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Saturday Drive to Greenlee County: Town of Duncan, Arizona

Posted in Arizona, Ghost Town, ILX, Road Trip on December 20, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 540,423

Odometer (ILX): 149,872

Trip Distance: 481 Miles

Come back with me to 1883 today. About 5 miles from the New Mexico state line lies a community that I’ll introduce you to.

Duncan’s story mirrors that of so many other small towns of the Old West: Mining origins, bustling and prosperous earlier years, and a steady decline from then onward. Today, the 696 people who live there are hearty. After all, they’ve survived two devastating Gila River floods that nearly wiped out the entire town, not to mention a widespread fire. To top it all off, the main highway through town – once a critical east-west thoroughfare – was bypassed about 30 miles to the south by Interstate 10 in the 1950’s. Duncan was left high and (not so) dry for the next several decades. It’s a small town in every sense: The people all know one another. Traffic lights are non-existent. And the locals look at you with a raised eyebrow and ask, “You came to Duncan, why?” if you tell them you’re visiting.

It seemed only fitting that before visiting Duncan, I visit Dunkin (Donuts). So, I grabbed a bagel and beverage in Scottsdale around 7:30 in the morning before beginning my journey.

My day started out eastbound on US Highway 60 on a voyage back in time. By the time I’d driven 100 miles, I’d already passed through a half dozen teeny little towns that were past their prime: Places like Miami, Claypool, and Globe that survive – barely – on the mining industry thanks to nearby Freeport McMoRan copper extraction operations. I stopped just a couple of times for photos at abandoned sites and to explore some back alleyways with their boarded-up windows and rickety looking exteriors. I also stumbled across a collection of four 1950’s Lincolns tucked away on a side street, some in better condition than others.

In Globe, I cut to Highway 70 and continued heading toward New Mexico. I rolled on a two-laner through the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation which covers 1.8 million acres in eastern Arizona. No reservation would be complete without a casino or two, and I exercised restraint by not stopping at the Apache Gold Casino Resort, lined extravagantly with palm trees that looked very out of place in this barren landscape. I also was tempted to make a stop at the “Rock-A-Buy” rock shop on the roadside, but decided to press on. I arrived in Duncan at 11:58 in the morning, just in time to pull my Acura ILX into Bart Tipton’s Saloon – long since boarded up – for a photo next to a 1950’s Chevy fire truck that probably hasn’t moved in quite some time now.

Church bells rang out the 12:00 hour, and I received a wave from a woman on the patio of the Riverfront Lounge across the street. She was probably mumbling to herself, “Damn tourist.” I think I had the only vehicle in town newer than about a 1990 model year. Jason arrived not long afterward in his well-traveled Mazda 6 sedan and we dined at the only place available for lunchtime grub: Tumbleweed Cafe / Patio / Lounge at 206 Old West Highway. Jason and I had work to do: The purpose of our meet-up was to lay the preliminary ground work for a 2016 Alaska drive we’ll be taking together next May. It’s now been 10 years since my dad and I took a similar 7,500-mile round-trip drive to Fairbanks and back in my Legend, and I’ve been wanting to go back.

The Western Burger hit the spot while Jason and I took a detailed look at timing, destinations, and budget topics for our Alaska trip. You’ll see coverage of that adventure in its entirety next year, and I’m excited to take you all along for the ride. Our very young waiter made a fuss at the cash register when we went to pay the bill for lunch. “You guys had to wait awhile; I’m going to take 10% off your bill,” he said. I told him not to worry about it. The total for our meals was only $20, and we’d been busy chatting it up about Alaska, anyway.

Duncan was the perfect meeting point for our Saturday drive because it represented a 3.5 hour one-way drive for me and a 2.5 hour drive for Jason. We took some time to explore the town – or what’s left of it – now that we were well-fed. A few blocks west of the restaurant lies a concrete platform that was once home to a railroad station. A drive down “East” Street (which is more gravel than paved) reveals older homes that have clung to their foundations in spite of the floods that came through the area, as well as empty lots where not-so-lucky homes used to reside. We got a few looks from locals who were setting up for an outdoor picnic of sorts in their front yard.

Next we rolled up to a park that at one time was probably the pride of the town. In 1998, a jet fighter plane was perched on top of a hill just south of town in recognition of the men and women of the Armed Forces who had served from the Duncan area. Today, the park is in a sort of disrepair. The adjacent swimming pool looks like an algae breeding ground, and the landscaping looks like it hasn’t seen much attention in awhile. Still, we got a good overview of the valley from there and the winding Gila River in the distance.

Our last stop was at Germaine’s Emporium, an elaborate collection of antiques, toys, books, and just general “stuff” right on the main highway. There were only two other customers there – locals, I think. Jason and I walked through the series of 5 or 6 rooms that were crammed with artifacts on shelf after shelf. I didn’t have cash on hand (shame on me), but Jason loaned me $1.40 so I could buy a cute little hardbound New Testament that was probably 100 years old.

It was time to split ways, so I said farewell to Jason and we headed in opposite directions on the Old West Highway. I looped home via an alternate route – interstate this time, instead of back roads. The I-10 experience is far less interesting but also far less involved than going through all the little towns on US 70 and US 60. I set my cruise control at 78 miles per hour and whizzed through Willcox, Benson, and Tucson on my way home, arriving just in time for a Saturday night out with friends. Enjoy the rest of the pics below!

Morning visit to Dunkin Donuts on Hayden Road in Scottsdale

Abandoned building in Miami (Arizona, that is)

Traveler Hotel in Miami. I think it’s closed, but that’s just a guess.

Who can identify the year of this Pink Lincoln?

Roadside abandoned service station on US 70

Restroom facilities are long-since left to ruin

Even Keen’s “Fort Thomas” Store was shut down, with a lonely dry gas pump out front

Pictured here is the Simpson Hotel in Duncan, built 101 years ago and still in operation today.

Some of the other cars around Duncan, including a decent-shape 1985 Honda CRX.

One-stop shop!

Exploring a dirt road up a canyon south of Duncan, until I got to a No Trespassing sign

Owner will finance! Should I buy some property in Duncan? Fixer-upper, for sure.

Rock church in Duncan

Lunch is served. And the curly fries were better than the ones at Arby’s!

Elevated concrete platform where a train station used to reside

Kool Spot RV Park and its elaborately painted (not) sign

View of Mount Graham as seen from US Highway 191 between Safford and Interstate 10

And finally a sunset as seen while stuck in bridge construction traffic on I-10 near Benson last night

Thanks for joining!

Here are a few other fun links to take a peek at today.

2017 NSX pricing now announced: $156k – $205k!
2016 ILX self-driving car, built by the same guy who hacked the original iPhone
Somebody buy this extra set of NSX wheels from me!

Have a great week, everyone.

18 Comments »

Southern Utah Trip for Thanksgiving: Rockville and Beaver

Posted in ILX, Road Trip, Utah on November 29, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 540,208

Odometer (ILX): 148,512

Trip Distance: 1,037 Miles

It’s an annual tradition of mine to head north on major holidays since most of my family lives in Utah. On Thanksgiving Thursday, I drove through one of my favorite pieces of road – Highway 89A between Flagstaff, Arizona and Kanab, Utah. It’s a remote red-rock wonderland with spotty cell phone reception and lightly-traveled two-lane roads.

My destination was Rockville, Utah – a town of only 247 people (of which my aunt Jodi is one). She hosted over a dozen people at her home on Main Street for a potluck feast, card games, and viewing of the classic holiday film “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.”

My friend Ryan drove down from Logan, Utah to celebrate the holiday with us in his recently-purchased Audi. On Friday morning, he and I headed out to Interstate 15 northbound and Beaver, Utah where my younger brother Bentley has recently finished building a cabin. Snow flurries kept us from taking full advantage of the posted 80 mph speed limit from Toquerville to Cedar City, as visibility was not good enough. From Beaver, we did our share of Black Friday shopping by stopping at the Family Dollar on Main Street for a couple of crock pots – half off, at only $8 each! Best of all, no line at the register.

It had been over a year since I took the canyon drive up Highway 153 toward Eagle Point Ski Resort, but I knew very well that if road conditions were less than optimal, it would be a smarter move to leave the ILX at the base of the mountain and hop into Ryan’s all-wheel-drive Audi A4. Skies were clear so we headed on up in tandem for the 23-mile drive to my brother’s place. The highway twists through wooded forest, then sharply ascends some switchbacks as it climbs to 9,100 feet in elevation. The scenery was rewarding all the way up. The final stretch was un-plowed, single-lane roadway so I did have to ditch my car in a parking lot but Ryan’s A4 made it.

I’m now a believer in “Quattro!” We enjoyed a charming evening from the cabin with homemade turkey dinner courtesy of my dad and my step-mom. We also played a little in the snow outside with my nephew Beckam who was putting a few miles on a remote-controlled snowmobile. Luckily, the storm system didn’t leave us with more than a light dusting of fresh powder and the following morning, skies were vivid blue.

My car wasn’t too thrilled about cranking over in 4-degree temperatures, but it started on the first push of the button anyway. Ryan and I made our way carefully down the steep canyon, knowing that the possibility of icy roads was very real.

Ryan and I made just one more stop before splitting ways and heading to our respective homes. The abandoned “Sleepy Lagoon Motel” on the south end of Beaver had caught our eye. Some of the motel’s 20 rooms were wide open with furnishings still intact. I later learned that Sleepy Lagoon has been around since the 1950’s but was badly damaged by a fire in 2005. That would perhaps explain why I couldn’t find a lobby. The place has sat for the last 10 years awaiting a buyer who will probably come in and bulldoze the whole thing.

Here are my pictures from this week’s trip!

The Arizona Department of Transportation decided to get clever with its freeway messaging this weekend.

Highway 89A approaching Lee’s Ferry

Lee’s Ferry, a remote spot on Highway 89A where this 1929 bridge crossed the Colorado River. It’s since been bypassed by a newer bridge to the west.

This may just be the most scenic gas station I’ve ever visited. The background almost looks like a painting, but it’s not.

A few miles down the road, this is Marble Canyon where huge boulders line the side of the road.

Beginning my ascent toward Jacob Lake at nearly 8,000 feet in elevation.

From here, the road gets twisty and quickly gains elevation toward the summit where Highway 67 branches off toward the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Fresh snowfall from the prior evening still dusted some of the side roads in that area.

Fredonia, Arizona, is home to this historic / abandoned service station. I’d love to go inside and take a look around.

Photo with my mom on Aunt Jodi’s back patio

The backyard extends toward the bank of the Virgin River which comes through Zion National Park.

Enjoying dinner

Card games afterward

Eastbound Highway 153 nearing Eagle Point Ski Resort, outside Beaver, Utah

My brother’s mountain home

Nephew Beckam is a selfie pro!

Dad’s 2013 MDX with 32,000 miles was right at home in this terrain

Crispy Saturday morning departure

Attempting a window fix on Ryan’s A4. My brother let the passenger window down to back the car out and it wouldn’t return shut. Ryan ended up driving about 4.5 hours home without a window! In freezing temps, no less.

The ‘lagoon’ at Sleepy Lagoon Motel in Beaver

Parked in front of the Sleepy Lagoon rooms – notice doors wide open on some rooms.

Some of the interior furnishings still remain, even mattresses and chairs in some cases!

24 Comments »

2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada: Ludacris Legend, Galpin ILX, & World Record Volvo

Posted in ILX, Legend, Milestones, Nevada, Road Trip, SEMA on November 5, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 540,089

Odometer (Ludacris’ Legend): 246,080

Odometer (ILX):

Trip Distance: 616 Miles

Viva Las Vegas! Or was it “Lo$t Wages”?

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) has been around since 1963 and is a huge trade group centered around the automotive aftermarket industry. It’s grown to a colossal size with over 6,300 member companies. Its largest trade show, held every year at the Las Vegas Convention Center, occupies more than a half-million square feet of space.

SEMA week puts every “car geek” into a candy store. Its full week of activities bring every participant the sights, sounds, and yes – even smells, of the automotive industry. I’m talking about these scented Little Trees, and they’ve been around since 1952 when this first version on display was created. What’s your favorite scent?

This wasn’t my first SEMA rodeo. Here are write-ups from years prior:

This year’s show included some special components which I was excited to see: The Acura display booth contained the now-fully-restored 1993 Acura Legend sedan that belongs to 20-million-fan music artist Ludacris, as well as a highly modified 2016 Acura ILX in vivid Sunburst Yellow with a host of performance and cosmetic upgrades. Legends and ILXs? It’s like they structured show content around exactly the type of content that would interest me!

My friend Chris described the SEMA experience as “It’s like being at the mall on Black Friday.” It’s overwhelming to be among the crowds, with all the suppliers clamoring for your business with “Look at me!” signage and fanfare. Another friend, Nina, calculated that if you walked the entire floorplan of the 4 gigantic convention rooms plus the outside areas and the adjoining hallways, it would be the equivalent of completing a marathon. I’ll have to throw on a GPS watch someday and validate that claim. My legs believe it.

I arrived in Las Vegas on Monday night after an uneventful 4.5 hour drive from the Phoenix area in my Legend. I met up with long-time friend Tommy who’d made a similar distance from LA that same afternoon. Later in the the evening, famed HondaPro Jason (pictured with me above) made his arrival into the McCarran Airport from a Chicago flight. Jason has made a name for himself as “THE” Honda guy over the past few years since his YouTube channel launched in 2012. Today, he has 32,000 subscribers and 27,000 followers on his Facebook page. Jason’s flight arrived around midnight, so I played Shuttle Driver for him as well as for Jeff of Temple of VTEC.

Tuesday’s two key events for me were two Honda press conferences: The first was at 9:30 a.m. to showcase Honda’s latest news in off-road / Baja racing with an all-new Honda Ridgeline pickup truck, scheduled for its first race in less than two weeks. The second was a 20-minute presentation at 1:00 p.m. by Acura Senior Vice President Jon Ikeda as well as Creative Director Dave Marek. Jon and Dave introduced two exciting vehicles to the crowd of media and industry personnel who were assembled there.

The first car was Ludacris‘ 1993 Legend, newly reborn since a June 2015 accident left it damaged on the right rear quarter panel. I had some Q&A time with Dave after the conference and received some insights into the specifics of the build. His intent was to bring the car back to its former glory as well as add a few touches to make it even better. He succeeded in every aspect.

Among improvements to the Legend are the following:

H&R Springs
Eibach Camber Kit
18 Inch Rays Wheels on Bridgestone Potenza Tires
Wilwood 6-Piston Front / 4-Caliper Rear Brakes
Fresh Paint and Leather
Pioneer AVIC 8 / ONEX Head Unit with Apple CarPlay
Alpine Subwoofer

The second car was a vivid orange 2016 ILX, outfitted with a body kit, an aggressively modified suspension and custom wheels – as one would expect at SEMA. The details extended to the interior where the stitching on the seats and steering wheel was matched in the same orange color. The ILX, which was customized by Galpin Auto Sports, will be given away as part of a charity event for the Ludacris Foundation which since 2001 has provided tens of thousands of hours into service projects and youth development activities.

I had to stop and catch my breath for about 20 minutes while I charged my phone and scarfed down a $13 piece of pepperoni pizza in the food court. Then it was back to battle where I wandered around to see a few more sights and meet up with friends. By 4:30, Jason and I departed from the hustle and bustle to prepare for an exclusive evening activity with the Honda and Acura executives. We were able to participate at an intimate dinner at MGM Grand’s “Hakkasan” Nightclub with a dozen or more of the company’s highest-ranking leaders. They were incredibly approachable and I enjoyed the dialogue and the food! Honda threw a big “soiree” later that evening out on the dance floor, and hundreds of people came out to party.

On Day 2, I woke up to rare rain in Las Vegas and made my way to the AAPEX Show, similar to SEMA and containing a lot of the same content, but located at the Sands Convention Center several blocks away. The main reason I needed to drop in was that I’d learned Irv Gordon was in attendance. Irv achieved fame by logging over 3,000,000 miles on his red 1966 Volvo P1800. That feat was enough to put him in the Guinness Book of World Records. In fact, he’s been the world record holder since 1998 when his car had only 1.69 million miles on it. I wish I’d met Irv, but sadly the Castrol booth only featured his car.

My last stop before skipping out of town was next door to Castrol at the Car-Freshner display where I got a whiff of the new 2016 scents. The product specialist on duty invited me into a phone booth of sorts, where I pressed a button and the smells activated. My favorite was definitely “Copper Canyon.” Now, if only they invited “scratch & sniff” computer monitors so you could all be smelling it with me!

My Legend rolled 540,000 miles on the way home to Phoenix. Fitting, since it was also November 4th of exactly 4 years ago when the car rolled 500,000 at Acura’s red-carpet party. Thanks for joining for this year’s SEMA trip. Enjoy my photos and a short video below!

Here’s a pit stop on Highway 93 where I stopped between Kingman, AZ and Hoover Dam. Irv’s picture on top, mine on bottom!

With Acura Public Relations Manager, Jessica Fini

Having a seat in Ludacris’ Legend!

Creative Director Dave Marek, myself, and Public Relations’ Allie Mayer

Dave explains the ins & outs of the Legend build with some Legend fans

I presented this note to the Acura team and asked them to leave it inside the car somewhere for Ludacris.

Close-up on those beefy front brakes

Galpin ILX rear 3/4 view. I dig that spoiler!

The 2017 NSX in “Nouvelle Blue Pearl.” Stunning!

Other sights from SEMA: This “Car Capsule.” Who else desperately wants one of these as much as I do?

Very clean Toyota Supra

Monster truck outside

Meeting up with my buddy Joey from the Atlanta area

Acura VP Jon Ikeda

RealTime Racing’s Peter Cunningham, and my friend (fellow Legend owner) Tommy

This was my first time seeing the newly-launched 10th-generation Honda Civic sedan. Nice!

Pretty wild custom Honda HRV

Cruising down the Vegas Strip. 4.1 miles long, with 62,000 hotel rooms!

Walking over to the nighttime event at MGM Grand

Romeo and Lou, fellow Legend fans

Rainy morning at my motel on Wednesday in Las Vegas

Getting up close & personal with Irv Gordon’s 3-million-mile Volvo

And lastly, that awesome Car-Freshner booth!

22 Comments »

Last Leg in the Million Mile Lexus: Willcox, Arizona to Los Angeles, California

Posted in California, Legend, Road Trip on October 26, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (LS400): 922,607

Total Driven Miles in LS400: 1,383

The eagle has landed: I’ve returned the LS400 to its proud and rightful owner, Matt, in Los Angeles. His first words when I met up with him: “The car is dope, right?” Yes, Matt! It’s dope. And I’m glad I got to spend some time putting miles on it.

Sunday morning, I peeked out of the window of the Super 8 in Willcox and was greeted by a gorgeous 59-degree day. We treated ourselves to fresh waffles in the lobby and a little OJ, then decided to snag a few pictures at an abandoned Chevrolet dealership on the main street through the old part of Willcox on Haskell Road. So, the Mazda, Lexus, and Acura lined up for a photo out front as if to say, “Has any Chevrolet ever gone as far as we have?”

Just to the side of the dealership was the carcass of a 1959 Chevy station wagon, still remarkably complete and even with most of the glass intact. If I were a used car salesman, I’d say, “Clean, one owner!” The front doors were unlocked so I took a peek inside and probably would have taken a seat if the interior of the car hadn’t been covered in rubble. I did manage to get a closer look at the gauge cluster but couldn’t make out an odometer reading. Either way, I’m fairly certain that the odometer would have only displayed 5 digits. In which case, in Lexus terms, it would have rolled over 9 times.

James L and I split ways from Jason & James Z, then headed westward on I-10 toward Tucson, then Phoenix. Luckily traffic was light, weather was beautiful, and roads were clear. We did make just one pit stop off Wilmot road, Exit 269, to meet up with my new friends Chris & Josh who brought their Acura Legends out for a quick meet-up in the Chevron parking lot. Both of them drive 1991 Legends in rare “Golden Glow Pearl” paint color. Chris has a coupe with just 91,000 miles on it, and Josh has a sedan with 138,000 miles on it. Both are extremely passionate about their cars and I was honored they would take the time to swing by and let me take a closer look at them.

Home sweet home in Scottsdale, I responded to some ‘fanmail’ from a The Smoking Tire follower named Kai who’d seen on Instagram that the famous LS400 was in Arizona. I invited him to come over and check the car out. What blew me away was that Kai’s LS400 – a 1997 model but pretty much a twin to the #MML – was in phenomenal shape for 254,000 miles on the odometer. I invited him to take a spin in the ol’ Farah-mobile, but only if he agreed to fill out a logbook page about his experience, and he happily obliged.

My friend Tom stopped by as well on a business trip from Connecticut – bearing gifts, no less! He showed up with a goodie bag full of tools from the local auto parts store. He and I took the Lexus out to meet up with friends for dinner. Thanks, Tom!

Woot woot, gift basket of tools from Tom. “Legend survival kit,” he called it.

Monday morning was a typical work commute to the office 10 miles away in Scottsdale, except that I was driving a car that had been to the moon, and back, and to the moon again, and almost back again. I was the first person in the parking lot. A coworker sent me an instant message later that morning, because he knows that’s “my” parking spot. He asked if I was driving the Million Mile Lexus and wanted to know the whole story about it, which I happily provided.

I took off early in the afternoon today for the 400-mile return trip to LA from Phoenix and it was a drama-free experience – just like I’d wanted it to be. Huge thanks to Matt from The Smoking Tire for entrusting me with his prized LS400 over the past several days!

Video:

Other pics follow:

The 1959 Chevy Wagon from Willcox

Interior

Hacienda Motel on Haskell Street in Willcox has been closed for some time now

Meet up with the Golden Glow Legends and their owners

Chris’ odometer reading on his 1991 coupe

Josh’s odometer reading on his 1991 sedan

Kai’s 1997 Lexus LS400 and the Million Mile Lexus

Kai’s odometer reading

Thanks guys for meeting up!

8 Comments »

Million Mile Lexus, Meet Arizona: Road Trip to Chiricahua National Monument

Posted in Arizona, Legend, Milestones, Road Trip on October 25, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 539,421

Odometer (LS400): 922,121

Trip Distance: 466 Miles

I held up the worn-out key to Matt Farah’s 1996 Lexus LS400 at “The Dining Car,” a BBQ restaurant inside a train car in teeny Willcox, Arizona. It was a town of 3,600 people – “The Cattle Capital of the World” (so they say) – and 80 miles from the nearest Lexus service center in Tucson. “Who wants to take the LS next?” I asked. I got two different reactions from the group. Jack kind of shied away like I’d asked if anyone wanted to dog-sit for a week. Jason, on the other hand, piped up enthusiastically, “I’ll take it!”

And with that, the 921,000-mile Lexus added another driver to its list of likely hundreds of pilots who had helped get it to that milestone. Jason’s 37 mile drive from there to Chiricahua National Monument was (as he described it) bouncy, but uneventful.

Chiricahua National Monument covers 18 square miles in remote southeastern Arizona. It’s known for its vertical rock formations, believed to to be the remains of a volcanic eruption millions of years ago. The monument was set aside 91 years ago but it is far less-traveled than many of Arizona’s other natural wonders. It’s almost as if the Grand Canyon steals the show and many of these smaller parks go unappreciated. I know for a fact that I’ve lived in the state for 10 years now and hadn’t even heard of this one until just a few months ago.

It was a perfect day for road tripping on Saturday morning, October 24th. Jack, James, Chandler, and I headed out from Phoenix in roughly 1.6 million miles’ worth of cars: The 1994 Legend, 1996 LS400, and a 2000 Toyota Tacoma. Luckily we had two-way radios (or would it be three-way, since each vehicle had one) on-hand for the duration of our 233-mile trip to Willcox so we were able to pass the time by bantering back and forth. James was the first to give the LS400 a whirl. “Make sure you check out the power seat belt height adjusters on that thing,” I advised. “Oh, trust me. I already did,” he responded. “I’m like a toddler hitting all these buttons.”

Jason and James Z (another James) from Las Cruces, New Mexico met up with us in Willcox just in time for lunch. The service was top-tier at The Dining Car, but James L didn’t have much positive to say about his rubbery rack of ribs. Our next jaunt was to the entrance to the national monument — extremely remote and only accessible via some twisty two-lane back road sections of Highway 186 that go where no T-Mobile cell signal has ever gone before. Sorry, James L, that you were out of cell phone range for virtually the entire day. It’s no wonder we passed a blue sign stating NO SERVICES shortly after hanging a left onto Highway 181 for the last couple of miles. This was not the place to be worried about reliability of your car, let alone one with nearly a million miles on it.

The attendants at the Visitor Center were kind enough to draw out some instructions on a folded map. They asked if we’d be driving or hiking. “A little of both,” I told her. We learned about a 6-mile scenic drive that would take us past rock formations called Organ Pipe, Sea Captain, and China Boy. She also gave us directions to a 3-mile and a 7-mile hike. And we were off! Back in tandem, now 4 cars strong with Jason’s 2004 Mazda 6 in the mix, we climbed in elevation to the final roundabout at “Massai Point,” at 6,870 feet. The wind was gusty but the skies were beautiful and we hiked around on the nature trail enjoying panoramic views. Jack and Chandler got feeling exceptionally brave and dangled their legs off a steep cliff. We also subjected ourselves to Jack’s selfie stick for a group shot.

The afternoon was full of scenery as we made our way around the national monument, snapping pictures and capturing a little GoPro video along the way, too. My favorite part of the hike was “The Grotto” where we could actually climb through a cavern of sorts created by all the rhyolite rocks coming together.

At 4:30 p.m., we set out on a hike up to a fire lookout station that’s on the National Register of Historic Places. It was a steep and rocky trail originally blazed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. From the vantage point at the top, administrators could view on a clear day for more than 50 miles in any direction. I hurried back down the hill and made it to the parking lot just in time for dusk. Then we rallied back into our Japanese high-milers and returned to Willcox.

When I asked the front desk attendant at our Super 8 motel for dinner recommendations, I said, “What about that Rix’s Tavern on Haskell Avenue?” “You have to cook your own steak there,” he said. Oh. Well, forget that! We instead went to Isabel’s South of the Border, a Mexican place with great tacos and some of the tastiest horchata I’ve ever had. I chugged two glasses at $3 each and it was worth it.

Here are the pics from this segment of the trip! The final leg – and a short video – await you on the next go-round.

See you then!

NSX making a new friend

Tyson, Jack, Chandler, and James at Chevron pre-departure from Phoenix

Driving Jack’s truck with the Legend + LS in my rearview

Here comes that luxo-barge, now!

Getting close – just 33 to go until Willcox

Rare view, getting to see my own car when it’s on the roll.

Arrival in Willcox… otherwise known as…

… “Cattle Capital of the World.” Okay!

Lunch spot at The Dining Car / Big Tex BBQ

Inside it’s pretty much what you’d expect from food inside a rail car.

Jason meets the LS400 just prior to his 40-mile test-drive

My sign in at the Chiricahua Nat’l Monument guest register

Park attendants showing us the lay of the land

Heading on up the scenic highway

Views for days!

Lexus + Legend at the Massai Nature Trail parking area

Let’s go hiking!

Awesome rock formations throughout the area

Tyson, Jack, Chandler, James Z, Jason

Heading out on the nature trail

Jack perched on top of a rock way in the distance there

Scenery all around. This remote area was free of excessive tourist traffic, which I loved.

Acura, Mazda, Lexus, touring about the area

And some more

Evening hike on the Sugarloaf trail to 7,310 feet in elevation

Fire watch station at the summit of Sugarloaf, with Chandler

James L’s photo of the vehicles in the parking lot

And a great shot he captured of the Lexus’ rear

Best time of day to drive!

Dinner at Isabel’s South of the Border. Colorful place, tasty food.

See you again soon!

4 Comments »

2015 Japanese Classic Car Show (80’s & 90’s Era) in Torrance, California

Posted in California, Car Show, Legend, Road Trip on October 19, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 538,825

Odometer (ILX): 143,838

Trip Distance: 784 Miles

“Do you ever take a break? You are full throttle!” That was a valid comment yesterday from my friend Marc in Austin. It’s been a little bit tough to pin me down lately. Sometimes I wake up in a motel room wondering just briefly what city I’m in. On Sunday morning, that city was Torrance, California. My friend Rustin – who’s one of only a handful of people granted access to my location at all times via his smartphone – saw that I was hanging out at Toyota’s campus and his first text message of the day was: “I won’t tell Acura.”

Many of my blog followers probably enjoy looking at vintage cars as much as I do – Especially those that hail from Japan. It wasn’t 10 minutes after the conclusion to the 12th annual ALV awards program, and I was starting my trip to California – yet again – for a car event with a different purpose: the Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS).

The last time I went to JCCS it was for the 2014 program in Long Beach at the Queen Mary ship. This version of the JCCS was a little different from that one. While the JCCS event at the Queen Mary caters to pre-1985 automobiles, the “Neo Classic” show – new this year – invites participants who drive 1980s and 1990s cars. Those decades I consider more “my” generation of cars. My first Japanese car was my beloved 1989 Prelude Si, so from a young age, I have had an appreciation for vehicles of that era.

So once again I hit the open road in the tried & true Legend and headed out on my ~400-mile drive to the west coast via Interstate 10.

The show was one of the best-organized I’ve ever attended. “Load-in” was easy and the parking was not only pre-assigned, but there were highly visible volunteers directing traffic to designated areas. I arrived at the same time as my friend Chris who drives an immaculate 1986 Honda Prelude with fewer than 50,000 miles on its odometer. Throughout the day, I ran into old friends and made a few new ones. Surrounding me was a parking lot full of cars from the last two decades of the 1900s: An entire section dedicated to Toyota Supras, at least a dozen Nissan 300ZXs, and of course a Civic and Accord from almost every generation. Sprinkled into the mix were a few especially well-preserved examples, like this immaculate 1990 Lexus LS400 driven by a father-son pair.

Serenaded by a DJ who played period-appropriate tunes like Billy Joel and George Michael, my friends and I wandered the grounds and enjoyed the sights and sounds of some of Japan’s greatest creations. By 11:00 a.m., it was time to indulge in Taco Truck grub, and it wasn’t long after that when my friend Brett from Huntington Beach arrived. As Brett and I were admiring the R/C car “drift track,” a familiar face lined up next to us: Penny! Penny is a long-time Legend forum member who hails from Orange County and who I’ve known for the better part of a decade. She joined us for a walk over to the Toyota Automobile Museum next door on Van Ness Rd. (More on that later!)

I spent very little time at or near my car all day, but I did hear a few comments from people and saw a handful of passers-by taking a photo here and there. One guy who now drives a Nissan Skyline commented, “I had one of these and I should’ve never sold it!” Another guy said, “I’ve seen this car on YouTube!” A few other special guests arrived throughout the course of the afternoon, including fellow Legend club members Mark and Raul who both drive second-generation sedans. They each invited me to take a peek at their rides and it was an honor to be granted an exclusive tour. Raul’s 1995 sedan had 166,000 miles on the odometer and Matt’s 1992 had 222,000.

Thanks, guys, for coming out to say hello! Keep me in the loop on those upcoming west coast meet-ups. By 2:30 p.m., the skies had cleared a bit and I was glad for my SPF 50 sunscreen. One of the show administrators took the stage / mic and announced the first, second, and third place award recipients in each category. Chris won a well-deserved Second Place for his Prelude! I hit the road westbound and headed home shortly after the conclusion of the show. You know you’re in LA when you describe your route like this:

I took the 110 to the 405 to the 22 to the 55 to the 91 to the 215 to the 60 to the 10. That was seriously my route! I arrived in scenic Desert Center, California just in time for a couple of quick sunset photos. The drive home was uneventful – and that’s just the way I like it to be when I’m driving a car with 538,000 miles on it.

Here are the rest of my photos from this quick out-and-back car show trip!

Setting up

Mattel / Hot Wheels Designer Ryu Asada and his NSX. He also attended NSXPO.

Accords and Integras in this area.

My friend Armando’s immaculate Subaru SVX which I’ve featured before.

Supra Parking Only.

This 1989 Prelude 2.0 Si reminded me so much of my first Honda! This one only had 68,000 miles on it.

Crazy-clean 40,000 mile 1986 Civic Si right here.

… Complete with cassette tapes on display!

Here’s Chris’ award-winning Prelude.

I love the simplicity of those analog gauges.

Nissan Skyline area.

An NSX joined the party later in the day. I didn’t get the chance to meet that guy.

Chris, Armando, Tyson. Notice: Each of us had on appropriate apparel. Chris was wearing his Prelude shirt, Armando had his SVX one, and I was wearing my shirt from the recent National Acura Legend Meet (NALM) in Houston.

“Family Photo” with my Legendary friends. Left to right: Mark, Raul, Tyson, Penny, Brett.

Pit stop in the Palm Springs area to make a delivery to my friend Scott who has a 34,000 mile Legend (background).

My photos from the Desert Center offramp. Nothing fancy here!

And lastly, just a couple pictures from our look inside the Toyota USA Museum.

Right off the bat – one of Toyota’s finest! The Avalon!

Long lineup of Lexus models, each with just a few miles on the odometer.

I’ve always loved these old Toyota pickups. This 1989 showed 30,000 miles on the odometer.

And Toyota’s (or, at the time, Toyopet’s) first passenger car for sale in the USA.

It’s no wonder that a car this size was considered underpowered with only 60 horsepower.

Short vid:

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NSXPO 2015 in Palm Springs, Part 1: Air Museum Opening Reception

Posted in California, NSX, NSXPO, Road Trip on October 8, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 537,972

Trip Distance: 279 Miles

I’m broadcasting live from the biggest U.S. gathering of Acura NSX owners in history.

NSXPO, the event that brings NSX fans together year after year, is based this year in sunny Palm Springs, California. The event opened for registration at the end of May and sold out at 250 tickets in a matter of only about a week’s time. The level of interest has been unprecedented, and we are geared up for a very busy next few days. 2015 marks a special year in NSX history for a number of reasons. It’s the 25 year anniversary of the year when the revolutionary NSX first launched. It also represents a 10-year anniversary of its last year of production. And finally – after a long-awaited hiatus – the newest iteration of this iconic sportscar has come back stronger than ever. Acura Division is here to show us its latest creation in all its glory. You’ve seen it discussed here on Drive to Five a number of times – even as far back as the North American International Auto Show in Detroit nearly 4 years ago, but now it’s finally here in tangible form.

(photo credit: Bob Ondrovic)

I’m an 11-time NALM veteran but this marks the first time I’ve participated in an NSX gathering of this size and scope. Best of all, I’ve been able to play a key role in the planning & development of the program. Our 5-person NSXPO Planning Committee has worked hard for about a year now on putting the pieces together to make this possible, but the rewards have been worth it and we’re thrilled that so many other like-minded fans will appreciate our efforts and enjoy the weekend.

Tonight, we kicked off the festivities with an exclusive event at the Palm Springs Air Museum. The logistics behind corralling over 160 cars into a parking lot behind and airplane hangar got a little complicated – especially when during a 2-hour window of time we had to check people in, have them sign 3 waivers, get them wristbands for the track day tomorrow, give them “swag bags,” ask them to do some judging for the car show, and keep our sanity together! But, somehow we made it through and thankfully everyone is being very patient with us as we do our best to keep things on track.

(photo credit: Bob Ondrovic)

My drive out to Palm Springs was a piece of cake last night. This morning, we had about 50 people check in early, so that helped put a dent in our remaining headcount for registration. We had some great volunteers to help us get goodie bags assembled and get credentials in alphabetical order. Then the onslaught of people started arriving. While people were outside in the heat trying to get cars parked evenly for a group photo, the rest of us were getting everyone inside the hangar situated with their gear. When I finally peeked outside, I saw a sea of aluminum: more NSXs in one place than I’d ever seen before! A few celebrities arrived, too – including Ted Klaus who is the large project leader on the 2017 NSX, RealTime Racing driver Peter Cunningham, and a few other special guests from the Acura development teams, marketing teams, and other areas. Automobile Magazine author Michael Jordan attended, as did Ben Hsu from Japanese Nostalgic car, and we even had a drop-in from Jason Cammisa of Motor Trend. Needless to say, I was a little star-struck.

It felt like we were all on The Price is Right when Event Director Chris Willson announced the 3 raffle winners for tomorrow’s ride-along in the 2017 NSX with Peter Cunningham at the wheel. “Come on down!” he said. The recipients were super excited and the rest of us will be eternally jealous!

Here are a few photos from our first day of fun out here in Palm Springs. Thanks for coming along!

Video!

The Legend out and about a couple of days ago

I-10 westbound in my 1992 NSX with 102,000 miles on the odometer

Staying last night with my friends Scott & Sandy. Scott has a 1992 NSX that’s a twin to mine (but with half the miles)

Good way to start the day! Group message with the other Planning Committee members.

With Event Director Chris Willson during early registration at Agua Caliente

Check-in table signage

Les Rowe and Jim Cozzolino from the Planning Committee, getting a little friendly!

Arrival a the Air Museum before the masses got there

Goodie bag assembly line

Solo shot with my car and the 2017 NSX in Berlina Black!

Scott sent this of the lineup of cars waiting to get in around that time

Chris Hand from Acura Social Media

The view outside!

Scott and I were in heaven.

And more

The new NSX was on a rug at the front of the pack

Rear ends

They keep going and going

Racing legend Peter Cunningham arrived with his wife. Peter had just gotten back from the “NSX Fiesta” event in Japan.

I asked him to sign my dash with a silver Sharpie, and he obliged!

With Ted Klaus, Matt Stall, and Michael Cao – these are some of the key players in the development of the new NSX

Ben Hsu from Japanese Nostalgic Car

Jason Cammisa from Motor Trend

The group assembled to have dinner

Arrival back at the parking garage, with my friend Ben Lin. I’ve now seen Ben at THREE automotive events in the last couple of months: S2000 Homecoming in early September, NALM in late September, and now NSXPO. We are on the same car show schedule apparently!

He’s the original owner of a 2005 “Silverstone” color NSX with only 7,000 miles on the odometer!

Tomorrow: Track day and an evening at “The Living Desert.” Stay tuned!

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Quick Weekend Roady: 2015 St. George, Utah 26.2-Mile Marathon

Posted in Road Trip, Running, Utah on October 4, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (NSX): 101,908

Odometer (ILX): 142,582

Trip Distance: 854 Miles

Sometimes, when you take ibuprofen, it’s for a specific pain point in your body: a headache, a sore hip, whatever. When I popped a pill at mile #18 of the 2015 St. George, Utah marathon, I told that little thing: “Pick a muscle, any muscle.” I was dying, everywhere. But 8 miles later, I finished my 9th full marathon and even achieved my target finish time.

I’m definitely a little out of my mind. With all these travels in recent weeks, do you think I’ve had time to train for a marathon? Not even close. A few miles here and there in the evenings, and that’s it. As a matter of fact, the longest distance I’d run since the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay in June was a measly 3 miles in one stretch. You can imagine my sense of apprehension when the shuttle bus dropped me off at the starting line for this race.

Ready or not, I had a long way to go. But, as I’ve shared before, I compare a long-distance run to a long-distance drive: You just have to slice it up into manageable “chunks” and convince your brain that it’s achievable in small bites. So, in my case, I looked at the race as just running three miles. Over and over again. This year’s race was a family affair: Mom, stepmom, uncle, aunt, and cousin were all running it. The chances of (literally) running into ANY of them among 7,000 total runners was slim-to-none. But right before the biggest hill in the 26-mile stretch, the dreaded “Veyo Hill,” I saw my uncle Jeff and we chatted it up. We had car talk for a few minutes, until I panted and said, “You have a better pace than I do; go on ahead!” and he left me in a cloud of dust.

Meanwhile, mom was already miles ahead of me and I had a lot of time to meditate while pounding the pavement and listening to some thumpin’ music to keep me motivated. I downed a Five Hour Energy and a couple of “GU” energy gels along the way. And, of course, a few ibuprofen as already stated. Thank goodness for those. Around mile 24, Grandma was seated alongside the road in a camp chair at the same place where she always does. That was just the push that I needed to go those next couple of miles to the finish line. I also saw my dad, brother, sis-in-law, and niece/nephew spectating. And FINALLY – as the course rounded the corner to 200 South and headed east, I could see the Finish Line sign & balloons in the distance and gave a little extra push to have a strong completion to the race.

Two chocolate milks chugged later, I was feeling better about the decision to give this whole thing yet another try.

Start line with mom and with our friend Jed

Cousin April & Uncle Jeff

Gatorade & water cups all over the place!

Sign on the roadside alerting runners: If you don’t get to “X” point by “X” time, you’re done! They have to open the road back up to traffic!

My favorite part in the race – at about mile 15, when we skirted along Snow Canyon State Park on State Route 18.

Grandma with her traditional sign! Thanks for your support, Doce!

3-year-old nephew, Beckam, totally airborne and running with me at an impressive sprint.

Anddddd, the weary runners. Tia, Tyson, Tanya

My final standings – a 4:55 finish time in my age bracket is nothing to be proud of, but I was just glad to get in under the 5-hour mark. I thought it was interesting how my minutes-per-mile pace was a consistent 9:40 to start and then slipped to 10:31, 10:53, and finally 11:16. I was crawling!

Clearly, my mom has better calves than I do.

Speaking of legs: The first leg of my trip was that ho-hum 400-ish mile drive in the ILX that I’ve done so many times before. I got to my mom’s place around midnight. On Friday morning, we went to the marathon “Expo” where I had to retrieve my bib number, goodie bag, and a few supplies.

Afterward, I stopped by my brother Bentley’s workplace to check out his latest project: a 1990 Ford F-350 4×4 dual cab, long-bed pickup truck that he restored as a “project truck” for my dad. If needed, I’m sure it could have monster-trucked (is that a verb?) right over the top of the two Acuras sitting alongside it.

Let’s take a look at that interior. Twenty five years old! And still looking pretty fresh. That red color is eye-popping, but I love it.

Don’t get carried away with the need for speed here. Note that A) The speedometer maxes out at 85 miles per hour, and B) the odometer only has 5 digits. This truck has 126,000 miles on it but shows only 26,000.

Bentley went all-out on this rebuild, including a complete “undercoat” of the bottom of the truck in fresh black paint and some new shocks.

Dad was thrilled about the pickup when he arrived! It rides pretty much as you’d expect it to – like an absolute tank. Speaking of tanks, let’s talk fuel economy. The truck has TWO fuel tanks, at what I believe are 16 gallons’ capacity each. Why so much fuel? It’s thirsty. Power for this rig comes from a 460-cubic-inch V8 motor. We’re talking fewer than 10 miles per gallon here.

But as an around-town workhorse, it’ll sure beat my dad having to haul lumber out the back of his 2010 Hyundai Sonata (and yes, that really has happened).

Another car in Bentley’s garage was begging to be taken for a walk around the block: This 1968 Chevy Nova SuperSport. It’s fully engine-swapped and mechanically updated from 1968 spec, but it’s a really REALLY fun car to drive. There’s nothing quite like the roar of a V8.

Bentley demonstrated that when pulling it out of the garage for us. Watch until the end.

With stepmom Tanya.

And with dad taking the wheel for a little bit. Chris M says I make this face too much. He’s right.

ILX calling it a night out in front of mom’s house, as did I at an early hour. Pooped.

I put a few miles on a family friend’s Porsche tonight. It’s a 911 Carrera “4S” model, and was a hoot to drive – minus its lack of a clutch pedal.

Have a great week!

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NALM 2015 in Houston, Part 5: Final Leg, El Paso TX to Scottsdale AZ

Posted in Legend, NALM, Road Trip on September 28, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend coupe): 537,971

Odometer (Legend sedan): 149,635

Day Distance: 434 Miles

It wasn’t until I popped my waffle out of the iron onto my paper plate this morning at the Hampton Inn that I realized it was in the shape of the state of Texas. I guess they want to make sure people remember where they’re waking up.

Today, I bring you the conclusion to a 5-part, action-packed, 2,655-mile round trip drive to Houston, Texas from Scottsdale, Arizona. My friend James and I departed last Wednesday evening so it’s taken us 6 days to cover that kind of ground. Technically, though, we collectively covered 5,310 miles, since we took two of my cars. I’m a little afraid to find out what my credit card statement tells me on the next billing cycle — anyone want to guess what I spent on Premium gas?

Gabe and James (another James, this one driving the red Legend sedan) rolled into El Paso late last night and shared our hotel room. After we fueled up and had a pre-drive chat, it was time to once again head westward on Interstate 10. Only a few miles down the road, we crossed into the “Land of Enchantment.”

In fewer than 200 miles, we crossed another state line into Arizona and I said, “It’s about time!”

I set the pace at 81 miles per hour for our 4-Acura convoy and we were pleased that traffic was light, weather was good, and road conditions were optimal. Even as tired as I was, it was still a better way to spend a Monday than sitting inside an office. Our only stops were in Lordsburg, New Mexico and then in Picacho Peak, Arizona. When we got to the Phoenix metro area, I stuck my arm out the window to send Gabe & James D onward to California while James L and I continued to my place. Gabe and James have another 6 and 10 hours to drive today, respectively. Crazy.

I’m thrilled with how well the cars performed. For having a combined 687,606 miles on them, the trip went absolutely flawlessly. The only fluid I had to add to either car was some of Kevin’s power steering fluid to the coupe once we got to Houston. Oil and coolant levels remained perfect on both vehicles. All I have to do is get that tire nail hole patched from Saturday, throw the tire back on the coupe, and it will be ready for another cross-country trip.

I’ll include just a few photos from today, and hope to have a video ready to share later this week. Many thanks are due to the folks who made this trip possible: To TJ Vetrone for putting on such a world-class event, to James Lee for driving my second car, to Chris Miller for working night & day to get his car ready for the meet so I’d be able to see it there, and to the many other friends who I interacted this weekend who feel more like family to me at this point. Thanks, and I’m already looking forward to the 2016 event wherever it ends up being.

Dust storm warning sign on I-10

So close, but yet so far!

Tucson downtown skyline

Photo from James whilst approaching the Phoenix area

Lo and behold: A Rosewood Brown Vigor sighting, just a few miles from my house.

Home, tucked away, and in dire need of a car wash to get rid of some slaughtered bugs.

Thanks for being a part of the adventure!

25 Comments »

NALM 2015 in Houston, Part 1: Scottsdale AZ to Katy TX

Posted in Legend, NALM, Road Trip on September 24, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend coupe): 536,520

Trip Distance: 1,149 Miles

I MADE IT. My annual pilgrimage to Legend Mecca is underway and it feels like I’ve done this before. In fact, I’ve done it ten times – every year driving to a different city around the country to meet up with other car geeks. On Tuesday night, a few fellow enthusiasts with the same idea stopped by my house in the late evening. James, Gabe, and Mirel took a short break in my living room before heading out in the middle of the night. James had driven all the way from the San Francisco Bay Area, Gabe from Los Angeles area, and Mirel a local guy just getting ready to embark. We had 6 Legends at my place in Scottsdale for a couple of hours.

Gabe, Mirel, James, Tyson pictured below. Those three crazies next to me continued on to Houston around 11:30 p.m.

On Wednesday afternoon after work, my friend James and I hit the road in two matching 1994 Legends: My 1994 LS coupe, and my 1994 GS sedan.

Ahead of us was a 6-hour drive that evening to an overnight stay in Las Cruces, New Mexico with our friend Jason. When we rolled our convoy in the combination KFC / Taco Bell in Benson, Arizona, the cashier gave us a head nod and said, “Nice cars!”

Jason rolled out the red carpet – and comfortable sleeping accommodations – for the weary travelers. His place is located right off I-25 so it made for an easy getaway the following morning bright and early. James and I fueled up on Lucky Charms and then hit the road with another 11-hour stretch of road ahead of us. Those 11 hours soon became closer to 13, thanks to a few delays. No cross-country road trip is complete without them. First of, all we got gridlocked in El Paso traffic right at morning rush hour. After breaking free from that mess, I got on the walkie talkie and told James that I wanted to pit stop in Van Horn, Texas next. By then, both of us were ready for a bathroom break and a beverage. James snagged this photo of me with the cars.

The next several hours, I kept a close eye on James in my rearview while enjoying the west Texas countryside ahead and around me. Traffic broke up and pretty soon we had our cruise control speeds set at 85 miles per hour thanks to the 80 mph limit on those interstate freeways. Our next fuel stop was in “Ozona,” a quaint little town of 3,200 people and a few gas stations. At each fuel stop, I topped off both cars. The interesting part? The Legend sedan consistently got about 1/2 mile per gallon better mileage. I guess that might be in part due to the fact that it has only 148,000 miles on it as compared to the coupe’s 536,000. The window sticker quotes a highway rating of 26 but both cars were getting beyond that – the sedan sitting right around 27.

San Antonio traffic was a cluster. I thought I was being all clever to suggest that we avoid downtown at rush hour by going AROUND town on a 26-mile bypass loop called Highway 1604. But, my confidence was quickly squashed when we came to an immediate halt on the offramp. For the next 30 minutes, we dealt with aggressive drivers, narrow lanes, heavy traffic, and a woman in a Ford Expedition who was so dead-set on not letting James merge that she nearly caused an accident in the process. We were glad to get back on the open road toward Houston when we reconnected with I-10.

Finish line in sight, James and I had just about 50 miles to go to the NALM host hotel in Katy. As the sun dipped down in my rearview mirror, I was rocking out to some good music and I had a Red Bull in hand for a little extra caffeine kick. James said over the walkie talkie: “So, this is where we get to figure out how to balance a Red Bull between our legs?” The Legends equipped with a manual transmission have zero cup holders, so handling a beverage on the go inevitably becomes a bit of a challenge.

Once again, our enthusiasm was dampened when traffic came to a literal stop on the freeway. We sat in a parking lot on I-10 eastbound for about 15 minutes. I even turned the car off because people started getting out of their vehicles. Do you know how frustrating that is to be within 50 miles of your 1,300-mile road trip destination and be stuck in a traffic jam? Worst of all, I knew we were missing the pizza party at Brother’s Pizza where all other NALM attendees were dining out. When we finally DID start moving again, we were engulfed in a cloud of dust because the construction zone sent us through an unpaved portion of road. Goodbye clean cars!

I didn’t care, though, at that point. Because we were about to meet up with my long time friend Chris Miller of Baltimore. For the last 8 weeks or so, Chris has painstakingly been preparing his new acquisition, a 1994 Legend GS, for participation at this year’s NALM. Except – I was one of only a few people he told about it. His arrival at NALM was to be a complete secret for most of the attendees. James and I met up with Chris at a Walmart parking lot off the Katy freeway, then arrived at the Marriott host hotel in caravan. The reactions of those who hadn’t before seen Chris’ new car was priceless. His work and efforts had paid off. When Chris pulled into the parking lot and put his car among the 30 or so other Legends in the parking lot, he had everyone’s attention.

And so began the reunion with all my great Legend friends. These are people from all over the country who come together once a year in celebration of this crazy thing called Legend Love. Ben flew from Shanghai, then drove his car from San Francisco. Sergey drove from Seattle. Alan drove from Florida. Kevin brought his 300,000+ miler from Georgia. Nothing stops these people! They are here because they want to be, and I’m honored to call them friends. We have a fun next few days in store and I’ll bring you the latest as time allows.

Here are a few first pics from the adventure!

James following me out