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Quick Northern Utah Trip & A Few Links for Light Reading

Posted in Utah on December 16, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 187,981

It’s uncommon for me to ever have to navigate a vehicle on snowy roads these days. I love to joke with my friends in snowy regions about how much of a chore it is to shovel the sunshine off my driveway each winter here in Phoenix. But for a couple of my college years in northern Utah, I did get a hefty dose of “Slick Road 101” and the Legend and I both survived it. Here are some photos from January 2005.

The Legend had 150,000 miles on it at the time. I’d barely gotten my journey started.

Sometimes, even I opt for a flight over a drive. In this past weekend’s case, the choices were a 12-hour drive (that could easily turn into many more in inclement weather) or a 90-minute flight. Given the short timeline, it made the most sense to hop on Southwest and let my pilot do the driving. The ILX got left at Phoenix “Sky Harbor” airport.

My rental car at Salt Lake City International Airport was a “gutless wonder” (I think my dad coined that phrase) 2015 Volkswagen Jetta with 48,000 miles on it. It took a lot of coaxing to get it to freeway speeds, but comfort was OK and it got incredible MPGs. My dad and stepmom live in a community called Providence, nestled on the east bench of Cache Valley at the tip-top northern end of Utah. It’s a college community, home to my alma mater Utah State University, and I usually make it up there about twice a year. The valley is a beautiful place, as seen from my dad’s backyard.

After an overnight stay at a friend’s house in South Jordan (SLC suburb), I made the northbound drive about 100 miles to Providence. My 87-year-old grandmother is recently widowed and needed a lift to run a couple of errands in town. We also met up with some other family members for lunch at one of my favorite pizza joints near the USU campus called Fredrico’s Pizza. The garlic bread is always dripping in delicious butter.

Cache Valley got a dusting of snow on Saturday night and I got the chance to use that unfamiliar object called an ice scraper that Advantage Rent-A-Car had conveniently left in the passenger seat of my Jetta. I paid a visit to my uncle Jeff in Taylorsville, south of Salt Lake, who’s been building and racing hot rods for as long as I remember. His current projects are a Chevy Corvair and a 1965 Chevy II Nova. I captured a short video of the Corvair. I’m quite confident its growl woke up everyone in Jeff’s neighborhood from their Sunday naps. Here’s a very short video I took:

Arrival at Salt Lake City International Airport.

Incidentally, this airport was the one featured in the classic 1994 film “Dumb & Dumber,” though the movie was supposed to have been set in Rhode Island.

Northbound to Logan on snowy roads

Morning in Cache Valley

My workplace has become ultra festive. Here’s a collage of photos taken the other night.

Had a couple of nice visits this past week from friends, including Chase and Michael who are both from Texas.

And Matt who’s local and who drive a 2001 CL.

Special thanks to my friend Kevin for sending me some classic Acura ads.

And here are few more decade-old pictures from my time at Utah State in the wintertime.

Lastly: Check out a few cool links on articles that you might find interesting:

My friend Brendan Saur’s article about a 1995 Legend L coupe on Curbside Classic
My friend Ben Hsu’s article about Ryu Asada, Hot Wheels designer, on Japanese Nostalgic Car.
My article about a guest speaker at the upcoming Arizona Concours d’Elegance on ClassicCars.com

Have a great weekend!

8 Comments »

Thanksgiving 2016: Zion National Park in Southern Utah

Posted in ILX, National Parks, Road Trip, Utah on November 27, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 549,008

Odometer (ILX): 187,248

Trip Distance: 849 Miles

What are some of the most expensive toll roads you’ve driven?

On Thursday morning, I paid $30 to drive 14 miles on State Route 9 in southern Utah. $2 per mile! But that’s a small price to pay for this kind of scenery-per-mile, right?

Truth is, that fee was actually the cover charge for Zion National Park, and it just so happened that I needed to pass through Zion in order to get to a Thanksgiving feast that was awaiting me at Aunt Jodi’s house on the other side in Rockville.

Knowing, though, that I wouldn’t need to re-enter the park since I’d be taking a different route home, I decided to “pay it forward.” It was Thanksgiving Day, after all. As soon as I got through the park and exited its west end, I hit the brakes, threw the hazards on in the ILX, and rushed out the driver door to hand my park pass to an unsuspecting motorist going the opposite way who was waiting in line at the ranger station to enter. “Do you want a free park pass? It’s good for 7 days,” I told the driver of a white SUV. “Umm, sure!” he said as he took the brochure and receipt. “Happy Thanksgiving!” I yelled as I ran back to the ILX and drove away.

Growing up in southern Utah, my family’s home was only 45 minutes from the gates of Zion National Park. Zion is one of Utah’s 5 colorful national parks, established 97 years ago and covering over 200 square miles in the southwest corner of the state. There are some key features including waterfalls, gardens, and picturesque sandstone cliffs carved away by the Virgin River at the base. Holiday tourist traffic was heavy on Thanksgiving but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the scenery and stopping for a few photos on my quick drive through.

My favorite feature of the park is 1.1-mile-long tunnel called the Zion – Mount Carmel Tunnel. It was carved away in 1930 and shortened the distance from Zion to nearby Bryce Canyon by 70 miles. The tunnel is narrow and requires a special escort for oversize vehicles. The interior of the tunnel is completely black except for 3 or 4 spots where there are ‘windows’ opening up to the outside canyon. Unfortunately cars are not allowed to stop at those windows.

We dined heartily on turkey and trimmings at Jodi’s. It was good to see my brothers and a couple of my cousins. Here are a few photos and a short video from my Thanksgiving weekend. Check out my cousin Dillon’s dance moves at 1:46 in. I hope you and your families had an enjoyable one.

Highway 89 northbound just south of Page, Arizona

Utah state line near Lake Powell in Page

I liked this Parry Lodge in Kanab, Utah

Highway 9 westbound

Curvy road after exiting the tunnel

These backdrops never get old

Quick jaunt to Salt Lake to visit a family member in the hospital

Sunset off mom’s back patio on Saturday night

Visiting a couple of my favorite little people, nephew Rex and niece Vivienne

I was shocked on Thursday evening when my friend Chris messaged me about an article that had just been posted on Jalopnik about my garage and Acura collection. Jalopnik is one of the largest automotive media pages around – with over 300,000 followers on Facebook, 150,000 YouTube subscribers, and a huge presence overall. A couple of months ago, I had shot a quick email over to editor Andrew Collins who I also knew to be an Acura driver (with a > 200,000-mile TL). He took enough interest in the story to put together an article about it.

The level of response was pretty nuts. My blog had its best view day in its 5-year history, with 2,558 views and over 1,200 visitors the following day. Both the Facebook post and the article itself got about 300 comments each. I was terrified of reading them but eventually got the nerve. To my surprise, most were overwhelmingly positive. I’m glad a few people out there can relate to a my madness or at least consider it a little bit entertaining.

The blog, by the way, is sitting at around 496,000 views overall since I started it in March 2011. That means we are shortly coming up on a Drive to Five milestone of a completely different nature. Thanks for being part of it!

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Mexico, A Marathon, A Milestones, & Miscellaneous

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

Odometer (NSX): 106,150

Trip Distance: 424 Miles

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

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

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

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

Arrival at the beach

Crossing back into the U.S. of A:

And getting a foam bath. Thanks Kyle!

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

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

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

6-speeders:

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

And Brian:

The cars got a bath in the backyard.

And Jeremy and I took the Legend sedan to brunch.

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

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

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

Visiting with my nephew Beckam:

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

Race morning! With mom at the start line.

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

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

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

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

Grandma’s sign:

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

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

Final standings:

Quick pose with Tanya.

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

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

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

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

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

I-40 in Kingman, Arizona.

Turnoff at Burro Creek Campground along Highway 93.

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

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Quick Overnight Utah Trip in the NSX, with Route 66 Stops

Posted in NSX, Road Trip, Utah on May 12, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (NSX): 104,315

Trip Distance: 400 Miles

I’m sitting at Gate C25 at the Las Vegas International Airport and I already somehow ate $17 worth (!) of spaghetti and meatballs from the restaurant down the hallway, so why not kill a few minutes on WordPress? I squeezed a little road trip out of this regular work week and it was a fun one.

I’ve been needing to get a few maintenance items addressed on my 1992 Acura NSX for some time now. The Anti-Lock-Braking (ABS) system has been on the fritz, the stereo emits a deafening static noise when you rotate the volume knob, and the small struts that hold up the rear trunk as well as the glass engine hatch have lost their holding power. I can’t complain too much – the car, for the 4.5 years and 24,000 miles I’ve owned it, has required very little in maintenance aside from oil changes. My detailed 100,000 mile rollover post is here.

At 24 years old, some maintenance needs are expected. I reflected on my 400-mile drive last night from Scottsdale, Arizona to St. George, Utah. It’s pretty remarkable I can hop into a car that old – the oldest I own, in fact – and spend the next 6.5 hours driving in complete confidence that it will get me reliably to my destination. And it did. Unlike most cars today, this one isn’t a rolling mega-computer. It doesn’t have GPS. It doesn’t have adaptive cruise control. Heck, it doesn’t even have power steering. But you know what? It’s fun to drive.

Along the way, I enjoyed some of the sights and sounds of northern Arizona: namely, some Route 66 hot spots. Kingman, Arizona is a halfway point on my Phoenix-to-Utah trip. I routinely stop there for fuel (so frequently, in fact, that I have the clerks at the Mobil gas station on a first name basis). But I rarely venture off the beaten path to take a look around at the sights on what used to be the “Mother Road.” Places like this Mr D’s restaurant pay homage to a simpler time, with lots of color and greasy food because fewer people worried about nutrition facts.

Kingman still embraces its Route 66 heritage strongly and cruising along old 66, you’ll see lots of neat architecture that’s probably changed very little in the last 50 or 60 years. An old power station has been converted into a Visitor Center, but sadly it had shut down for the day just prior to my arrival into town. I continued on to Las Vegas, Nevada, stopping just briefly near the shores of Lake Mead for a photo at sunset.

Today, I telecommuted from Utah while paying a few visits to family members. I caught a 5:00 p.m. shuttle bus to Vegas, and I’m about to get on my one-hour quick flight to Phoenix. Speaking of which, they’re about to call my boarding group so I’d better jet – literally. Big week ahead, as I’ll be departing Friday on a nearly 8,000-mile journey to Alaska and back. And I’m taking you with me. So, start packing.

Get your kicks on Route 66

Breakfast with mom

NSX keeping its new friends company: My brother’s 1968 Nova and BMW M3

Three nice looking two-doors in a row. NSX power is far less. But you know which one I’d take on a mountain drive.

Talk soon!

21 Comments »

Weekend Road Trip: St. George, Utah, Snow Canyon State Park, and Strawberry, Arizona

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip, Utah on May 1, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 543,124

Odometer (ILX): 162,648

Trip Distance: 886 Miles

Sometimes the best part about planning a road trip is throwing the plan out the window and winging it entirely. What was intended to be a hiking weekend at Zion National Park with a dozen friends and family members ended up getting rained out and rescheduled. While I had been looking forward to checking out the 14-mile “West Rim Trail” hike, Mother Nature had other plans that included thunderstorms in Southern Utah.

Still, my friend Rob and I made the trip up to see what kind of fun we could dig up. And we found plenty. On Friday we worked from “home,” or in this case, from mom’s kitchen table and Wifi network while she served up waffles, “fruit pizza,” and other snacks to keep us fueled. I only wish my office had such amenities! That evening, we met up with an old friend Josh who I’d known since high school but hadn’t seen for over a decade.

Saturday morning started out with mountain of French Toast at Bear Paw Cafe on Main Street in downtown St. George, followed by a hike on the Red Hill (also called the “sugarloaf”) with Rob. The rain wasn’t yet coming down heavily so we scrambled up the rocks for a view overlooking the community.

sgu

Later that afternoon, we visited Snow Canyon State Park off State Route 18. Snow Canyon is a 7,400-acre park just outside St. George city limits that is part of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. It has nearly 40 miles of hiking trails and was set aside in 1959 as a state park. Snow Canyon is one of my favorite places for automotive photography and videos. Rob and I hiked around the sand dunes for a little while before heading to a family BBQ.

snow_canyon_2

Thumbs up!

For the return trip to Phoenix, I wanted to introduce Rob to some other parts of Utah & Arizona that he hadn’t yet seen, so we opted to circle back to Phoenix via Flagstaff as opposed to back-tracking to Las Vegas where we’d come from. About 90 minutes into our drive we’d reached the 7,900-foot-elevation Jacob Lake Inn, a historic lodge just north of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. There’s a small gas station, motel, restaurant, and gift shop on the site. I couldn’t resist the grilled cheese sandwich so we stayed for a bite to eat before continuing on our way. Spy the ILX in the window reflection here!

The Colorado River looked a lot like chocolate milk when we stopped briefly for a photo at the Navajo Bridge along Highway 89A about 40 miles later. The old 1928 bridge has long-since been bypassed by a newer one, but pedestrians are allowed to walk out across it so we did that to get a good view of the river below.

Further adding to the adventure of our return trip was a sign along Interstate 17 just south of Flagstaff that stated “Road Closed 89 Miles Ahead.” Rob took a peek at traffic on his phone and confirmed that things were at a standstill near the Bloody Basin Road exit just a little north of Phoenix. So, we did some quick calculations and decided to make a detour at Camp Verde to Payson, which would add about 30-40 minutes to our trip but most certainly avoid any sort of delay from the road closure issue. That seemed like the most logical plan of attack, so we went with it, and I’m glad we did! Highway 260 from I-17 to the Highway 87 junction was a gorgeous two-lane windy road with very little traffic.

Soon we found our way in a few small towns on the outskirts of Payson, including one called Strawberry. Most homes in that area have log cabin architecture which adds to a cozy feeling in the community. Strawberry is also home to the state’s oldest still-standing schoolhouse, built in 1885, so we had to make a stop there.

“Old school.” Get it? Never mind.

By the time we got back to my place in Scottsdale, it was nearly 6 p.m. and we felt like we’d spent the entire day in the car, but we covered some beautiful ground and enjoyed the road trip! Below are the rest of my photos.

Thanks to PAPA member Larry Edsall for giving me this awesome mousepad!

Dinner with my buddy Josh

This is how long I’ve known Josh: We took these photos of our Hondas together in January 2001. Over 15 years ago! Mine was the red Prelude of course.

Prepare for takeoff!

Breakfast with mom, sporting my NALM shirt of course

Check out that French toast from Bear Paw Cafe!

View of St. George from the Red Hill

tyson_rob

Old tunnel into St. George that has been bypassed by modern roads, and now serves as a storage area.

Picking up my 5-year-old niece Vivienne

Family BBQ with my brothers Payton and Bentley, and mom

Rob getting cozy at the Jacob Lake Inn

Leaving the Navajo Bridge

Check out this Acura brand video entitled “30 Years Young” – pretty cool stuff!

12 Comments »

Southern Utah Trip for Grandpa’s 85th Birthday

Posted in Legend, Road Trip, Utah on February 7, 2016 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 542,050

Odometer (ILX): 154,338

Trip Distance: 900 Miles

“When will see see you next – Valentine’s Day?” asked my grandpa on Saturday night after we’d finished celebrating his 85th birthday. “That’s next weekend,” I replied. He laughed, “I know. You’ll look for an reason to get in that Acura and point it north!” It appears Gpa knows me well! As do all my other family members, who’ve grown accustomed to my frequent visits to my hometown in southwestern Utah – a solid 400+ mile drive away from my own place in Scottsdale, Arizona.

This past weekend I made that jaunt in my 1994 Legend. For the first couple hours of the drive, I had company. My friend Josh had flown in from Houston to pick up a new vehicle, so I shuttled him to Prescott where he picked it up at a dealership there.

He was satisfied with his new Mercury Milan, and I had a ways left to go, so I headed on out of town northbound on Highway 89. A few small towns crept up as I headed north but for the most part it was 55-65 miles per hour of traversing the pine-laden forests on a windy two-laner. At the “T” with Interstate 40, I headed west.

My next stop was a town of substantial Route 66 significance called Seligman. I last visited Seligman with my friend Jack and I took a tour of northern Arizona a couple of years ago. I can say with certainty that it hasn’t changed much since then, and I’m pretty sure it probably hasn’t changed much in the last half-century or so, either.

While the Snow Cap restaurant was shut down, I continued on the main road through town and saw that Roadkill Cafe was indeed open for business. And who could possibly drive past a dining establishment whose motto is “You Kill It, We Grill It”? Not me. I swung the Legend into the dirt parking lot east of the building and headed inside to check it out.

Business inside was slow – or so it seemed. Maybe I’ve just become too accustomed to the hustle and bustle of city life to realize what it’s like to be in a place where restaurants aren’t crowded and there’s never a wait list. I must say, it was a welcome change. I seated myself as the only patron in the bar area and I was handed a menu by a friendly staff member.

The yellow glow of the “High Speed Special” drew my eye immediately so I ordered that — buffalo style, of course, for $0.50 extra — and got settled in. My pink lemonade was delivered to me in a giant mason jar. There was complimentary WiFi available so I checked work emails – I was on the clock this whole time, after all.

The rest of the trip to southwestern Utah was smooth sailing. In St. George, I met up with friends and family in enjoyment of the perfect outside weather.

Our Saturday travels took us to two state parks in Washington County not far from my mom’s place: Sand Hollow State Park, and Snow Canyon State Park. Both delivered stunning vistas in every direction with lots of vivid color: red rocks and blue skies being the most dominant of the color palette. I enjoyed visiting with friends and family throughout the visit, and among the highlights was meeting up with a fellow Acura fanatic for a special project he and I are working on. You’ll see more about that in the coming months. Mom fixed homemade soup which we ate in bread bowls for dinner. And this morning, I made the 6.5-hour return trip home!

Here are the rest of my trip pics:

540,000 miles and 40,000 miles, side by side

We kept tabs on each other for the day so he could keep me posted on his location. He was in San Antonio, Texas already by the following morning! I guess he pulled a crazy all-nighter out on I-10.

Main Street in Seligman, AZ was a quiet place at middway on Saturday.

Sand Hollow Reservoir in Washington County, southern Utah

Snow Canyon State Park, southern Utah

Rock formations in Snow Canyon

Birthday festivities for Grandpa

I liked this pic that my friend Brock captured of my ILX last Thursday at a light next to James‘ tester Lincoln MKX.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

11 Comments »

ILX 150,000 Milestone, Utah Trip, and a 30-Something Birthday

Posted in ILX, Legend, Milestones, Utah on December 29, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 540,467

Odometer (ILX): 151,120

I have quite the potpourri of news updates for you all today! I was on my way home from work last week when my 2013 ILX hit its 150,000-mile mark.

Timeline of major milestones:

16 Miles at Delivery: June 12, 2012
50,000 Miles: August 15, 2013
100,000 Miles: October 16, 2014
150,000 Miles: December 21, 2015

Maintenance history since new:

Video:

The Legend coupe had to get a new starter last week from Hon-Man in Tempe, Arizona after the original one lasted 540,428 miles. About a week ago, I had needed to move the car out of the garage to get access to the attic opening, and it would click but not turn over. The starter had been acting up for some time so I finally had it taken care of. Hon-Man’s parking lot was full of other Honda products, but I parked next to a 1993 Legend sedan when I dropped the car off for its service.

Service was $599 parts/labor and included replacement of an inner CV boot that was torn on the driver side axle. Back on the road now.

My friend Daniel stalked me on Christmas Eve on Loop 202.

For about 10 years now, I’ve been attending an annual Christmas party hosted by my friend Chuck in Phoenix. This year, he gave me a glass “moose mug” like the style used in the classic film “Christmas Vacation.”

My friend James gave me a very fitting license plate!

I made my way north to my hometown in Utah (~400 mi) in the ILX on Christmas morning. Weather conditions on my end were vastly different from the ones my stepmom and dad were experiencing. Here’s a text conversation excerpt:

I stopped for a quick visit at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the north end of Las Vegas. It was only 50 degrees, but looked much warmer!

Virgin River Gorge on Interstate 15 northbound:

“Castle” Christmas light display at a home in St. George. This won a $50,000 contest!

With my niece Vivienne.

Lunch with mom.

Taking my brother’s 1968 Chevy II Nova SS 6-speed for a cruise on the day after Christmas:

I drove it about 100 miles, round trip, to & around Mesquite, Nevada

Great sunset lighting overlooking the peaks around Mesquite. You’ll soon see this car in a feature story in Hemmings Muscle Machines.

Mom even rolled around in it for a bit:

We received a visit from a few friends on Sunday prior to the return drive to Phoenix: Tyson, Tia, Chandler, Jack

Jack, Chandler, Tyson, Branson

Jack took my brother’s M3 6-speed for a little ride

Branson rode 400 miles back with me from St. George to Scottsdale to take delivery of this 1994 Legend coupe from a prior post.

On the morning of 12/28, we pulled it out of the garage and he went on his way!

Desert Mist twins before Branson’s departure.

It was my 34th birthday yesterday, so I went and pulled the NSX out of the garage for a celebratory cruise.

I received a ton of well-wishes from friends & family. My email inbox overflowed with about 700 Facebook notifications. Here is a short video capturing some of the day’s highlights.

And, I think that pretty much brings you up to speed! Hope everyone’s New Year festivities treat them well this weekend.

30 Comments »

Salt Lake City & Logan, Utah – Quick Weekend Flight

Posted in Utah on December 7, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend Coupe): 540,340

Odometer (Legend Sedan): 149,696

Yesterday, I had to explain to a TSA agent at Salt Lake City International Airport why I was carrying over $400 in coins from the U.S. Mint in my carry-on bag. It was selected (not surprisingly) for secondary screening while going through Security for my SLC-PHX flight. “It’s a Christmas gift from my grandpa,” I told him. Moments later he found another treasure in my luggage – a bag full of cheese curd. “And this?” he asked. “That’s from grandma,” I said. What an odd combo of things to take on a flight, I guess. As the agent finished his inspection and sent me on my way, he said, “Enjoy your very unconventional Christmas gifts.” And I will!

It was a quick “up & back” weekend to northern Utah for some family parties this past weekend, but I flew instead of driving. I’m giving a Gold Star to whoever can spot the blatant error on this advertisement in Southwest Airlines’ magazine. I did a double-take as I was flipping through the magazine from seat 15F last Thursday evening.

From Salt Lake airport, I picked up my rental car and met up with some friends for dinner. That rental was this underwhelming 2015 Volkswagen Passat.

My destination the next day was about 90 minutes to the north, in a valley near the Idaho state line.

I’d swapped cars by that time, and I borrowed a friend’s 2005 Acura TL. The cigarette lighter in the Passat wasn’t even working so I couldn’t charge my cell phone in the car. My friend Jeremy needed his TL picked up at Jody Wilkinson Acura so I paid some friends in the Service Department (hi Allen!) there a visit and picked up the car in Service. I felt much more at home behind the wheel of an Acura for the drive up I-15.

The world’s largest fly fishing fly is on display in front of an outdoor supply shop on South Main in Logan.

Utah State University, founded in 1888 as Utah’s agricultural college, today has almost 29,000 students. I graduated in 2005 with my degree in Business. Hard to believe a decade has passed! This building with a bell tower, one of the oldest on campus, is called Old Main and was constructed in 1890.

A blog reader stopped by to say hello while I was at my dad’s house preparing for the family party. Here’s Sunny and his Honda Civic.

Sunset in Cache Valley

Morning view of the Wellsville Mountains, as seen from my dad’s back porch. The highest peak here – Box Elder – is only about 9,300 feet in elevation, but the mountain range is one of the steepest in the region.

On Saturday morning, we took my dad’s 1990 Ford F-350 about 20 miles up Blacksmith Fork Canyon to Hardware Ranch, a wildlife preserve where about 400 elk come to feed every winter. Dad’s truck has a 460 V8 motor and automatic transmission. The red interior is eye catching. Only 126,000 miles on this 25-year-old ride!

My Volkswagen rolled 30,000 miles before (gladly) turning it back in at the airport.

That’s the quick update on weekend happenings. Hope everyone had a great one!

17 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!

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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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