drivetofive

Odometer (Legend):  522,260

Odometer (ILX):  40,126

Trip Distance:  206 Miles

Would you believe I made it all the way to Miami and back for a day trip?  Sure did!  Miami, Arizona that is.  The small copper boomtown about 80 miles east of Phoenix was just one of the many destinations that I visited in my 2013 Acura ILX with a few friends today.  Here’s a 4-minute recap in country music form.

Eastward ho on US-60 we went, in search of tunnels, lakes, and bridges.

These two lucky chaps shared the ILX with me while a few of our other friends drove separately.  Kevin got shotgun and Brian had the back seat to himself.  There was plenty of room for all.

In the rearview you’ll see the participants in today’s road rally.  Brock brought his 2007 Mini Cooper S 6-speed and Matt brought his 2013 Nissan 370Z Sport 6-speed.  I took the lead and we headed for the hills.

First stop was Superior, Arizona, which from the looks of things is far from “superior” in any way.  Buildings here on Main Street have been vacant for decades.  Superior’s history starts in 1875 when the Queen Creek Mine started producing copper that brought thousands of prospectors to the area.  Mine operations have largely been shut down, but a few hearty residents (3,000, to be exact) continue to call this place home.

Our stop here was merely for a photo-op with of the ghost-towned buildings that lined this once-busy thoroughfare through town.  The cars in today’s drive were all 6-speed manuals, but that’s about all they had in common.

Thanks to Brock for this great shot!

Not a single business was open for customers along this stretch.  We peeked inside a few of these.  One was a diner that looked 100% complete inside.  It was almost as if the owners and patrons had simply vanished from existence and left everything in place.

It’s an eery feeling to walk around in a community that showed so few forms of “life.”  We saw only a few other people out and about early on Sunday afternoon.

We saw it fitting to take a picture of Matt’s 370Z in front of the historic Hotel Magma, constructed in 1923.  Matt’s Z’s official color is “Magma Red.”

A lonely cactus watches us as we bring more excitement to town than it’s probably seen for a few days.

Just a ways up the road, the drive took us through the 1952 Queen Creek Tunnel.  Originally striped as two lanes in each direction, it now has just two lanes uphill and one downhill due to wider lanes than the standard when it was constructed.  It’s roughly 1/4 mile long.  Matt got on the gas of his 370Z inside so we could all listen to his exhaust note.

Just at the north end of the tunnel, we pulled out into a gravel area and admired the scenery.

This picture shows the current (yellow line) highway where the Queen Creek Tunnel cuts directly through the mountain.  The curvy road toward the bottom of the frame is the pre-1952 highway alignment.  It also included a short tunnel, called the Claypool tunnel.  This was a critical piece of infrastructure for travelers going from Superior to the next town.

Claypool tunnel is now completely closed to automobile traffic but it can be reached in a short 15 minute hike from the current road.  We crossed through this gate and went to check it out.

Temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit didn’t melt our appetite for adventure.

Peering over the edge of the road, we saw the remains of some auto wreckage in the ravine below.

Jack admires the scenery.  Though it’s been over 60 years since this stretch of road was in service, we could still see plenty of areas where the blacktop and even painted road lines are still clearly visible.

Soon, we could see the Claypool tunnel.

Aside from the sound of our shoes crunching along in the dirt, we heard unmistakable squeaking sounds coming from the ceiling.  Connor pulled out his cell phone to see if this tunnel would allow him to “check in” on his FourSquare app, and indeed our suspicions were confirmed when he saw what it was called there:  “Bat Cave.”

Jack captured this picture of me walking along.  It looks like something from a sci-fi film!

It’s amazing how crudely built this tunnel was.  There is graffiti on the walls but it’s litter-free and relatively undisturbed.

Coming out the other end, it’s difficult to tell that this was even at one time a road.

Here I am playing tour guide and telling the others about the history of the tunnel that I’d learned online.  They just roll their eyes at me when I start spouting off random facts and trivia.  I love geeking out on stuff like this!

Time to make our way back to the cars and continue the journey.

These guys definitely have the right level of enthusiasm.

Here we are, entering Miami.  Not to be confused with the Miami, Florida that’s 2,361 miles away from my house — this one is a lot closer.

A few miles down the road, we’d seen all that Miami had to offer (which wasn’t much), and we entered the next town of Globe.  Lunch was at Jerry’s Restaurant – one of the “safest” looking places in town.  As much as I love hole-in-the-wall type food joints, I respect the health of my travel companions so I wanted something that seemed clean and had decent reviews.

Just don’t try and come here too late in the day.  Looks like they leave their closing time up in the air (Noted by “?”).

Inside, our party of 7 overtook the place.  It was a quiet Sunday afternoon in Globe.

Fueled up and ready to journey onward.

My ILX crossed the 40,000 mile mark less than a mile after leaving Jerry’s.

Thirty miles, later up Highway 188, we saw this bridge looming ahead of us.  This was the famous Roosevelt Lake Bridge.

This junction is where Highway 88 leads back to the Phoenix area via a 20+ mile dirt road and.  We opted not to do any off-roading this trip, but I’ve driven that stretch before in the Legend.

We drove as far as where the pavement ended before looping back to get a glimpse of the Roosevelt Dam.

A picture truly does not give a sense of the massive size of this dam.  Built between 1905 and 1911 and named for then-president Theodore Roosevelt, the dam currently stands 357 feet high.  I say currently because the dam when originally built was 280 feet high, but in the 1990’s it underwent some reconstruction that made it much larger. There were 41 workers who died during construction of the original engineering masterpiece.

Still, in 1911 the Roosevelt Lake that the original dam created was the world’s largest artificial reservoir.  The lake today contains over 1 million acre-feet of water.  It also put the original town of Roosevelt under water!

Here’s some information I learned from the Bureau of Reclamation about the dam and its newer bypass bridge.

Prior to completion of the bridge in October 1990, traffic drove over the top of the dam. The bridge itself earned rare distinction when the bridge was named one of the top 12 bridges in the nation in November 1995. The American Consulting Engineers Council cited the bridge for overall design, size, eye-appeal and design challenge. Other bridges cited were the Golden Gate Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge.

The $21.3 million bridge was built to take traffic off the top of Roosevelt Dam. Roosevelt Lake Bridge is the longest two-lane, single-span, steel-arch bridge in North America. The bridge, spans 1,080 feet across Roosevelt Lake providing two-way traffic. The original dam-top roadway was designed to allow two Model-T Fords to pass abreast, but today’s recreational vehicles and full-size automobiles are too wide to permit two-way traffic.

Here, we parked our vehicles in the overlook and viewed the bridge from a distance.

The bridge was painted blue so that it would blend in with the sky.  I’d say they matched the color quite perfectly.

Check out the interior of Brock’s Mini Cooper with just 50,000 miles on it.

This is the view from the other side of the dam.

Notice that the road on the bridge has a slight upward curvature.  This is because if the bridge was level, drivers would have the perception that the roadway was sagging — not a good sensation when you’re driving 150 feet above the water!

One more shot of the rides, anxious for the last leg of our journey.

Group shot:  Brian, Tyson, Jack, Matt, Kevin, Connor, Brock

We cruised back to Highway 188 and headed northbound.

Here’s what it looked like to cross that 1,080-foot bridge.

Our last stop was for some refreshing drinks (remember, it was a 100-degree Arizona day!) at the Butcher Hook restaurant, store, and saloon in Tonto Basin.

Highway 87 took us home.

Thanks to my friends for coming along – whether in person, or vicariously through the blog post.

Odometer (Legend):  518,436

Odometer (ILX):  25,101

As a southern Utah native, I’ve grown up around red sandstone rock formations.  The 10,000-resident town of Sedona, Arizona feels a lot like my hometown in terms of the landscape that surrounds it.  Saturday’s drive was a 312-mile out-and-back trip in the 2013 Acura ILX, with a slight detour from Sedona to Flagstaff on curvy Highway 89A.

Unlike last weekend’s solo trip to Hope, Arizona, this time I dragged 10 friends along for the ride!  We were in 5 vehicles:

• Woody and Lucas rode in the 2012 Honda Civic Si
• Josh brought his 2012 Lexus IS350
• Matt brought a 2012 Infiniti G37 IPL Convertible
• We met up with Ryan in his 2006 Acura TL
• And Beau rode with me in the 2013 Acura ILX

All 3 of the Japanese “premium” brands were well represented.

Here’s our pre-trip staging at the Circle K gas station in north Phoenix off the 101 freeway and 7th Avenue at about 11:00 in the morning.

These sporty rides look like they’re ready to conquer the hills.

Our first pit stop was the Sunset Point rest area off I-17 after we climbed a couple thousand feet and weather got a little cloudy.

From an online write-up about Sunset Point:

The Sunset Point Rest Area is a large rest area with different things to look at while you stretch your legs. There are:

• Vendor Machines

• Rest Rooms

• Pet Exercise Area

• Signs with Interesting Words

• Poisonous Snakes and Insects

• A Sundial memorial to Transporation Workers

• Picnic Benches

• … And more!

Thankfully we didn’t encounter any of those poisonous snakes or insects.

Siblings.  Woody’s Civic Si and my ILX share the same 201-horsepower 2.4 liter motor and 6-speed manual drivetrain.

There were scattered snow flurries on the 17 as we made our way northbound.  Soon we arrived at our turnoff for Highway 179 north which would get us to Sedona in fewer than 10 miles.

Highway 179 curves around various roundabouts, and we started seeing some of the area’s characteristic rock formations right away.

Arriving in Sedona.  According to the city’s website, this place receives between 2 to 4 million visitors per year.  Those who live there year-round have an average age of 50.

First order of business was to put our hunger to rest, and what better place than an alien-themed restaurant?  The Red Planet Diner is another Roadside America hotspot, having attracted guests for decades to its extraterrestrial atmosphere.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve traveled to places of interplanetary nature.  In 2005, I took my Acura Legend to Nevada’s state highway 375, also known as the Extraterrestrial Highway, just outside Area 51.

The Red Planet Diner was filled with odd decor.

Sorry aliens; find an ATM!

Most of our 11-person party went with the “signature” Red Planet Burger for $9.49.  I enhanced mine with mushroom & avocado for $2 extra.

There were plenty of odd sights to keep us entertained.  The food came out surprisingly quick and it was tasty.

This countertop was covered in images that had been taken of UFO or alien sightings over the years.

The exit door has a sign on it that announces our return to Planet Earth.

Outside, our cars lined for a quick photo-op.  Combined mileage on these 5 cars is only about 140,000 miles (and over half of those are on Ryan’s TL alone).  These are some new rides.

Three of the five cars were not wearing Arizona license plates:

• My ILX:  Registered to Acura headquarters in California
• Matt’s G37 IPL:  Registered to Nissan headquarters in Michigan
• Ryan’s TL:  Registered in his hometown of Yankton, South Dakota

The Infiniti was the most expensive car there, doubling my ILX’s pricetag at $62,000.  It’s equipped with the “Infiniti Performance Line” package including a red leather interior.  It was also the most powerful car in our lineup at 348 horsepower.  The Lexus followed with 306 horsepower and an MSRP just over $40k.

Here’s the gang at Red Planet prior to our departure.  Cheesy group pics are my specialty.

Woody’s Civic, named “Rosie Oprah Ling,” stands out in a crowd thanks to her red paint.

Next stop was Mickey-D’s for a hot cocoa.

This McDonald’s on Highway 89A is the only one in the world with its arches painted torquoise instead of yellow.  In Sedona, great lengths are taken to preserve the natural appearance of the community.  Residents are emphatic about minimizing the “noise” created by urban development, so they’ve enacted strict building requirements.  In this case, reportedly the only way the city would allow McDonald’s to build there was if they ditched the yellow M.

Many communities like Sedona are characterized by a lack of street lights.  The goal here, of course, is to minimize light pollution at nighttime and allow the stars to more readily be seen.

Next up we visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross was built at a cost of $300,000 in 1956.  It rises 250 feet out of a red rock cliff.  Upon closer inspection, the chapel is pictured here.  It truly does blend in with the surroundings.

Tour admission was free so we took a gander inside.

I spy the ILX in the parking lot below.

A look inside.  There was a gift shop in the lower level.

In the distance, “Cathedral Rock” can be seen.  I’ve heard this presents a great hiking opportunity but with temps in the 30’s Fahrenheit, we decided to pass for now.

Back to the cars for the final leg of our journey.

This last shot of the chapel was taken out the moonroof of the ILX.

My intent after visiting the chapel had been to hike Devil’s Bridge, the largest sandstone arch in the area.  It’s only a 2-mile round-trip hike, but those chilly temperatures (for us Arizonans, anyway) caused us to rethink that idea.  I’ll go back when it’s 50 or so degrees warmer and hike Devil’s Bridge.  Instead of hiking, we started our ascent to Flagstaff via Highway 89A.

Hwy 89A climbs from Sedona at 4,326 feet in elevation to Flagstaff at elevation 6,910 feet over the course of 25 miles.  The views along the highway are especially stunning when fall colors are at their peak.

This road was a playground for my 6-speed equipped ILX.  The car is so fun to shift through the gears that I find myself oftentimes downshifting unnecessarily.  On these mountain grades, third and fourth gears were just the right match for giving me the power I needed to climb in elevation.  Turns are tight and suspension tuning is key.  Here’s where I think Acura engineers did a great job at achieving optimal ride & cornering balance for the 2,978-pound ILX.

This is the Google Map view of the twisties.

For a good chunk of this road, my XM radio was not picking up stations due to the canyon walls blocking the signal.  I haven’t had that happen very often!  Finally we made it to Interstate 17 and regrouped briefly at a scenic overlook.

Interesting to note here that my ILX happened to be the highest-mileage vehicle in our photoshoot, yet was the newest model year!  Left to right:

• 2012 Civic:  18,000 miles
• 2012 G37 IPL:  11,000 miles
• 2013 ILX:  25,000 miles
• 2012 IS350:  8,000 miles

On the way back to Scottsdale, my ILX completed its 25,000 mile mark.

This milestone means that the Acura ILX is now 5% of the way to 500,000!   That doesn’t even seem close, but hey it’s worth celebrating!

Thanks for coming along on the latest drive to five.

Update on Gunther Holtorf’s 1988 Mercedes

Readers who’ve been with me awhile will remember when I introduced them last July to Gunther Holtorf, a 75-year-old man who since 1988 has been traveling the world in his Mercedes SUV, having driven in over 170 countries and traversed over 800,000 kilometers.  His inspirational world tour has been without fanfare or sponsors.  He expects to visit the last 10 countries by August 2013.  Following is a quote by Gunther that I found meaningful:

The world is overpopulated and the tourist industry has sent too many people to too many places. We go to the famous places—Niagara Falls, the Taj Mahal—but exploring the globe means you have to look behind the curtain. You have to visit the small villages. Big cities all over the Third World are very much alike. But in the countryside, it’s a different world.

I also especially liked this quote about how Gunther’s travels are a personal undertaking and for no other reason.

I travel for myself, nothing else. I don’t care about communicating with the world and I don’t do anything to please the world. It’s a private undertaking and that’s it. Many travelers, backpackers especially, they undergo all this stress and strain to find an Internet connection. And they sit there for hours typing stories about what they ate for breakfast or whether the customs officer smiled at them or not. Who cares about reading things like that? That’s their world, but it’s not mine.

And then I reflected on how in my last post, I talked about what I had for breakfast in Wickenburg, Arizona.  Ha!  See the article here from Outside Magazine for more pictures and a detailed update.  Be sure to scroll through each of the 12 pages.

Honda History Lesson

Long before Acura came around in 1986, Honda’s been building quality automobiles.  The first one dates back to 1963.  There’s something endearing about the Hondas of yesteryear – they’re so gosh-darn cute.  Ever laid eyes on an N600?

As we’ve advanced so far into the world of bluetooth, iPhone connectivity, and even cars that basically drive themselves (look at the new Lincoln MKZ with its “Lane Keeper” system and adaptive cruise control), we seem to have forgotten the simplicity that could once be enjoyed on the road.  Honda’s early cars were innovative for their time.  Take a peek at some vintage Honda ads on the Production Cars literature website.  Following are some things I learned:

• A 1986 Civic “Wagovan” with Real-Time 4-Wheel-Drive.  Did you know that this car had a 6-speed transmission with ultra-low first gear?
• A 1977 Civic 5-speed got 54 miles per gallon highway, 41 miles per gallon city – an industry first to exceed 50 mpg!
• The ad copy on some of these treasures is quality.  I especially love the final line on the ad for this 1981 Civic GL.  “Is the Civic GL a sports car?  There’s only one way to settle this.  And it isn’t here.”

My friend Tyler knows that I lust after a 1979 Honda Prelude, the first model year of the Prelude.  The gauge cluster on this car actually had the tachometer inside the speedometer and running on the same axis.  Little known fact:  every Prelude from 1979 to its final year in 2001 was equipped with a moonroof.

Til Next Time

Safe travels to all!  Elsewhere in the country, winter storms are making a mess of the roadways.  This particular 1994-1995 Acura Legend sedan (photo sent to me by a friend in Salt Lake City, Utah this week) looks to be a victim of said storms.

Meanwhile in Arizona, my neighbors are putting blankets over their landscaping when it threatens to freeze.

Tune in next time!