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Two in One: San Vegas and Las Diego Road Trip Weekend

Posted in California, ILX, Nevada, Road Trip on February 17, 2017 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 550,486

Odometer (ILX): 192,625

Trip Distance: 1,000 Miles

Yeah, I know. Who RSVPs to a birthday party in one state, and a bachelor party in another state, on the same weekend, and still attends both? You’re looking at him. And here I am 1,000 miles later to tell you how that all played out. The good news is that it feels amazing to go from the awe-inspiring 54th floor of the Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas Strip one day, to the picturesque and sweet-smelling Mission Beach of San Diego the next. The bad news is that coming back to reality bit. Hard.

This past weekend’s adventure started with me scooping up my friend Kyle at his place in central PHX and us making our way, Taco Bell crunchwrap supreme in hand, in the ILX to Las Vegas. It’s a drive that takes about 4.5 hours through the picturesque yet pretty barren reaches of Highway 93. We arrived just in time to join the rest of our gang for a bite to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings before venturing out on the town.

And I can assure you, what happened in Vegas that night will stay in Vegas. Well, I take that back. The group text message with 8 people in it became a dumping ground for all the photos and videos from that night’s debauchery, and they will forever live on in the memory bank of each participant’s iPhone. But this isn’t the time nor place to divulge any of those details. Las Vegas Boulevard, known better as “The Strip,” is home to some 62,000 hotel rooms. Tourists are out on the streets 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is seriously no end to the available entertainment and we got our share of it.

On Saturday morning, we pulled our acts together in time for brunch at “Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen and Bar,” home to some of the best nachos I’ve ever had. They’re called “trash can nachos” and basically come out in a big tin can that gets dumped on a plate in the center of the table. Trust me, they were amazing.

Snoozing passengers!

Kyle, Lance, and I hit the road by early afternoon for the next chapter of our road trip weekend: a bachelor party in Southern California. Luckily the drive was a breeze with 95% of it being on southbound Interstate 15. We stopped briefly in the middle-of-nowhere town of Baker, home to the World’s Largest Thermometer at 134 feet tall. In typical fashion, traffic was slow-and-go the closer we got to the Los Angeles area, but as dusk settled in, we kept cranking the iPod and karaoke’d to classics like Chumbawumba’s “Tubthumping” (a song now 20 years old!) to pass the time and the miles.

Primitive but predictable, the Motel 6 on 2nd Avenue in downtown San Diego was our resting spot for the evening. We had just enough time to freshen up there before heading to dinner and a night out on the town at Oxford Social Club in the Gaslamp District. I felt like a true A-Lister there: VIP entry, special reserved seating, and a meeting with the owner himself who came over to shake our hands. The lights and music raged onward as we celebrated the upcoming wedding of my friends Wade & Rustin until the wee hours.

Speaking of, this is what happens when you’re part of 2 massive group texts and you put your phone away for a few minutes. Ugh, the anxiety of unread messages. I put both threads on “do not disturb.”

And what California trip would be complete without a stop at the beach? My phone told me we were a mere 14 minutes from Mission Beach so we saddled up in the ILX and went to check it out. The smell of a fresh sea breeze and the sound of crashing waves will never get old. We wandered northbound along the sand for a little while before looping back to meet the rest of the gang in Little Italy for brunch at a spot called Prepkitchen.

The final leg of this epic weekend journey was the stretch of Interstate 8 that links San Diego with the Phoenix area, an oft-desolate road that runs parallel to the Mexican border. Kyle took the wheel from the halfway point in Yuma onward, which was great because I needed some time with my eyes off the road.

The gang in an elevator

View from the Cosmopolitan hotel room

Soaking it all in, with Lance

This was the burger I had at Guy Fieri’s restaurant. I liked the fries better!

Stop in Baker, CA with Kyle along I-15 southbound.

Gas prices there, ouch!

World’s Tallest Thermometer – 134 feet tall – indicative of the highest temperature ever observed in Death Valley nearby. Notice it was only 67 degrees at the time of our visit.

Continuing on down Interstate 15

California’s inspection stations have never caused me too much delay. I just get waved through.

Ahh, the beach!

Looking northbound alongside the sidewalk at Mission Beach in San Diego

Fuel and bathroom break in Gila Bend, AZ on the way back to Phoenix Sunday night

Check out this story about my friend Steve who flew across the country recently to buy a minty 4th generation Honda Prelude and drive it all the way back to Arizona! Congrats, Steve! I’m looking forward to seeing the car when you visit tomorrow.

And finally, does anyone out there want to be my twin? This Legend coupe is up for grabs in the Los Angeles area!

Have a great weekend!

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Road Trip to Nellie E. Saloon (AKA “Desert Bar”) Near Parker, Arizona

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on February 5, 2017 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 550,420

Odometer (ILX): 191,409

Trip Distance: 334 Miles

Food is such a great motivator. I’ve endured a yawn-inducing corporate seminar because there’s a free meal involved. I ran a 13.1-mile race last month just because there were all-you-could-drink chocolate milk bottles at the end. And this weekend, I drove 6 hours and over 300 miles (10 of them on some of the rockiest dirt road stretches I’ve ever put my car through) to pay $12 for a cheeseburger. It was worth it.

The Nellie E. Saloon, better known as just the “Desert Bar,” is just my kind of place. This one came at the recommendation of my friend Chris who’s always on the lookout for driving opportunities to obscure destinations. The drive took me and 3 friends to the Buckskin Mountains in the remote and sparsely-populated western reaches of the Grand Canyon State. It’s a beautiful area: The Colorado River slices through the middle of the desert and creates a border between Arizona and California. Spring breakers flock to the area for wild times at Lake Havasu. But our destination was far from any such refreshing water supply. It was tucked deep into a dusty canyon.

And it seems we weren’t alone. Hundreds of Jeep owners, ATVers, and campers had the same idea that we did and the saloon was a hoppin’ place on a Saturday afternoon. Getting there was (more than?) half the fun. The closest town to the saloon – Parker, Arizona – was hosting an off-road race called the “Bluewater 425” which brought out all sorts of desert-goers. Think baja race.

About 4 miles out of town on Highway 95, we headed east on Cienega Springs Road and were immediately warned by a roadside sign about primitive road conditions. Not to be turned away, I gripped the wheel and shifted the ILX into low gear for a bumpy ride. Sam Haymart, of TestDriven.TV fame, followed closely behind in my cloud of dust with his 2017 Audi A4. We might have been the only ones crazy enough to subject our luxury sedans to such rocky terrain.

At certain times, the narrow road was only one lane wide and we had to carefully maneuver around oncoming traffic. The 5 miles of dirt took us probably 20 minutes to navigate, but eventually we arrived at the oasis: A sprawling, multi-level restaurant and bar crudely constructed inside a canyon with surrounding parking.

From the parking lot, we could hear the bass beat of live music and the closer we got, the louder the music – and the crowds – became. The lunch rush was in full swing at 12:45 p.m. – amazing because the place had barely opened for the day at “high noon.” There were various places to order and the seating was “wherever you want.” I grabbed my cheeseburger and sought after some shade on a set of bleachers.

The people-watching was some of the best I’ve ever had – it seems a few folks had a started happy hour early, as the Coors cans were clearly everyone’s drink of choice to wash down their burgers. The band played on, and I couldn’t help but sing along for a line or two when the song “Wagon Wheel” came on.

We took a short post-lunch hike to the summit of a rocky overlook. It gave us a great view of the entire bar area and the surrounding hills. Desert Bar was lined by a few rusting carcasses of old vehicles including a fire truck. I noticed upon surveying the parking lot from that vantage point, about 95% of the vehicles in the parking lot were higher clearance AWD trucks and SUVs. It was probably for good reason, too. While fair weather cruising wasn’t a huge challenge, I imagine that any sort of inclement weather would pose a real road muddy hazard for someone like me taking a car out there (next time I’ll take an SLX). And while owner Ken could probably attract a lot more visitors if road conditions were improved, the challenge of the trek is part of the allure.

Tyson, Sam, Rob, James

Ken’s vision of the Desert Bar started in the mid-1970s when he had acquired the land of an old copper mining camp. By 1983, he had acquired a liquor license and started hosting guests in a makeshift building. And in the 1990s, further improvements were made to the site including construction of a small church and a covered bridge across the ravine between the parking lot and the main stage. By the looks of things during our visit, more enhancements are probably still underway as we saw some concrete & rebar walls going up. And the entire place is now powered by solar panels. Brilliant, actually!

We made our way back to civilization in one piece and perfectly satisfied with our 6 hour trip for a nice, greasy burger. For anyone looking for an easy day-trip from the Phoenix area, Nellie E. is a definite hit. But keep in mind its limited operating hours: It’s only open from October through April, Saturdays and Sundays, from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. And the entire operation is cash only! Don’t even think of trying to pay with plastic out there. Have fun and check it out sometime!

Birthday #35 and New Year 2017 Celebrations

Posted in Blog, ILX, Maintenance on January 7, 2017 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 550,089

Trip Distance: 232 Miles

Welcome back to the start of a new year and a few more miles to be driven!

Here’s how my last few years have gone.

2014: 128 blog posts, 115,740 views and 41,008 visitors
2015: 95 blog posts, 113,438 views and 39,165 visitors
2016: 84 blog posts, 107,955 views and 40,495 visitors

Clearly I’m posting less frequently and it looks like that also translates into fewer views overall, though somehow “visitors” remains steady. Today’s post is just a quickie as I’m out the door (and in the air) at 7:05 a.m. tomorrow morning for my annual trip to the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Michigan.

Here was a fun 2016 annual mileage summary that I put together a few days ago with some notes at the bottom if you’d like to geek out with me.

We need to have a moment of silence for a newly-departed 2001 MDX that reader “Russell” emailed me about. After 15 reliable years of service, his MDX succumbed to a rusty frame and had to be retired at 525,609 miles on the odometer.

Russell’s email stated:

Tyson, the harsh chemicals used to treat Connecticut roads took out my car today. The part of the body that bolts to rear axle was destroyed by the salts. Done at 525k. Picked up a certified RDX today w 55k.

Best of luck with your RDX, my friend!

Winter’s weather wrath is something we don’t really have to deal with here in the Grand Canyon State. My backyard, in fact, is still green and I had to mow it the other day – even if only to pick up a few fallen leaves from the tree back there.

I celebrated a milestone of my own last week by hitting 35 years on my odometer a couple of weeks ago.

It was a memorable occasion for many reasons. One of them was a visit from my friend Paul who’s based in Honolulu but happened to be passing through town with his mother and his girlfriend.

Later that evening, some of my friends took me out to eat at one of my favorite restaurants.

I pulled the Integra out on the grass for a couple of evening photographs.

One of the buildings in Tempe has windows that can be used to spell things out. When the Super Bowl was in town a couple of years ago, it said XLIX. Last week it simply said “2017.”

Speaking of XLIX, and ILX, I had a 190,000-mile oil change (they call it a “B1” service) and tire rotation last week. The technician noted a few maintenance items that may need to be addressed in the near future. Among them:

Rear brake pad replacement
Leaking rear shock replacement
Air and cabin filter replacement
Serpentine belt replacement
Brake fluid flush
Clutch fluid flush

Guess it’s time to blow the dust off the old wallet (I learned that phrase from Josh) the next time I go in for service.

My friends and I took a drive to Tucson, Arizona for our New Year festivities.

My friend James let us stay overnight in his historic 1914 home near the University of Arizona.

On my drive home, I received a picture of myself from another friend who wasn’t traveling with us but who happened to come up behind me on Interstate 10 westbound just outside Phoenix. The world is too small.

This morning I cruised down to Chandler, Arizona for an annual New Year Meet at Science of Speed, an NSX & S2000 specialty shop that I use for some of my maintenance needs. There was a really nice turnout – probably 30 to 40 cars. One of them was this unassuming 1992 Formula Red that looks a lot like mine.

Until you peek at the odometer: 347,216. Wow! The owner said he’d owned it for 14 years and the car is still on its original engine and transmission.

Have a great rest of your weekend! I’ll be freezing my buns off in Michigan but seeing some hot cars (hopefully) at the auto show.

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The Legend Rolls 550,000 Miles on a Christmas Trip to Utah

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Legend, Milestones, Road Trip, Utah on December 26, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 550,085

It took me 5 years to go from 500,000 to 550,000, but I finally got there last night. I made a Christmas 800-mile round-trip to southern Utah this weekend and celebrated the milestone on my way home, along Highway 93 just north of Wickenburg, Arizona.

Mechanically, it was smooth sailing aside from adding a little power steering fluid and getting a check-engine light. As a matter of fact, somehow I achieved 29.7 miles per gallon on the way up Friday night. I guess that’s partly thanks to the fact that my speeds were usually between 65 and 70 miles per hour. They still haven’t paved an interstate between Phoenix and Las Vegas so it’s mostly back roads for that 4.5-hour stretch.

Fittingly, my return trip took me through “Santa Claus, Arizona” – a now-abandoned tourist trap that in the 1930s was a gas station, gift shop, and restaurant. Vandals have destroyed what’s left of it, but the map still clearly confirms its existence and I stopped for a few pictures at Saint Nick’s run-down residence.

The place can be yours, if the price is right!

Snow-capped peaks in the background – it was chilly out there, for Arizona standards anyway.

Here’s the roll-over video and a few scenes from Santa Claus.

A few other photos from recent events. Allie from Acura mailed me a “Nouvelle Blue Pearl” 2017 NSX model car. I told her it’ll go nicely in my garage!

Fueling up in Wickenburg on Friday afternoon

Sunset when rolling through Las Vegas, Nevada

Visiting mom, and also a visit from our friend Jack

Re-creation of a 20-year old photo (top) taken in 1997 with mom’s Legend.

My brother’s 1993 Legend LS 6-speed (139,000 mi) next to mine.

The ILX getting snowed on in Holden, Utah. Jack – from a few pics above – borrowed the car this weekend and put it to good use.

My uncle Dande picked up a 2013 ILX too. “Polished Metal Metallic” automatic.

Family photo of mom’s side of the family.

A few other videos for your viewing pleasure today.

ILX in snow – thanks Jack for the clip:

Link to Xtreme Coupe YouTube channel – my brother’s page. Watch his Lexus IS300 project updates:

Link to interesting video on the evolution of automotive design:

Link to Hagerty Engine Rebuild Video of a Chrysler motor. Pretty fascinating stuff:

Have a great week!

28 Comments »

Dirt Playground: “Willcox Playa” in Southeast Arizona

Posted in Arizona, ILX, NSX, Road Trip on December 18, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend coupe): 549,086

Odometer (Legend sedan): 150,755

Odometer (Integra): 238,331

Odometer (Vigor): 106,387

Odometer (ILX): 188,457

Odometer (NSX): 106,412

Trip Distance: 390 Miles

My maturity level took a deep dive on Saturday when I sat in my driver’s seat and looked out upon a gigantic expanse of perfectly flat land in all directions. I was unsupervised. I had a slick-shifting 6-speed transmission at my fingertips. And my sense of adventure begged me to go have some fun. So, I hit the Traction Control button to deactivate any kind of traction aid, gripped the steering wheel, and let ‘er rip. Result? I haven’t had that much fun driving a car since my autocross adventure in 2009. Talk about a riot.

My friends Jason and James were there to witness it — encouraging it, even. The Willcox Playa – some 3.7 square miles of dirt flatlands – is a dry lake bed in Arizona’s Cochise County in the southeast corner of the state. But for me, it was a playground where I could pretend I was a professional rally driver. I can only imagine how much more fun the experience might have been in a rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive vehicle. Time to plan another trip back.

This weekend trip started out as an excuse to meet up with one of my road trip partners in crime, Jason Pawela of Driven for Drives. Jason was crazy enough to join me on the 8,000-mile Alaska trip earlier this year and I hadn’t seen him for about 6 months since. We decided to plan a lunch meet-up at the exact geographic midpoint between us: Willcox, Arizona. The town of 3,700 people lies 194 miles from Phoenix and 195 miles from Las Cruces. It was absolutely perfect from a logistical perspective.

Joining for this one was another seasoned road-tripper, James Lee of Six Speed Blog, who typically joins our group drives in whatever “flavor of the week” he’s road testing at the time. This week, it happens to be a saucy red 2017 Toyota Corolla with a host of Toyota Racing Development (TRD) goodies. Yes, I just used the words “Corolla” and “racing” in the same sentence. I was surprised, too. Jason’s car of course was the 2004 Mazda 6, now with 217,000 miles and still as robust as ever, and I was in my 2013 ILX.

It took us about 3 hours to get to Willcox, and we met up with Jason spot-on at our 1:00 predetermined time. Dining options in a town of 3,000 people are sparse, and I’d already eaten at 2 of the 3 top-rated spots on Trip Advisor. (See: Chiricahua National Monument road trip). Next on the list? “Grandma D’s Cafe.” It sounded safe. And it ended up being one of the most hospitable places I’ve ever dined.

Housed in the historic part of Willcox at the northwest corner of Haskell Avenue and Maley Street, the place appeared to have been there forever. Luckily we had enough time to eat before the 2:00 p.m. closure (grandma cooks breakfast & lunch only!). I went with the Cochise Burger, adorned with green chiles, avocado, and an over-easy egg for a little extra protein.

Grandma was nice enough to get a photo with us and I jotted down our blog websites on a notepad for her. If you’re reading this, thanks for the hospitality and the great food! Hope to see you again, Gma!

At this point, we did a car-key-swap and I got to drive Jason’s Mazda the few miles toward Willcox Playa. To get there, we headed west on I-10 about 4 miles, then south on Highway 191 to a dirt road turnoff that we’d scouted out thanks to Google Earth. The entrance to our playground was right where we thought it would be. Luckily for us, the dirt was hard packed for the most part — I’m sure if it had rained recently, we wouldn’t have gotten past the gate. And also luckily for us, we didn’t venture into any dangerous parts of the Playa. It wasn’t until after our visit that I read online that the U.S. Military uses portions of the area as a bombing range. Yikes!

It was a memorable journey for us and I hope you enjoyed being a part of it! Some additional photos and a short video are below. Don’t mind the circus music 🙂

Fueling up at Picacho Peak, midway between Phoenix and Tucson

Entering Grandma D’s in Willcox

The Cochise Burger at Grandma D’s

Lined up outside the restaurant: James’ Corolla, Jason’s 6, and my ILX

Park near the railroad tracks

Arriving at the Willcox Playa

Clearly James was having a good time!

Where’d those skid marks come from?

Getting down and dirty.

Wide open spaces, just like that Dixie Chicks song.

It was colder than it looks. Definitely a breeze in the air!

Headed back to Phoenix near Picacho Peak (at left) on Interstate 10

I’m going to put in a plug here for my friend Darren of “IDrewYourCar.com.” Darren contacted me after my recent Jalopnik feature offering to do some digital artwork for my garage. I am thrilled with what he put together for me! Each of my five “old” Acuras has been drawn up in exact detail and printed in 13×19 size. Even the colors are spot-on.

A perfect addition to the garage! Thanks Darren!

Finally, I’m a nerd about anniversaries and last night just happened to be my 5th anniversary with my 1992 Acura NSX. It was December 17, 2011 when I flew to San Jose, California and picked up the car. Last night, James and I went over to Tempe Town Lake for a couple of celebratory photos with the Mill Avenue Bridge in the background.

Of course I wore a T-shirt to match the car. Duh!

It’s been a fun 5 years and 26,000 miles with that one. Have a great rest of your weekend!

27 Comments »

Saturday Road Trip: X Marks the Spot, Musselman Honda, and SidDesign

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on December 4, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 549,077

Odometer (ILX): 187,814

Trip Distance: 232 Miles

The weird, the offbeat, and the random destinations of the world always pique my interest. How many people do you know who would drive out to the middle of the desert just to see a 60-foot-wide piece of concrete in the shape of an X that’s been there for 50 years? I guess I’m that person. And thus the reason why fellow blogger Joe of Bowtie 6 emailed me back in October about an article he’d seen on NPR on that topic.

The article talked about something called the “CORONA” Project. During the Cold war in the 1960s, the United States government needed a way to calibrate its satellite system. Someone came up with the brilliant idea that they could install X’s in the desert for the satellites to hone in and affix on, thereby increasing the accuracy of any images being returned.

Sounded like a road trip opportunity to me!

I headed out from the Phoenix area in the ILX on Saturday morning and it only took me about 45 minutes to get to the first X. You’d miss it if you weren’t looking for it: Tucked away southwest of the intersection of Jimmie Kerr Boulevard and Sunland Gin Road, I drove right to it thanks to a map I’d seen online. Each of the 272 X’s were 60 feed in diameter and consisted of 4 pieces angling outward. They are placed at 1 mile intervals in a satisfyingly perfect configuration for someone who has OCD like me. The center has a small, metal, round marker. This one said: “$250 fine or imprisonment for disturbing this mark.” I wonder if that’s still the case?

Some 50 years later, it’s no surprise that many of the markers have been destroyed or removed completely as development of the desert has moved forward and the markers are no longer in use. Only about 117 of the 272 are still left. Handily, Google gives us a map showing the location and status of each marker. Purple = gone. Yellow = damaged. Blue = present.

Let’s zoom in on that a little more. You can clearly see that urban development is coming from the northeast.

The next stop on my Saturday tour was a historic motorcycle dealership in Tucson. Helen Musselman and her husband started selling motorcycles in 1945 and became one of the first “official” Honda dealerships in 1959. She’s worked there since the beginning, and at 98, she still hasn’t retired. Back in August, Honda’s “Kokoro” Tumblr page written by Charles Schnieber featured a YouTube video of her. I fell in love with Helen from the get-go.

Musselman Honda is located in central Tucson just south of a busy road called Grant. The overall look of the building has not changed in the 70 years of its existence. What I found even cooler was that the showroom has an entire room dedicated to historic photos, shop manuals, and motorcycles themselves from Honda’s history there.

I spoke with a sales representative and asked if Helen was in. “She takes weekends off,” he said. “We need to get her signing autographs – we get people in here all the time asking for her!” It’s too bad I didn’t get to shake Helen’s hand, but I did peek inside her office.

I had a hankering for chips & salsa so I looked up reviews for local lunch spots and was sold on the above review. I ended up going to another historic Tucson destination: A family-run Mexican food spot called “Club 21” on the east side of Oracle Road.

I had the place to myself – which is either good or bad depending on your perspective. The food was tasty, though, so I enjoyed the peace and quiet. I always find it amusing when a server brings out a plate and says “Careful, the plate’s hot.” It seems to happen at every Mexican joint I’ve ever visited, just before my fingers get fried for trying to turn the plate around on the table. Just once in my life, I want to be told “Touch this plate – it’s fine.”

On my way back to Phoenix, I did stop for one more X. This one was off Battaglia Road near the teeny town of Eloy. It actually took me a couple of tries to find it because the surrounding area had overgrown with tumbleweeds, but I tracked it down and took a few photos. I’m sure the people driving past were wondering what kind of crazy nonsense I was up to taking pictures of a piece of concrete in the middle of a field.

The last thing I want to show you today is a special story about my friend Sideiq, better known as just “Sid.” After a recent Jalopnik website feature of my car collection & garage, Sid emailed me offering to do some digital artwork of my vehicles. Sid is more than just your everyday artist. He has cerebral palsy, and he was diagnosed at a year old. From Sid’s bio:

“I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when I was a year old. Cerebral palsy affects my muscle coordination, particularly with my arms, legs, and speech. Because of my disability I use my feet and toes to control the computer with an oversized keyboard and trackball. I get around in a motorized wheelchair that I also control with my foot. But these hindrances do not hold me back from translating my goals and dreams into reality.”

This week, Sid sent me two digital images: A G2 Legend coupe and a G1 NSX, beautifully framed. How cool is this?

Unpacking

And showing them off

Sweet.

I’m thrilled with the pictures and can’t wait to hang them up in my home. For anyone wanting to check out Sid’s website, he’s at SidDesign.com and his Etsy page is here. Thanks, Sid! You’re awesome.

And thanks to the rest of you for reading!

Abandoned gas station in Eloy, Arizona

One of my favorite stops on the Phoenix-Tucson drive.

This concrete pad used to be a Nickerson Farms restaurant that was demo’d.

Guard rail in the middle of nowhere!

Arrival at Musselman Honda in Tucson

Neat image of Honda’s original US distribution office on Pico Boulevard in LA that I visited last month.

Vintage pic of Musselman Honda

16 Comments »

Thanksgiving 2016: Zion National Park in Southern Utah

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

Odometer (Legend): 549,008

Odometer (ILX): 187,248

Trip Distance: 849 Miles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Highway 89 northbound just south of Page, Arizona

Utah state line near Lake Powell in Page

I liked this Parry Lodge in Kanab, Utah

Highway 9 westbound

Curvy road after exiting the tunnel

These backdrops never get old

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

Sunset off mom’s back patio on Saturday night

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

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

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

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

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

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

Odometer (Legend): 548,869

Odometer (ILX): 185,579

Trip Distance: 758 Miles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At least red is a pretty color!

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

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

Sunrise in downtown Los Angeles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great Thanksgiving week!

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Saturday Drive: Remember the Alamo (Lake), Arizona

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

Odometer (ILX): 184,729

Trip Distance: 303 Miles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Heart attack, coming right up!

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

Group shot at the entrance/exit to Hope

Lonely desert backroads

Entrance to Alamo

Map of the Alamo Lake area in the Visitor Center

Narrow road toward the dam (damn) overlook

Some dam facts for you

You can see how low the water level is right now

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

Looks like a nice swim

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

Arrival at our lunch spot

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

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

Pennies on the men’s room floor!

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

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

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

Thursday, October 27 – 2017 Acura MDX

Friday, October 28 – 1994 Acura Legend Coupe

Monday, October 31 – 2013 Acura ILX

Tuesday, November 1 – 1994 Acura Legend Sedan

Wednesday, November 2 – 1992 Acura NSX

Thursday, November 3 – 1992 Acura Integra GS-R

Friday, November 4 – 1994 Acura Vigor GS

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

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

Have a great weekend!

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