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Utah State Highway 153: Beaver Canyon Scenic Byway in the ILX

Posted in ILX, Road Trip, Utah on August 25, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 531,490

Odometer (ILX): 93,204

Trip Distance: 1,061 Miles

Welcome aboard for an AZ-NV-UT-NV-AZ weekend! The route between Phoenix, Arizona and St. George, Utah is a long-time favorite of mine. An old friend of mine got hitched on Saturday evening, so I made the trek to my old stomping grounds to participate in the festivities and to reconnect with a few family members.

While waiting for a gas pump to continue filling my 13-gallon tank with 91 octane, I was rooting around in the center console for my key so I could lock the car and go inside the convenience store for a drink. A voice from behind me said, “Excuse me sir…” I was a little startled and looked up to see it was a friend from my hometown, Danny! Here I was, 200 miles from home, and he was also 200 miles from home – randomly meeting up at a Mobil gas station in small town Kingman, Arizona. It’s a really small world indeed.

Saturday evening’s wedding was held in Pine Valley Utah. I’d been there before around Christmas 2012. The drive from St. George to Pine Valley on State Route 18 took about 40 minutes. The elevation gain lends itself to a change in landscape, as the vivid red sandstone rock formations transition to pine trees and greener surroundings. Pine Valley’s afternoon weather was absolutely perfect for the wedding festivities, so it was appropriate that the ceremony was held outside on the lawn of the bright white, historic 1868 chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I paid a quick visit to my brother Payton who’s knee-deep in a car “build” that’s been underway for over a year now. He’s converting his blue Lexus IS300 to a stick shift and performing all sorts of drivetrain upgrades in the process.

On Sunday morning, I picked up a special copilot for the day’s drive, Grandma McGregor. She’d already packed us up a couple coolers full of picnic lunch supplies and food, so we threw those in the back seat and headed out northbound on Interstate 15 toward Beaver. The 100-mile drive went quickly thanks to the posted 80 mph speed limits that took effect a couple of years ago. Upon arrival in Beaver, we met up with my mom, stepdad, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew who’d arrived in a separate vehicle (mom’s 2003 Lexus GS430).

Beaver’s State Route 153 dates back to 1945. It’s 40 miles long, but the 13 easternmost miles to the city of Junction, Utah are unpaved. The 27 miles that are paved are a glorious place to take a nice-handling sports sedan like the ILX. Grandma and I started our drive from Beaver and headed for the hills.

Making our way eastbound, Highway 153 enters the Fishlake National Forest as it climbs into the Tushar Mountains. The road first winds along the Beaver River at the base of the canyon, then begins a sharp ascent to its 9,200 foot elevation at its highest point on the paved portion. The grades reach up to 9-10% and it’s very common for vehicles to overheat going uphill or to lose braking control going downhill. Extreme drop-offs have taken many victims over the years – including some accidents that we’ve witnessed firsthand.

We made it to our destination at the top of the hill, near Eagle Point ski area. My brother has a cabin under construction there that we took a look at. Afterward, we traversed a one-lane dirt road deep into the woods and paid our respects to the location where the cremated remains of some of our dear family members were buried. The ILX got a little muddy, but it was worth it.

The descent on Highway 153 went quickly. Knowing that I had a full day’s drive still ahead of me (8 more hours) in getting back to the Phoenix area, I turned over the reins to my stepdad, Todd, who drove the ILX the 100 miles from Beaver to St. George.

By 9:30 p.m. that night, I’d arrived at home in Scottsdale — tired, but feeling very fulfilled about a great weekend. This was my favorite song from the drive home. I listened 3 times in a row, at full (level 40) volume.

Thanks for coming along on the trip! Here are a few more pictures.

Entering Utah from Arizona on the outskirts of St. George

My brother’s pool. Anybody want to come take a dip?

Photo-op with the ILX on the south end of town.

This was the same place where I took my mom’s 1993 Legend L sedan back in June 1997. The surrounding landscape has changed a great deal over the last 17 years, but the rocks remain exactly the same. I found out, by the way, that the old Sherwood Green Legend is long gone. As of August 2011, it received a “junk” title in Boise, Idaho and there has been no record of it on Carfax since. RIP, Legend!

Arrival in Pine Valley, Utah

Premium parking at the wedding

Reunited with my friend Kati at the wedding

My grandma is a whiz! How many 81-year-olds do you know who text message?

Arrival in Beaver, UT with grandma and making a fuel-up at Sinclair for $3.84.

Mom captured this pic of me passing them on Hwy 153 heading up Beaver Canyon

High elevation cruising!

Brother’s cabin construction underway

Quick photo-op with one of the best road trip companions I’ve ever had!

Arriving at our picnic site

Lexus and Acura off-road vehicles

Niece Vivienne was the star of the show.

Group photo: Kali (with Vivienne), Grandma, Tia, Tyson (with Rex)

Todd at the wheel of the ILX for part of the return trip

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Throwback Thursday: Legend Drive to “Spiral Jetty” in Utah

Posted in Legend, Road Trip, Throwback, Utah on July 17, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 530,083

Odometer (ILX): 88,611

What type of alien life form would have created something like this?

I don’t remember how I found out about the Spiral Jetty, but once I learned of it, there was no stopping me from going there. It was Saturday June 18, 2005 and for some reason or another, I was in & around Salt Lake City, Utah that weekend.

Spiral Jetty is a 1,500-foot-long, 15-foot-wide, work of art on the north shore of the Great Salt Lake. It was actually constructed by a human – Robert Smithson – in 1970. It’s made of mud, salt crystals, basalt rocks, and water. Construction took only 6 days and cost $9,000. Due to varying water levels of the lake, it’s possible at times for the spiral coil to be completely submerged. On the day when I visited, it was clearly visible but partially underwater. I would’ve loved to hike out on top of it, but that would’ve definitely ended in some wet sneakers & socks.

The Great Salt Lake is a bit fascinating itself. It’s the largest salt water lake in the western Hemisphere and the 4th largest “terminal” lake in the world. It covers 1,700 square miles and is a remnant of ancient Lake Bonneville which covered most of Utah. But how salty is the Great Salt Lake? Salinity ranges from 5 to 27%. For comparison, the salinity of the ocean is 3.5%. I won’t be filling my canteen from the Great Salt Lake anytime soon. Here’s an attempted “selfie” (though that word didn’t exist in 2005) thanks to a remote timer on my camera with the lake in the background.

Though I learned that the road to the Spiral Jetty was unpaved, that didn’t keep me from taking my then-173,000-mile Acura Legend coupe out on a Saturday morning adventure. In all, I remember driving about 9 miles one-way on a gravel road. The last couple of miles progressively got more and more technical. By the time I got to the last hundred yards or so of the drive, the road had narrowed to just one skinny lane with huge ruts and jagged rocks everywhere. I did my best to weave around them – fearing that I might scratch one of my 17″ chrome rims or, worst case scenario, catch a rock on my oil pan and cause some even more serious damage to the car.

I did make it, though, and celebrated with a photoshoot of my filthy Legend and a partially submerged work of art in the background.

The area around the jetty was littered with metal waste: Empty, rusted barrels, vehicle hulks that had been abandoned and vandalized decades prior, etc.

I made my exit and stopped for a photo in the barren wilderness of northern Utah.

Remarkably, the Legend survived unscathed and after running it through a coin-operated car wash in Salt Lake City, I took it to a Legend “meet” at Sugarhouse Park that very same afternoon. Though we hadn’t planned it that way, every single Legend that attended was a 2-door coupe. I wonder how many of those guys still have their cars, 9 years later?

I know for a fact that Jeff, who was driving that Canterbury Green coupe parked on the end, is now in a black 2008 Acura TL Type-S after having spent the last 8 years in a CL Type-S. He’s been as brand loyal as they come!

Summertime fun from years past. Thanks for coming along with me to Memory Lane.

7 Comments »

Pics: Holiday Weekend in NV & UT

Posted in ILX, Road Trip, Utah on May 27, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 80,786

Back to the grind! Here’s just a quick slideshow recap today from a fun-filled 3-day holiday weekend. First off, a drive on the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday afternoon.

The city was bustling with holiday traffic.

I met up with my (Legend-owning) friend Jessie for a bite to eat at Smashburger.

And got a quick picture at my favorite casino: Excalibur.

Once I arrived in my hometown of St. George, Utah, I took my brother’s BMW M3 turbo for a spin.

Power to the max.

Lots of custom work here. And it pays off: The car has been dyn0-tested at > 500 wheel horsepower.

I also drove another German 6-speed that day: My friend Buck’s 2005 Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor.

This car replaces his outgoing Acura RSX.

Family BBQ at the park. Left to right: Bentley (brother), Kyann (sis-in-law), me, Tia (mom), Kali (sis-in-law), Payton (brother).

With my younger brothers.

Beckam

Vivienne

Rex

Love those kiddos! Sunset from my mom’s back deck in Washington, Utah.

And the song that got me dancing in my seat on the way home to Phoenix yesterday.

Give it a listen here with me. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

11 Comments »

Utah Roadtrip Weekend: 7 Highlights

Posted in ILX, Road Trip, Trains, Utah on May 6, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 529,301

Odometer (ILX): 78,563

Trip Distance: 1,603 Miles

My grandpa gave me a look of disgust on Monday morning when I pulled into his driveway in southern Utah. “You’ve got so many bugs on the front of that car, they’re causing wind drag!” he said. He had a valid point. I had slain a fair number of insects on my travels of Utah and Idaho over the course of a long weekend.

Last Thursday, I said sayonara to the desert and headed for northern Utah’s Rocky Mountains. I had a lot time in the driver seat and enjoyed every minute of it. In honor of hitting 77,777 miles on the ILX, in this post I’ll share seven of the memorable highlights from my nearly 2,000-mile, 4-day adventure.

1) Driving a 1931 Ford Model A. The award for the oldest vehicle I’ve ever driven can now go to this 1931 Ford which my uncle recently purchased.

I’m standing here with Russell, after taking my uncle Brett’s car for a drive. It’s a 3-speed on the floor but the transmission requires a great deal of finesse to operate. It’s the first time I’ve ever made an attempt at “double-clutching.” I learned (quickly) that this old Ford does not like to down-shift. I ground a few gears!

2) Getting up close & personal with a 1.2 million pound steam locomotive. Ten years after that Ford rolled off the production line, another piece of vintage metal was born. This Union Pacific steam locomotive was on display in Ogden, Utah when I was rolling through the area this weekend so I stopped at Union Station to take a look. A lot of other folks had the same idea, apparently. It was busy out there!

The reason for the excitement was that this locomotive had been parked in southern California since 1961. It’s now being moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming to be fully restored. UP 4014 is one of 25 “Big Boy” locomotives built for the Union Pacific Railroad. It was delivered in 1941 and weighs in at 1.2 million pounds. This locomotive is so long (132 feet) that its frame is articulated and thus able to better negotiate curves. And perhaps the most important statistic of all: From 1941 through 1961, UP 4014 traveled 1,031,205 miles. That’s my kind of high-miler!

The size of the wheels is more readily appreciated when a young child stands next to them.

Impressive engineering for being 73 years old!

3. Taking my Grandma and Russell to dinner. These two are great company. I provided the shuttle ride to Olive Garden; they covered the bill! That’s my kind of arrangement. Grandma made sure our waitress brought out fresh/soft breadsticks. Before we all headed to the restaurant, I pulled the ILX around to the backyard for a picture.

In we go!

And enough leftovers for at least another couple of meals.

Back to the house.

4) Trying out the world-famous (okay, maybe just state-famous) restaurant called Angie’s. Angie’s, in Logan, Utah, serves breakfast all day. I highly recommend the meat omelet. But the menu item Angie’s is best known for is the “Kitchen Sink.” It’s a gigantic banana split-type dessert, served up in a metal mini sink. Anyone who can finish the $13 item is awarded a bumper sticker that states “I cleaned the sink at Angie’s.” Someday I’ll attempt it.

Todd, Tia, me

Here’s what that bumper sticker looks like.

Not my picture, but here’s an example of a Kitchen Sink.

5. Hitting lucky 7’s on the ILX near Brigham City, Utah. If only the outside temperature had been 3 degrees higher, I would have really hit the jackpot.

6. Paying a visit to a friend who’s an Acura-holic like me. In St. George, Utah, I visited my friend Blair. Here, you can see his 2008 Acura TL Type-S in Kinetic Blue Pearl (my favorite color!) as well as his 1989 Acura Legend L coupe. What you don’t see are his other 1989 Legend coupe and his 1991 Legend coupe which are in the garage.

Fancy!

Blair recently turned 100,000 miles in the TL and he shared a picture with me. I’m catching up quickly.

7. Visiting Utah’s original statehouse. Here’s a little trivia: Utah’s original capital was actually located in the middle part of the state, in Fillmore, before it was moved to Salt Lake City. The 1852 statehouse still stands.

A few final photo randoms:

Mantua, Utah along Highway 89-91 in Sardine Canyon leading into Cache Valley.

My friend Ryan who was working on his Honda S2000 (which he later let me drive!).

Quick pic at the 1884 Logan, Utah Mormon temple.

A couple of scenes from Jacob Lake, Arizona (7,920 foot elevation).

What a blast this weekend was! There’s one more feature story on the way. Come back Thursday.

4 Comments »

Hike in Logan Canyon, Utah: Wind Caves

Posted in Hikes, ILX, Utah on May 4, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 78,139

Fill up your water bottles and grab your granola, because we’re heading for the hills. This morning, I ventured up the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway – also known as Highway 89 – in search of some of nature’s beauty. My companions for this trek were my mother, Tia, as well as two friends, Ryan and Tyler. Logan Canyon has always been one of my favorite places to drive. Its well-finished pavement, banked curves, and roadside scenery make it a popular highway for motorcyclists and sports car enthusiasts – that is, for the 7 or 8 months of the year when weather is prime.

For today’s taste of the outdoors, we drove several miles up the canyon and parked at the trailhead for the Wind Caves. This is a hike with moderate difficulty due to its steep grade, though it’s only about a mile and a half in one-way length. Right off the bat, I recognized that the elevation (5,100 feet at the base) played a role in my shortness of breath. I was grateful for the light breeze and the semi-overcast skies which shielded us from the sun. My mom was the clear front-runner of the group – she’d walked 10 miles just yesterday, so this was nothing for her.

It took us about an hour to make the 900-foot ascent to the limestone rock outcropping known as either Witch’s Castle or Wind Cave. There were a half dozen or so other people hanging out at the summit who we visited with. I was grateful for the chance to catch my breath and share a bite of Tyler’s energy bar (way to be prepared, Tyler!). Here I’m pictured with Tyler, Tia, and Ryan.

The descent seemed to go by in mere minutes. Before I knew it, we were back at the parking area. For our exit from the canyon on Highway 89, I took the wheel of Tyler’s 98,000-miles 1989 Honda Accord coupe. I’m always amazed at the condition of Tyler’s classic Hondas (he’s also proud owner of a 1990 Prelude Si 4WS). The Accord, for being 25 years old, drove as tightly as my ILX. The car was expertly engineered to provide optimal visibility. I loved driving with the pop-up headlights illuminated – it felt like a step back in time. Thanks, Tyler, for the honor!

Similarly, I owe Ryan a huge thanks for letting me drive his black Honda S2000 this morning. I wish I’d thought to get a picture. Its shifter was one of the most precise I’ve ever rowed.

I’ll be sharing more soon about the rest of this weekend’s fun, but hope you enjoy some pictures from Wind Caves.

Scoping out the map before starting up the mountain.

One-lane dirt trail – up & back. Easy peasy.

Mom takes the lead.

Tyler pointed across the canyon at the “Crimson Trail” that winds up the opposite side.

Taking a much-needed break.

View from atop the limestone wind caves.

And inside them.

Crawling around and exploring a little.

The view from inside the cave is spectacular.

Back at ground level, mom takes the wheel of the 6-speed ILX.

Probably rocking out to a good song, she gave us a thumbs up as we pulled alongside in Tyler’s Accord.

Driver switcheroo at “Ray Hugie Hydro Park.”

The park was named for a relative of mine who spent the better part of his lifetime working as City Engineer. For 44 years, Ray served the Logan community. The $15 million hydroelectric generation power plant near this park was one of the projects that he was instrumental in carrying out. Ray Hugie’s father and my great-great-grandfather were brothers.

Check you later!

4 Comments »

Logan, Utah: Re-Creation of a 60-Year-Old Picture

Posted in Throwback, Utah on May 3, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 77,336

Knock knock knock.

The front door of the home near 600 N 100 E, Logan Utah opened on a sunny Friday afternoon. “Hi there, I’m Tyson, I have a bit of a weird request. I was wondering if I could park my car in your driveway for a picture.” By the time the guy who opened the door had furrowed his eyebrow in question, I was already explaining: “My grandfather used to live in this house. I have these three old pictures that he took 60 years ago of his car parked in front if it, and I was wondering if I could try and duplicate them.”

Aaron, the home’s current occupant, has lived there for 4 years with his young family. He immediately engaged with me in conversation wondering about the home’s history. “This home used to be at the far north end of town,” he stated. Within 10 minutes, he’d pulled both of his vehicles out of the driveway and allowed me to position the ILX there at an angle, much like my grandpa had done with his 1950 Buick Special. Out of respect for Aaron’s lush green lawn, I decided not to ask him about driving over it as my grandpa had done to his family’s lawn in 1954.

I’ve often times gone to great lengths before to re-create photos – like that time in September 2011 when I stopped at the Nevada / Arizona border in the Legend and positioned the car so that it would be sitting just like my the Buick was. So here we are with a “then and now” look at the 1950 Buick and the 2013 Acura in about the same position.

My grandpa’s been gone for 25 years now, but thanks to my dad, I was able to find the home with just the below information:

I got on Google Maps / street view and easily identied its location.

Here’s the original picture. It’s only about 2″ by 3″ in size.

Another angle. I wonder what was so special about that bike?

And grandpa standing proudly with his “Jetback” Model 43D sedan. Chrome, anyone?

The power pole from the above pic can be seen in the below. Follow the passenger headlight up.

Huge thanks to Aaron and his family for giving me an insightful look (both inside and out) at the home where my grandpa lived in his 20’s.

Onward I go for some more northern Utah / southern Idaho adventures! Stay tuned.

4 Comments »

Throwback Thursday: May 1, 2004 Salt Lake City, Utah Legend Meet

Posted in Legend, NALM, Utah on May 1, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 529,296

Odometer (ILX): 76,481

A decade is a long time! Where were you ten years ago today? Things were a little different back then. Facebook (then “The” Facebook) launched in February 2004 at a select few universities.

The top TV show was American Idol, and “Friends” ended its last season. Shrek 2 and Spiderman 2 took top slots at the box office, and Green Day’s “American Idiot” was one of the biggest albums of the year. Feeling old yet?

It was on May 1, 2004 when I met up with a few Acura-owning friends in Salt Lake City, Utah for a drive up scenic Interstate 80 to Park City. Here is a video capturing some of the festivities. Pardon the obnoxious soundtrack.

Bits and pieces from my handwritten journal entry that day:

I was the first to Sugarhouse Park off I-80 East. I picked the same spot we were in last time. Nobody was there. It was a perfect, sunny day…. I served up donuts. We headed up Parley’s Canyon to Park City – fast! It was a sight to see; so many Legends cruising together. My rims have really got issues. Need to get some TL-S or something… We decided to eat at Quizno’s and had a picnic lunch by the cars. We then caravanned to the outlet stores. Dave locked his keys in his car and had to call a locksmith ($35). I drove Kevin’s 6-speed to the other side of the parking lot…

Makes it feel like yesterday! Pictured below: Ross’ 1989 Legend L coupe, Jason’s 1988 Legend L sedan, my 1994 Legend LS coupe, and Kevin’s 1993 LS coupe after our arrival in Park City.

We must’ve been pros at “mirror” photography. I was able to dig up the following three pics. Branson took this one of me in his sideview mirror.

Jason took this one. That old school digital camera really dates these pics, right?

As well as this one. Gotta love a Legend lineup.

I was proudly rolling on 18″ Mille Miglia wheels. (massive eye roll here)

Couldn’t help but throw in a few more pics of meets from the same era.

San Francisco, California

Torrance, California. Why’d we put that Integra in the middle?

Las Vegas, Nevada

Even back then, I was accustomed to taking my Acura off-road from time to time. This was a picture I took in “Old Iron Town,” an 1868 Mormon settlement in southern Utah. Oh yeah, check out that ‘fro.

Can’t get enough of that bling.

The wind had kicked up and was blowing sand all over the place.

But the Legend looked photogenic either way.

Mileage was a mere 138,000 around this time. Time warp!

The last two were taken near the Paria western movie set outside Kanab, Utah on Highway 89.

Southern Utah at its finest.

These pics brought back a ton of great memories. Where will the next 10 years take me?

PS, congrats to my coworker Derek on his new Audi A5 Cabriolet, and thanks for letting me take it for a spin!

4 Comments »

ILX Trip: Southern Utah, Easter Weekend

Posted in ILX, Road Trip, Utah on April 20, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 529,249

Odometer (ILX): 75,302

Trip Distance: 852 Miles

“Clunk.. clunk.. roll.. clunk…” That’s what I heard loudly from the roof of my car when I pulled out of the Chevron gas station in Hurricane, Utah this morning.

I turned to my passenger, Justin, with a look of “What the heck was that?” and then realized what had happened just in time to look in my sideview mirror and watch a pickup truck towing a 5th wheel trailer obliterate a glass bottle on the road into smithereens with its tires. I am a total airhead. I had inadvertently left an unopened bottled juice beverage sitting on the roof of the ILX and driven away.

Aside from that disappointing little mishap, it was a seamless weekend of family and friends in the scenic southwestern corner of Utah. And the ILX, as always, flawlessly transported me and my friend nearly 900 miles in comfort. Among the weekend’s activities: a visit to the grandparents, a car show, my niece’s 3rd birthday party, some hiking, and an Easter egg hunt. It’s a miracle we were able to squeeze so much into just a couple of days.

For the drive up from Phoenix, Justin and I had a silver Acura caravan with a 2005 TL and the 2013 ILX. A friend needed the TL transported from Arizona to Utah so we were happy to oblige.

Some traffic delays that were caused by construction on on Interstate 15 north of Las Vegas put us about 45 minutes behind schedule, but we made it safe and sound to St. George on Friday evening.

On Saturday, we went to the 29th annual Hurricane Easter Car Show. I’ve been attending this annually since 2004, usually entering the Legend but occasionally displaying other cars like my Prelude 4WS, and the NSX. Here are the pictures from last year. Hurricane is a small town of 14,000 people, yet the car show every Easter weekend attracts from 8,000 to 10,000 spectators.

This year, my brother Bentley entered his 1968 Chevy Nova SS in the “Muscle Car” category. The Nova turned plenty of heads with its metallic red paint and new deep-dish wheels. Not to mention the goodies under the hood: This Nova is powered by a 525+ horsepower Chevrolet LS3 motor — essentially a Corvette powerplant that’s been upgraded for additional power output. The factory 5-speed transmission has been swapped for a 6-speed. It’s no wonder the car ended up taking home a first place trophy in its category. I’ve yet to take the Nova for a spin, but I surely will soon.

We rendezvoused with some friends for an afternoon of hiking some of southern Utah’s famous red rocks and closed out the evening with some birthday celebrations for my niece Vivienne. By Sunday morning, the Easter Bunny had deposited several dozen plastic eggs throughout the yard so we watched the kids fill up their baskets with newfound treasures. Each of the eggs also had a 50 cent piece inside. I should have pocketed a few myself – that’s gas money!

Justin and I worked our way home to Phoenix via the remote backroads of northern Arizona, including my favorite: Highway 89A. This two-laner climbs from 2,000 feet at the desert floor in Fredonia to nearly 8,000 feet at Jacob Lake via curvy mountain grades. I watched the exterior temperature readout in the ILX dip from 75 degrees to 64 degrees as we neared a road at the summit that takes off toward the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

The ILX is well suited to such mountain passes, especially with its sharply tuned 6-speed manual transmission. Descending to the valley floor once more, the Vermillion Cliffs shone brightly ahead of us in vivid red. We saw very little other traffic. We made a stop at the 1928 “Navajo Bridge” which straddles a canyon some 600 feet above the Colorado River.

After one final stop in Flagstaff for a bite to eat, we continued home to the Valley of the Sun. Here are a few of the pictures from the weekend that I hope you’ll enjoy!

Following the ’05 TL on Highway 93 north of Kingman, Arizona

Just before Hoover Dam — this hitchhiker had a ways to go!

The ‘red’ traffic area shown here from the map on my phone was probably 15 miles in length. It was tedious stop-and-go on Interstate 15 northbound as we headed toward Mesquite, Nevada.

“This traffic jam brought to you by Ray Bans.” Justin let me borrow these shades. I lost mine but have another set on order.

You know you’re driving slowly when your GPS unit asks if you’d like to switch to “Pedestrian Usage Mode.”

Nevertheless, we made it, and Saturday was a beautiful day in southern Utah.

Jeremy took the wheel of the ILX for a few of our visits. “Close your eyes and see if you can tell when I’m shifting,” he said. He thinks, mistakenly, that he can shift a manual transmission smoother than I can.

We’re really not as cool as we pretend to be.

Back patio conversation with the grandparents. These folks are my most loyal readers, and I thank them for their support!

Looping around a giant guitar on Tabernacle Street in historic downtown St. George.

And now, a few photos from the Hurricane Easter Car Show.

Justin, Tyson, Jeremy with the 1968 Nova SS.

Too much power under that hood.

Notice that even the gauges have been updated. The factory bench seat has been replaced with supportive, sporty buckets. And my, does that paint glisten.

Next up, we headed to the “Red Hill” of St. George to hike around.

St. George is home to Dixie State University and proudly displays a “D” on the hillside.

Shane, Tyson, Jeremy

My dad happened to be wearing a commemorative 500,000 mile T-shirt at the pool later that day. These were designed and screen printed by a close friend and fellow Acura enthusiast, Dave, prior to my 500k milestone two years ago.

B-day bash for 3-year-old Vivienne.

Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning

Here’s Beckam

And this is Viv. Aren’t they the best?

On the road again, and turning 75,000 miles in the ILX.

Here’s the exact location where it happened, eastbound on Hwy 89A nearing the Vermillion Cliffs.

I couldn’t help but pull over for a few photo-ops in this amazing terrain.

Hope you enjoyed the trip as much as I did.

6 Comments »

Friday Photo Challenge – Cast Your Vote!

Posted in Blog, Reader's Ride, Utah on April 4, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 529,106

Odometer (ILX): 72,982

Of course it rained the day after I washed the Grand Canyon dirt off my ILX. Oh well.

I love photo scavenger hunts, so I created one. On February 7, 2009, I went for a scenic cruise in northern Utah’s Cache Valley on a brisk sunny day. My 1994 Acura Legend had 364,980 miles on it at the time. I stopped to take this series of pictures. The location didn’t really have any significance. I probably just felt like pulling over to document the scenic mountain range in the background. The intersection was 1950 North, 200 West, in Logan, Utah.

The idea struck me. How closely could my friend Ryan duplicate the photo with the street signs, 5 years later?

I sent it to him, to my mom, and to my friend Tyler. Let’s see how they did.

Original

Ryan’s Audi

Mom’s Lexus

Tyler’s Honda

Who gets the prize?

I guess I should decide what the prize is, too.

Have a great weekend, all.

30 Comments »

Throwback Thursday: Hugie House, December 2003

Posted in Legend, Throwback, Utah on March 20, 2014 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 529,034

Odometer (ILX): 70,627

Check it out – an impromptu Acura ILX meet at a mall parking lot in New Jersey earlier this week. My friend Chris said he saw the opportunity to park its car next to a couple of siblings, so he took advantage of the photo opportunity.

Cool to see how Bellanova White, Silver Moon, and Polished Metal all compare in the real world. Thanks Chris for sharing!

This week, we’re turning back the clock just a little over a decade. I was 22 years old and proudly driving my 1994 Legend LS coupe that had only 120,000 miles on it. Somehow one day, we ended up with all my family’s cars parked out in front of the house on the street. Maybe dad was cleaning out the garage? He’s the only person I’ve ever known to mop the garage floor on his hands and knees. It’s no wonder I ended up with obsessive compulsive disorder.

St. George, Utah. Here’s what our lineup looked like in December 2003.

1996 Toyota Tacoma 4×4 5-speed – Dad’s
1997 Acura 3.2 TL – Mom’s
1994 Acura Legend LS Coupe 6-speed – Mine
1992 Toyota Pickup 4×4 5-speed – Bentley’s
1986 Acura Legend Base Sedan 5-speed – Payton’s

Of all those vehicles, my Legend is the only one that’s still in the family today. Dad’s Tacoma was traded out for a black 2004. Mom’s TL was sold when she got a black RL. Bentley rolled his pickup on its side and ended up getting into diesel pickups. And Payton went to a Maxima and eventually an IS300.

It’s been fun to see the evolution of my family’s car choices over the years. Our Honda driveway started out something like this in 1998, with my 1989 Prelude Si, my brother 1984 Civic S, mom’s 1993 Legend, and a project 1988 Legend.

November 2004 – Payton’s 1996 Nissan Maxima, Bentley’s 2001 Lexus IS300, and my “winter beater” 1991 Acura Legend. (The 1994 coupe was stored away while I attended school at Utah State).

By 2006, my brothers have moved into trucks. Pictured here was mom’s 2000 Acura 3.5 RL, Payton’s 1997 Toyota Tacoma, my 1994 Legend, and Bentley’s 2004 Dodge Ram. Monster truck madness.

The trucks kept getting bigger. In January 2009, brother Bentley had a 2008 Ford F-250 Powerstroke that matched the Milano Red paint on my mom’s 1994 Legend LS coupe perfectly.

I’ll have to see if I can get current pictures of some of the family rides together this summer. What’s in your family’s driveway today?

Tooting my own horn a little: On Tuesday night, I went to a meeting with the local automotive journalist group, called the Phoenix Automotive Press Association (“PAPA“). After some presentations, we saddled up in these karts and tore up the track for 10 minutes.

I ended up placing 2nd out of 8 participants. And Tim, the winner, was an SCCA-level (Sports Car Club of America) professional driver! So I didn’t feel bad at all losing to him. Haha. These karts were sweet – all electric, and FAST.

I might have gone a little heavy on the throttle on the way home after having floored that kart around the corners for 14 laps.

Finally, a little update on my story about the ILX roadtrip to Castle Hot Springs from a few weeks ago. Remember how the long-since-closed resort northwest of Phoenix was going up for auction? Well, apparently it did find a buyer. Stay tuned for further developments. Thanks, Leif, for the info!

I’m off to Los Angeles tomorrow for the weekend. Safe travels to one and all.

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