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Extreme Garage Makeover: My 1990’s Acura Showroom

Posted in House, ILX, Integra, Legend, NSX, Vigor on October 12, 2016 by tysonhugie

Descending order!

Odometer (Legend Coupe): 548,712

Odometer (Integra): 237,380

Odometer (ILX): 183,721

Odometer (Legend Sedan): 150,668

Odometer (Vigor): 106,293

Odometer (NSX): 106,150

Total Miles: 1,332,924. 1.3 million miles!

Time-travel back with me about a quarter-century to those glorious early 1990s. I was only about 10 but I still remember them fondly. You turn on your FM radio and it’s Ace of Base “The Sign.” Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, and Toy Story are big hits at the box office. And if you stroll down to your local Acura dealership, you might see vehicles like this:

The Acura brand, at the time only about 5 years old, was having a heyday. The NSX debuted as a world-class supercar with uncanny reliability. The second-generation Legend was selling like crazy – some 65,000 units in the 1991 model year alone. The Vigor was a brand new model with the touring comfort of its larger Legend sibling but with nimble handling. And the Integra GS-R boasted a 1.7 liter VTEC motor with more horsepower-per-liter than any other motor in the world. Life was good.

Oh, and all those cars in the picture? They’re stick shifts. Did you know that there is no new Acura sold today that has a clutch pedal? That in itself is one more reason why I hang onto the past like this.

Last weekend, I called upon the expert services of the most efficient, hard-working construction crew I’ve ever known: My family. Between my dad and my brother, there is no home or car repair task that can’t be completed (in record time). When I bought my new Phoenix home in late August, the main selling factor was the fact that it had two garages.

For the last 5 years, I’d been renting storage units in different parts of town to accommodate all of my vehicles, so when the opportunity arose to pick up a home that could fit them all, I worked quickly and made it happen. (For reference, back in March at an NSX meet I had been lusting after a local club member’s place which similarly had gargantuan parking possibilities).

There was still just one hurdle: The largest garage was split into two separate 2-car units with a garage door at each end. This was fine for the previous owner, Charlie, who used half the garage for his woodworking & welding, and the other half for his two vehicles. But I had other plans for the space: I wanted to knock out the separating wall and create one gigantic Acura automotive storage mecca. And that I did! Or rather, my dad, brother, and stepmom did.

Here’s a look at the progression taken from the south entrance in just 4 photos.

1 – Prior owner’s stuff:

2 – Space cleared out, wall still there:

3 – Wall removed, finish work underway:

4 – Garage completed, vehicles staged:

The Friday morning after a 12-hour drive from northern Utah, my garage makeover crew set to work on the task ahead. Due to limited time-off at my new job, I had to go into the office. After settling in to check emails, I decided to walk across the street to Starbucks. At 7:32 a.m., my brother sent me 2 photos. He and dad had already torn down the wall! There were dangling wires and a few boards, but I couldn’t believe how much larger the space looked. It made my day.

Friday afternoon I joined the work crew and assisted with masking and taping off so that my dad could spray the paint on (a much more efficient way to tackle a large surface area than using rollers). The garage turned into a cloud of misty white air as dad applied two coats. Smartly we shut the garage doors so that the cars in the backyard didn’t end up with overspray.

We installed 3 matching ceiling fans and hung up two banks of cabinets in the southeast corner for my detailing supplies and tools. The final step was general clean-up and the hanging of a few banners and signs. Dad sprayed the garage out with the hose to get rid of the dust and debris, and then we did a quick wipe-down of each of the 5 cars that would be going into the showroom. Even my 4-year-old nephew Beckam gave us a hand for that chore.

I’d had months to think about how best to position the vehicles within the space, and I wanted to keep things symmetrical. We ended up putting the two sedans at the north end, the two coupes at the south end, and the NSX centered in the middle at a 45-degree angle. I even finally had a use for the aluminum display stand that my other brother, Payton, had built for me earlier this year.

I couldn’t be happier with the results. When the 7 fluorescent light tubes kick on and gleam against our bright white ceiling & wall paint, it’s shocking. Next on the list (but a ways down the road) will be a floor coating, which means I really ought to get some leaks addressed on the cars before I do that. The Vigor is dropping oil, and the Legend coupe leaves a trail of power steering fluid virtually everywhere it goes.

My family members and I finished out the weekend by planting a couple of citrus trees in my backyard. For 10 years I’ve been living in Arizona and my dad has been wanting to harvest oranges and grapefruits, so we are finally making it happen. Below are the rest of the pics!

Edit 10/15/16: Just confirmed for kicks that I can get 6 cars in the main garage pretty comfortably. Sweet.

Taking a look at the plans

Before – south garage (prior owner)

Before – north garage (prior owner)

Before wall removal – north garage

Cars parked in the backyard awaiting their new home

Wall coming down

Dad working on wall removal

Getting ready for paint

Visit from friends Kyle and Matt

Out on the town with my brother Bentley, Lance, and Rob

Cars got rained on while they were ALL outside!

Nephew Beckam gives us a hand with weed removal

Cars parked in the back – with Beckam’s Power Wheels pickup

Taking a break

Getting closer!

Posters ready to go

Family dinner at Switch Restaurant on Central Ave

Final spray down of the floor

Posters getting put up

Vigor wash

Legend sedan wash

Tucked away

Dad and Beckam with the finished product

Artwork is ready to install, like this framed Legend coupe poster:

New NSX interior! I don’t think I’d shown this yet. Fresh leather.

And a bath for the ILX so it doesn’t feel forgotten in its separate garage.

58 Comments »

Mexico, A Marathon, A Milestones, & Miscellaneous

Posted in ILX, NSX, Road Trip, Running, Utah on October 2, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (NSX): 106,150

Trip Distance: 424 Miles

Hey, that odometer below can’t be real can it? Sorry Gabe, I think you’ve tampered with it! Though the number sequence makes me think of a catchy tune I once heard.

Seems one of my cars has been doing some road tripping without me in recent weeks! Whilst I was enjoying myself on my travels to and from Atlanta recently, my friend Kyle took the ILX south of the border on a little weekend trip to Mexico. His destination was called Puerto Peñasco, or, in English: Rocky Point. It’s a small beach town on the shores of the Gulf of California in Mexico that can be reached in about 4 hours drive time from Phoenix. It is, in fact, our closest beach (getting to San Diego’s Pacific shoreline takes about two hours longer).

Thanks to Kyle’s contribution to the ILX’s adventures, the car has now traversed every country in north America this year. You’ll recall that back in May, my friend Jason and I drove our cars to the Arctic Circle north of Fairbanks, Alaska. If you plot a route on Google Maps from the Arctic Circle to Rocky Point, it comes in at just fewer than 4,000 miles one-way. Heck of a road trip!

Kyle took a few photos to share with me, including shot of a fuel-up at “Why” just before crossing over the international border southbound. You can read more about my visit to Why from 2013 at the hyperlink.

Arrival at the beach

Crossing back into the U.S. of A:

And getting a foam bath. Thanks Kyle!

I have a couple weeks’ worth of miscellaneous news to catch up on here, I guess. I had to hit the ground running at work after having been gone for 5 business days on the Atlanta trip. Luckily, my coworkers were patient with me while I got caught up. Last weekend was a nice relaxing time at home. I hit the yard with my new Honda lawnmower on Saturday morning and washed cars that afternoon.

Thanks, Mark, for sending me the November 2016 issue of Automobile Magazine with a feature on the 1992-93 Integra GS-R!

My buddy Mirel bought a new car that I helped him transport.

6-speeders:

I’ve had lots of company at my house, including Jenn & Tiffany:

And Brian:

The cars got a bath in the backyard.

And Jeremy and I took the Legend sedan to brunch.

This past Friday morning, I buzzed up to St. George, Utah in the ILX for a family visit and a marathon event. Yesterday, I took a swing at my tenth full 26.2-mile marathon run. Having run only a few 3-milers this entire year, my training was lacking to say the least. But I committed to this back in April and as I boarded a school bus in the morning at 4:00 a.m. to drive me up State Route 18 to the start line, I thought to myself, “Am I insane?” I think many of the people on the bus had the same thought process.

It became painfully clear at about the midpoint in the race that I was not adequately prepared, but I pressed on, using a jog / walk alternating method to get me through the course. I never came to a complete stop or took any breaks, but just rather kept moving forward at a semi-consistent pace. Luckily, the St. George Marathon is primarily downhill in nature so I was able to let gravity help me along. My finish time was 4 hours, 54 minutes which is on the slow side for my competitive age bracket, but I was just grateful to finish in one piece!

A few more pics from my weekend follow here. First, checking out grandma’s old Quasar video camera. We dug it out of storage. The date of manufacture is June 1985. Anyone remember lugging around one of these?

Visiting with my nephew Beckam:

And my niece Viv. That’s her kitty “Marie” but we call her “Pizza.” You’ll have to ask Viv why.

Race morning! With mom at the start line.

Start line with our friend Jed. My shorts (no, not a skirt!) look highly reflective.

This marathon participant is a “legend” in her own way. Deb Zockoll is the only St. George Marathon runner who has now competed in all 40 runs in the event’s history. She is an inspiration to many!

Closing in on Mile 15 with Snow Canyon State Park in the background.

Looking surprisingly fresh when I ran past Grandma and Aunt Jodi around Mile 24.

Grandma’s sign:

Taking a minute during my run to greet a few of my younger fans, Vivienne and Beckam.

Best motivation ever! This is what I most looked forward to at the finish line.

Final standings:

Quick pose with Tanya.

Thought this was pretty cool – an old Caddy parked at the “Field of Screams” haunted corn maze in St. George.

Sending congrats out to my dad who rolled 200,000 miles on his 2010 Hyundai Sonata this weekend!

He sent the picture to me and my two brothers. He said he’s shooting for 500k.

My friend Jack described my garage as “spearmint gum” I wonder why!

And today, I got to drive home in my 1992 NSX from Utah. It had been since May that I last drove it. The odometer turned 106,000 miles somewhere between Kingman and Wikieup. I was reminded of how much I enjoy that car! Best of all, it has a fresh leather interior thanks to my brother’s workmanship. I’ll post interior pictures of it soon.

I-40 in Kingman, Arizona.

Turnoff at Burro Creek Campground along Highway 93.

That’s it for now! You’re all caught up. Have a great week.

10 Comments »

My Car Went to Idaho Without Me, Some Attic Finds, and a Road Trip to the Landfill

Posted in ILX, Road Trip on August 14, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 544,176

Odometer (ILX): 179,669

Statistics can be fun. I never thought I’d utter (or type) those words when I took Stats as a sophomore in high school, but today I’m a numbers junkie and I enjoy them – especially in automotive applications. Like this: In an AutoTrader search query on August 9, 2016, I pulled up all the 2013-2015 Acura ILX models for sale in the country. Here’s what I found:

863 automatics (83,033 highest miles)
27 manuals (63,578 highest miles)

So 27 manuals out of 890 total cars = 3%. That makes my car pretty rare.

I have to admit, my conscience has gotten to me: In recent weeks, some of the miles on the ILX weren’t “earned” by me personally. My friends Jack and Chandler borrowed the car for a 2,166-mile, 5-day road trip to Boise, Idaho and back for a wedding. When flight pricing didn’t look reasonable and attendance was critical (Chandler was a “best man”), I offered up the ILX to them because it’s a reliable and fuel-efficient car for long trips. And you know the miles don’t scare me a bit.

The only thing I asked in return was that Jack take and share a few photos from along the way, and that he did! Here’s the route they took, with the Utah leg northbound and the Nevada (return) leg southbound.

Lots of the eastern Nevada area is foreign to me. I’ve been a few places out there, like Wendover during my open-road race in 2007, and the town of Rachel, when I toured the Extraterrestrial Highway around Area 51. As it turns out, I’m probably not missing a heck of a lot though. Jack sent a photo from the entry to Wells, Nevada: “Gateway to the East Humboldts.” Originally named for a swampy area near town along the Humboldt River, it got its start as a passenger train stop along the transcontinental railroad.

The historic El Rancho Hotel there has lots of history, having been opened from 1952 to 1980. Currently there’s not much happening there, but luckily it hasn’t been left completely to ruin. Note that the El Rancho Hotel is not to be confused with the similarly-named Hotel El Rancho, which is in Gallup, New Mexico. I visited that back in 2013.

Historic pic

Today

Jack reported that much of the drive looked something like this. I told him to go ahead find out what the ILX’s speedometer was governed at. I’m not sure if he did or not, but on a road like that, how could you NOT be tempted to have a little fun?

Next they arrived in Ely. It’s a town about four times larger than Wells, but still only home to about 4,200 people. This town is (or was) a key stop along the railroad. A steam locomotive in the background of the old train station pays homage to that past. Ely (pronounced “eely”) was a boom town in the early 1900s thanks to the discovery of copper. This photo was taken in front of the Northern Nevada Railway Museum.

Ely lies at the eastern end of U.S. Route 50 which was named in 1986 by Life Magazine as “The Loneliest Road in America.” That just makes me want to drive the entire 408-mile stretch of it! Adding that to my road trip destination list right now, in fact.

Thanks to those travels, Jack and Chandler brought me back a few souvenirs in the form of slaughtered bugs. I took care of them promptly the next day. Wouldn’t want them to bake in!

This is how you do summer in Phoenix.

I’m in the process of cleaning out my house for a potential move (I’ll know this week if things are final, then I’ll spill the beans accordingly). But after spending most of my Saturday indoors boxing things up, I decided it was time to brave the heat and climb into the attic to see what kind of relics had been stashed up there. My iPhone overheated – that’s how warm it was up there.

My home was built in 1979 and has been updated very little since then. I’ve lived there for almost 8 years. The attic was a storage area for 5 boxes of Christmas decor that I needed to bring down. But while I was up there, I decided to root around a little and see what else I could find. The access point is a trap-door style ladder in the garage, akin to the one Clark Griswold uses in National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation.”

Well, looky here. I found some luggage up there that’s not mine. This is a “Lady Baltimore” suitcase with an American Airlines tag on it. Google reveals that this brand of luggage was big in the late 1950s. Oddly enough, it’s locked and I don’t have a key. Feels empty inside but I need to get in there somehow anyway just because my curiosity is getting the best of me.

I also found some steel-toed boots up there. Again, not mine.

And a STOP sign. Where in the world did the prior owners of my home get that? It’ll make a nice addition to my future garage anyway.

My favorite find was this poster. I’ve had it since I was about 13. “Justification for Higher Education” with a series of fancy cars and a nice oceanfront home. About 20 years later, I’m pretty much there – but minus the ocean, and with vintage Acuras instead of Porsches and BMWs.

The ILX got landfill duty to transport and dispose of a bunch of lumber and miscellaneous garbage that I piled up. I think I was the only person out there roaming around in the trash and mud in an Acura. But until I get a pickup truck, this is the best I can do!

I even felt compelled to put together a 3-minute video about my landfill experience. Riveting, it is not. But if you’re so inclined:

This coming Thursday night, I’m off to Monterey, California to “The Quail” Motorsports Gathering. It’s part of Monterey’s week-long focus on automobiles and a very exclusive event, as only 3,000 tickets are made available. Face value of each? $600! Luckily Acura is a major sponsor this year and I scored a ticket for free thanks to helping out with last year’s NSXPO.

Have a great week!

18 Comments »

Tribute to Million Mile Joe, Home Improvements, & Car Updates

Posted in Arizona, Blog, ILX, Integra, Legend, Milestones on August 6, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 544,118

Odometer (Vigor): 105,807

Only in Arizona could a church use this as an advertising ploy! I’m tempted to convert.

First, a tribute to a man who inspired many. “Million Mile” Joe LoCicero of Maine became a hero of mine when he and his 1990 Accord reached a million miles back in the fall of 2011. Coincidentally, that was right around the same timeframe when my Legend reached half that distance. Unfortunately, Joe recently passed away but he will be missed. As Jason of Driven for Drives put it, “That was a good run.” Joe, we salute you!

I was able to track down the VIN to Joe’s Accord, and (nerd that I am) I couldn’t resist running a Carfax report just to see what it looks like when a car’s 6-digit odometer effectively resets itself to zero.

As expected, the title history shows ‘branded’ since the odometer mechanically can’t even show a 7th digit. (Reminds me of my 1986 Celebrity which only had FIVE digits on the odo).

The Accord was in for service in April 2011 at Berlin Honda in Portland, Maine at 970,333 miles. The next time we saw an odometer reading, it was almost two years later, at Auburn Motor Sales when the readout was 2,707 miles. Mileage Inconsistency, says Carfax. Well, duh!

The most recent Carfax entry on Joe’s old Accord was in December of last year, at 3,341 miles, when the car was purchased by someone in Jefferson, South Carolina. I’m not sure where the car is today nor who’s driving it, but I hope it’s still getting some time on the open road and not mothballed to a museum where it will dry up and deteriorate.

On the subject of Carfax, I was glad to see that my recent Integra’s emissions pass now shows up, so it’s no longer tarnished by that failure when I brought the car to Arizona earlier this year.

My apologies for sporadic blog posts in recent weeks as I’m still underwater with home and career activities. It seems the road tripping has taken a back burner. My home in Scottsdale, Arizona is on the market and I’ve taught myself how to do some basic repairs.

I was quite proud of some drywall repair results, and I spent an entire evening doing a repaint on my guest bedroom which turned out pretty flawlessly. Here a friend captured me attempting some bathroom updates whilst multi-tasking with my work laptop.

I ended up with more paint on my hands and shorts than on the wall, I’m pretty sure.

It’s yet TBD if I’ll be getting the “dream house” I have my sights set on, but I’m crossing fingers and hoping so. It would be great news from a car-parking perspective as it has lots of garage space.

I had an electrician at my home correcting a few small things on Friday afternoon. I was in the kitchen and he was in the other room working on a light switch. “All those cars outside yours?” he asked. “Yeah, I have six cars.” He responded, “What’s that, you fix cars?” “Uhh, yeah, that’s right,” I said. Sometimes I’d just rather not explain the car-collecting craziness.

This week I visited my friend Mirel at his new shop where he’s started a used car dealership. On site were 3 Legend coupes and a 1992 Dodge Stealth (I’ve always liked those).

Cool plate!

All these Legends are 6-speed manuals. Mirel has the right idea!

My friend Chris in Maryland has a “twin” car to my Legend sedan. Awhile back we both decided to go out for a special treat in our own way. Though separated by 2,009 miles, I enjoyed my iced caramel macchiato and Chris enjoyed his strawberry shake. My photo on top, his on the bottom. It’s interesting how the lighting conditions can change the color so much. In person, they’re identical “Desert Mist Metallic” paint codes.

I extend THANKS to a couple of my friends and readers! Jason recently had this awesome canvas print made up from my photo at the Arctic Circle back in May.

And Tim mailed me these sweet posters from a Honda museum in Ohio capturing the race team. Looks like I have plenty of art to adorn my garage now!

The Legend is getting ready for its trip to Atlanta this September. I’ll be gone for a full week.

And the ILX is in the hands of a couple of friends this weekend in Boise, Idaho.

Green with envy. These ones want a road trip, too.

The NSX is still in southern Utah and my brother had his friend Grant from Renu Auto do a full detail on it. The paint is finished off with an “Optimum Gloss Coat” paint coating. Results speak for themselves!

Looking forward to bringing this one back to AZ later this fall.

Lastly, you all know I have my “Spy Shot Roundup” posts on a regular basis. In all my years of collecting spy shots from people, I’ve had the same car submitted by multiple people before. Like twice. But in recent weeks, FOUR DIFFERENT SPIES have sent me this 1992 Legend L sedan wearing Wisconsin plates! The owner has to be wondering by now why she’s being followed by such a skilled group of paparazzi!

From Beau, July 16th, 2016

From Jack, July 20th, 2016

From Matt, July 21st, 2016

From Kyle, August 1, 2016

Unreal! I’m bound to run into this one eventually!

Check out our wacky late-summer “monsoon” weather. This 17-second video shows a courtyard at my office on Friday. First, getting torrential rains, and later – within a couple of hours – with blue skies and sunshine. Make up your mind, Mother Nature!

15 Comments »

Weekend Road Trip: Phoenix to San Diego, California for James’ Birthday

Posted in California, ILX, Road Trip on July 18, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 543,881

Odometer (ILX): 175,686

Trip Distance: 730 Miles

You really can’t get a much better 7-day weather forecast than this. Highs in the 70s. Lows in the 60s.

It’s no wonder us Phoenicians don’t think twice about flocking to the coastline in mid-summer for a gasp of sea air from time to time. Yesterday afternoon, I was sprawled in the shade of a palm tree on the grass at the Hotel del Coronado. The Pacific coast was a picture of perfection: a light breeze, the sound of the crashing waves, and the smell of fresh flowers. The grounds at the “del” were immaculate as always. The historic hotel, built in 1888, has always been a place for San Diego’s elite to vacation. It’s no wonder the cost for 2 hours of parking is $30 and brunch costs $90.

My seven friends and I didn’t pay for either, as we’d opted to park several blocks away (for free) on a surface street and we ate at Panda Express instead. But at least the scenery didn’t cost us a penny, and I think a couple of the guys may have even snagged a seashell or two to take home as a souvenir.

The reason for the season was a birthday gathering: James turned 30 last week and he decided to take the party to Southern California. It’s only about a five-and-a-half hour drive from Phoenix to San Diego, and with enough advance notice, James was able to arrange an “AirBNB” home for our group in the convenient North Park part of town, right off the I-8 and I-805 freeways.

Kyle took the wheel of the ILX on Friday afternoon for the drive out so that I could telecommute from the road, in the passenger seat. By the time we descended to sea level at the coastline, the sun had dipped below the Pacific and nighttime had fallen. Our three-story home for the weekend was right off Idaho Street & El Cajon Boulevard: “The Gateway to Mid City.” Saturday morning took us to Pacific Beach which was bustling with people and entertainment. The water temperature was brisk initially but really not all that bad. I’d forgotten my flip-flops so I spent $5.99 on a two-pack of them at CVS Pharmacy which promptly fell apart as soon as a strong wave ripped one off my feet. I guess I got my money’s worth.

We spent the evening in San Diego’s uptown “Hillcrest” district, exploring the streets, freeways, and cuisine. I twas a a contrast to see the many people outside enjoying the weather. Central Phoenix after-hours is usually somewhat of a ghost town in comparison.

That brings us to our visit to Coronado Island on Sunday morning. Once isolated from ‘mainland’ San Diego, Coronado (Spanish for “crowned one”) became connected in 1969 thanks to a 2.12-mile, curved bridge. It’s five lanes wide with the center lane reserved for emergency use as well as a reversible lane for peak traffic times. Up until 2002, the bridge cost a $1.00-per-car toll for westbound traffic, but that toll was discontinued after the original bond had been paid. Today, the roadway carries 75,000 vehicles per day. We encountered fairly heavy traffic not on the bridge itself, but after arriving on the island and making our way to Hotel del Coronado. (not my pic here)

Interestingly enough, the San Diego – Coronado Bridge is the third-deadliest “suicide bridge” in the United States. Between 1972 and 2000, some 200 people jumped to their deaths. There are signs along the road urging people to call a suicide hotline. Yikes.

The Hotel del Coronado is home to what is believed to be the world’s oldest living Christmas tree. First decorated in 1904, a huge pine tree on the grounds continues to be decorated every December. Unfortunately I didn’t snag a picture of it, but it was far too big to fit in the viewfinder when I walked underneath it anyway!

Interstate 8 brought us back to the desert on Sunday afternoon, where reality soon set in and it was time to do laundry and get ready for the work week. But the memories will live on we’re glad we got to enjoy the birthday festivities in such an awesome place as San Diego. Thanks for joining for the trip!

Shell station in Gila Bend, Arizona

Sunset and windmills on westbound I-8 Friday night

Pacific Beach on Saturday with Rob and James

This is a “Baked Bear” ice cream sandwich. Cookie on one end, brownie on the other end, and cookie dough ice cream in the middle. TDF (to die for). Especially since the cookie & brownie were warmed up.

Kyle borrowed the ILX and we drove behind for a block or two in James’ Lexus RX450h.

Entering El Cajon Boulevard

Crossing the San Diego – Coronado Bridge

Arriving at the Hotel del Coronado

Group photo overlooking at the beach at the hotel: Rob, Kyle, James, Tyson, Chandler, Jack, Michael, Chris

ILX after fueling up in Tavern Rd in Alpine

Have a great week!

19 Comments »

Oceanfront Property in Arizona: Road Trip to Miami

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on July 12, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 543,818

Odometer (Vigor): 105,755

Odometer (ILX):

Trip Distance: 164 Miles

I’m really giving you all quite the summer 2016 vacation! It seems only fitting that this weekend’s destination is as much of a vacation spot as last week’s (“Florence“). Miami, Florida would have been a stretch for a weekend drive – some 2,363 miles from home – not quite close enough for a day-trip. But Miami, Arizona is. And it’s been about 5 years since I last talked about that little spot on the map, in October 2011. So let’s go back and take a look around.

Like most of the towns in Arizona’s wild western frontier, Miami got its start in the mining industry in the 1870s. The hills of the surrounding area were rich with copper, and prospectors flocked to be a part of the industry in those early years. Miami proper was founded in 1907 and tracts of land were officially sold for development after the first train arrived there in 1909. Within a year, there were about 1,300 people calling it home. Interestingly enough, 100 years later, that population had only grown by about 500 people.

Today, Miami is a quiet (and even run-down) little community that while only 77 miles from the hustle and bustle of urban Scottsdale, feels like stepping back in time a century or so. My friend Rob decided to join me for the drive. It took us only about 90 minutes to get to Miami from my home – straight east on US Highway 60 and through a pass in the Superstition Mountains in my ILX. Along the way we stopped in a similarly time-warped community called Superior.

Most of Miami is pretty run-down. The residential side-streets – many of which are so skinny they’re one-way – have poor pavement conditions and steep grades. The small homes are sad, with crumbling foundations and stair steps. Most have chain link fences around their yards and “NO TRESPASSING” signs in abundance. One particular such sign was kind of entertaining. “Do I have to speak to you in 12 gauge?” with the image of a gun. Real friendly neighborhood over there!

A friend had recommended some Mexican grub so we made our way down to Guayo’s El Rey restaurant. We happened to time our arrival right when church let out, apparently. The place flooded with hungry (but well-dressed) lunch-goers as soon as we’d been seated. “Anything to drink?” asked the waittress. “Sure, a Diet Coke,” I said. Before she even turned to Rob to ask for his beverage order, she’d walked away. She brought back a pitcher of Diet Coke for both of us. I guess she figured we both wanted the same thing! At least the food was delicious.

Miami’s Sullivan Street is the main thoroughfare – or was, at least, until the current US Highway 60 was put in a block to the south. The owner of one antique store that Rob and I visited told us that Miami was once home to 30 brothels during its boom. I enjoyed walking through a few of the historic shops. I was surprised to come around the corner in one of them and see the front end of a 1950 Buick in there: The exact same car that my Grandpa Hugie owned in 1954. I’ve blogged about it here.

Unfortunately, that Buick (or piece of it, anyway) wasn’t for sale but I left my contact information with the store owner in case they ever decide to part with it. Rob and I cruised back to civilization after enjoying a few minutes on Memory Lane. Thanks for being a part of the adventure!

We got a kick out of how the road stripes lead right up to the front door of the Pinal County Administration Building in Superior

Sullivan Street, Miami

These railroad tracks just end!

I read this as “Slow Children At Play.”

Overlooking Miami from someone’s driveway

Don’t try and eat at Guayo’s El Rey on a Wednesday!

This is the combo #1. Shredded beef taco, enchilada, and a refried bean tostada. Are my food connoisseurs in the blog audience happier with this than they were with my buffalo chicken bites last week?

ILX parked on Sullivan

Making friends with a “fry guy” statue

Rob checking out the wares inside the antique shop

The soda fountain isn’t open yet

Headed back toward Phoenix via US 60

Queen Creek Tunnel (1952)

What did you think of my new T-shirt?

Couple other news bits! You all remember that 1993 L sedan I had for about a year? It’s been in Florida for a few weeks now and it’s getting a full restoration, courtesy of my friend Alan. Follow his “Build Thread” here!

Alan at work!

My brother Bentley sent me a progress picture yestererday showing the new leather he’s installing in my NSX.

Thanks to my friend Erik for sending me this awesome calendar featuring European Domestic Market Hondas!

Finally, a few have asked for a more thorough recent video of the Legend. I pulled it out on Saturday for a cruise and filmed 11 minutes’ worth of action for you. I’m going to leave this “Unlisted” instead of public since I realize that it makes it look like I ran a stop sign at 6:30. In the words of the movie Clueless, “I totally paused!”

Have a great week!

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Group Drive & Hike: Water Wheel Waterfalls in Payson, Arizona

Posted in Arizona, Hikes, ILX, Road Trip on June 19, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 543,531

Odometer (ILX): 172,944

Trip Distance: 175 Miles

What if I told you Arizonans there’s a place within an hour of Phoenix where you can slice 20 degrees off the temperature and dip your toes in the refreshing East Verde River? Maybe it would be best if I kept this place a secret, but since I’m feeling generous I’ll clue you in to this secluded little watering hole.

It’s the season of “beat the heat” so many of the destinations you’re likely to see me hit up this summer will be to higher elevations where I can get a reprieve from the Phoenix oven. This one in particular has been on my Destination Spreadsheet for some time now. On Saturday morning, my house in Scottsdale became the meeting point for a variety of cars and people ready for adventure. Here were our attendees:

Tyson, Clayton, and Miles: 2013 Acura ILX
Peter and Jack: 2002 BMW 325iT
James and Rob: 2016 Chrysler 300
Paul: 2013 Acura TL SH-AWD
Kyle: 2005 Pontiac GTO
Sunny: 2013 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T
Brad and Kenny: 2013 Audi RS5

Brad described it as “quite a menagerie.” A menagerie is defined as: A collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition. Sounds about right when referring to this bunch of cars & gents. Though, in this case, all were unleashed from captivity allowed to roam freely in the hills of the Tonto National Forest surrounding Payson, Arizona. The one-way trek to our destination was only about 80 miles but ascended 3,800 feet in elevation.

For the most part it’s a 65-mph split highway but the curves can be fun and they require constant attention. The ILX with 3 occupants and 100-degree temperatures bogged down on the steeper grades and I found myself downshifting to 5th gear and even 4th occasionally to keep up with the pack. From Payson, we continued north past a couple of roundabouts and hung a right on Houston Mesa Road. The road narrowed to two lanes and had some nice curves for the next 8 miles until we arrived at Water Wheel Campground. Luckily, we found ample parking to stash our 7 vehicles but things were filling up quickly with a lot of Saturday adventure-seekers like ourselves. Parking was $8 via cash / self-service, with envelopes to be deposited in an opening in a post near the trailhead.

The hike itself does not stick to any specific route but rather follows the East Verde River upstream however a hiker decides to follow it. We did find a path along the west side of the river that had some welcomed shade from overhead trees – even at 88 degrees I managed to break a pretty aggressive sweat. The sound of the gushing river next to us helped give a sense of refreshment even without taking a dip. There came a time when we needed to crawl up and over some large boulders and we paved our own way, or followed people who were ahead of us.

At one point it looked like we needed to cross the river itself so we carefully collected our balance and hopped across. The rocks were slippery at times. For the return, I opted to just remove my shoes & socks and put them in my backpack so that I could walk barefoot across the water and not worry about a slip & fall incident. The water was chilly but it felt great. We wandered a bit further upstream and saw a series of waterfalls coming down. Jack whipped out the selfie stick for a group photograph and Kyle got brave enough to jump in the water.

By the time we made it back to our vehicles, we’d only been hiking about an hour and a half round trip. The overall hike distance is about 2 miles each way, and I think we probably only went about half that. So there is much more to see and we all want to get back up there, but we were ready for lunch and a few people needed to be back by late afternoon so we headed back to Payson. For grub, we dined on the patio at Buffalo Bar & Grill. The wait staff had already lined up several small tables for us in anticipation of our arrival and the service was top-notch.

It was great to break away from the Valley’s heat and get up to the mountains for some clean air and a little time with Mother Nature. Water Wheel Falls was just what the doctor ordered for a quick day-trip. Thanks to my friends for joining! Here’s a short video with some highlights of our excursion.

Pre-departure in Scottsdale

Fuel stop at the Chevron in Fort McDowell: Tyson, Peter, Jack, James, Rob

Backwards baseball caps for the bros.

Kyle caught this pic of my ILX, Sunny’s Sonata, and Peter’s 3-series in his sideview mirror.

Getting through Payson and to the campground.

Kyle’s mean GTO in the rearview.

Parking at Water Wheel Falls

Paul’s TL was blindingly clean in the Arizona sunlight.

Clayton gave us a wave before we started the hike.

Information at the trailhead.

Coming up on the first of a series of falls.

Here’s where we had to crawl up and over some rocks on the river’s edge.

Sunny preparing to cross the East Verde.

James got a little wet.

Group shot thanks to Jack’s selfie stick.

Solo shot.

Back in Payson with our diverse lineup of vehicles.

Peter’s wagon rolled 205,000 yesterday and still looks great.

Buffalo Burger at Buffalo Bar & Grill.

Sunny and I took the Legend out and ended up next to a nice lady in a Vigor 5-speed!

I spotted a G2 Legend sedan in Beverly Hillbillies (1993 movie) about 10 minutes in!

And a very thoughtful friend brought me back a souvenir from his Hawaii trip.

Get over to TSX Travels! Josh is about to have some big news SOON.

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Back to the Routine: Car Washes, a Magazine Feature, and Racing NSXs

Posted in ILX, Legend, Vigor on June 12, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend Coupe): 543,280

Odometer (Legend Sedan): 150,380

There’s nothing like an inbox of 1,300 unread emails to come back to after being out of the office for 9 business days! I spent Monday digging out from underneath all that nonsense that accumulated during my Alaska trip.

It’s always such an ordeal around here to get to a coin-op car wash. I don’t have access to a pressure washer at home and I sure as heck wasn’t going to attempt the muddy ILX detail with my measly little garden hose in the driveway. Luckily I had about $20 worth of tokens for the local car wash at Miller Rd & McDowell Rd in Scottsdale, so I cruised over there. Here’s how that ended up going.

Dang, the car wash is now closed and has construction fence around it. So much for that wasted $20 in tokens.
I guess I’ll google “car wash” and find others.
Drove to 2 more locations about a mile away. Neither was self-serve. Scratch that.
I know there’s one in Tempe at McClintock & Apache; I’ll just go down there.
Looks like it’s $1.75. I’ll just blow the few quarters I have and see how far I get.
(Time ran out). Definitely need more. I’ll have to go get more change, but I don’t have cash.
I’ll google “Wells Fargo ATM.”
Went a mile away to the Wells Fargo branch, inside a Safeway store, at Rural & Broadway.
Well, now I have to break this $20. There’s a Pei Wei in the parking lot and I’m kind of hungry.
(After eating and getting change) Alright, back to the car wash.
And finally, finished the job. Then drove home.
And washed the car again in the driveway anyway.

Nothing irks me like wasted time and effort, but I did finally get the job done – an initial swing at it, anyway. The whole back end of the car feels a bit like sandpaper because of the contaminants on the paint, and I may have given my new Hoover vac a workout with all the pebbles in the driver’s footwell. I do not usually condone the use of a foam brush! But in this case, heavy duty was absolutely required for the bugs on the front end!

I even took the high pressure spray to the door jambs with the doors OPEN! Dirt was caked in there.

Finished result, not too shabby!

Today, as a matter of fact, marks the 4-year-anniversary of the day I got the ILX with 16 miles on its odometer. It has a little more than 172,000 miles on it. I don’t have an exact number because my friend Jack has the car in Las Vegas until tomorrow. But that comes out to around 43,000 miles per year.

It was good to get the other cars awakened after a 2.5-week slumber. The Legend coupe was reluctant to start – initially I got only a “click” but no “crank,” so I ended up rolling backwards down the driveway and doing a clutch start in reverse. Now it runs fine after cruising around a little. I’m still trying to figure out if it’s a battery issue or a starter issue. The starter (aftermarket, Denso) was barely installed 3,000 miles ago, back in December by Hon-Man locally in Tempe.

I drove it to work on Friday.

My brother is up to his eyeballs in projects for my NSX which is at his place in southern Utah. The passenger side window regulator went out on him, so he sent me this picture while tearing in to replace it.

Night shot, cruising around in the 1994 Vigor

And a night drive in the 1993 Legend sedan (Christmas tree of dash lights here!)

This one will be up for grabs (cheapo) soon. I’m waiting to hear back from a couple of potentially interested parties.

On Saturday I buzzed over to Glendale and pulled the 1994 Legend GS out of storage for a bath. The dust was bad!

At home with the 93.

I went and viewed a house in Central Phoenix I’ve been eyeballing. It has a 5-car garage 🙂

Back to storage.

Later in the evening, stopped by the Scottsdale Pavilions weekly car show. It seemed to be domestic car overload. Camaros and Mustangs for days. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

The sunset was stunning last night. Arizona always does them right.

I was pretty thrilled to get a few copies of the May-June issue of Arizona Driver magazine in the mail this week. I’d recently submitted an article about a group drive some friends and I took to Chiricahua National Monument.

Sweet!

And finally: Check out this hot ride:

This NSX will be tearing up the Colorado mountains in a couple of weeks at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. From Acura’s press release that was distributed on Thursday:

Acura will field a pair of 2017 Acura NSX supercars in the 100th Anniversary of the running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 26, marking the North American racing debut of Acura’s next-generation NSX: the pinnacle expression of Acura Precision Crafted Performance and the only supercar made in America.

Pikes Peak has been on my must-see list for some time now. I would have driven it a couple of summers ago when I was in the area, but it was closed for a bicycle race and my friends and I drove Mount Evans instead. It’s good to see the NSX making its way into the professional racing circuit and I’m anxious to see how it performs!

Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

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Alaska Trip Finale: Stops in Utah; Home in Scottsdale, Arizona

Posted in Alaska, Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on June 5, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer: 171,688

Total Trip Distance: 7,909 Miles

I can’t believe it’s over. I did it. After 16 days on the road and 7,909 miles traversed, I’ve successfully driven not only to Alaska, but to the Arctic Circle, and back. It was a trip that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

I couldn’t (and wouldn’t) have done it alone, so I thank Jason for being such a great trip companion even though we took separate cars. Also thanks to the many folks who followed along for the adventure online, and especially those who offered hospitality along the way. In all I drove through 8 states and 3 provinces. Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Alberta, Yukon Territory, and British Columbia. I documented the trip in 13 blog posts including this one, so if you’re just now tuning in, feel free to keep scrolling backward to start from the beginning. My nightly stops were at these locations:

Washington, Utah
Butte, Montana
Edmonton, Alberta
Pink Mountain, British Columbia
Teslin, Yukon Territory
Fairbanks, Alaska (x 3)
Teslin, Yukon Territory (again)
New Hazelton, British Columbia
Cache Creek, British Columbia
Seattle, Washington
Kuna, Idaho
Logan, Utah
St. George, Utah

I have to say it’s remarkable that I was able to take a 170,000 mile car on a journey of this length and never have to think twice about it getting me from A to B. I didn’t need any of my 3 spare tires. I didn’t check or add oil at any point on the drive. As a matter of fact, the last oil change from 8,000 miles ago still says I have 40% life remaining according to the “maintenance minder” in the car. This is why I drive the car that I drive. Relentless reliability.

On Thursday morning, I departed Josh’s place in Kuna, Idaho and I had about a 300-mile day to my dad & stepmom’s place in Cache Valley, northern Utah. I gave my dad a hand washing his Ford F-350 and then dined later in the evening at my favorite restaurant in town, called El Sol. Ryan, who Jason and I met up with on the first leg of our journey, joined again for the occasion.

Friday, I made my way southbound and traveled virtually the entire length of the state of Utah from north to south, staying at my mom’s place in Washington. Along the way, I paid a visit to my grandpa because it happened to be his 86th birthday. And the final stretch took place yesterday, when I drove the last 400 or so miles of my very long journey home. Phoenix welcomed me with 114-degree temperatures. Welcome summer.

Here’s a 17-minute video that documents my journey in bits & pieces from start to finish. Viewers beware: It may cause motion sickness and it’s mostly just me shooting “selfie style” and narrating some of our stops.

Utah state line

Dad’s 1990 F-350 XLT Lariat Dual Cab 4×4

Dad’s new 2016 Honda Goldwing motorcycle. Packed with tech!

This thing even has navigation.

We took a night drive up to visit my Grandpa Hugie at Providence Cemetery. He passed away in 1989 when I was only 7 years old but I still have great memories of him.

View of Cache Valley from my dad’s back deck

ILX in grandma’s backyard

The home across the street dates back to the early 1900’s and it’s the home my grandma grew up in

Heading southbound on Hwy 89-91 which passes through “Sardine Canyon.”

Arriving in St. George about 6 hours later

Visiting the nieces and nephews in St. George

Arrival at home in Scottsdale

Check out that nasty interior, too

Two pages of handwritten fuel log, from start to finish.

The nerd in me couldn’t resist putting this in electronic format so I could run some metrics on it. I fueled up 41 times and spent a total of $826.52 on gas after taking into account the Canadian exchange rate.

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Back in the U.S.: Stops in Seattle, WA & Boise, ID

Posted in Alaska, ILX, Road Trip on June 1, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer: 170,440

Overall Trip Distance: 6,741 Miles

Back in the US of A! It was a real contrast to our wide-open, no-traffic drive through the Yukon when Jason and I got stuck in 6 lanes wide of bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-405 in Seattle yesterday afternoon. I’m starting to wonder if coming back to civilization was a good thing or a bad thing! Nevertheless (or always the more, as my Grandpa would say), we have successfully arrived in the Lower 48 and it’s been a great (shorter) last couple of days on the road.

We got out of Cache Creek bright and early on Tuesday and made our way down the Trans-Canada Highway with the Fraser River at the base. It was gorgeous scenery, turn after turn. There were a total of about 6 or 7 tunnels of varying length as we made our way southbound. The town of Hope was as charming as it sounds, and one stop we made there was at the wrecking yard for Jamie Davis Towing. Jamie’s company is famous because it’s featured in the Discovery Channel “Highway Thru Hell” TV show. Since the roads are so critical to keep commerce alive, and the weather conditions can be so rough, Jamie’s business deals with all sorts of hardships.

jamie_davis

Jason and I were treated to some of the best hospitality I’ve ever received, a little ways down the road in Abbotsford. This small B.C. city resides just on the north side of the United States border. Pam’s beautiful place which overlooks the valley is home to two Acuras: her 2006 TSX and 1991 NSX (and a couple of motorcycles). She is a truly genuine Honda fan, and a gracious hostess. Pam fixed us salads to-go and let us catch our breath for a few minutes at her home before we headed out on our way.

The border checkpoint at Abbotsford moved fairly slowly but we got through in about 25 minutes. The U.S. Customs agent recommended that I stop at a gas station and clean off my license plate. Ha!

Jason and I weaved around through some beautiful northern Washington back roads before connecting with Interstate 5 which led us south to the Seattle area. Our first stop there was to visit my friend Lance at his shop in Woodinville and take a look at a beautiful 1992 Acura Integra GS-R which he’s been restoring. He even let me roll 234,567.8 miles on a quick test drive.

Yesterday evening, I met up with some family members and friends at a bar & grill not far from my motel for a bite to eat. They all told me I must’ve brought the nice weather with me because it’s been so rainy in recent weeks (it’s Seattle – go figure!).

This morning, Jason and I walked to the IHOP next to our Motel 6 in Issaquah and shared one last meal together before parting ways. He’d decided to continue heading south through Oregon and California, but I needed to head more east and begin making my way toward Idaho and Utah. I got out on the road headed eastward on Interstate 90. While attractions along I-90, I-82, and I-84 were pretty slim, it was nice to be able to set the cruise control. The interstate climbs through a beautiful pass in the Cascade Range called Snoqualmie Pass at a little over 3,000 feet in elevation.

My car rolled 170,000 miles right at that location.

Once the terrain leveled out a bit, I arrived in Yakima and met up with a long-time friend named Chris who works in the school district there. Chris and I met 11 years ago at a Seattle-area Acura Legend meet and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. He still has his Legend but has also added a couple of other fancy cars to the stable: A Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 and a Mercedes-Benz 500SL. I must say, he has great taste in cars! We met up briefly to catch up and I got to check out his Benz up close and personal. The retractable top is fully automated with the touch of one button, and the open/close procedure is quite the complicated sight to behold!

From there I went on into Oregon by crossing the massive Columbia River. In Oregon and New Jersey, gas is not self-serve. I fueled up in La Grande and an attendant asked me if I wanted premium and how much to add. I asked her to fill up the tank. Another guy worked on squeegeeing my windshield while I waited. It felt odd having someone else do those sorts of tasks for me! Oregon and New Jersey are the only states with that law. Actually, “all” gas sales used to be full-service until 1947 when California was the first state to adopt self-serve. It caught on.

This evening I crossed into Idaho and I’m staying the night with my good friend Josh who you all know as the 497,500-mile TSX guy from TSXTravels.com. Josh and his Great Dane pup Abby are great hosts and I’m about to settle in for the night’s rest, but we took his TSX out for burgers at a restaurant called Ram and my friend Kevin met up with us for some chat, too. Tomorrow, I continue on into Utah and chopping another 400 or so miles off on my return drive to Phoenix. Thanks as always for following along!