Legend | drivetofive

Archive for the Legend Category

For Sale: 1988 Acura Legend L Coupe

Posted in Legend on November 10, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 527,770

Odometer (ILX): 59,042

“Classic car restoration.” If you’re like most people, these words conjure up images of a barn find 1968 Camaro in a couple decades worth of dust, undergoing a transformation to a chrome-laden hot rod with a souped-up, thundering V8 motor. For me, a recent restoration effort took a completely different route. It’s hard to believe that the earliest Acuras from the 1980’s are now considered historic vehicles.

The Legend coupe, which debuted in 1987, was an iconic car that launched Acura into the front lines of a competitive luxury car battle. It offered the complete package: All the amenities that the German luxo-brands were offering, but with Honda reliability. It soared to the top of the sales charts and was widely praised for its technology and driving demeanor.

Over the last couple of months, I took a non-running, low-mileage Persian Red 1988 Acura Legend and put it back on the road where it belongs. After sitting unregistered and non-driving for over two years, the car was in dire need of some critical maintenance when I took ownership of it on Labor Day weekend. It was mechanically overhauled and brought back to running, driving, & braking condition. My extensive “Build” thread on the Legend forums has amassed over 7,800 views and 250 responses since I started it in September. Now it’s time to find this orphan Legend a new, worthy owner since I don’t have the space for it.

If anyone you know is looking for a clean classic Legend coupe, please have them give my Ebay ad a look. The car has only about 98,800 miles on it and is barely broken in by Drive to Five standards.

Here’s the link to my Buy-It-Now (Or Make Offer) listing on Ebay.

Getting the key back in September:

After hundreds of hours of effort, it’s looking like a nice ride again:

Thanks to my friend John for his photography work, and to my many other friends who helped me along the way with sourcing parts and completing this project! Hope it goes to a good home.

A few screen shots from my Ebay ad:

16 Comments »

Two Years Since 500,000

Posted in Legend, Milestones on November 6, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 527,769

Odometer (ILX): 58,346

If anyone out there has $12,000 and a burning desire to own a low mileage Legend coupe, here’s your chance. Take a peek at this red 1992 L coupe automatic in the San Francisco Bay Area. Only 31,000 miles!

It’s tough for me to believe, but Monday was the two-year anniversary of my 1994 Legend rolling 500,000 miles. Just recently I came across this 5-minute video on YouTube posted by Charles – Legend forum member “AGYMAH360”. He captured some of the moments from that special day on camera. Hope you enjoy reminiscing as much as I do.

My Acura ILX will see some road use this week when I drive it to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. I had 2 rock chips in the windshield that were repaired yesterday. The mobile glass repair technician, Drew, asked after looking at the damage, “Do you take this thing to the track?” “No, why do you ask?” I responded. He pointed to the GoPro camera mount on my rooftop. I told him about all my travels in the car and the videos I’ve done on various roads in the southwest. After repairing the windshield, he looked up some of my videos and watched them right then & there!

The repair was a whopping $50. I don’t even want to know how much a replacement windshield costs on a 2013 car – and that’s if a replacement part is even available yet. It was time for a vacuum & bath later that night.

I keep the front end waxed frequently because it helps the paint “shed” bugs more easily.

It still cleans up nicely for having nearly 60,000 on the odometer!

I’ve gotta give a high-mileage shout-out to two of my blog readers. First is my dad, Craig, who turned over 100,000 miles on his 2010 Hyundai Sonata last weekend. Congratulations!

The second is my friend Dave from Missouri. I met Dave through the Acura Legend online forums back in 2005. He has a very nice 1995 Legend LS coupe, but his daily driver at the time was a 1993 Accord coupe 5-speed. That Accord is now being driven by his son Cody and recently rolled 400,000 miles. Drive to Five, Dave!! Go! Go!

Finally, as a follow-up to my recent share of some fun ILX edits from enthusiast Dillon, here’s a new one. His creation follows – in his own words:

Powered by an optional 260HP, 232lbs-ft J30Y2 Earth Dreams SOHC i-VTEC V6 engine with VCM and Direct Injection (Similar to the Chinese Acura RDX offering) fed through the newer-more efficient and lighter weight mechanical torque vectoring SH-AWD system to deliver a thrilling driving experience like no other. Handling assisting features like AHA and IDS are standard as is the Double wishbone suspension, complemented by a cabin filled with some of the top notch luxury materials and features you wouldn’t fine anywhere else in this class. Your choice of a 6 speed Manual or a 6 speed Automatic with 7 different colors to choose from and three trims; Base (Nav is Standard), Tech and Advanced (Only offered with a V6 and SH-AWD).

Starting at just under $27,290. 20/32/26 EPA rating (Advanced, V6 SH-AWD model). Base and Tech only offered in FWD K24W6 (210HP, 190Lbs-ft) configuration. Base; $27,290. Tech; $29,290. Advanced; $32,750.”

Sweet pics! Thanks for sharing, Dillon!

Below is a sneak peek of what I’m up to this weekend…

*grin*

17 Comments »

Tucson in the Legend: Reunited with Original Owner

Posted in Arizona, Legend, Road Trip on October 26, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 527,600

Odometer (ILX): 57,185

Trip Distance: 250 Miles

Have you ever wondered where a car you owned 20 years ago has ended up? Just like the people who drive them, I feel that every automobile has a “life story” that is fascinating to follow. As a fitting follow-up to the recent “20 Year Legend Birthday” post, today I drove my Legend to Tucson to meet up with the individual who bought my car new off the showroom floor back in September 1994.

Arizona weather couldn’t have been better for a Saturday road trip. My friend Paul and I rolled eastward on Interstate 10 and exited at 22nd Street once we arrived in Tucson.

Patricia’s hotel, the luxurious JW Marriott Resort at Starr Pass, awaited us a few miles down a twisty two-lane road later.

Talk about destinations! If I could afford it, I’d spend a weekend at a place like this.

Patricia competed this morning in the 2013 National Duathlon Championship and placed 5th in her age division. She ran a 5K, biked 30K, and then ran another 5K. This woman is fit! And she has to be, since her line of work is in personal training. Patricia is based in the San Francisco Bay Area but has clients all across the country.

It was great to chat with her and reconnect. I’ve been in touch with her for over 10 years now and enjoy keeping her posted on my latest Legend updates. Paul and I drove her to the lobby after the below picture was taken. When she got out of the passenger seat, she proudly announced to the security guard who was standing nearby, “This is a celebrity car!” and then went on to tell its story.

I bet it was fun for her to be back inside a car that she’d driven for the first 9 years of its life. Now if only I could get her out of the Lexus IS250 she’s driving now, and back into an Acura! Speaking of new Acuras, I stopped by the dealership today in Tempe. They currently have a “twin” car to my Silver Moon 6-speed.

It must be getting cooler out – tire pressures needed to come up a bit in order to get rid of this warning on the ILX.

This was a nice RL sighting from earlier in the week. I enjoy those chrome A-Spec wheels!

This bodystyle of RL is rare and somewhat under-appreciated. I’ve actually never driven an RL newer than 2000! That’s soon to change, though, because I’ll have an RLX for a week of evaluation in the coming month.

Lastly, regarding high-mileage Legends – here’s some fun news for those who are interested. A forum member in California posted a link on AcuraLegend.org to an ad for a Legend sedan that reportedly had over 600,000 miles on it. Sadly, it looked like it had seen better days. Here’s a screen capture of the ad, which has since expired.

Little paint work needed.

Sold for parts!

And here’s another one from my friend Paul who works at a dealership in Georgia. This 406,000 mile Vineyard Gray 1993 sedan came in for some service. Still looks pretty good to me!

Hope they keep on truckin’ to 500k and beyond.

Over and out!

2 Comments »

Throwback Thursday: Sirius White Pearl Legend GS

Posted in Legend, Throwback on October 24, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 527,315

Odometer (ILX): 57,133

It sure is getting dark early these days. On the bright side, I get brilliant sunsets like this for my commute home in the ILX.

One of the 9 Acura Legends in my past was a stunning white 6-speed sedan. Rewinding the clock to early 2007, I’d just finished up my MBA degree and landed my first “real” job. It was time to reward myself with something special, and I’d always had a soft spot for the rare 1994-1995 Legend GS sedan 6-speed models.

Posted in a for-sale ad by the original owner’s son Simon, a pearl white 1994 Legend GS was offered up with full records and an amazing history. It was the classic “little old lady” scenario – almost too good to be true, yet it was 100% real. I recognized the urgency on sealing the deal before anyone else snagged this rare car. In short order, I’d arranged for online payment and booked a short flight to Orange County from Phoenix. I’d never seen a 207,000-mile car with such an immaculate interior. The seats were so smooth it was like they’d been freshly upholstered. I grinned all 400 miles home to Phoenix that evening.

Here’s the detailed posting that I shared with the Legend forums soon thereafter, including the following pics. Key handoff here (no car sale is “official” without one!) with Simon at left:

Amazing interior:

And oh my. Paperwork galore.

First fuel up in Palm Springs, CA off Interstate 10 eastbound.

For today’s photoset we travel back to February 2007 – six and a half years ago. I had just installed some 19″ Racing Hart C2 wheels on the Legend GS and took it for a weekend drive through the mining country in the Superstition Mountains about 70 miles east of the Phoenix valley. These are the pictures I took that day.

Superior, Arizona

That open window in this abandoned brick building was so inviting. ‘Urban exploration’ is a hobby of mine that I enjoy almost as much as playing with cars.

I met up briefly with my friend Chris who also had a 1994 Legend, but his was a Sherwood Green L model.

Don’t try this shot at home, kids.

Superior felt like a ghost town, and in reality it’s not far from becoming one.

This is the same “Hotel Magma” that was featured in the blog on an ILX this summer.

I felt like I needed to take off my shoes or wear booties every time I got in here.

There’s something serene about those cliffsides at dusk.

That Legend lives on in even better shape today than when I sold it. My friend Wayne from Houston, Texas bought it from me in October 2007 when I moved on to a Honda Prelude project. Wayne has since made some mechanical updates including replacement of the ABS pump. The car today only has 215,000 miles on it.

My coupe at the time had a mere 274,000 miles on it, and looked something like this.

Heber, Arizona

Mogollon Rim, Arizona

We made it to Friday! What’s everyone up to for the weekend?

8 Comments »

Legend Emissions Check

Posted in Legend, Maintenance on October 16, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 527,260

Odometer (ILX): 56,760

The great news today is that I’m street legal for another 2 years in the Legend. My new renewal sticker expiring November 2015 is on its way in the mail after undergoing the renewal process today at lunch. Arizona has a good grip on how to lessen the pain of automotive registration. Thankfully, it required no trip to a motor vehicle office.

I instead went to the ADEQ (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality) emissions check station near my work and waited in line with the car for about 15 minutes before having the test performed. The fee of $27.75 has been the same since I moved to Arizona in 2006. I was sent on my way with a VIR (Vehicle Inspection Report). Then, I went online and paid $108 for a 2-year renewal. Done-zo.

The last time I had the emissions performance checked on the car was in November 2011, when I shared all previous reports. Following is a summary table showing the results of each of the 5 tests performed on the car since I moved here: 255,000 miles, 302,000 miles, 401,000 miles, 500,000 miles, and 527,000 miles:

Note: For all 3 areas evaluated, the Legend performed better at 527,000 miles than it did at 255,000 miles when my first emissions check was performed. I also found it interesting how widely some of the numbers can vary while still being within acceptable standards.

At least I had nice scenery during my wait, stuck behind this nice black AMG Benz.

For purposes of the test, the technician gets inside the vehicle and runs it through all 6 gears on a dyno while an exhaust tube is connected to the muffler. I had to show him how to deactivate the Traction Control System that was kicking in, but otherwise it was a smooth experience and he didn’t grind my gears.

The only comment that he made about the car after taking down the mileage was, “Are you the original owner?” I should have told him, “No, I was only 11 when this car came out.” But I just said “Yes,” so I could get on my way! Here are the numbers:

And we’re off! Glad to have this taken care of for another 2 years. Cheers!

7 Comments »

20-Year Birthday for the Legend

Posted in Legend on October 9, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 527,124

Odometer (ILX): 55,975

Travel back to 1993 with me for a moment. Bill Clinton was the 42nd president of the United States. Two of the big movies that year were Jurassic Park and Mrs. Doubtfire. The average price for a gallon of gas was $1.16. And I was only 11 years old.

It was October 1993 when my 1994 Acura Legend LS coupe was assembled in Honda’s Sayama, Japan factory. The build date is indicated at the top right of this sticker in the driver’s door jamb.

Twenty years later, it’s still on the road.

This Legend coupe was the 832nd made for the 1994 model year. The car was originally allocated to Stevens Creek Acura in Santa Clara, California but was transferred at some point to Acura of Pleasanton, in Pleasanton, California. The original owner of the car, Patricia, told me that the car had been on the lot for quite some time. In fact, the dealership sat on it for over 6 months. The car spent its first 251 miles as a “demo” car for client test drives.

Patricia drove the car an average of about 10,000 miles per year for its first 9 years, primarily sticking around the Bay Area in California. Patricia is a triathlete and personal trainer. She had specifically sought after a car that would be sporty and fun, yet luxurious at the same time. This car hit the spot.

Here’s the abridged chronology of my Legend’s lifetime.

October 1993: Build Date
September 1994: Initial sale to Patricia with 251 miles
September 2002: Sold to 2nd owner Carla with 91,500 miles
March 2003: Sold to Tyson with 95,000 miles
May 2003: 100,000 Milestone
December 2005: 200,000 Milestone
July 2007: 300,000 Milestone
October 2009: 400,000 Milestone
November 2011: 500,000 Milestone. Featured at “Drive to Five Celebration” at Acura Headquarters
October 2013: Currently at 527,000 Miles

The Legend’s Carfax report is about 8 pages long, jam-packed with service records, emissions compliance results, and registration renewals. The car has been serviced at 19 different Honda/Acura dealerships over its lifetime, as far east as Princeton, New Jersey and as far west as Fife, Washington. If anyone wants some entertaining reading material, email me and I’ll forward you a copy of the PDF document.

I was lucky to obtain quite a bit of paperwork dating back to when the Legend was brand new. I thought this would be a fun chance to share some of that with you.

Here’s a Pre-Delivery Inspection dated March 17, 1994:

Original invoiced dealer: Stevens Creek Acura in Santa Clara, California

MSRP: $41,885 including $385 for Destination & Handling

Dealer invoice on the car was $35,125

Original sales price of $35,500 on September 24, 1994. Patricia made a hefty $25,000 down payment!

Fast forward almost 9 years, and I had begun my search for the perfect Legend at age 21. Here is a printout of my AutoTrader search results dated March 24, 2003. Similar Legends were priced anywhere from $9,900 to $10,799 on this page.

The Kelley Blue Book values at that time were as follows:

Retail: $13,225
Private Party: $11,060
Trade-In: $8,750

The Legend was priced at $9,950 but I negotiated to $9,500 and paid cash when I picked it up on March 26, 2003 in San Jose, California.

Here’s a picture from April 2003 in St. George, Utah. I was the proud new owner of a sub-100,000 mile Acura Legend LS coupe.

This picture was taken with my friend McKay Rollins who had been an inspiration for the purchase, having owned a green 1991 LS coupe that I fell in love with years before buying a Legend of my own.

And this last throwback picture was taken ten years ago in October 2003 at Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake City, Utah at one of the first Legend meets that I ever attended. Hard to believe it’s been a decade since that day.

Left to right:

Jason; 1988 Legend L Sedan
Eric; 1987 Legend L Coupe
Tyson; 1994 Legend LS Coupe
Branson; 1993 Legend LS Sedan

Those were good times. I look forward to seeing what the next decade will bring. Though my daily commuter is now the 2013 ILX which I am enjoying a great deal, the Legend lives on as a weekend cruiser. As a celebration of its birthday, I took it out at sunset for a quick photoshoot last night in Papago Park, Phoenix Arizona.

Thanks for being a part of the journey! Now, would anyone care for a slice of cake?

22 Comments »

Throwback Thursday: 1986 Legend Restoration

Posted in Legend, Throwback on September 19, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 526,959

Odometer (ILX): 54,228

Seeing a neglected Acura for me is like seeing a neglected stray dog or cat. I have this compulsive reaction to want to bring them all home and nurse them back to health. That’s why, in November 2003, I approached the owners of this Florence Blue Metallic 1986 Acura Legend sedan in St. George, Utah and asked them if they wanted to sell it.

A $200 purchase later, and my brother Payton and I drove away (in a puff of blue smoke) in this 210,000 mile 5-speed.

It surely needed a lot. Aside from the obvious cosmetic issues, it needed some mechanical TLC.

Replacement CV axles were the first to go in. A Saturday detail brought new life to the paint.

Then the real fun began. I found a set of junkyard 1989-1990 Legend sedan wheels for it.

Over a 3-month period, this tired old Legend got a new stereo system, indiglo gauges (hey, they were all the rage in 2004!), fresh window tint, and JDM clear corner lenses up front. It hardly looked like the same car.

Oh yeah, I found that half-bra for the hood, too. And we touched up the bumpers and added chrome to the grille.

It was a fancy ride for my brother during his sophomore year of high school. When he upgraded to a 1996 Maxima, I took over the old Legend and drove it to northern Utah where I was then attending college. I already had my 1994 Legend coupe, and parking was difficult to come by, so I found a new owner for the ’86. It was sold in the fall of 2004 to this college student named Amy. Here was the key hand-off.

As I recall, the car had about 225,000 miles on it by then. I haven’t checked in on that old Legend in nearly 10 years now. It could very well still be on the road, but I’m guessing it’s gone to that Acura graveyard in the sky.

Payton, btw, is now driving a Lexus IS300 turbo. It’s a little faster than the 2.5 liter 1986 Legend.

In high mileage news, most of you probably saw by now that the 3-million-mile mark finally came and went for NY native Irv Gordon who bought his 1966 Volvo P1800 new. Since that day, he’s driven the car through 49 states. He completed his milestone on Alaska Highway 1 a couple of days ago. Check out the article on Yahoo. Congrats, Irv!

4 Comments »

Junkyardin’

Posted in Legend on September 8, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 53,722

I love dumpster diving. For car parts, that is. For some reason, the idea of scavenging through hundreds of junked cars is fun to me. Maybe it’s because I see it as a sort of treasure hunt. You never know what you’re going to find hidden in a glove box, a trunk, or an engine bay.

I hit up a local junkyard with some friends yesterday and spotted over 40 Acura Legends at “Ecology” in Phoenix, located near 35th Avenue & Broadway Road. It costs $2 for entry, and you have to provide your own tools. Talk about a Legend gold mine! Joe was looking for some parts for his Cashmere Silver Metallic 1995 Legend LS coupe, so Paul and I picked him up in the ILX and headed that way.

En route to find some goods!

I could’ve wandered around Ecology for hours. We found some really neat color combinations of Legends. One of them was this rare (1995-only) Garnet Red Metallic. In person, it looks more purple than anything else.

Check out the racing stripes on this 1st generation Legend coupe!

And this Legend sedan in custom blue would be pretty tough to miss!

My favorite part was the blue flame seat cover. That adds a few horsepower, right?

The highest mileage Legend in the yard had 307,000 miles.

That odometer belonged to this 1992 L Sedan automatic:

Every Legend we saw, in fact, was an automatic. Joe did end up finding the parts he was looking for. He pulled a fender off this Phoenix Red 1991 L coupe. I loved how the door panel was holding up the hood.

Then, he pulled a passenger side headlight out of this Milano Red 1993 L coupe. A 10 mm socket is just about all you need to really have a heyday pulling parts off a Legend, we learned.

Success! As Joe holds up his prizes for the day.

I posted pictures of the rest of the Legends we saw that day in the Legends in Junkyards thread.

This weekend I checked on the rooftop durability test fleet, my set of 6 diecast 1:18 scale model cars that have been sitting near my chimney at home for a couple of years.

The Maserati 3200GT, as it looked 2.5 years ago in April 2011.

Maserati 3200GT now.

The ’57 Nomad has seen better days, too. Here is the car 2.5 years ago.

And today.

That Phoenix sun really is brutal on auto finishes!

Tomorrow’s feature will include a fun weekend drive in the ILX to a place near Tucson, Arizona called “Colossal Cave.” The name invokes high expectations, but did the attraction deliver? Find out next time.

Until then, check out this gorgeous “A-Spec” ILX rendering by Dillon. The wheels, exhaust system, and taillights are stunning. If only Acura would build such an option package!

5 Comments »

Labor Day Weekend Fun: Chuck’s Ragtop

Posted in Legend, Reader's Ride on September 3, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 526,845

Odometer (ILX): 53,066

Hey, here’s something you don’t see every day: Legend convertible!

This 1988 L coupe was converted when new (at a cost of around $10,000) to a convertible. The car today has about 111,000 miles on it but runs amazingly for being 25 years old. Chuck, Paul, and I took it for a Sunday drive around the Phoenix East Valley area. Wind buffeting was pretty extreme in the backseat but the car rode as smooth as could be.

I commented to Chuck, “This thing sure gets a lot of looks.” He responded, “They’re not looking at the car; they’re looking at those 3 crazy guys who are insane for driving with the top down when it’s 105 degrees.”

Hot or not, we had our fun tooling around in this unique ride.

It was an action-packed weekend playing with cars. On Friday night, we welcomed road tripper Ben who I featured recently on a Reader’s Ride. Last weekend, Ben was at the National Acura Legend Meet in North Carolina and he’s been working his way back to the west coast via some exciting destinations (Jacksonville, New Orleans, Austin, and El Paso).

Left: Chuck’s 1993 Sirius White Pearl Legend LS coupe 6-speed with 31,000 miles
Right: Ben’s 1992 Frost White Legend LS coupe automatic with 190,000 miles

Chuck (same owner of the convertible pictured above) was gracious enough to bring the low-mileage coupe out for the occasion, even though it was raining. He told me this was only the second time it’s ever been driven in the rain.

We receive over 300 days of sunshine in Phoenix per year, but this wasn’t one of them.

We tried out a restaurant that’s been featured on the Travel Channel in Chandler, Arizona called “Chino Bandido.” I must say I was impressed – especially with the sugar cookies they gave out for dessert!

Later, Ben came over to my place to visit.

My Legend coupe got a much-needed bath after the long journey to North Carolina. I also took the time to polish the chrome exhaust tips with some Mother’s Mag & Aluminum polish. The results are pretty striking!

On Saturday morning, the Legend went in for a 5W30 oil & filter change at Acura of Tempe. I was able to get this service for free since I use a punch card and had accumulated enough punches for a freebie. It had been exactly 4,300 miles since the last oil change (performed on June 26). I believe that might have been the longest I’ve ever driven the car between changes, but I’ll have to check the maintenance spreadsheet to be sure.

My friend Paul who drives a TL SH-AWD stopped by to visit, too. The lounge amenities at the dealership make it a great place to hang out. Cookies, chips, and drinks – not to mention WiFi and leather chairs. It’s better than home!

The technician’s inspection notes about the Legend’s mechanical needs were as follows:

Driver’s P/S Rack Boot Leaking
Differential Leaking
Transmission Leaking
P/S Fluid Low

I had asked for “no wash” and they complied, which was great since I had just detailed the car by hand this week.

Ever wondered what the private party resale value is on a car with over 500,000 miles? A friend of mine ran some numbers on the value of my Legend, just for kicks. Unfortunately, the Edmunds website didn’t even want to give him a $ figure! A dialog box popped up saying, “Total Mileage Cannot Exceed 400,000 Miles.” Oh, is that so?

Next, he went to Kelley Blue Book. These numbers are pretty promising. $2,472 as a private party value in “Excellent” condition, even with the mileage factored in. Not too shabby!

In ILX news, I noticed that my front left marker light has now burned out. I’ve actually been anticipating this for quite some time. Ever since I first started driving the car in June 2012, I’ve driven with headlights + foglights on for safety almost 100% of the time. So it’s no surprise that after thousands of hours of illumination, a bulb has finally given up.

I stopped by Autozone to see if they had such a bulb in stock, but was told that it’s a dealership-only thing. Bummer. I will fix it and roll onward! I’m having a great time with the car as the summer heat slowly starts saying goodbye. I can’t wait until it’s windows-down weather in Phoenix again.

Thanks Ben, Paul, and Chuck for some fun weekend times!

4 Comments »

NALM Day 6: Home Sweet Home, Arizona

Posted in Legend, NALM, Road Trip on August 26, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 526,807

Day Distance: 1,090 Miles

North Carolina to Arizona in two days. Seems almost impossible, even to me! But, I am living proof that it’s possible. Boy does it ever feel good to be back at home! As much as I love life on the road, after this adventure I’m completely exhausted. The 4,073 miles of memories were totally worth it, though.

My day started in Dallas, Texas at 5:30 in the morning with a wake-up call that made me want to throw my iPhone out the window. Between traversing multiple time zones, my sleep patterns are all out of whack and I was far from rested. I told my Garmin Nuvi GPS unit that I wanted to “Go Home.” A few minutes of calculation later, and it said I would arrive in 15 hours, 10 minutes. Sigh.

But what was unique about those hours? They were all on the same. exact. freeway. Check it out (below picture, top left corner). Once I got underway on I-20, my next turn was in a whopping 1,048 miles. This is where I basically activated autopilot mode for the duration of the drive. As long as I kept the car between the white lines, I’d be at my home by later in the evening.

Sunup to sundown. That’s how I roll.

One nice thing about west Texas (and perhaps, the only nice thing?) is that the speed limits are high.

I spent several hundred miles staring at this: cruise control activated around 87-89 mph. I had a tough time feeling “okay” about driving at such a rate of speed without fear of police intervention, but I was grateful to make the drive pass by quickly.

This is about as interesting as the scenery gets out there.

I rolled through the small towns of Abilene, Midland, Odessa. The primary industry out there is oil & gas. Along the vast landscape you can see dozens of oil pumps bobbing up and down. Midland, by the way, was home to former U.S. President George Bush as well as his wife Laura. I learned that from a road sign at city limits.

Picking up some lost time! I crossed two time zone boundaries (Mountain & Pacific).

Fuel in Willcox, Arizona after finally entering my home state again.

And back on the interstate to continue the westward journey.

Those nice looking blue skies soon transformed into something a bit more gloomy. As I neared Tucson city limits, things looked pretty ominous.

It warmed my heart to see “Phoenix” on a sign at last. I was getting so close.

Until…. I entered a total parking lot on the interstate! Extreme weather had contributed to a 6-car pileup. Imagine having driven 1,000 miles and being only 50 miles from home, then coming to standstill. I was discouraged.

Those remaining 50 miles were tedious and scary. A torrential “monsoon” rainstorm had torn down trees, overturned an 18-wheeler, and stripped some of the road signs right out of the ground. Rain was still coming down very heavily as I made my way into the Phoenix valley. But I made it!

It is so good to get home. I extend a huge thanks to everyone who checked in on me throughout the journey!

Here are a few fun facts about my trip:

Total Distance: 4,073 Miles in 6 Days
Average Daily Distance: 678 Miles
If I drove 678 miles per day, every day for a year, that would be 247,000 miles in a year
11 States Visited: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana
Crappiest Roads: Toss-up between Jackson, Mississippi, and Shreveport, Louisiana. Roller coaster ride, broken pavement, and potholes the size of the Grand Canyon
Most Road Construction: The entire Interstate 40 corridor in northern New Mexico
Best Food: Zaxby’s fried chicken in Asheville, North Carolina. WE NEED a Zaxby’s in Arizona!
Worst Food: Chobani yogurt from the Love’s Travel Center #475 in Sweetwater, Texas. It looked like soup. Also, the chocolate milk that I got there expired on May 31st, nearly a full 3 months ago. Gross.
Best Scenery: Interstate 40 from Knoxville, Tennessee to Asheville, North Carolina. 2 tunnels and some of the most amazing curves I’ve ever driven.
Worst Scenery: Everything from Abilene to El Paso, Texas. That 453-mile stretch is forgettable.
National Acura Legend Meets That My Legend Has Been To (Starting 2005): Dallas, Tulsa, Las Vegas, Chattanooga, Branson, Morristown, Salt Lake City, and now Asheville
Other Car Sightings: Legend (1) ILX (0)
Favorite Pit Stop: Conoco classic service station in Shamrock, Texas along old Route 66
Clever Place Names: “Chair Crusher” restaurant and “Sherlock Homes” mobile home retailer in Henryetta, Oklahoma. “Mom & Pop’s Pyro Shop” fireworks dealer in Lordsburg, New Mexico. “Belly Acres” real estate in Abilene, Texas.
My Car Issues: Check engine light on day 1. Low power steering fluid on day 2. Worn out driver’s side wiper blade. Otherwise, NADA. I have not even had to add any engine oil to keep the level full.
Best Song That Came on my iPod Today: “Chariots of Fire” I loved cranking this to max volume and picturing a slow-motion race to the finish line as I neared home in the Legend.

🙂

Once again, thanks to the NALM Ground Team for putting on a phenomenal event. It was worth every mile of the drive. And thanks to all of my great readers for the support and encouragement along the way.

Final Video:

16 Comments »

Archive for the Legend Category

Pages