mirrors.
Our first stop was a place called Montezuma’s Castle National Monument. These ruins are located just off Interstate 17 in north-central Arizona.
That car wash on Friday night really paid off. This ILX’s Silver Moon Metallic paint was gleaming in the sunlight!
I enjoyed seeing some of the featured displays, including some historic pictures like this 1933 traffic sign that once led travelers to the site.
According to Wikipedia, the dwellings were built around 700 AD and had a maximum population around 1300 AD. This is around the same time that the Casa Grande Ruins that a visited a couple of weeks ago in the Legend were also thriving. The ruins are in fact not a castle, but rather a form of apartment housing. It is estimated that they were abandoned by around 1425. There are 20 rooms.
We were able to walk a 1/4 mile paved trail from the visitor’s center to get a closer look at the ruins, but we were not able to go inside them. Prior to 1950, tourists could scale a series of ladders to get up and inside the ruins, but there was too much damage to the area (and too much looting) so that level of access was discontinued. Today about 350,000 people still go see the monument each year.
Here, our tour guide Ruth talks to Aaron about some of the history here.
Matt and Beau take a look at the remains of one of the castles. The monument’s cliff dwellings are well preserved due to their location in the hillside.
There’s a whole lotta silver paint going on here. Technically, though, Aaron’s color is called “Monsoon Gray Metallic.”
After our visit to the castle, we headed to lunch at the (Urbanspoon-recommended!) Verde Cafe on at 368 South Main Street off Hwy 260.
Breakfast is served until 3:00 p.m.! Three of us ordered the breakfast burrito, and we highly recommend it!
Another group of satisfied customers.
Next door was the Thanks a Latte coffee shop – I thought it was quite a clever name. Camp Verde is home to about 10,000 people. Since the town is at 3,100 feet in elevation, it’s more likely to get winter weather than the Phoenix area at 1,900 feet.
A few photos of the Audi before starting off to our next destination.
For about the next 40 miles, we climbed on 2-lane Highway 260 toward Payson, Arizona. These mountain roads are where the 6-speed manual ILX and 6-speed manual 370Z really required some driver input.
There were lots of nice curves including some hairpins posted at 20 miles per hour.
We rolled through the tiny towns of Strawberry and Pine, where’d I’d last been in September 2011 with my Legend. Once we’d taken the turnoff from Hwy 87 toward Tonto Natural Bridge, the two-lane highway quickly got more technical in nature. There’s a particular 1-mile stretch with sharp curves and grades up to 14% – this is where the ILX demonstrated its tight handling.
The Tonto Natural Bridge Lodge is where we each paid our $5 entry for admission into the park. The lodge is listed on the National Register of Historic places, having been built between 1925 and 1927.
Inside the lobby:
The lodge had some unique artifacts from the area, including some chairs from 1900 and an organ from around the same timeframe. It had been transported to the lodge via wagon around 1903.
The Gowan Trail is the hiking route that leads to the overlooks of the natural bridge. It’s short, at only 1/2 mile in distance each way, but it’s very steep.
Here’s the view as we got started – standing on TOP of the natural bridge and looking down.
Beginning our descent down the trail.
According to the Arizona State Park website, Tonto Natural Bridge is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. It’s 183 feet high and stands over a 400-foot-long tunnel. It was discovered by a prospector in 1877.
Here is what the bridge looks like from the ground level.
Blue shirt twins posing for a pic. Josh copied me, I swear.
Yikes – bees!
Back up at the top (and panting from the steep climb!) we enjoyed the view for a few more minutes.
We practically took over this Giant gas station in Payson, Arizona when we stopped in for drinks.
Once again, just like with the Sedona group drive from a few weeks ago, my ILX was the high miler of the bunch.
Aaron’s S5 turned over 5,000 miles this trip
Matt’s 370Z has just under 19,000
I was very impressed with how well the 4-cylinder ILX held its own with two V6 cars (of over 100 additional horsepower) during some high-RPM sprints. Plus, I don’t think either the Z or the S5 are getting 32 mpg like I am!
Dale’s Legend
My friend Dale stopped by this morning in his 1993 Legend L Sedan 5-speed. I’ve known Dale since I first moved to Arizona seven years ago. Our first meet-up was in October, 2006. His car had 140,000 miles on it and mine had 255,000 miles on it. These are pictures from back then.
We also attended a Legend meet together in March 2008. By that time, he’d installed a set of 17″ wheels off a 2002 Acura CL Type-S:
His car today is largely unchanged, except that it has 80,000 more miles on it. Mine has 264,000 more miles on it.
One of the first things you’ll notice about Dale’s car is that he’s completed a headlight retrofit project. His headlight housings have projectors inside them.
Notice the difference between Dale’s modified headlights and my stock ones. The beams on his are much more precise.
Just 220,617 miles on his Cashmere Silver Metallic beauty.
Rare cloth interior! It’s held up really well after 20 years.
I had Dale take the ILX for a spin and he commented about how well it handled and how smooth it shifted.
Thanks, Dale, for stopping by!
Final parting shot taken this afternoon with the ILX near historic Mill Avenue in Tempe, Arizona. I haven’t been able to dig up much information about the “A.H. & V. Co” but the building is currently occupied by a beauty salon. Quite a transition from a place that once apparently specialized in “hardware & vehicles.”
Posted in ILX, Legend on January 24, 2013 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend): 518,703
Odometer (ILX): 25,657
Some of us drivers will never be content to let an automatic transmission change our gears for us (see “Save the Manuals“). In this blog post, I’m going to share five types of manual transmissions that strike me as unique in some way. But first, some pictures of my 2013 Acura ILX taken this afternoon my commute home.
The building seen here is the Scottsdale campus of the Mayo Clinic; it’s one of five Mayo campuses in the greater Phoenix area. I like the architecture at the front entrance to the facility which is near Shea Boulevard and 134th Street, so I pulled the ILX in there for a couple of shots.
Here’s the rundown of five fascinating gearboxes that I’ve recently learned about.
(1) Saab Sensonic. I learned this week in an article on Hooniverse that there is such a thing as a “clutch-pedal-less” manual transmission. It seems similar to the type of drivetrain we had on our family’s Yamaha Kodiak 4-wheeler back in the 1990’s: a manual gear-shift lever, but without the clutch.
From the Hooniverse write-up:
The Sensonic system is a clutch pedal-less manual. In the footwell are the pedals from an automatic Saab 900NG, but there’s a regular-looking shifter. There’s a micro switch in the gearshift that uses the clutch for you, so you just drive with your left foot on the footrest and shift normally as you go along. The system was originally deemed good enough for Saab to hastily introduce a retrofit pedal setup for Sensonic refugees to get back into regular shifting action, as the system often ground to a halt with warning lights a-popping and the shifter immovable.
How weird would it be to drive a manual as if it were an automatic? I liked how the article talked about “ghost-clutching.” More often than once in my life, I’ve slammed down on a brake pedal in an automatic car forgetting that it wasn’t a clutch.
(2) BMW’s SMG Transmission. This stands for “Sequential Manual Gearbox.” My brother had a 2002 M3 with this setup (a $2,400 option). The car was equipped with a clutch, but it was controlled by a computer. The car could be driven in fully automatic mode, or in a mode wherein gear shifts would be activated either by paddle shifters on the steering wheel or input to the shift lever in the center console. There was no clutch pedal. I still have a tough time calling this a “manual.”
Following are some pictures that we took in my hometown of St. George, Utah in December 2009. My two younger brothers have always loved their cars as much as I love mine, so the 3 of us lined up our rides for a photo-op:
Tyson’s 1994 Legend LS Coupe 6-speed: 407,000 Miles
Payton’s 2005 Subaru WRX STi 6-speed: 50,000 Miles
Bentley’s 2002 BMW M3 SMG 6-speed: 80,000 Miles
Both of my brothers have since moved into the diesel truck world and no longer have their sporty cars. More info here on how the SMG transmission operates.
(3) Mitsubishi “4×2 Super Shift” Transmission. Here’s a car with EIGHT forward gears. Back in the early 1980’s (and up until 1990), Mitsubishi offered a transmission that operated a bit like a bicycle’s on its Tredia and Cordia models. The transmission had four gears, but also two secondary gears – Power and Economy. Two gear shift levers — did this car require 3 hands to drive?
In practice, it was very difficult to use all 8 forward speeds in sequence as every second change required movement of both gear levers at the same time – something which was almost impossible without using both hands. Many owners settled on using the transmission in low ‘Power’ mode the majority of the time, and only using the secondary selector to select high ‘Economy’ mode when in 4th gear, effectively creating a 5th gear from 4th ‘high’.
(3) 2014 Corvette 7-speed Transmission. SEVEN gears; that’s right! The C7 Corvette was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month, and in the perpetual quest for “more is better,” Chevy has followed suit with Porsche in now offering a seventh gear in its manual transmission-equipped cars. This will mean great fuel economy from a 6.2 liter V8.
My friend Matt was at the Barrett-Jackson auction here in Scottsdale, Arizona this past Saturday night, January 19th 2013 when the first C7 (VIN 0001) was sold for $1,050,000 to Rick Hendrick. Interesting to note that the below pictured car that rolled across the auction block is in fact NOT the vehicle that Rick will get. This is a show car. Rick’s will be custom built to his specifications at Chevy’s Bowling Green, Kentucky production facility later this year.
(4) Three-on-the-tree. I really want to try driving a vehicle with a steering column-mounted shifter sometime. My grandpa’s old 1950 Buick Special had one of these. Here are a few of the old pictures that we have of his car.
Transmission: 3-speed column shift; synchro-mesh in 2nd and 3rd
Weight: 3,655 pounds
Base price: $1,856
I love the toothy grille and rare “Jetback” / fastback bodystyle. Someday I will own and drive one of these classic Buicks. The last picture here was taken during grandma and grandpa’s honeymoon.
(5) Acura 6-speed Manuals. I love how low the Legend revs on the freeway (fewer than 2,500 RPM at 80 mph). The following is a chart from page 134 of the owner’s manual entitled “Maximum Speeds”. Notice that the car is capable of 125 mph in fourth gear and still has two gears to spare!
The ILX 6-speed is one of the smoothest shifters I’ve ever driven. My friend Sivaram, who drove a Legend 6-speed for 10 years, says the thing he misses the most about being in an Acura (he now drives Audi) is the smoothness of his shifter and the fact that he could change gears with just the effort of a pinky finger. I love the ILX’s “hill start assist” feature that prevents the car from rolling back when it’s on a hill. Though, it keeps me from being able to demonstrate my fancy footwork!
Memory Lane
I ran across some old pictures that I wanted to scan and share. It was around 2002 when I first saw a high-mileage Acura that inspired me. It was this 1987 Acura Integra LS with 5-speed manual. My friend Israel located in Vista, California had this one:
It had 320,000 miles on the odometer and ran great. I wonder if it’s still on the road, 10 years later?
Anyone In The Market?
My last couple of blog entries have featured ads for Legends for sale from various parts of the country. Here’s a needle-in-a-haystack kind of find: Very nice Legend LS coupe 6-speed with only 42,000 miles (that’s only 2,200 per year!). It’s finished in Milano Red with the Ivory (Type F) interior. Somebody in the Minneapolis area needs to pick this beauty up.
Today we’re getting some much-needed rain in Scottsdale, Arizona, but the ILX was sure footed and capable. Pulling out of a Burger King drive-thru in the ILX at lunch, I read this sign as “Thank Come You Again.”
In other parts of the country, winter weather is taking its toll on cars. A friend shared with me this photo page which captures some of the devastation caused by today’s icy rain in Salt Lake City, Utah. Anybody notice the 2nd generation Legend in the picture?
And another. This looks to have been a pretty nice 1990 Legend L coupe before the accident.
Stay safe out there!
This weekend, I’ll be time-traveling to an historic 1880’s mining town in southeastern Arizona called Bisbee. Tune in for the write-up in a few days!
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