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ILX Drive to Clarkdale, Arizona: Verde Canyon Railroad

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip, Trains on December 23, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 62,831

Odometer (Legend): 528,242

Trip Distance: 232 Miles Round-Trip

Chugga chugga choo choo.

This weekend I decided to change things up a bit and hop onboard a train instead of hitting the highways for a long distance. The Verde Canyon Railroad is based in Clarkdale, Arizona and operates 20 miles of track. The company’s slogan is “It’s Not the Destination; It’s the Journey.” Sounded like the perfect type of experience for me!

My friend Chris and I headed northbound in the ILX on Saturday morning despite inclement weather. The car was surefooted and easy to control on the wet surfaces of Interstate 17 which climbed several thousand feet in elevation out of the Phoenix valley. By the time we reached a summit near Camp Verde, the rain had transitioned into snowflakes but thankfully they weren’t sticking to the roadways. Once we arrived in Clarkdale, Chris and I enjoyed some lunch what appeared to be the only place in town that was open: Main Street Cafe. We were the only ones there, and as a result had the attention of the entire wait staff. Score!

Clarkdale was founded in 1912 as a “company town,” much like the mining town of Bagdad which we visited this summer. It was named for Senator William A. Clark who owned the United Verde Copper Company. In its day, Clarkdale’s amenities were cutting edge, with electric streetlights, telephone/telegraph, sewer system, and public parks being some of the features of the master planned community.

The mine closed in 1953 and there were tough times for the town, but it was incorporated in 1957 and lives on today, with the Verde Canyon Railroad as one of its hub attractions. In fact, the railroad was originally built as a means of serving the mine. It connected Clarkdale with two other small towns, Drake and Perkinsville, which are now ghost towns (making notes here so I can visit both of those at a future date in the ILX).

Chris and I made our way to the railroad station and checked in, then met up with our friends Matt and Alan who would be joining for the experience. Our out-and-back, 40-mile round-trip ride took about 4 hours. The train’s pace was perfect to allow us time to soak in the great scenery along the way, as we followed the path of the Verde River westward. First Class accommodations were very comfortable, affording two plush couches to our party of four. Select beverages, snacks, and appetizers were included with the $79 fare, and each of us made multiple trips to the concessions area of our car, which was named “Sycamore.”

Power was provided by two vintage FP7 diesel engines, built originally by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors for the Alaska Railroad in 1953. It’s amazing to me that 60 years later they are still providing reliable service. Connected to our passenger car was an open-air “gondola” car with small canvas umbrellas and wooden benches in the center. As long as we had our sweaters on, it made the best place from which to view the Verde Canyon’s scenery. We had a special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus along the way. Oh what fun it was to ride!

My favorite part of the trip was going through the 680-foot-long (curving) tunnel that took 6 months to carve out in 1911. At times, the train came within only 6 inches of the walls. Our ride was full of other attractions along the way, including cliff dwellings, caves, bald eagle sightings, and an up-close view of the abandoned train depot building in Perkinsville, Arizona that has fallen into disrepair.

Check out the many pictures and video below for a more detailed look at our Verde Canyon Railroad experience. Thanks for joining!

Jump starting our morning with some beverages from Starbucks. The ILX has some of the best cupholders in the industry!

Happy campers, heading northbound.

The Prescott National Forest welcomed us with its 1.25 million acres of land in north-central Arizona.

Camp Verde, Arizona. Bathroom break at the BK with rain that was just a few degrees away from becoming snow.

Backing out… err… guess that rearview camera won’t be doing us much good!

Highway 89A weaved through a neat historic business district in the town of Cottonwood.

Soon we pulled into Clarkdale town limits.

It’s been years since I saw a gas pump with “rolling” numbers like this instead of digital ones. Believe it or not, this one in Clarkdale is still in service.

Our train was waiting for us when we arrived at the station 15 minutes prior to departure.

Beauty shot before getting checked in.

All aboard!

We were assigned to the Sycamore car.

Among our first attractions were these ancient Sinagua Indian ruins, high in the canyon walls. These date back to around 1100 – 1125 AD!

We got settled in for the ride in our comfortable couches.

The gondola car was an inviting place to hang out, though a little chilly when we were rolling through the shade.

Don, one of the many guides who we had, was pointing out something to Matt here.

For 20 miles, we curved along the Verde Canyon crossing trestles and bridges.

Red rock scenery is similar to that of neighboring Sedona.

This is what the inside of our First Class car looked like. These passenger coaches were originally built in 1946 and used in a commuter capacity.

It was great to kick back and relax. The train is a slow-paced way of travel but it’s a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

ILX Drive to Chloride, Arizona

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on December 5, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 528,074

Odometer (ILX): 61,446

Distance: 440 Miles Round-Trip

Chloride:

1. a salt of hydrochloric acid consisting of two elements, one of which is chlorine, as sodium chloride, NaCl.

2. a compound containing chlorine, as methyl chloride, CH₃Cl.

To me, the word itself carries a vibe of toxicity, harshness, and abrasion. The rusty pots and pans that were hanging along the fence at the entrance to town thus provided a curious, yet fitting, welcome to a community that resembles 1913 a lot more than it does 2013. Join me on a drive to the oldest continuously-inhabited mining settlement in the great state of Arizona: Chloride.

I could drive the Highway 93 corridor between Phoenix and Las Vegas with my eyes closed – that’s how familiar I am with that 292-mile stretch of road. In the hundreds of times I’ve passed the turnoff for “Chloride,” though, I never let my curiosity get the best of me and actually checked it out. That is, until last Saturday when I was on my way home from the Thanksgiving holiday in Utah. “Today’s the day,” I thought to myself as I hit the brakes in the ILX and made my way to the left hand turn lane. “I’ve gotta see what this place is all about.”

For each of the 4 miles that I rolled eastward on Route 125, I journeyed deeper and deeper into the past. I ended up in the year 1864, when Chloride was bustling with commerce and was home to 2,500 people who rushed to settle there in search of silver, gold, lead, and zinc deposits in the Cerbat Mountains. My ‘ILX stagecoach’ kicked up a few billowing dust clouds in the sections of two-lane, winding road that had experienced flooding recently. I drove in search of the various attractions advertised on a crude wooden sign alongside the road. It promised “Old Buildings.” What more enticement did I need?

Approaching town limits, I passed a cattle guard at the west end of town and saw a small sign that said CEMETERY alongside the road. I downshifted the ILX to 2nd gear and slowed to 15 mph in the 25 mph zone because there was simply too much scenery to soak in. All around me were relics of the past, homes that stood half-boarded up like they were one step away from being good for nothing more than firewood.

A gas station on the north side of Route 125 had antique pumps out front that have been dry for decades. As I neared the intersection of 2nd Street & Tennessee Avenue, I saw that life did exist in Chloride. Two bearded men were smoking in front of a tavern and gave me a stare-down as I slowly rolled past them. I might as well have been driving a spaceship because that’s how much of an outsider I felt. If it was possible to “tiptoe” in a vehicle, that’s what I felt like doing. I didn’t want to call any attention to myself as I explored this fascinating little town.

My first stop was the Mineshaft Market & General Store. One step inside the front door and I quickly recognized why the sign out front said, “Pack Rat’s Porch.” This place was chock full of… well… stuff. Basic food items lined one wall while the rest of the shelves were filled with trinkets, leather goods, and souvenirs. I used the restroom at the back of the store, then went into an adjacent room with a sign “Arizona Tourist Information.” That tourist information, as it turns out, was a room fitting for the TV show Hoarders. Miscellaneous brochures and pamphlets were scattered around haphazardly as if a tornado had just rolled through the room.

I took a driving tour to explore a few square blocks of Chloride, envisioning what the place might have been like 150 years ago. Still most of the roads are unpaved. “Payroll Avenue” was one of those streets. I wonder if anyone actually ever struck it rich in Chloride? If they did, I certainly imagine they would have since moved elsewhere. I pulled over and got out of the car when I saw a woman who’d walked up to the post office to retrieve her mail. “How long have you lived here?” I asked. “Four years,” she said, “But my boyfriend’s been here 20.”

She confirmed that the few hundred people who still live in Chloride do work primarily in the mining industry. The town attracts a few tourists a year for its St. Patty’s Day parade and an “Old Miner’s Day” parade each June, complete with a gunfight at high noon. The town’s two restaurants and two bars are usually filled to capacity during those seasonal festivities. Perhaps I’ll go back for the “all town yard sale,” held each May and October when residents display their wares on their front lawns in hopes of finding the right buyers.

I thanked the woman for the information, saddled back up in my ILX, and headed westward on Route 125 into the sunset, glad that I had stopped in this quaint little town but also glad to get back to the reality of 2013. Hope you enjoyed experiencing it with me. Below are the photos that I captured during my visit.

A fence lined with pots & pans greet visitors arriving from the west.

It truly felt like I was time traveling as I got closer to the business district.

On the outskirts of town, a May 1976 time capsule created by the students of the Chloride School awaits its unveil at a future unspecified date.

I don’t think this service station had the 91 octane fuel I would have needed. Luckily I had a half tank of gas.

Below (building at left) is the post office which has been in continuous operation since 1873.

The Chloride Baptist church (established 1891) has Sunday School services at 10:00 a.m. This was the only church building I saw within town limits during my drive through.

This “pedestrian-only” ghost town street looked like a Western movie set. It reminded me of my visit to Old Tucson Studios.

The center of commerce: Mineshaft Market. The Pack Rat’s Porch invites visitors to “Come Sit a Spell.” It’s easy to tell that the pace of life in Chloride is moving in slow motion.

I parked the ILX and took a peek inside to see what kind of wares I could find.

The sign at hanging on the wall at right reads, “Arizona Tourist Information.” Good luck finding it in this disastrous room.

When’s the last time you used a pay phone?

A small building (it stood no taller than my height) had a sign out front that said “Gnome Retirement Home.”

Finally, heading back to civilization in the real world and happy to set foot back in 2013.

SWEET ILX

Thanks to my friend Paul for capturing some pictures of the sporty looking ILX at the Phoenix Auto Show this past weekend.

MAINTENANCE UPDATE

On Monday, my ILX received an “A13” service from Acura of Tempe, Arizona. It included:

Oil change (0W20 synthetic): $46.70
Tire rotation: $20.00
Manual transmission service: $69.95
“Shop supplies”: $8.28
Total invoice with tax: $150.92

Current maintenance summary since new (click to enlarge):

Back on the road I go, riding into the sunset until the next episode!

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ILX Drive: “Taliesin West” in Scottsdale, Arizona

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on November 26, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 528,000

Odometer (ILX): 60,266

Trip Distance: 30 Miles

Only a 30-mile trip this weekend? Yes, indeed.

Wet weekend weather (rare for us Arizonans) kept me from traveling too far from home, but it was a nice break from all the action this past couple of weeks including the trip to the Los Angeles Auto Show. I’ve been greatly enjoying my Acura ILX 6-speed. The ILX was just featured in a Road & Track write-up about the “three pedal club”, since the 2.4-liter model comes only as a stick shift. Check out that article here.

It has been said that Frank Lloyd Wright was once asked to introduce himself under oath in a courtroom. “I’m Frank Lloyd Wright,” he said, “the greatest architect in the world.” Humble he was not, but FLW was indeed one of the most influential architects in history. Over the course of his lifetime from 1867 to 1959, he designed over 1,000 structures. Three friends and I hopped in the ILX on Sunday to visit one of them: Taliesin West.

Josh, Paul, Tyler and I visited Wright’s winter home, in Scottsdale Arizona. Frank Lloyd Wright had been born and raised in Wisconsin. In the early 1900’s, he built a studio and home on a 600-acre estate near the town of Spring Green which became known as Taliesin. In his later years, Wright desired (like so many others do!) to spend the cooler months in Arizona. Taliesin West was built in 1937 and became his home as well as a studio for aspiring architects.

One little known fact about FLW was that he loved cars as much as he loved architecture. Our tour guide told us that Wright owned between 80 and 90 vehicles during his lifetime. And these weren’t plebeian Ford or Dodge models; Wright was driving Cadillacs, Lincolns, and Cord L-29s. Wright saw “automobility” as contributing to individual liberty and key to eliminating rural isolation. One of Wright’s early apprentices, John deKoven Hill, stated:

“The car was part of his stance, his outward appearance as far as the world was concerned. It was a matter of his persona – how he looked, what he stood for – his artistic judgment. The cars he drove and the way he dressed were all part of a general picture of presenting himself and his work in the right light.”

Imagine that – cars being used as status symbols. Apparently that’s been going on for over a hundred years. It’s no wonder that luxury automakers like Acura have a loyal customer base of people who are willing to pay a premium for that level of status. Wright’s Cord L-29 (pictured below) cost more than $3,000, six times the price of a Ford at the time. It was the first American production car equipped with front-wheel-drive. Wright loved his car so much that he wrote a letter of praise to the company president that was later featured in a “What Owners Say” promotion by Cord.

Wright’s other pride and joy was a 1940 Lincoln Continental. He customized it by removing the roof over the front seats and cutting half-round “opera” windows in the back. He had it (and many of his other cars) painted his favorite color as seen here: Cherokee Red.

Below is a scan I took from the Winter 2010 quarterly Frank Lloyd Wright Magazine. Notice what it says about the 1940 Continental in there: This car had logged over 200,000 miles by the time Wright passed away in 1959. I knew I liked this guy for a reason! That 1940 Lincoln Continental, and a similar 1941 model that Wright also owned, are both now restored and owned by film producer Joel Silver.

Come along with me on the below photo gallery of Wright’s 600-acre Taliesin West estate and I’ll recount a few of the interesting facts that were shared with us during our 90-minute tour.

Recent rains have taken their toll on the property. “If it doesn’t leak like a sieve,” our guide told us, “it’s not a Wright home.”

Wright faced his home toward the southwest so that it would make the most efficient use of available light & heat during the winter months when he stayed there. He envisioned his home as a boat, sailing through the open desert. Below, Tyler, Paul, and I were standing at what Wright would have considered the bow of his ship. Water supply for Taliesin West comes from a well that’s 480 feet underground.

Inside, the roof was covered in canvas to allow in light. Windows were not added to Taliesin West until the late 1940s, a full ten years after it was built. Wright had originally intended for it to be an open-air structure. The chairs pictured here are “origami” chairs.

When the windows were added, Wright asked this vase to not be moved. Instead, a hole was cut around the vase so that it could stay exactly where it was sitting.

Plush green grass was planted to provide a place for children to play. Wright had many dozens of apprentices who brought their families here.

Doors at Taliesin West often require visitors to duck or tightly squeeze through. Wright thought thought of this as a way to “compress” his visitors before “releasing” them into the larger spaces inside. He used space as a way to move people into the areas where he wanted them to reside.

This is a “selfie” I took facing a mirror in Frank Lloyd Wright’s bedroom.

His bathroom was constructed almost entirely of stainless steel.

The dining room faced the McDowell Mountains. Wright didn’t like to obstruct corners of the building with supporting poles. Notice that the glass here is joined at the corner and the support system is further back.

Out in the yard, there’s a dragon on a rock that was originally designed to be used as a water fountain. Wright’s wife, Olgivanna, had it converted into a gas-powered flame-thrower! It’s still used today during special engagements. Notice how the surrounding plant is partially burned.

Rarely will you ever find 90-degree angles in a Frank Lloyd Wright home. Every wall or ceiling is tilted in some fashion, because Wright didn’t like how straight walls felt like “living in boxes.”

“The reality of the building does not consist in its roof and walls but in the space within to be lived.”

This auditorium can house over 100 people and was often used for special black-tie occasions and concerts. It was the last building added to the Taliesin West estate before Wright passed away. Its nonparallel ceiling & floor and angled walls make it almost like a giant megaphone, transferring sound clearly all the way to the back row.

Thanks to my friends for joining on this adventure! I took a picture of my ILX at the entrance to Taliesin West much like Frank Lloyd Wright may have liked to do with his prized 1940 Continental. Except, I’m guessing he would’ve custom-ordered his ILX in Cherokee Red.

In other news: A few weeks ago, I met an online celebrity (to me, anyway!) named Leif who runs a page called “Ugly House Photos.” As a Phoenix area real estate agent, Leif gets to see more than his fair share offbeat or interesting discoveries in peoples’ homes. Give his page a look!

Finally, we have a milestone to commemorate today:

For awhile now, we’ve been following the progress of my friend Francesco in Italy as he racks up the kilometers on his 2005 Fiat. He first reached out to me in May 2012 at 240,000 kilometers. He sends me updates every once in awhile, and I’m happy to report that this past weekend he rolled the big 300,000 mark.

Congratulations my friend!

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Drive to Five Review: 2014 Acura MDX

Posted in Arizona, MDX, Road Trip, Vehicle Reviews on November 19, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (MDX): 3,180

Odometer (ILX): 59,275

Odometer (Legend): 527,902

Of the 14,296 new Acuras sold last month, 39% of them were this one single model. What makes it so special? After being coddled and pampered by Acura’s flagship RLX Advance sedan last weekend, I set out to put its SUV counterpart through a similar evaluation and find out.

When I was growing up, my family’s go-anywhere rig was this Grenadine Metallic 1988 Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4×4. My dad called it the “rattle trap,” and for very good reason. It was perhaps the most unrefined vehicle I’ve ever been in. We subjected it to multiple rugged hunting trips and I recall at least one time when the inline-6 engine overheated while pulling our 2 jetskis home from Lake Mead in Nevada.

Those 15″ Eagle Alloy custom wheels were so 1990’s, weren’t they?

It’s mind-boggling how far the SUV world has come in the 25 model years since that rickety 1988 Jeep rolled off the line. I got a brief taste of the all-new 2014 Acura MDX Advance at the Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year competition a couple of weeks ago, and the MDX reigned supreme in the “Luxury Family” division there. As over 100 athlete evaluators agreed, luxury is a role that the MDX fits very well. It provides so many creature comforts that the window sticker has 54 separate bullet points to describe everything that’s included.

Most journalists would probably be content to just drive the MDX for a week in their normal urban commutes (yawn). On Saturday, I decided to grab a few adventurous friends and take things a step further: I took the MDX off-roading.

Today’s Route

Arizona Highway 88 – the “Apache Trail” – has long been a favorite drive of mine. It’s a road with split personalities: for the first 20 or so miles, it’s a paved two-laner with hairpins and sharp curves in abundance. For the last 20 miles, it’s an off-road experience with some of the best desert scenery in the southwestern United States. I last drove this road in June in the ILX. On Saturday, I rallied a few amigos and headed for the Apache Trail hills in search of some MD Xcapades. Here’s the route we took from Apache Junction to Roosevelt Lake.

Fueled up on $7.95 “All American” breakfast combos from the Waffle House in Apache Junction, Arizona, 9 of us set out in 3 vehicles to explore these great back-roads: the 2014 Acura MDX Advance, a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder, and a 2013 Mitsubishi Lancer. For the first stretch of road, I took the lead and set the pace as we climbed the twisty switchbacks of the Apache Trail. I loved the MDX step-in height and its commanding presence on the road (I’m used to cars that sit much lower).

The 3.5 liter V6 was anxious to provide necessary torque. Did you know that its 290-hp powerplant has no scheduled tune-ups for over 100,000 miles? That’s something worth considering if you’re a hyper-miler like me. The degree of body roll was far less than I would have expected from a vehicle of its high profile. On the road, the MDX behaved more like a sedan than an SUV.

A Change of Scenery

Soon, we passed a yellow sign on the side of the road: “PAVEMENT ENDS 500 FEET.” I was unfraid.

As the blacktop ended and we passed a Saturn Vue that was crawling along at a snail’s pace, the MDX began to show its prowess as a mountain crawler. Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD) gave me confidence and competence in conquering the road’s terrain. Right away, I noticed how helpful the MacPherson strut front suspension was at soaking up the washboard ruts on the road. The suspension tuning, coupled with the AWD system, enabled all 4 tires to grab even when I went heavy on the throttle. The MDX grips the road like it’s driving on fly-paper. I tried unsuccessfully for 22 dirty miles to get it to lose traction.

You know those grab handles attached to the ceiling above each door inside most vehicles? Better make sure those are tightly fastened before attempting to descend the “Fish Creek Grade” on the Apache Trail. The ruts in the narrow dirt road quickly increased in size, the grade led us sharply downward, and there was nothing but a wooden plank guardrail separating us from plummeting into the sandstone canyon hundreds of feet below. Still, the MDX was easy to navigate. Its ground clearance was more than ample for making this descent, and the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters allowed me to keep the vehicle in 2nd gear without riding the brakes.

The MDX hauled 6 people down the dirt road with ease, and the truest testament to MDX people-hauling capability was this: Nobody got motion sick! After Nick and Kurt got settled into the far back seat, I heard Nick ask, “Now, where’s the button that I push for Tyson to bring me a drink back here?” He found accommodations adequate there, which is rare for anyone who’s ever been forced to squeeze into the tiny seats found in most 3-row SUVs. But I won’t be offering in-flight beverages any time soon. Sorry Nick.

Return to Phoenix

Our crew took but a few minutes to soak up the sights at Roosevelt Dam before setting out for the trip back to Phoenix. Roosevelt was, after all, the largest stone dam in the world when it was completed in 1911. My passengers were all too anxious to hop back into their seats and get cozy once again for the drive back home to Scottsdale. Paul took shotgun while Conor and Brad took the 2nd row – mastering the how-to of the MDX’s “Entertainment Package”. They watched a DVD featuring some classic Will Farrell skits from Saturday Night Live.

With plenty of amenities for driver and passengers, the MDX made our 2-hour drive home quick and painless. We quite enjoyed the heated/ventilated seats and the ELS audio system to the fullest. Even at 65-75 mph, the MDX was quiet and refined. The adaptive cruise control & lane departure systems (as also found on the recently reviewed RLX) added safety and ease to my driving experience. All-in, this MDX retailed for $57,400. For those interested in knowing, I averaged 20.7 miles per gallon with my lead foot, right in line with the EPA 21 mpg overall rating.

Pro:

Very solid, premium materials. “I love the feel of this leather,” said my friend Jason.
Cavernous (and very usable) storage. Even the center console is huge enough to accommodate a purse or small laptop. I stored a hooded sweatshirt and my camera in there.
Nice luxury touches. The interior door handles are backlit by blue LED lights at night.
Ride quality both on- and off-road. The MDX is extremely versatile – a true go-anywhere vehicle.
Comfort & convenience is top notch. Tri-zone climate control makes everyone happy.

Con:

Touch-screen is subject to glare and fingerprints, both of which impeded my visibility at certain times of day.
Entertainment system operation somewhat complex to learn. One of my passengers said, “Kids would never figure this out.” To which another said, “They’d probably figure it out faster than we are.”

Final Take

When the 2014 MDX showed up in my driveway last Wednesday, I text messaged a picture of it to a friend. “I’ve always liked the MDX,” he said, “… for upple-middle class mommies.” Indeed, this vehicle is a home run with families. It’s the SUV that moms choose when they’ve become too good for a Honda Odyssey minivan. But in my week with the MDX, I became convinced that there’s so much more to this vehicle than just being a complacent people-hauler. It’s equally at home on a dusty, remote mountain road as it is in a strip mall parking lot.

The MDX is the perfect match for anyone who needs all-terrain, all-weather capability but who doesn’t want to sacrifice creature comforts. I only wish it had rained torrential downpours on Saturday so I could return the vehicle to Acura wearing a thick layer of well-earned mud. Thanks to Acura for letting me take the MDX for a whirl!

Check out the rest of the pics and video from our day below.

Washing cars before the drive. Only a true car fanatic would do such a thing. Nick and Kurt wiping down the Nissan 300ZX convertible.

Matt’s Pathfinder was an Australian-spec, right-hand-drive vehicle.

Breakfast of champions. Or, breakfast of fatties. Waffle House is a great place to start the day.

Arrival at Tortilla Flat, Arizona: This place was once a stagecoach stop and is now a popular tourist destination for those exploring the Superstition Mountains.

We happened to arrive shortly after a group of Mustang owners, so we backed our 3-row SUVs in as if we belonged there.

Road conditions got progressively worse as we distanced ourselves from civilization at Tortilla Flat.

Corralling the troops for a quick chat before beginning our next leg.

Tyson, Paul, Conor. I don’t remember what I was gesturing for.

Finally, feeding the MDX a taste of Arizona dirt.

As the Apache Trail made its way toward Roosevelt Lake, there are dozens of opportunities for shots like these. Views are spectacular year-round. Here, the MDX was in the lead with the Pathfinder and the Lancer following behind.

We made a stop at the Fish Creek bridge to do a little hiking. It was perfect weather outside, after all.

The MDX “Jewel Eye” headlights mirror those found in its RLX sedan sibling.

This bridge dates back to the early 1900’s when construction workers used the Apache Trail to deliver supplies for construction of the Roosevelt Dam.

Hiking around a little – Nick, Alan, Matt, Ian, and Conor

Back to the vehicles we go.

A layer of dust descended on the formerly nice MDX paintjob.

Here’s where we tried out some of the MDX’s people-hauling skills, with rows 1, 2, and 3 each filled with 2 passengers. Nick and Kurt tried out the back.

Conor and I rode up front.

Kurt says I always capture him pointing. So, he found something to point at!

Ian’s Lancer looked right at home on the Apache Trail as well – ready to rally.

I was impressed with how well Ian’s car was able to keep up with the SUVs in our caravan.

I’ve blogged before about the 357-foot-tall Roosevelt Dam.

As well as the 1,080-foot-long bypass bridge on Highway 188.

I’d definitely say we were inspired by the Inspiration Point Interpretive Overlook.

On the way home, Conor and Brad test drove the Entertainment system, which came with a 16.2″ wide-screen monitor and wireless headsets.

Here’s that center console I was writing about earlier. Massive space!

Time for an MDX bath with the help of friends. I did a great job supervising this effort while Conor, Paul, and Brad slaved away.

Conor drives a silver Acura TSX so he knows all-too-well how to keep an Acura looking shiny.

The MDX and its sibling ILX share a family resemblance but each vehicle has a distinct purpose.

Signing out until next time!

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Drive to Five Review: 2014 Acura RLX Advance

Posted in Arizona, RLX, Road Trip, Vehicle Reviews on November 13, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (RLX): 7,339

Odometer (ILX): 59,099

Odometer (Legend): 527,807

The Acura RLX greeted me with “Come on in, Tyson,” by illuminating its exterior door handle as I approached the driver’s side. I stepped carefully over the stainless steel door sill and settled into the ivory-skinned bucket seat. My index finger instinctively went for the start button and awakened 310 well-trained horses from their slumber. The subtle sound of Jazz music drifted through the airwaves via 14 high-end speakers, and the car’s automatic climate control immediately customized the cabin environment to my liking. This, my friends, was not just a car. It was a full-blown, Acura-fied luxury travel experience and I had just scored a front-row seat.

RLX Heritage

In its day, the Acura Legend was the biggest and the best that the Honda lineup of automobiles had to offer. When my Legend LS coupe was new in 1994, it sold for a whopping $41,885. For comparison, a top-line Honda Accord EX at the time was $19,950. The Legend flagship had features that were far ahead of its time. Twenty years later, the Acura RLX carries on that same mission: It delivers unsurpassed tech features, the most advanced safety systems in the industry, and performance levels that only sports cars could dream of in the 1990’s.

Here’s the RLX ancestry summarized in simple list form:

1986 – 1995: Acura Legend
1996 – 2013: Acura RL
2014+: Acura RLX

Generations 1, 2, and 5:

Generation 3: This was my mom’s 2000 3.5 RL that we loved dearly.

A year ago, I traveled to the Los Angeles Auto Show for the debut of the all-new RLX Concept. The world was mesmerized by its Jewel Eye headlamps and its innovative Precision All-Wheel Steering (P-AWS).

It’s time to now put that design to a real-world Drive to Five evaluation. The latest iteration of Acura’s flagship sedan brings more to the table than ever before; I shared the extensive list of features of this car in my post linked above, so I won’t go into those details again. Let’s cut to the chase: How’s it perform?

Where To This Time, Tyson?

The engineers of the RLX have gone to great lengths to give it optimal handling and balance. I thought it fitting that I would put that P-AWS to test in a drive with several friends on one of Arizona’s curviest roads: the Catalina Highway.

Constructed in 1933 as a way to reach the resort town of Summerhaven from Tucson, Arizona, the Catalina Highway climbs over 6,000 feet in a distance of 27 miles. And these aren’t leisurely miles. This is the type of highway where “both-hands-on-the-wheel” attention is critical. Catalina is loaded with hairpin curves, narrow shoulders, and blind corners — all great elements for a thrill ride. I took the ILX there last year.

My tester RLX was dressed in the color that every luxury sedan looks best in: Black. The Crystal Black Pearl RLX that I drove this week was equipped with both the Tech package and the Advance package.

After logging over 300 miles in the RLX on Saturday, I felt like I could hop back in the driver’s seat and easily do it all over again. To that end, I have discovered perhaps the RLX’s best attribute: It’s a car that makes every drive seem effortless. Its quiet, composed, and predictable behavior makes it comfortable for any distance. I would, without hesitation, drive the RLX to Fairbanks, Alaska and back. Twice.

My friend Ryan, who drives a 2006 Acura TL, stated, “The ergonomics are very Honda.” It takes just a few minutes to get comfortable and to become acquainted with the key controls. The interior design is masterfully executed in both form and function. Two-tone door panels add visual interest and the sweeping instrument panel gives a feeling of cavernous interior dimensions. I’m quite certain the rear seat leg room is better than any first class airline. Oh, and those back seats are heated, too.

Canyon Carving

Now here’s where I wanted to lure out the RLX’s alter-ego. Inside that chiseled body and vault-like interior, does this car have a heartbeat? Can it evoke any kind of performance driving excitement? I assure you, after absolutely mashing the RLX accelerator to the floor and flying up the Catalina Highway, the answer is a resounding YES.

Most people wouldn’t take a luxury car in hot pursuit of a more powerful 2-seater sportscar, but that’s exactly what I did. When Matt set an aggressive pace up Mount Lemmon in his Nissan 370Z 6-speed, the RLX was right there on his tail. Sport Mode, I discovered, changes the entire personality of the RLX. Shift points are modifed. Engine response is notably different. And when pushed, the RLX chassis is composed and firm. When others in our 8-car caravan were having to cut corners in the twisties, I was able to keep the car within my lane and retain absolute control over its direction. Dare I say it? This car was fun to toss around. And “toss” isn’t a word that you usually associate with a vehicle that weighs 4,000 pounds and has features like a power rear window sunshade.

With the stereo blasting Sirius XM channel 51 (BPM), all 4 windows down and the moonroof wide open, I was in my element, calling those 310 willing horses into action. On one leg of the trip, I had a passenger, Jack, comment, “This thing has some growl when you get on it!” He wasn’t kidding. The engine note from the direct-injected 3.5 liter V6 is addicting; one listen and you’ll want to hold the car in gear with the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters and let it sing all the way to the redline. That’s what I did.

Return to Phoenix

After having my faith in Acura’s “Precision Crafted Performance” heritage reinforced, my friends and I headed back to Phoenix with our hodge-podge of vehicles. The RLX feels right at home at 80 mph on the interstate. In fact, the cabin was so quiet that Jack was asleep in the passenger seat for a good chunk of the drive.

The RLX is just about as close as you can get to an autonomous car: With the lane-keeping assist system (LKAS) activated, the car will retain its position in a lane. If the driver removes his or her hands from the wheel long enough, it will prompt with a message “Steering Required” to make sure he or she is awake. The adaptive cruise control made my trip a breeze – even with notoriously heavy traffic on the Tucson-to-Phoenix I-10 corridor. The car maintained a preset distance from the vehicle ahead of us. These types of features would make a long drive amazing.

Real-World Insights – Pros:

The ultimate cross-country ride. Very refined, quiet and smooth on the highway. Zero wind noise. The doors close solidly. The car has “substance” and feels quality throughout. Grant Road in Tucson is in horrible shape, but the RLX made it bearable.
Comfort is top-notch. Ventilated seats work almost immediately – a feature that would be used frequently here in Phoenix.
Safety and driver-assistance features are great helps, especially the adaptive cruise control and lane departure assist systems.
Competent canyon carver. Despite its size, the RLX suspension is confidence-inspiring. P-AWS is subtle yet important for helping this big car feel nimble in tight cornering situations.
Luxury is cutting edge. Love the little touches like power folding sideview mirrors. Jack said, “Now this is luxury” when he was playing with the rear window sunshades.

Cons:

Front-wheel-drive platform does exhibit some tire spin from hard acceleration. AWD will help this car launch with more authority.
Dual-screen instrument panel interface is often duplicative in nature. When I changed the music volume via the steering wheel control, it showed the audio level in 3 separate places! Also, the album art is teeny and there appears to be plenty of space to make it bigger.
For a $61k car, it should have foglights.

Final Take

The Acura RLX gets more than its share of criticism. I heard, “Looks like an Impala,” a couple of times this week while showing it off. And some people will never get over the front end styling no matter how much Acura refines it. But I honestly feel like if everyone who judged this car would take a few moments in the driver’s seat before declaring it a failure, their ballots would swing completely in the other direction.

The RLX brought just a huge grin to my face as I threw it around the corners at Mount Lemmon, and it pampered me in the process. The travel experience in the RLX can be as engaging OR as effortless as the driver wishes to make it. That’s the beauty of this car. Want to rocket up the mountain and hug those curves? Great. Feeling drained after a hectic workday? I can think of no better vehicle to commute in. The RLX can play many roles, and I can say with certainty that it’s a vehicle I would be proud to own. Thanks to Acura for the loan!

Here are the rest of the pictures & a video from Saturday’s adventure.

Kelvin, Jim, Brad pre-departure

Staging for the trip: NSX, 370Z, RS5, TL SH-AWD

The guys, chatting it up before leaving the Phoenix area

Kelvin checks out the interior of the RLX

I guess the Acuras didn’t get the “let’s back in” parking memo. Nick’s Aztec Red Nissan Z was by far the lowest vehicle of the bunch.

How’s that synchro-rev tranny treating you, Matt?

Taking a breather at Windy Point lookout, about halfway to the summit. Will, Matt, Alan, Paul, Kurt, Nick

What was Kurt pointing at here?

Little hike to a scenic overlook: Allen, Paul, Brad, Tyson

Soaking up the scenery: Kurt, Paul, Nick

The guys admiring some of those RLX lines

Two sport coupes with completely different missions

Lunch at Fortunato’s Italian Deli on Tanque Verde Rd in Tucson

Will gets cozy in the RLX driver seat

Kelvin takes a peek at its 3.5-liter engine

And Kurt… well, I don’t know what Kurt was doing here

A look at the RLX dual-screen interface

Rolling back home

And a sunset pic with the Acura brothers, Tyson and Paul

Thanks as always to my friends for joining for the drive, whether in person or via the blog.

21 Comments »

SEMA Show 2013: ILX Trip to Las Vegas

Posted in Car Show, ILX, Nevada, Road Trip on November 8, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 527,770

Odometer (ILX): 58,970

Some people are never content to leave well enough alone. My brother Bentley is one of those. I don’t think he had put more than 500 miles on his then-new 2008 Ford F-250 pickup before he had the entire thing in pieces, awaiting suspension upgrades. “Stock” just wasn’t going to cut it. That’s why Bentley is exactly the type of automotive enthusiast who fits in at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Vehicle upgrades & modifications are a big deal around there.

Products in this $27.8 billion-a-year industry include performance and racing components, cosmetic and functional accessories, wheels and tires, mobile electronics, safety products, restoration parts, handling equipment, drivetrain parts and more. The industry covers muscle cars, classics, luxury vehicles, sport compacts, street rods, light trucks (off-road and sport trucks) SUVs and recreational vehicles.

I took my Acura ILX to Sin City for the 2nd year in a row to see the latest. Last year, I got up close & personal with the ILX Thunderhill racecar and also the “Street Build” ILX finished in Fathom Blue. This year, the attractions were just as exciting.

Acura had 3 vehicles on display:

2014 RLX VIP Sedan
2014 RLX Urban Luxury Sedan
2014 ILX Street Performance

All 3 vehicles were very highly modified, but my focus was on the ILX.

MAD Industries put together this build. You can’t miss this car – its matte copper metallic 3M Scotchprint film screams for attention. Outside, the Acura OEM lip kit is paired with 19″ TSW Max wheels and high performance tires. MAD achieved an aggressive stance by dropping the ILX on Tein Super Street coilovers.

The “go factor” was enhanced by a supercharger from CT Engineering and an ECU tune with Hondata’s FlashPro, with a Greddy exhaust rounding out the package. This build is good for 250 wheel horsepower – an impressive gain over the stock 2.4 inline-4’s output.

Powertrain Modifications

CT Engineering supercharger kit
CT Engineering intake
Hondata FlashPro
Greddy SP Elite prototype exhaust
K&N high performance air filter
AMSOIL Dominator motor oil

Chassis/Suspension Modifications

19 x 8.5 TSW Max matte black wheels
245/35R-19 Nitto NT05 Max tires
Tein Super Street coilovers
Stoptech Big Brake kit
MPG custom satin black caliper covers

Look at that aggressive stance!

Would love to see this copper film “pop” in the daylight.

The back end has been accented by a contrasting color.

Enjoy the rest of the photo gallery below for my trip experience.

The city that never sleeps: Las Vegas is non-stop entertainment.

After catching some Z’s at the Mandalay Bay casino, I woke up to bright skies from the 18th floor.

My friends Rustin and Lance needed a lift to Planet Hollywood, but we swung past Excalibur for a quick picture. I think Excalibur is my favorite casino for its exterior design.

The “Strip” was remarkably quiet at 8:00 in the morning. Everyone who’d been out partying the night before was probably still in their hotel rooms crashed out.

I paid my $10 parking and walked a few blocks to the Las Vegas Convention Center on Paradise Road.

My identity, for today only, was that of my brother. He hooked me up with a “Buyer” entry pass. SEMA is open only to industry colleagues and not the public.

Here’s the entrance to one of 3 separate halls. We’re talking about thousands upon thousands of square feet of display space.

Inside, it was a circus.

The cars just got a little more wild with every turn. This Lexus IS is a highly modified 2014 model year car.

Tucked back into the Center Hall was the booth for Honda and Acura.

The booth was staffed by these fine folks from the company’s Torrance, California headquarters. Left to right: Tyson, Nina, Rey, John, and Randy. Nina saw the name on my entry badge and her first comment was, “You’ve taken on a stage name so nobody knows who you are!”

Here’s a unique ride. Anyone see the “Mean Mower” ad awhile back from Honda? You’re looking at a lawnmower that’s capable of 133 miles per hour and a 0-60 mph time of about 4 seconds. This is the type of rig that Tim Taylor from Home Improvement would be proud to own. MORE POWER!

Among the exciting things in the Honda booth was the 2014 Civic Si with its newly-revised design.

This awesome 6-speed Accord Coupe was finely tuned with goodies from Honda Performance Development.

My friend Erik flew all the way out from Madison, Wisconsin for SEMA. He runs the Project 130R website which is a great resource for Acura Legend owners and more.

The trio of Acuras lined the far wall in the convention hall but saw plenty of foot traffic throughout the day.

My favorite car on display was this stunning “VIP” Acura RLX.

Quad exhaust tips from an Evasive Motorsports exhaust system provide rumble to this refined luxury sedan.

21″ AVS Model F15 wheels and a Tein coilover suspension give this RLX a mean, custom look.

This is an extensive project, with even the brakes having been upgraded. For more pictures, check out the gallery on Acura Connected.

Can I have the keys?

On my 5-hour return trip to Phoenix today, I took a moment to pit-stop in Boulder City, Nevada for a bite to eat with my good friend Jessie who’s driving a Chevy Sonic LTZ these days.

The ILX got me home safe and sound, and with amazing fuel economy to boot. In the 615 miles since I filled up on my way to Las Vegas yesterday in Wickenburg, Arizona, it’s averaged 35.2 miles per gallon.

Thanks for coming along to the show!

10 Comments »

“Fall Fuel Fest” 2013: St. George, Utah in the ILX

Posted in ILX, Road Trip, Utah on November 3, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 527,669

Odometer (ILX): 58,270

Trip Distance: 860 Miles

The route between Phoenix, Arizona and southern Utah is all-too familiar for my Acura ILX. It knows the way instinctively between these two points after having traveled it so many times in the past.

As daylight dawned on cool Arizona Saturday morning, I had already been on the road for a couple of hours, sipping a Shamrock Farms chocolate milk and listening to some new music in my collection: namely, “Driving My Life Away,” by Eddie Rabbit. Could any song be more fitting for me? Here’s my favorite line:

Those windshield wipers, slappin’ out a tempo

Keeping perfect rhythm with the song on the radio

It took about 6.5 hours, with a stop in Kingman for gas, bu finally I exited Southern Parkway at Desert Canyons Drive.

Ahead, I was in store for an afternoon full of motocross and diesel truck events, sponsored in part by my brother’s business, H&S Performance. The event was called Fall Fuel Fest.

This little guy just turned 2 years old. He’s my nephew Beckam, and he knows enough about trucks to be dangerous. Case in point: my step-mom put him in the driver’s seat of an F-250 and watched his actions. Beckam got the keys from the center console and found the ignition to insert them. This kid!

Vendor booths lined the main alleyway of the Fall Fuel Fest on a perfect November afternoon in southern Utah, with the high temp around 70 with sunny skies.

My brother Bentley was interviewed by a radio announcer.

I last hung out with the H&S crew when they took a Ford Lightning and raced it in Ennis, Texas at the National Hot Rod Diesel Association World Finals.

Just down the way, trucks were lining up to compete in a dyno competition.

Pictured here are my brother Bentley and my mom.

And here I am with my dad and my stepmom — all proudly sporting our H&S apparel, head to toe.

The gray 2011 Ford Powerstroke pickup here has been souped up with some performance enhancements. It’s powered by a 6.7 liter V8 and has a 12″ lift and 40″ tires.

Later that night, it pulled about 550 horsepower on the dyno!

I was tasked with driving this big rig back to the office after the event closed. The instrument panel is information overload! I must say I enjoyed being the king of the road for a few miles.

One highlight of the evening was watching a world-record jump in a four-wheeled ATV. Ryan Piplic drove this ATV at over 80 mph to hit a ramp and fly over a distance of 155 feet. Here’s the occasion on video.

During a break in the afternoon, I visited my other brother Payton who has been playing a lot lately with his 2002 Lexus IS300. I featured the car on Drive to Five back in February when he was just getting started with modifications.

Payton’s car is now an absolute monster when he gets on the throttle, thanks to a turbo upgrade. It was recently dyno tested and achieved 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque.

We took this baby for a spin. He picked up so much speed that when he slowed back down abruptly, the brakes were smoking.

A fine sunset awaited us that night.

While I was in my hometown, I took a few minutes to step back in time nearly 14 years by taking a picture of my ILX in the same place on the road as the pictures with my original Honda — the 1989 Prelude Si.

The home color and the landscaping are now different, and I was a little off on the placement, but you get the idea.

Today, I made the drive back to Phoenix, with my step-mom Tanya relieving me from driving duties for about 1.5 hours, between Kingman and Wickenburg, Arizona. She commented on how easy it was to get used to the controls. It had been at least a couple of years since she last drove a stick shift! Her current ride at home is a 2013 Acura MDX.

It was nice to have someone else take the reins for awhile while I kicked back in the passenger seat.

Have a great week!

6 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 »

ILX Drive: Coronado Trail in Eastern Arizona

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on October 14, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 527,207

Odometer (ILX): 56,713

Trip Distance: 537 Miles

Confession Time: When I was 8 years old, I got carsick and threw up Hawaiian Punch in the back of my aunt Jodi’s SUV. It made a mess of my Cabbage Patch doll, and to this day my family has never let me forget about it. It took a couple of decades until I could stand to drink HP again.

Curvy roads don’t agree with my stomach — unless, I’ve discovered, I’m the driver. On Saturday morning I put my Acura ILX’s suspension to the ultimate handling test on some of the tightest twisties and hairiest hairpins of any road I’ve ever driven.

The roller-coaster ride is called Highway 191. Formerly known as US 666 – the “Devil’s Highway” – it’s famed as one of the all-time favorite driving destinations in the southwestern United States for motorcyclists and sports car drivers. This weekend’s trip took me and 5 friends to the eastern part of Arizona, where the White Mountains are just undergoing the transition from summer to fall and the leaves radiate vivid color. This was the third time I’ve driven Coronado Trail and with each visit I’ve been in a different vehicle and had a vastly different experience.

On Friday afternoon, Paul stopped by in his 2013 Acura TL SH-AWD. He accompanied me as copilot for this journey, while my other friends Mike and Matt followed along in a 2012 Volkswagen GTI 6-speed. Our ascent from the Phoenix desert floor of 1,100 feet to the town of Payson at 5,000 feet meant we needed plenty of grunt to climb the grades. Thankfully due to the gearing of the ILX, my cruise control held me at highway speed in 6th gear on the Beeline Highway while rarely needing to downshift. We spent the night in Springerville, Arizona where my friend Jason had arrived from Las Cruces, New Mexico earlier in the evening.

Saturday morning greeted us with the brightest of blue skies and with crisp 32-degree ambient temperatures. For the first time since last winter, I donned a hooded sweatshirt for insulation from the chills. After chowing down on some breakfast, the open road awaited us. Over the course of the next several hours, we dipped from over 9,300 feet down to 3,400 feet in elevation over some technical, narrow roadways. This was a both-hands-on-the-wheel driving experience. Follow along on the journey via the photos and video below!

Paul did a pretty nice job of taking this ‘selfie’ of us while we made our way up Highway 87 to Payson.

Matt and Mike reviewed the menu at Buffalo Bar & Grille in Payson, Arizona. A sign on the wall read: “Rednecks Welcome. All Others By Appointment Only.”

We had Highway 260 almost entirely to ourselves as we headed east from there toward our nightly destination in Springerville, about 2.5 hours away. When we arrived, the ILX was again reunited with Jason’s silver Accord. I’d last met up with Jason on our drive to Denver, Colorado a couple of months ago.

Cozy in the America’s Best Value Inn. For $78, the place did not disappoint!

I was somewhat prepared for the chill that greeted us the following morning. Jason resorted to using a microfiber towel to clean the ice off his windshield.

It had been quite some time since I turned my ILX seat heaters to “HI” setting and cranked the heater to full blast.

For us Arizonans, frost on the car is a rare sight.

My favorite part about staying hotels and motels is the breakfast buffet. This waffle and OJ hit the spot.

On the way out of Springerville, we laid our eyes on some of the town’s highlights, including Rusty’s Meat Shop. Note that Rusty’s is also an official Trophy Elk Contest Scoring Location.

There was a classic car show going on nearby. Probably the biggest event this town of 1,700 had seen in quite some time.

Ready to drive? Here we have our contenders:

2013 Acura ILX 2.4 6-speed
2012 Volkswagen GTI 6-speed
2004 Honda Accord 3.0 6-speed

The ILX had the GTI beat in the horsepower department by just one measly horse. The GTI’s powerplant is a 2.0 liter, 200-horsepower turbocharged inline 4. Jason’s Accord reigned supreme at 240 horses from its 3.0 V6.

As we got underway and headed southbound on Hwy 191, we were quickly alerted (multiple times, in fact) that this route is not snowplowed on nights, weekends, or during snowstorms. Basically, if you’re caught in a blizzard during any of those times, you’re out of luck! Thankfully, our weather conditions were perfect.

Our first pit-stop was about 25 miles down the road in Hannagan Meadow. This grouping of log cabins was established in 1926 and remains today as a resort-type destination with cabin rentals around $200/night.

The cars lined up for a photo-op, looking photogenic despite some bugs on the front ends.

That blue Acura hoodie happened to match my shoelaces perfectly. I promise I didn’t plan it that way.

We took a peek inside a couple of the rental cabins just for fun. They’d make a great place to escape for a weekend.

It was a good thing we were fueled up because it would be about 120 miles until we saw any form of civilization. This was the warning at the top of a map we picked up at Hannagan Meadow:

Back on the road! Up until 1993, Highway 191 was actually Highway 666 – thus the reason it has been referred to as the Devil’s Highway. It’s also now known as “Coronado Trail” – named after a Spanish conquistador who followed this route between the years 1540 and 1542.

Views are spectacular, but the narrow road offers very few places to pull off and enjoy them while sitting still. This happened to be one of those locations.

We stretched our legs and pulled out the cameras for a few shots. I smelled burning brakes and/or tires when I approached Matt’s VW. I think he was having a little too much fun with those curves.

This shot of the ILX also shows Jason’s Accord’s headlight.

Left to right, our group:

Jason, from Las Cruces New Mexico
Tyson
Paul, originally from Michigan
Matt, originally from Pennsylvania
Mike, originally from Minnesota

One of my favorite signs along the entire stretch of road is the below “10 MPH NEXT 11 MILES.” These curves mean serious business. I think Paul might have regretted riding with me when I took a few of the corners at an aggressive rate of speed. My fresh Michelin tires provided plenty of bite, and the ILX’s close-ratio 6-speed transmission was a breeze to flick through the gears with minimal effort. I found body roll to be very minimal and weight transfer to be very predictable. The ILX was engineered for optimal performance on roads exactly like this one.

One more pit stop for some Mega Stuf Oreos and trail mix.

This scenic overlook gave us a dramatic look at the beautiful eastern Arizona landscape.

A gigantic tarantula seemed to be enjoying the view, too. Here, the guys were following it.

I turned over the ILX to Mike for a piece of the drive. He commented on how smooth the transmission was.

Meanwhile, Jason let me take the wheel of his Accord. At 139,000 miles, the suspension still felt tight and the car delivered power at RPM ranges that vary greatly from my ILX. It’s a great touring ride!

The last piece of Coronado leads sharply downhill toward the mining town of Morenci.

The Morenci mine is the largest copper mining operation in North America and is operated by Freeport-McMoRan.

It was awesome to stand at the rim of this massive man-made canyon and soak in the scenery.

Highway 191 treated us to a tunnel as we made our way through the rest of the mine.

Clifton, Arizona is a town stuck in a 1913 time warp. That’s when most of these streets along the former main street were constructed. 100 years later, it has an eery ghost town feel to it.

We feasted at PJ’s Mexican-American Restaurant.

Mike, Matt, and I opted for the Mexican food and it was top notch.

Note that PJ’s offers a “daily rate” for folks who want to sit and drink coffee all day. Just $9!

And finally, after looping back to Phoenix, Paul and I unloaded the ILX.

Thanks for joining me on yet another fun-filled Acuradventure.

8 Comments »

ILX Drive to Utah: St. George Marathon

Posted in ILX, Road Trip, Running, Utah on October 6, 2013 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 55,836

Odometer (Legend): 527,113

What does it take to travel 26.2 miles?

When I’m in my 2013 Acura ILX, it requires about .79 gallons of premium unleaded gasoline.

When I’m equipped with nothing more than a pair of running shoes, the fuel requirement is a bit more involved.

1/2 bagel with peanut butter
5 bites of a chocolate mint “Builder Bar”
3 “GU” energy gel packets
1/2 a banana
6 orange slices
est. 1/2 gallon of water and/or gatorade
and 1 red vine licorice strip at mile 18

I think my car wins by a landslide in terms of efficiency. Let’s talk about running.

The very world’s first marathon dates back a very long time:

The modern marathon commemorates the run of the soldier Pheidippides from a battlefield at the site of the town of Marathon, Greece, to Athens in 490 B.C., bringing news of a Greek victory over the Persians. Legend has it that Pheidippides delivered the momentous message “Niki!” (“victory”), then collapsed and died, thereby setting a precedent for dramatic conclusions to the marathon.

Say what? We commemorate the event of this soldier’s death by subjecting ourselves to the same tortuous treatment? You bet we do. And sometimes we even have fun doing it. This weekend, I drove my Acura ILX about 850 miles round-trip to my hometown of St. George, Utah to compete in a marathon hosted there.

I’m happy to report that I did survive the event and even performed a little better than anticipated. This was the 5th time I’ve finished this race, and I plan on competing again next year. The ILX, as always, made the trip to Utah flawlessly. I invite you to follow along on the journey via the photos below.

Highway 93 between Wickenburg and Wikeup, Arizona offered a nice backdrop for some photos as I was rolling through last Thursday evening.

Dusk is my preferred time of day to take car pictures. The ILX has great lines:

The face of determination. In the 16 months I’ve had the ILX, it’s probably made this trip to Utah a dozen times.

First order of business upon arrival in Las Vegas, Nevada was picking up my friend Jeff who’d flown down from Calgary, Alberta. Jeff is a marathon runner, too, and a quick one at that.

No trip to St. George would have been complete without seeing these little munchkins, my nieces & nephews.

Jeff and I did a little climbing in the red sandstone rocks just north of town. The word “Dixie” painted on the rock has been there for over a hundred years. The area was settled originally by Mormon pioneers who were from the south. The area’s climate made it a great place to grow cotton, so St. George became known as “Utah’s Dixie.”

Race day! Early on Saturday morning after a 40-minute bus ride to the start line, we freezed our buns off in 40-degree temperatures with lots of chilly wind until things got underway.

And we were off! Jeff and I (and my mom, who was also running) got separated from one another right away in the crowd. For the first couple of miles, runner traffic was heavy. I took the below picture at around mile 14 when Snow Canyon State Park came into view.

I wonder what was on my playlist at the time. Typically, the songs I like best when I’m running are ones that have a good beat. Here’s one example on YouTube which is a remix of the Cranberries song “Zombie.”

My fan club (of which Grandma is president!) was alongside the road at about mile 24. She’d put together a sign for me.

If I’d been running this race prior to 1924, I would have crossed the finish line then. The “original” marathon distance was 24 miles, but an additional 2.2 miles were added at the Olympic games in London so the race could finish in front of royal family’s viewing box!

There were lots of clever signs along the road, including this one near a mortuary.

Others that I laughed at:

“WTF” (Where’s the Finish!?)
(with a picture of Sweet Brown) “Tired? Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That!”
“Run Faster. I Just Farted.”
“Worst Parade Ever.”
“That’s Not Sweat. It’s Your Fat Cells Crying!”

Whatever the message, it was great to have a diversion from the pavement and I love the crowd support that is always in abundance at the St. George Marathon. My final stats are shown on the graphic below. My finish time was 4 hours, 18 minutes. That put me smack-dab in the middle of my “age grade.”

When we dig a little deeper into the data, it’s easy to see how much I was slowing down toward the end. I started out with a sub-9-minute mile, but by the end I was taking nearly 10 minutes per mile.

Jeff blazed through the race in 3 hours 28 minutes. My mom’s finish time was 4 hours, 3 seconds! I was the slow poke of the group. We treated ourselves to popsicles, fruit, bread, water and all kinds of other refreshments at the finish.

The first place winner in my division, Bryant Jensen, finished in 2 hours 15 minutes! That works out to a 5:15 minute mile pace. Unbelievable speed to maintain for that kind of distance. Below, Jeff and mom were taking time for a stretch. Hey guys, easy on the paint job please!

Cheesy photo-op required.

Time for Play-Doh with the kids.

Just a few hours of relaxation later, Jeff and I departed through the Virgin River Gorge on Interstate 15 southbound to make the 100-mile trip to Las Vegas, Nevada for the night.

A true oasis in the desert, this city gets a little more colorful every time I visit. Las Vegas is a true 24/7 entertainment destination.

I parked next to a Sundance Gold Pearl 2001 Acura CL Type-S at our hotel, the Mandalay Bay.

Later that evening, we did some walking (or better yet, hobbling) around to see some of the sights. The New York-New York Casino is famed for its architecture in the likeness of the NYC city skyline, except with somewhat miniaturized buildings. There’s a roller coaster that circles the property. I won’t be riding it any time soon!

We ran into our friend Deena on the Las Vegas Strip.

Pictured here are Paris and Planet Hollywood casinos.

It was a great night out on the town, though I was exhausted from the run earlier in the day.

This morning on my drive home to Phoenix in Boulder City, Nevada, I hit a fun milestone in the ILX. If only the outside temperature had been 6 degrees cooler, this would have been 55,555 miles at 55 miles per hour in 55 degrees.

Adios!

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