drivetofive

Odometer (Legend):  522,581

Odometer (ILX):  44,274

Trip Distance:  1,727 Miles

Happy Independence Day!  Lured by cooler temperatures up north, I saddled up in the Acura ILX last Wednesday and set out on a long-distance journey to the motherland of Utah.  Highway 93 northbound from Phoenix was surprisingly quiet for a holiday.

I wasn’t alone, though.  Along for the drive was my friend Matt who works for Nissan / Infiniti at the company’s proving ground just south of Phoenix.  Matt brought a pre-production model 2014 Q50 Sport Hybrid.  The Q50 goes on sale August 5th, but Matt was given special access to this test car for evaluation purposes.

The numbers grew yet again when another friend, Jeremy, hopped in the caravan in St. George, Utah the following morning.

At that point, we had 3 Japanese luxury brands represented.

Jeremy, Matt, and I showed our patriotism on July 4th with colors that were as close to Red, White, and Blue as we could muster:

• 2006 Lexus IS350 in Matador Red Metallic
• 2013 Acura ILX 2.4 in Silver Moon Metallic
• 2014 Infiniti Q50-S Hybrid in Hagane Blue Metallic

These cars, while each one distinct in its approach, all compete against one another in a sport luxury sedan category.  For 200 miles from St. George, Utah to Nephi, Utah, we paced each other on Interstate 15.  Jeremy’s Lexus is powered by a 306-horsepower, 3.5 liter V6 gasoline engine.  It puts power to the wheels via a 6-speed automatic transmission.  Paddle shifters on the steering wheel offer the driver control over which gear is selected.

The Infiniti is the most powerful of the 3 vehicles.  The Q50’s powertrain is referred to as a “Performance Hybrid” system.  Power is delivered to the rear wheels via a 3.5 liter gasoline engine coupled with an electric motor.  Together, those two systems work either in unison or independently to maximize efficiency and power.  Net horsepower is 354 — over 150 more horses than I had at my command while piloting the ILX.

To be fair, the ILX was the only 4-cylinder vehicle in our escapade, and it beats out the other two from a pricing perspective by quite a bit.

• The Q50 starting price is $36,700 and equipped as a Hybrid with Sport package, comes in closer to $50k
• Jeremy’s IS350 priced out at $35,440 when it was new
• The ILX starts out at below $27,000.  My 2.4 liter 6-Speed Premium is $29,200 according to Acura.com.

Specs aside, no doubt we had our fun cruising in tandem along I-15.

Soon, we approached Utah Valley and the unmistakable Rocky Mountain peaks referred to as the start of the Wasatch Front.  These mountains are notorious for Utah’s “greatest snow on earth” during ski season.

My friend Branson borrowed the ILX and he visited some noteworthy landmarks in northern Utah that I thought I’d share:

The “Metaphor” statue along Interstate 80 in deserted western Utah has long perplexed motorists who drive past it.  Created in 1986 by Swedish artist Karl Momen, it stands 87 feet tall and is made of concrete.  It’s also sometimes referred to as the “Tree of Life.”  We simply don’t know much else about its meaning, but if it’s offbeat, you know it gets me excited.

Just 25 miles further west, nearing the Nevada state line, lie the expansive Bonneville Salt Flats.  The flats cover 44,000 acres of public land and are the remnant of an ancient Lake Bonneville which has since evaporated, depositing salt in the area.  Due to the salt flats’ incredibly flat surface, they became a popular place to race vehicles & motorcycles.

The first carriage race was held here in 1911.  According to the information sign on-site, by the 1960’s, jet and rocket powered cars had broken the 600 mph barrier.  The Bonneville Speedway itself is 10 miles long and is home every year to various racing events such as “Speed Week.”

When Branson visited the flats on Sunday morning, they were under water.  During rainy seasons, the area is flooded.

The salt flats are a beautiful place to admire the vast nothingness that exists in remote western Utah.  Unfortunately, due to salt being harvested from the flats, they’re shrinking in size.

Here is a link to some pictures from when I took my Legend there in June 2007.  Eighty miles north of Salt Lake lies my birthplace – Logan, Utah.  It was refreshing to experience temperatures like these, having come from the Arizona fireplace.

I met up with some Honda-fanatic friends.  Ryan is the proud owner of a black Honda S2000.  He took my mom for a drive and she was all grins.

I joined Matt, Ryan, and Tyler for a drive up the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, US Highway 89.

Tyler’s 1990 Prelude Si 4WS 5-speed is in amazing shape and I’ve blogged about it before.

One of the stops while going up the canyon was “Ricks Spring.”  Once thought to be producing water from a deep aquifer, a series of dye tests later revealed that this water outflow from a cave in Logan Canyon actually comes from the Logan River.  The water is extremely clear and chilly.

On Saturday, I attended the Cache Valley Cruise-In car show, a 4th of July tradition for my family.  My brother Bentley’s 1968 Chevy II Nova Super Sport looked phenomenal.  The car is sitting on a fully adjustable coilover suspension and American Racing wheels.  Bentley recently had the brakes upgraded to Wilwood components with cross-drilled and slotted rotors.

This is one mean machine.  It’s powered by a small block 350 cubic inch motor which has been bored to 388 cubic inches.  The registration form for car show entry asked for owners to fill in horsepower ratings.  Bentley wrote in: “Enough.”

The Nova has a 5-speed manual transmission and factory A/C.  I still haven’t driven this thing!

Baby Beckam enjoyed the show as much as the rest of us did.

While I haven’t driven the Nova, I did have a special driving experience while in Logan.  My step-dad Todd owns a 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook sedan.  This baby blue 4-door has a 6 cylinder under the hood.

More importantly for me, it’s equipped with a 3-speed manual, column-shifted transmission.  This was the first time I had the opportunity to drive a “3 on the tree”!  It was quite intuitive once I got the hang of it.  The biggest challenge was remembering that the clutch engagement point was really high, and the brake engagement point was really low.  Fancy footwork is required!

Just when I mastered the art of 3-speed shifting, the car’s gas pedal stuck to the floor and we had to shut the car off and coast into a service station.  Oops!  Thankfully, we got the Plymouth back up and running the following morning.

A phenomenal Cache Valley sunset closed out Saturday night.

On Sunday morning, we were off for more sightseeing.  Golden Spike National Historic Site is a very important landmark among railroad enthusiasts.  It’s located 32 miles west of Interstate 15, near Brigham City, Utah.

Golden Spike is the famous location where, on May 10, 1969, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads came together, completing the very first coast-to-coast, transcontinental railroad.  Golden Spike gets its name from the fact that a spike made of 17.6 carat gold was the last spike to be driven. The actual golden spike is on display in Palo Alto, California.  It was donated to Stanford University in 1892 by its owner, David Hewes.

There’s some fascinating information about the golden spike here.  When the individual teams of railroad workers started getting closer to one another in 1869, they worked feverishly to reach a meeting point.  The Central Pacific team was so productive that they they laid a record-setting 10 miles of track in a single day.

Today, reproduction locomotives are on display at the site.  There are daily 1:00 p.m. demonstrations.

Matt and I set out on our return trip to Arizona and we were met with some adverse weather near Cedar City, Utah.  The Q50 and the ILX were surefooted enough to get us to St. George safely for the evening.

By Monday morning when we completed the final stretch, the sun had peeked out yet again.  I took a couple of “retro” pictures in Fredonia, Arizona at an abandoned service station.  I wish I could have the opportunity to see inside this one.

I doubt this service station ever stocked the 0W20 oil that would be appropriate for my Acura ILX.

Hey, check out that gas mileage!  In the 399.2 miles driven since my last fuel-up in Hurricane, Utah, my ILX has averaged 35.8 miles per gallon.  I bet my friends in the Lexus and Infiniti are jealous now.

Thanks for joining for the trip!

I really like this tribute to Honda engineering that was released a few days ago.  Enjoy!

Odometer (Legend):  521,890

Odometer (ILX):  36,193

Here in Arizona, we’ve sprung past spring and already entered triple-digit-temperature range.  These are the days when I’m glad I didn’t opt for that Crystal Black Pearl paint color on the ILX that I often lust after.  Silver Moon exterior + tinted windows = a nice, cool interior.

I made my way to my hometown in southern Utah this weekend to spend some time with my family there.  My first stop on this 6.5 hour one-way trip is Kingman, Arizona in the northwest corner of the state.  Kingman’s claim to fame is that it’s a surviving city from the original Route 66.

There not a heck of a lot to see or do here, but the Budget Inn Motel’s rates are reasonable ($19.95) and they’ve even got color TV!  I opted to not stay there but rather continue on the rest of my journey.  Maybe some other time.

I reached cruising speed of 70 mph on Highway 93 leading up to Hoover Dam.  The ILX revs quite a bit higher than my Legend did at this speed in 6th gear, but the fuel economy doesn’t suffer.  I still pulled an average 32.6 miles per gallon this trip.

It was a moonroof-open afternoon — partially because someone had spilled gas at the Mobil station in Kingman and I had some on my shoes.  I didn’t want to get high off fumes in the cabin of the ILX.

Arizona is chock full of mining history.  One particular mining establishment that’s no longer in existence is called Cerbat.  As the historical marker states, Cerbat thrived in the 1860’s but all the buildings are now gone.

Denim must be the thing to wear when you’re on a motorcycle ride these days!

Just a little farther north, the Uranus Gas Station came into view like an oasis in the desert.  This place is nearly impossible to miss, in fact.  The building itself was just recently repainted in crazy colors and they’ve got a fuel tank out front advertising the fact that you can shoot a machine gun here.  I didn’t have time to do so, but thought it would make a fun photo-op.

I wasn’t kidding.  These people actually named their gas station Uranus Gas.  At least they’ve got a sense of humor.  And both times I passed the station this weekend, it had several customers.  Hey, the name got ME to stop, didn’t it?

Finally I arrived at my first destination:  Las Vegas Motor Speedway off Interstate 15 just north of Las Vegas, Nevada.  Here, I was going to be meeting up with my brothers Bentley and Payton of H&S Performance who had trailed their Dodge Ram race truck for some Friday night 1/4 mile dragstrip time trials.

The LVMS track first opened in 1971 but underwent a $72 million upgrade in 1996.  Today it’s one of the finest racing facilities in the southwest.  The H&S Performance race team was already at work when I arrived to greet everyone.

I’m pictured at left in the below picture.  Payton (center), and Bentley (right) are my younger brothers.  Payton drives the race truck.  He said that unfortunately it makes all other vehicles else seem painfully slow, but he did borrow my ILX for a bit this weekend and enjoyed running an errand in it.

The cockpit retains few of its original appointments.  This Cummins truck has been gutted, rollcaged, and built to be a screaming machine.  When race time comes, it’s wearing 4 “slick” tires since he races in 4×4 mode.  It launches hard!

As fate would have it, though, the night’s festivities were cut short when a transmission failure sidelined the truck fewer than a hundred yards after launching from the start line.  H&S will go back to the drawing board this week and implement a fix.

Loading back up as the sun starts to set in the Nevada desert.

As nighttime descended, we rolled onward to St. George, Utah — another 100 miles up Interstate 15.

On Saturday morning, I had the great opportunity to chauffeur two special guests around in my Acura ILX.  My grandpa and grandma have been among my most loyal blog followers over the years, so I thought it appropriate to invite them along on a short Drive to Five adventure.  We departed St. George and made our way 15 miles north of town to the old mining establishment (and now ghost town) of Silver Reef, Utah.

Our total trip distance was fewer than 50 miles but gave us front-row seats to some of the most spectacular scenery in this part of the country.

We exited I-15 at Exit 22 (22 miles north of the Arizona state line).

We made our way through Leeds, Utah and headed west just one mile to get to the townsite of Silver Reef.  New, large homes surround the site where a bustling town of silver miners thrived over 134 years ago.  The red rock scenery of this area brings thousands of tourists per year to southern Utah for hiking opportunities.  Grandma gave us a wave and we continued our tour.

Along the very narrow, winding road through Silver Reef, we saw a couple examples of old mining equipment.

Next, we took the opportunity to wander the site on foot and learn a little more about its history.

Silver Reef’s story mirrors that of many other boom towns of the same era.  A rush of miners caused the area’s population to soar as high as 2,000 people, but only 15 years later, people had begun moving on.  The first silver strike in Silver Reef happened in 1866 when a prospector from Nevada, John Kemple, discovered a vein of silver in the sandstone there.  A total of 21 claims were staked over the next few years as prospectors came from Salt Lake City and beyond.

In its heyday, Silver Reef’s Main Street was a mile in length and was lined by many businesses (credit:  Wikipedia):

By 1878, the town’s business district consisted of a hotel, boarding houses, nine stores, six saloons, five restaurants, a bank, two dance halls, a newspaper called The Silver Echo (which later became the Silver Reef Miner),and eight dry goods stores.

One of the few buildings still standing today is this Wells Fargo Express.  In 1985, an organization was formed for the purpose of preserving the remaining structures as well as setting up a museum in the Wells Fargo building.  The museum is still in operation today.

Silver Reef sits a bit higher in elevation than the surrounding landscape, so gorgeous views can be seen in virtually every direction.

Silver Reef, as a wooden sign (below) on the premises announces, is the only place in the U.S. where silver has been discovered in sandstone.

Next to the Wells Fargo museum, there are mining artifacts and other period items of interest.

This was a place definitely worthy of the name “wild” west.   I learned that there are written records of at least 3 gunfights in this area and one murder.  Gambling is a recurring theme in the accounts of these incidents.

Unlike most of the communities in southern Utah, this settlement never had a Mormon chapel.  It did, however have a Catholic church and we learned a little bit about that on the informative placard where my grandpa is standing in the below picture.

Behind us here lies a wooden table.

Upon closer inspection, we found a metal plate at the end of it which read:

• “DUNHAM” Economy Table
• 853 Mission Street
• So. Pasadena Calif U.S.A.
• RPM Instructions
• Coarse Feed – Long Stroke – 245 RPM
• Fine Feed – Short Stroke – 285 RPM
• Slime Feed – Short Stroke – 325 RPM

Google has surprisingly revealed very little about this type of equipment and how it operates.  I suspect that the wooden slats are designed to filter through the extracted ore but I’m not clear how it works.  Anyone with information, fill us in!

A few of Silver Reef’s other buildings are now just freestanding walls.

This was a great step back in time.  I wish I could have seen what Silver Reef looked like in its prime.

After exiting Silver Reef and making our way down Old Highway 91, we paused for a drive through some tunnels leading to the Red Cliffs Recreation Area.  I couldn’t help but notice the clearance height was 11 foot 9 inches.

That reminded me of a railroad trestle in Durham, North Carolina with clearance of 11 foot 8 inches.  That bridge catches the rooftops of so many trucks and motorhomes that a nearby resident set up 2 surveillance cameras.  It’s been crashed into 61 times on camera – usually by people in rented trucks who probably aren’t pay attention.  See for yourself!

Our last viewpoint was that of Quail Creek Reservoir (600 acres; established in 1985).  It’s a popular destination for recreation.

Thanks, grandma and grandpa, for coming along for the ride!

I spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with other members of my family, but since I come from a family of car-loving people, there was still plenty of time to enjoy our four-wheeled toys.  My brother recently picked up a hot new ride:  1968 Chevy Nova SS.

This fully restored muscle car is finished immaculately in a color from the 2006 Corvette called “Monterey Mist Metallic.”  The color is stunning in person.

Under the hood, the car’s original 350 cubic inch V8 was removed, balanced, bored, and stroked to 388 cubic inches.  It develops 450 horsepower (more than double the power of that 2.4 liter ILX sitting in front of it — though, remember, my ILX has half as many cylinders, too!).  Either way, we’re talking some serious power!

The reason why my brother sought after this car was because my dad’s first car was a Nova of the same year.  He owned it during his teens and built quite a racer out of it.  We dug up this picture of him dating back to the late 1970’s.

The “new” Nova has a T5 Borg Warner 5-speed manual transmission and a rebuilt 12-bold 3.73 Positraction rear end.  Unfortunately, due to a radiator leak, I wasn’t able to take the Nova for a spin but I’ll definitely be taking it out on my next trip to Utah.

I think those 17″ American Racing Torq Thrust wheels look awesome on it.  Best of all, the car came with all the build receipts and even the original 1968 “Chevy II” owner’s manual.  I can’t wait to take the SS for a spin!

Nephew “Rex” (age 1 month) and me checking out the Nova powerplant.

My classic car encounters continued just an hour later when my friend Cody showed up in this 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle.  Some of my readers may remember Cody (with a high degree of jealousy!) as the lucky guy who owns a 1993 Acura Legend 5-speed sedan with only 65,000 miles on the odometer.  Well, Cody’s other ride is equally drool-worthy.

We’re looking at a truly unmolested example of a car that has some of the most documented history I’ve ever seen.  Cody’s dad bought the car brand new in Salt Lake City, Utah and it’s been in the family ever since.  In fact, this was Cody’s first car.

Check out all that original paperwork!  The interior has been redone and is pretty much immaculate.  Cody’s built a website dedicated to the “forgotten” 3rd generation Chevelle here.

He even let me take the old Chevelle for a spin.  Here’s a video of my goofy self enjoying a drive in this 40-year-old classic.

As my trip neared a close, I said farewell to my niece and nephews.

And I headed out toward I-15 and Phoenix, by way of Las Vegas yet again.

Thanks for being a part of my travels this weekend!

Odometer (Legend):  519,826

Odometer (ILX):  29,917

Over a 3-day weekend, I drove nearly 1,500 miles in the ILX through some of the most scenic (and remote) roads in the country.  I’m going to break this trip write-up into the 7 destinations that I visited.

(1)  Cisco, Utah Ghost Town

Back in December, I first learned of a town called Cisco when I was riding Amtrak’s “California Zephyr” train line from Denver to Salt Lake City and we railed past it.  The image stuck with me and when it came time to do my 2013 annual trip planning, Cisco made the list.  I’ve always had a fascination with ghost towns and one of my favorite ILX road trips was to Modena, Utah a couple months ago.

This time, I had a friend driving along.  Ryan from Logan, Utah has a black 1996 Audi A6 Quattro with 225,000 miles on it. Ryan and I have known each other since his Acura Legend-owning days.  Our meeting point on Saturday morning was Salina, Utah, a tiny town just north of Interstate 70 on Highway 89 in the central part of the state.  I made my way northbound from St. George on Interstate 15 first.  When I took the ramp for eastbound I-70, this was one of the first distance markers that I saw:

Traffic?  No such thing out here on an early Saturday morning in February.

Pulling off at Richfield for 91-octane fuel at Flying J.

When was the last time you saw — or used — a payphone?  You’ll be humming the tune to Maroon 5’s song “Payphone” for awhile now.

Only about 15 miles further east down the road, I met up with Ryan in Salina at the Burger King there.  While I waited, I had some Cinnabon rolls – my diet was horrible that day.   But that was a tasty breakfast!

We made our way eastbound on the 70 to Green River – no services for 110 miles!  Again, this is some remote back-country.

The scenery is great.  We went up through a mountain pass and then had many many miles of 6%+ downgrades as we made our way toward the 191 interchange.

Green River was kind of run-down and the cold wind was unpleasant.  Chilly enough, in fact, that I didn’t even stop for a picture of this building on Main Street, but rather took it on the fly.

Our next stop after that was Cisco.  This town was once a water-refilling station for locomotives but it has been abandoned for decades.  The movie “Vanishing Point” was filmed there in 1971.  The town was a little – well, a lot – off the beaten path.  I led Ryan and we went on Hwy 128 after exiting I-70 at mile marker 204.

There’s a point at which a sign denotes that the road is no longer state-maintained.  We kept going beyond that.  Several miles, in fact.  Soon I could see the decrepit buildings of Cisco on the horizon and I pulled over when we got there.

Time to take a peek inside some of these run-down relics.

This place is so remote and eery.  As we walked around in mud that nearly sank us to our ankles, the door to an open motorhome blew back and forth in the breeze and squeaked like something from a horror movie.

I hopped up inside the motorhome pictured at left in the above and saw that there was an unopened packet of Ramen Noodles on the kitchen counter.

Some vinyl records were scattered across the floor, along with a bunch of trash.  We looked inside a number of the other abandoned vehicles around the area.  There isn’t a single home that appears to be inhabited at this time.

Even the “best-kept” ones are boarded up with No Trespassing signs.

Anybody looking for a clean one-owner 1980’s Camaro?

Ryan and I found the post office.  It was a tiny one-room shack that reeked horribly of cigarette smoke, even with the windows broken out.  A leather chair and a desk still sat behind the counter.

That picket fence out front could use a fresh coat of paint.

A sign about postage rates hung on the wall above the desk, dated 1995 (see in the picture below).  I don’t think this place has seen much activity in at least the last 18 years. This article, which features an interview with Cisco’s last “postmistress” herself (Sharon Dalgleish), discusses what it’s been like for Cisco over the years.

Notice the mud caked onto my shoes!  It’s a good thing my ILX has all-weather floor mats.

Here is what the post office once looked like.  I would have loved to visit Cisco during the town’s boom.

After a few pics, it was time to get the heck out of there.  Here we’re parked in front of the Cisco Landing Store.  I imagine it’s been closed for quite some time. The restrooms are outhouses.

(2)  Highway 128 & Dewey Bridge

Next we turned toward Moab on two-lane Highway 128 where a sign told us it’d be 42 miles away.

My Garmin GPS absolutely refused to let me go that way – it told me for the next 10 miles or so to “turn back!” but I was determined to scout out this road.  As it turns out, the scenery was well worth any additional mileage!  Rolling hills, transitioning from snow-frosted rocks to giant red-rock walls alongside us.  We crept along parallel to the Colorado River.

I passed a sign for the historic Dewey Bridge and immediately hit the brakes in the ILX (luckily Ryan wasn’t following too closely in his Audi).  This landmark bridge has some fun history.  Here’s a quick run-down:

• Constructed in 1916 by Midland Bridge Company of Kansas City, Missouri
• Bypassed in 1988 by a new bridge for automobile traffic to the west
• Restored in 2000 as a pedestrian and bicycle path
• Burned down in 2008 by a 7-year old playing with matches!

Before:

During the 2008 fire:

And this past Saturday.  All the remains from the bridge are the cables!

Charred stump:

When it was constructed, Dewey Bridge was the second longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi.  From Wiki:

In 1916, the bridge was dedicated with a strength test by having approximately 70 attendees attempt to cross the bridge at once. The total was seven wagons, two people on horseback and several on foot. The bridge was designed to support the weight of six horses, three wagons, and 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) of freight.

Then I had Ryan drive through a huge mud puddle and took some pictures.  What’s Audi “Quattro” AWD for, anyway?

We continued the remaining 30 or so miles to Moab via scenic byway 128.

High canyon walls prevented my satellite radio from getting any signal.

(3)  Arches National Park

In 1996, the state of Utah launched a new style of license plate to celebrate the its centennial.  The main feature on the plate was Delicate Arch, a massive sandstone formation in Arches National Park in the southeastern part of the state.  Ever since then (I was 15 at the time), I’ve wanted to see the arch in person.

While the northern part of the state is home to what’s become known as the “Greatest Snow on Earth,” the southern part of the state has a vastly different (desert) landscape.  Utah is home to FIVE national parks, including:

• Arches
• Bryce Canyon
• Canyonlands
• Capitol Reef
• Zion

Each one is unique in its own way.  I’ve not yet had the chance to travel to Capitol Reef or Canyonlands.  This past weekend, I crossed Arches off my to-see list.  Arches is home to over 2,000 natural sandstone arches.  It covers over 76,000 acres and was designated as a national park in November 1971.

Ryan and I made it to the junction of 191 near Moab and headed north.  Ryan parked his car in a lot and hopped in the ILX with me so we could drive on into Arches just a couple miles up the road. Entry was $10 for our car.  The road climbs sharply and winds along though some of the most spectacular rock formations I’ve ever seen.

We found our way to the Delicate Arch trailhead and parked.  At this time it was chilly and overcast, but no moisture.  There’s an old log cabin at the trailhead too — the original home of the Wolfe family, settled in 1888.

The hike was only 1.5 miles each way but quite steep as we scaled the sandstone rocks.  Though at times we were scaling the surface of rocks, our pathway was still well marked thanks to stacked rocks that would guide us.

Soon we got to a point where the trail was hugging the side of a cliff and it was COVERED IN ICE!

I couldn’t even go a step further until I got on my hands and knees and crawled.  I never fell but I slipped a number of times.  We encountered a really friendly girl who told us we were close to the finish so we pressed onward.

Suddenly, we did arrive!  Pictures do not to the arch justice.  The arch is absolutely huge, at 65 feet tall.

Climbing it is not allowed.  Right in front of it there’s a HUGE sandstone bowl that you could fall into.

And a drop-off on the other side of it, along with various formation around the rim of the bowl.

To put things into perspective size-wise, look at us standing below the arch here:

The downhill hike went faster but was treacherous with the ice.  The snow started picking up heavily as we got to the lower elevations and approached the parking lot.  We opted to head down the hill toward the visitor’s center.  Ryan and I made our way through Moab and then headed southbound on Highway 191 in the snow.

Snow was accumulating pretty quickly at this rate.  Of all the beautiful days in the forecast, we had to pick the one that had inclement weather!

(4)  Hole In The Rock

Can you imagine carving an entire home out of the inside of a sandstone rock?  That’s exactly what a man named Albert Christensen did.  It took him 12 years to carve a 5,000-square-foot home into the red sandstone just south of Moab.  The home, called Hole N” The Rock, is open for tours for $6 but the gates were closed when we drove past.  I visited this place in my Legend in June 2005 when it had 176,000 miles on it:

Because of how well the rock insulates the home, there is no A/C required during the summertime!

Cozy little interior:

And a picture from Saturday with the ILX:

(5)  Monticello, Utah

On the road again – southbound on Highway 191.

As my friend Kristy was telling me directions to her family-owned pizza business, she told me “Go past the light 2 blocks.”  THE light.  As in, there’s only one in town.  We’re talking about a very small place here (1,958 people to be exact).  I liked this run-down service station.

Kristy and her sister were the only ones working at Thatzza Pizza at 201 South Main Street.

Fast, friendly service – right here!

Ryan and I made chit chat – I hadn’t seen Kristy for a couple of years since she lived in Phoenix.  It was good to catch up.  We ordered a ton of food – meat lover’s pizza and some cheese bread for me.  Ryan got some special ‘jalapeño bacon’ on his.  Kristy set us up a table to eat in the back room while she visited with us.  She told us about her 3.5 year old daughter and how her home is a converted movie theater.  Thanks, Kristy!

Ryan and I wanted to head southbound on 191 before it got too dark.  It was only 20 more miles to our nightly destination in Blanding, Utah but the snow was blizzard blowing and there were probably at least a dozen or more deer warnings in that 20-mile stretch of road!  I was ultra paranoid since I’ve been known to have deer encounters before.  It was a white knuckler at 45-55 mph the entire time, but we made it.

(Flashback) Four Corners

Here’s a place I’d wanted to revisit this weekend but didn’t.  Four Corners is famous because it’s the only spot in the country where visitors can simultaneously stand (on all fours, anyway) in four different states — Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.  This spot was first marked in 1875, with the first permanent marker being placed there in 1912.   Despite its remote location, Four Corners is visited by thousands of people each year.  Here is a picture from a visit to Four Corners in the Legend in 2005:

(6)  Highway 261 & the Moki Dugway

On Sunday morning, Ryan and I were the only ones at the Blue Mountain Inn in Blanding.  We had the entire continental breakfast to ourselves – it was eerily quiet at the hotel (probably because it was 1 degree outside and tourist season has not nearly begun).  It was a gorgeous blue sky morning with fresh snowfall outside.  I randomly discovered a new road that I thought would be fun to try.  It was Hwy 95 west to Hwy 261 (“Trail of the Ancients”) south. It all started when I saw on Google Maps what looked like a teeny little “knot” in the road, circled in green here:

A closer look:

Hmm.  Let’s zoom that once more:

Whoa – sign me up for that curve action!  When I went to satellite view, I was a bit discouraged to see that the road is unpaved, but after a little bit of internet research I was assured that conditions were acceptable for passenger car travel and only 3 miles of it are unpaved/gravel.  Highway 261 is a favorite among many.  In fact, I learned about one particular lady who’s been going there every year since 2002.

I was nervous about road conditions due to the snowy weather the night before, but at the same time I was somewhat excited about the idea of trying an all-new route.  This would also allow us to go right past Monument Valley on Hwy 163.  Plus, I’d already seen Four Corners so it didn’t have as much appeal.  Ryan was totally amped about trying the new proposed route because of a 3-mile dirt section called Moki Dugway.

There was snow accumulation on the road as we made our way southbound on 261.  Based on the fact that there were zero car tracks, we must’ve been the first ones out there that morning.  I was nervous but I kept both hands on the wheel and a moderate speed.  Ryan tailed me in the Audi which is equipped with AWD and snow tires.  The ILX was sure-footed and confident with its Michelin Pilot tires.  We passed only 2 vehicles in the 30 or so miles until the Moki Dugway section started.

Warning!

5 mph corners!

Then the adventures began.  The switchbacks on this road are awesome!  I had Ryan snag some pictures from a high vantage point as I snaked around the bends.

No guard rails here.  We were about to experience an 1,100-foot drop in only a 3 mile distance.  Hold your breath.

Remember that twisty road I’d seen on Google Maps?  Feast your eyes:

Look very closely at this next picture.  There’s a tiny silver speck toward the right hand side of the frame.  There’s my car.

These Utah grades were no match for the ILX’s 201-horsepower engine and exceptional braking.  Ryan’s Audi has a 12-valve V6 engine.  He says the car’s not overly powerful but the transmission is geared smartly – the car uses its power (172 horses) well.

I will definitely be going to back to revisit that section of Highway 261 in the near future.

(7)  Monument Valley

Our last destination was on Navajo land where we would see sandstone rock formations up to 1,500 feet tall.  This map shows (location “A” – the red flag) where Monument Valley is located, at the Utah / Arizona state line.

About 10 miles after the Moki Grade we joined with Highway 163 and headed through the town of Mexican Hat, named for a rock formation that looks like a sombrero.  I had stopped here in 2005 on a “Utah Tour” in the Legend.

June 2005 in the 1994 Legend LS Coupe

February 2013 in the 2013 Acura ILX

Not a lot has changed in 8 years!

Ryan took this picture while he was following me down this forever-long straightaway on Highway 163.  They call this the “classic road shot.”

As I shared in a prior Drive to Five post, Monument Valley is my favorite place to drive.  I took the Legend there in 2008.  It was only $5 to enter the Monument Valley park – the rate hasn’t changed in the last 5 years!  Monument Valley was established in 1958 as a preserved environment under the Division of Natural Resources.

Ryan opted to park the Audi and we took the ILX on the 17-mile dirt road which starts right off the Visitor Center parking lot.  Road conditions were unfavorable thanks to some rocks and ruts, blowing sand and snowflakes at times, and temperatures in the high 20’s and low 30’s.  But I carefully got the ILX through it.  We got some funny looks from people in 4×4 trucks.  But the scenery was unmatched!  We saw these 11 landmarks and many others.

Another size comparison.  Can you see me standing there in my blue hoodie?  These sandstone cliffs make you feel absolutely tiny.

We saw a few rental cars out and about – Chevy Cruze, Ford Mustang, Dodge Avenger.  But nobody else was crazy enough to take an Acura on a road like this, except for me.

We enjoyed the scenery from the comfort of our heated leather seats.

Ryan taking pictures from the passenger seat:

Here’s a video of the ILX coming up the last stretch on our return to the Visitor’s Center.

Thank goodness the ILX has over 6 inches of ground clearance, because I used up each and every one of them!

Homeward Bound

The remaining 320 miles home to Phoenix were nice and relaxing.   Our next stop was in Kayenta – tiny little town with stray dogs running all over the place.  Interestingly enough, the Burger King there was the nicest BK I’ve ever been to.  We topped off our tanks at Chevron and then headed on Highway 160 westbound toward Hwy 89.  There was not any noticeable “extra traffic” due to the detour of 89 from further north (cracked highway near Page) that was sending people our way.

We had snow flurries off and on until the junction past Tuba City where 160 meets 89.  Then Ryan followed me the remaining 14 miles to the Cameron Trading Post next to the bridge.  He took Hwy 64 to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.  I was on my own after that – only a short stop in Flagstaff to top off my tank, then homeward bound.  The storm clouds at 7,200 feet in Flagstaff weren’t dropping much snow, thankfully.  I’ve never been so glad to see 50 degrees on the external temp readout before – that happened in about Camp Verde, Arizona on I-17.  It was great to be home!

Coming Attractions

I’ve got a trip planned to New Mexico in 10 days, and I received approval for some time off in August to go to the National Acura Legend Meet (NALM) in Asheville, North Carolina.  This’ll be a fun 3,960-mile trip!

Odometer:  14,604

It wouldn’t be a Drive to Five weekend unless it involved traveling at least 1,000 miles, right?  If the Grand Canyon National Park hadn’t been in my way of getting to southern Utah to visit my family, it would’ve been a lot shorter.  Maybe someday they’ll bridge it.

After spending Friday night in my hometown of St. George, Utah, I joined 5 other family members for an annual pilgrimage of sorts.  Each fall, we visit the location where we’ve buried the remains of my great-grandmother, “Granny,” far into the hills of a remote canyon in central Utah.  We took two vehicles and the Acura ILX was one of them.

The 100-mile drive to Beaver from St. George goes quickly via Interstate 15 thanks to its 80 mph speed limit for most of the way.  My cousin Dillon and his wife Crystal joined me for the drive up.  Thanks to Bluetooth connectivity, Dillon was able to be our DJ and we rocked out to some music selections from his iPhone as we motored northbound.  Turns out we’re both fans of the musical group “Fun.”

Beaver‘s a 2,500-resident town that claims its fame as being the birthplace to Philo T. Farnsworth (inventor of TV) and the birthplace of Butch Cassidy.  Beaver is also home to the ‘best tasting rural water’ , based on a 2006 contest that spanned the entire United States.  We didn’t stick around town long enough to appreciate the water, but instead continued our drive and climbed State Route 153 to the east which would lead us up the Tushar Mountain Range, shown as the curvy yellow road in the following map.

The ILX hugged the curves during our ascent into Beaver Canyon.  A river parallels the two-lane highway and the landscape is very green.  Moonroof-open is the only way to travel on a road like this in September.

About 10 miles up the road, however, we were met with a road closure due to installation of a water main.  “You can go around,” a UDOT representative told us, “But it’s a 22 mile dirt road detour via Kent Lake and I wouldn’t take that car on it,” as she motioned to the ILX.  Bummed out but still determined to make our trek, we parked the ILX and piled into the Dodge Nitro to resume our adventure.

As it turns out, having a high clearance vehicle was definitely a necessity.  The detour was full of washboard, ruts, and huge potholes that bounced us around plenty.  We maxed out at 10,000 feet in elevation – this road was way up there!  We did make it safely to our destination (though an hour or so delayed) and pigged out on our picnic lunch.  Here are some pictures from our Saturday activity.

The red rocks of southern Utah have made the area famous for its popularity as a place to film old Western movies.

The climb into Beaver Canyon is (as my grandpa says) “gargeous” this time of year.

But here’s where we encountered our little speed bump in the plans:

No matter – we ditched the ILX for Jodi’s Dodge Nitro 4×4 and left the ILX at the roadside for a few hours.

The rest of our voyage up the mountain looked something like this, but with some sections of road in far worse condition and with steep grades.

The scenery, though, was phenomenal.  Anderson Lake looked like a nice place to stop for some fishing if we’d been prepared.

Grandma in the cargo area – yes.  She insisted!

Bathroom break and a chance to validate our directions.  It’s a good thing we stopped, in fact, because for a short time we’d been traveling the wrong way.  Though they may not be highly visible in this shot, my cousin Dillon (in front of the Dodge) is facing probably a dozen cows that were creeping closer to us.

Finally, we did reach our picnic destination along a small creek.

It took a few retakes (and a few laughs) to figure out Aunt Jodi’s iPhone timer and find something to use as a tripod.

The drive back down the mountain went much more quickly.  After retrieving the ILX, we made a customary stop at Mel’s Drive-In on Main Street in Beaver for ice cream.

Mom got a vanilla cone since twist cones weren’t available that day.

Saddle up!

And we’re off again.

What a great way to spend the afternoon with family!  Nothing like a road trip to bring us closer together.

Following are some of the other pictures from this weekend.

The ILX prior to this trip, by the way, got its first wax job with Meguiar’s Gold Class.  My fave!

Highway 93 in northwestern Arizona.  Home to Nothing.  Literally.  This town – if it can even be called that – is the town of Nothing.  Population 4.  The “All Mart” looks like it’s been closed for quite some time.  From a placard that’s since been removed from the site:

Town of Nothing Arizona. Founded 1977. Elevation 3269ft.
The staunch citizens of Nothing are full of Hope, Faith, and Believe in the work ethic. Through the years, these dedicated people had faith in Nothing, hoped for Nothing, worked at Nothing, for Nothing.

One of many call boxes along the highway.  While I had always thought these were kind of obsolete now that so many motorists are driving around with cellular telephones, the advantage of a call box in an emergency is that the exact location is immediately known by the dispatcher at the other end of the line.

Wikieup Auto Repair.  Wikieup, Arizona.  If you want their attention (per the sign to the left of the picture), you’ve got to “Honk 3 or 4 Times.  Or Call.”  Anyone need a spare hubcap or two?

Wikieup is also home to the Snoopy Rocket.  Yeah, I wasn’t sure what it was either.  But in this picture you can clearly see that the roadside attraction was clearly made out of a telephone pole and features a wooden Snoopy (or two) riding on top.  Bizarre?  You bet.  But totally worth stopping for an ILX photo-op.

I got Rick-Rolled by the ILX right around this time on Pandora – my ’80’s on 8′ station always gives me something to chair dance to!

St. George, Utah Legend sighting.  Rare 1991 L model “Golden Glow Pearl” coupe.  It’d seen better days but it’s a rare color!

Highway 91 in St. George became known as St. George Boulevard and is still one of the main arteries through town.  While many of the old relics of the mid-1900’s have long since been demolished, a few motels like the Sands Motel are still in operation.

I especially like that in the year 2012, the Sands is still advertising the fact that they’ve got color RCA TVs in each room.  When was the last time any of us saw a black and white TV?  I might actually pay extra to stay in a motel room that had one!

While reminiscing about the past, I also drove to and hiked around this old tunnel which in its day was the gateway into town from the north, long before Interstate 15 was sliced through the bluff.

A visit to grandma’s place after that – and what do I find?  Old school pictures on the wall.  I’m at the left.  Bleached hair was all the rage in high school in the late 1990’s.  I promise.

Grandma’s in a Heather Mist Metallic 1997 Acura 3.5 RL seen across the street in this picture.  It’s been in the family since 2004.

Morning hike with a view of the landscape in my beloved hometown.

This morning, I had the chance to chauffeur some very important people to church with me.  My grandpa and grandma took their first ride in the ILX and commented on how smooth it was.

I made the motion to swing into a parking space right near the front door to the church building.  “What are you doing?” Grandpa asked me.  “Just parking,” I responded.  “No, go all the way to the end!” were his instructions.  Sure enough, Grandpa knows proper parking technique!  Must run in the family!

After saying my farewells, it was time to start my 6.5 hour return drive to Scottsdale, Arizona from St. George.  Here’s a state line sign that I hadn’t captured yet.  The Silver State!

I observed 34 mpg in the ILX from Mesquite, Nevada to Kingman, Arizona, about 150-160 miles away.  Just north of Kingman on Highway 93, some ominous storm clouds loomed just ahead.  Sure enough, I got dumped on.  The volume of rain was so bad, in fact, that many cars had pulled off to the side of the road and were waiting the storm out with their emergency flashers activated.  I motored on at a safe rate of speed and got through without any issues.

By the time I got to Phoenix, it was a nice evening out.

And it wouldn’t be a Drive to Five blog post if it didn’t end with a classic Arizona sunset.

This coming Wednesday I’ll celebrate 3 months of Acura ILX ownership and I must say that the nearly 15,000 miles we’ve already shared together have been memorable!   Thanks as always for coming along for the ride!

Odometer (Legend):  514,705

Odometer (ILX):  4,616

Celebration time!  Tomorrow (Tuesday, July 10th)  marks the 4 week anniversary of the day that I took the key to my new car from John Watts of Acura Digital Marketing when it had just 16 miles on the odometer.

Since that time, the ILX has been driven exactly 4,600 miles.

I’ve spent 92 hours, 16 minutes behind the wheel.

And the car has averaged 31.3 miles per gallon.

“Alex” the ILX scampered all the way to Idaho and back over the last several days.  The plan of attack looked something like this:

As we near 5,000 miles, the 2013 ILX is already proving itself a capable, comfortable alternative (can’t say replacement!) to the old Legend.  Even after subjecting the car to an 11-hour drive yesterday it wouldn’t phase me to hop in the driver’s seat and do the same drive again today.  The ILX demonstrated power on the steep grades, ample entertainment for the many hours of driving, and better-than-advertised fuel economy.  I’d say based on my experience so far, this car’s a winner.  Here’s a photo essay of where my Independence Day travels took me.

First rainstorm in the new car, northbound on Hwy 93 on the morning of July 4, 2012.  So much for that immaculate undercarriage!

Wikieup, Arizona.  “Eat at Joe’s” BBQ.  I’ve always wanted to try the grub but never had time!

Bluetooth – figured it out!  First call was to my friend Linh who said she could hear me loud and clear.  I also figured out how to play music from my iPhone through the car’s stereo system without using the USB cable.  Pretty slick design here.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Home to “Midnight Mayhem” drag races that I used to attend frequently.

Hopping back on Interstate 15 after a fuel up.

There are a couple sections of rural central Utah where speed limits are a generous 80 mph.  The ILX is around 3,400 RPM at that speed but doesn’t drone or give the driver a headache, thanks to its extensive sound deadening.

Pit stop for fuel in Beaver, Utah.  Home to 2,400 people and an outlet store for Cache Valley Cheese.  Anyone like cheese curd as much as I do?

Approaching Nephi, Utah on Interstate 15.

My favorite trucks.  Have YOU had your Tyson today?

And finally among the Wasatch Mountain Range in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Honey, I shrunk my ILX!  Perched on the rooftop of my friend Branson’s house with Marcus and Matt in Salt Lake City, we had a nice vantage point of my parking space out front.  We scouted out locations to watch that evening’s fireworks.

I connected with my friend Jeff who was visiting Salt Lake from Alberta, Canada and we decided to do a little (okay, a lot of) hiking.  “Mount Timpanogos” looms 11,749 feet above the Utah Valley.  Ambitious hikers can access the summit via a 14-mile round-trip hike.  Jeff and I took along our other friend Devin and ventured out from the trailhead (elevation 6,900 feet) with our eyes on the prize.

It wasn’t long until we were right among the cascading waterfalls caused by spring run-off.  Truly spectacular sights & sounds.

But about 45 minutes into our elevation gain, a steady drizzle turned into a full-fledged rainstorm.  Coupled with the cold wind (there’s still snow in the ground at this elevation!), slippery mud/rocks, and our lack of adequate rain gear, we quickly learned that this would be a challenge.  We did still press on!

In the end we in fact did not reach the summit, but we did reach a small stone shelter built in 1959 at Emerald Lake, at elevation 10,380 feet after about 2 1/2 hours.  By that time, my clothes and backpack were soaked all the way through, my shoes were a muddy/squishy mess, and I was absolutely freezing.  The cloud cover kept us from being able to see much of a view from up there, unfortunately.  But my screaming leg muscles told me we must have been pretty high up!  The descent went much faster for us.

A great hike that I highly recommend if you’re ever near the Provo, Utah area and feeling outdoorsy.  But remember to take a rain poncho if there’s any mention at all of rain in the forecast.

I took the opportunity later that afternoon to head to Logan, Utah in the ILX.  One of my favorite scenic drives of all time is through Sardine Canyon which runs from Brigham City to Logan.  Fall colors there are simply unmatched, and I vow to go back later this year to capture some of them with my camera.  I did pull off Highway 89/91 for a few pictures of the ILX in the green hills.

Finally, arrival at Grandma’s house and a “traditional” lap around her yard.

Logan is also home to 14,000 students attending Utah State University – home of the Aggies.  I graduated as a proud USU student in December 2005 from the university’s Business program.  A painted-over drive-in movie theater at the south end of town pays tribute to the university.

On campus at the “Old Main” building which dates back to 1890 when the university was called “Agricultural College of Utah.”

Kid tested, mother approved.  Mom took the wheel of the ILX for a test-drive around the neighborhood and seemed right at home rowing through the gears.

The next morning it was time for a bath.  An exciting discovery awaited me when I went to pull the car into the garage from its steep driveway parking space.  This car actually has a feature that prevents it from rolling backward unintentionally when starting off from a stop!  I tested it out a few times.  It’s an ingenious idea that keeps the driver from having to do the whole clutch-brake-clutch fancy feet move to keep from rolling back.

I wasn’t content to be THIS close (only 20 miles!) to Idaho without making a little jaunt north of the border, so my mom and I set off in the ILX on Friday for a little adventure.  Many of my readers are probably familiar with the 2004 film “Napoleon Dynamite” about a nerdy high schooler.  The movie was filmed in the tiny 5,000 population town of Preston Idaho in southeastern Idaho, so my mom and I made a pilgrimage to check it out.

Idaho joins Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California on the list of visited states for the ILX.

After some help from Google, we found out the address to the home used in the movie.  A dirt road didn’t stop us from taking the ILX the rest of the way there.

And, our arrival.  The home looks exactly the same today as it did in the movie 8 years ago.

Unfortunately, though, there was no pet llama “Tina” on the property as was seen in the film.

Here’s one of my favorite scenes from the movie.

Saturday it was time to attend the Cache Valley Cruise-In car show which has become a tradition for my family in Logan, Utah.  The show draws over 1,000 cars each year and is always held on or around the 4th of July.

I happened across this high-mileage beauty:  a 1963 Corvette proudly driven by its original owner, Steve Stone.  His Corvette has a story as exciting as my old Legend does!  Steve’s hit the 48 lower U.S. states as well as 11 Canadian provinces in his car.  I chatted with him for several minutes about his 487,000 miles of travels and wish I could have stayed longer to learn more.  This is a guy I can relate to!

In other high mileage news:  If you haven’t already heard the story of Irvin Gordon and you’re a high mileage car buff, take note.  His 3 million mile quest in his 1966 Volvo inspires us all!  Makes my measly little 500,000 mile achievement seem like not such a big deal!  Here’s the article.

S’mores around a campfire in Logan Canyon finished off the evening last Saturday.

The return trip to Phoenix was long but fun.  Mantua, Utah is a little community nestled in Sardine Canyon.

For the 727-mile SLC-PHX leg of the trip, I had a co-driver.  This picture was taken in the Virgin River Gorge on southbound Interstate 15 which to this day is one of the most expensive stretches of interstate ever — thanks to the extensive work it took to carve the road through the canyon.

Just beyond Hoover Dam at 4,526 miles on the odometer, we had a warning come up on the display indicating a loose fuel cap.  We double checked the cap and it was tight (clicked), so we shut the car off & restarted it to see if the problem reset.  It did.

And a parting shot from last night’s sunset on Hwy 93 southbound with Matt at the wheel.  Arizona sunsets just never seem to get old.

The ILX continues demonstrating its abilities as a great road-tripper and strikes a great balance between being fun to drive, yet not wearing out its driver on an all-day trip.

My experience thus far is best summed up with the reaction of an onlooker after I pulled in for fuel at Chevron in Salt Lake City on Saturday:  “Oh my GOSH that car is so gorgeous!  Is it a 2013!?”  I told her that yes, it’s a 2013, and no, she couldn’t have it!   I’m having way too much fun with the new ride.

Odometer (Legend):  514,200

Odometer (ILX):  1,275

She’s broken in!  The ILX has made its first trip to my homeland in Utah.  I traveled north from Phoenix, Arizona to visit my family for the Father’s Day weekend and fully enjoyed getting acquainted with my new car.  Here’s my trip report along with some driving impressions of the new ride.

Roadways were pretty empty during my departure early on Saturday.  Highway 74, the Carefree Highway, winds through the Arizona desert lined with Joshua trees that made for a nice backdrop as I pulled over for some sunrise pictures.

It wasn’t long until I passed a milestone at 500 miles on the odometer.

Much of the drive to Utah consists of two lane divided highways that climb through the desert.  There was little traffic.

And XM Radio to keep me company.  This quality song gave me a good chance to blast the 7-speaker Premium Audio System.

As I did with my Legend, I’ll track which states the ILX gets to roll through.  I’ve already crossed Arizona, Nevada, and Utah off the list thanks to this weekend’s trip.  Just before getting to the Nevada state line from Arizona, Highway 93 crosses through the Lake Mead Recreation Area.

Below is the Nevada state line, as Highway 93 in Arizona curves up and over the Colorado River just downstream of Hoover Dam via the Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge which was completed in 2010.  This bridge looms a whopping 900 feet above the river below and spans the canyon over 1,000 feet wide.  It is an engineering wonder for sure and worth checking out if you’re ever in the area.

Arizona state line, as Interstate 15 crosses back over the northwestern corner of the state.  I’ve taken pictures in this area before.

And finally on into southwestern Utah, also known as “Utah’s Dixie” due to the area’s heritage as a cotton-growing community for the Mormon pioneers who settled here in the 1800’s.

The landscape here in southern Utah, unlike that of the northern part of the state, consists of desert vistas much like Arizona.

There’s a curvy one-lane loop in Pioneer Park in St. George, Utah that offers a prime place to evaluate handling performance of a sport minded car like the ILX.  This spot has been one of my favorites to visit since I bought my Legend almost a decade ago and put together a little video on this stretch of road with the assistance of a Sticky Pod camera mount.  I figured it was fitting that I take the new ILX there to give it a proper induction.

Even my little nephew Beckam can appreciate those leather seats.  He’ll be driving a 6-speed as soon as he can reach those pedals, I’m sure.

My brother and niece were checking out the car, too.  They gave approval!  Here’s a taste of OCD that some might appreciate:  You’ll notice I actually left the plastic on the sun visors that came with the car from the Indiana factory.  I’ve since pulled the covers off but it was a fun way to show my family just how “fresh” this car really is.

I paid a visit to my friend Buck who drives a 2002 Acura RSX 6-speed a color that’s not unlike my Silver Moon.  We decided that our cars definitely share a brotherly resemblance and sporty demeanor.

Today’s drive back to Phoenix after the weekend’s family activities was fairly adventurous.  My friend Greg and his son Cody needed a ride to Phoenix so that they could pick up a couple of vehicles that Greg had purchased at auction.  I was happy to provide shuttle service so the 3 of us piled into the ILX and headed for the hills.

Rather than back-track through Las Vegas, we decided to take the scenic route through Flagstaff, Arizona.  So on the following map from point “B” to point “C” – we were on the right hand side of the circle this time.  My entire weekend was a giant loop circling the Grand Canyon as illustrated:

Highway 89A climbs from 722 feet in elevation to about 8,000 feet in a matter of about 20 miles to the summit at Jacob Lake.  This is the kind of road where true driving experience can be enjoyed.  I blasted up the side of mountain mostly in 4th and 5th gears.  For most of the drive we opened the moonroof and enjoyed the temperatures which were quite a bit cooler than at the valley floor.

Quick photo-op among the fresh smelling pines.  It made us all wish we’d brought tents and had a couple of days to camp!

And yet another milestone comes to pass.

Back seat must’ve been comfy – Cody was able to catch some Z’s.

After descending 89A, we got back into the red rock country called Vermillion Cliffs, a spectacular “suburb” of the Grand Canyon with very little traffic and the type of landscape you’d expect to see in an old Western movie.  Greg and I posed for a quick picture.

Just a little bit down the road we encountered the Lee’s Canyon Ferry, named after John D. Lee who first operated this river crossing in the 1800’s.  The ferry became obsolete in 1928 when the bridge that I’m standing on in the following picture was completed.  And that bridge has now been bypassed by yet another bridge to the south which is much wider to accommodate today’s automobile traffic.

Standing in the middle of the bridge and looking northward, it’s truly an inspiring sight.  This location is the official start of the Grand Canyon.

Saddled back up in in the ILX we finished our trek through the wild west and had lunch in historic downtown Flagstaff, Arizona.

From there it was a straight shot home to Phoenix via I-17.

So what’s the verdict on this new ride after spending a weekend in the driver’s seat?

Bottom line:  This car is a worthy road tripper.

The ILX handling is very tight.  Even slight input to the steering wheel is quickly transferred to the road.  The car felt “grippy” – almost like it had AWD.  There was little to no body roll on some of the curves at Jacob Lake including a banked hairpin at the base of the mountain that’s posted at 15 mph (presumably for high profile vehicles and camp trailers) and I was able to take at nearly 45 comfortably – just testing the limits of the car.  But even with sporty handling, I got home today after 7 hours in the car and did not feel exhausted.

First impressions left me with remarkably few things about the ILX that I “didn’t” like, and most of these are more related to my unfamiliarity with the car and will likely not be as much of an issue as I spend more time with it.  To keep this blog an objective view for anyone who’s considering looking at this car, I thought these were worthwhile things to bring up.

• During a long drive, I like to rest my hand while holding the bottom of the steering wheel, but this only works on a 4-spoke steering wheel and not a 3-spoke like the ILX has.  Another thing on my wish list might be cruise control buttons that are lower on the wheel.
• As a safety measure, the car continually tries to lock its doors when I’m driving.  I’d like to keep doors unlocked the whole time so that when I exit the car and need to get something out of the back seat, I don’t have to hit the unlock button again.
• I wish the driver’s door had a pocket long enough for my day planner (yes, I’m old fashioned and still use one), and I’m still trying to decide the best place to stow my sunglasses.
• The chrome trim around the center console (surrounding the shift knob as well as the 2 cupholders) looks great from a design perspective but when caught at just the right angle with the sun (which happened a few times) reflects sunlight directly into the driver’s face.  Something small that could probably be overcome by a different type of finish on the trim pieces.

ILX strong points that I loved, which by far outweighed any negatives – in random order:

• Power.  This car is a 4 cylinder and has 29 hp fewer than I’m used to having at my command.  However, it revs quite a bit higher than my Legend did.  80 mph means the engine is turning about 3,400 RPM.  On some steep grades between Wickenburg and Wikieup on northbound Highway 93, I didn’t have to downshift.  The car held speed in 6^th with cruise control activated which was impressive.  I also exposed the ILX to some highway speed passing situations today on Hwy 89 north of Flagstaff and it quickly got up to speed and allowed me to maneuver easily around the slow pokes.
• Cupholders!  Two of them in the center console, and one in each of the front doors.  Why I never!  First car I’ve ever owned with a cupholder.  Sounds silly but coming from someone who’s missed out on this luxury, it’s a welcome feature.
• XM Radio.  I never thought I’d be a believer, but between the 4 or 5 stations which quickly became my favorites, I was able to stay entertained for the entire drive without even needing to plug in my iPod.  For any who are wondering, I highly recommend “80’s on 8” and “Blue Collar Comedy” (channel 97).
• Tilt Moonroof.  Super nice for getting some ventilation without having to slide the roof open.
• Turn Signal Feature.  Discovery I made:  When you “blip” the lever just slightly and release, it’ll signal 3 times without having to hold the lever in place.  Very handy for lane changes.
• Smart Key Access.  I can walk up to the locked car with just the fob in my pocket, it unlocks for me.  What I’m still struggling with is where to keep the key.  I find myself so used to taking the key OUT of my pocket that most of the time I still do.  I’ve been storing it in the cup holder area while I drive.
• Gas Mileage.  The ILX has averaged 30.6 mpg in its 1275 miles of life.  I’d say this car’s had mostly highway exposure.  The gauge is way more accurate than the one in my Legend (which would hover around “full” forever, and then dump speedily toward empty as soon as it hit ½ tank).  I like how the information center in the ILX gauge cluster tells me at a glance my average as well as instantaneous MPG.
• Accessory Power Outlet.  It’s inside the center console – a lot easier place to run the cord for a cell phone charger than if it had been mounted to the dash.
• Space – Leg and Head.  One complaint I had about the Legend was how “shallow” the footwells were.  I’m 5’11” and found myself with plenty of space to stretch legs in the ILX.
• Visibility.  The driver’s point of view in the car is high and blind spots are fairly easily overcome.
• Auto Up/Down Windows.  Both front windows are automatic up/down.  My Legend had only the driver’s side.  Though, I haven’t yet rolled around much with windows down for a couple of reasons:  (1)  It’s too dang hot outside, and (2) Why would I want to let my “new car smell” escape?
• Back-Up Camera.  I don’t think I’ve ever aced a reverse parking job quite as well as I did last night with the assistance of the guidelines on the camera screen.
• Foot Pedals.  I love driving barefoot in a stick shift!  The race inspired sport pedals on the ILX actually feel like they’re giving my feet a massage as I’m rowing through the gears.
• Exhaust Note.  I’ve had 3 friends this week ask me if I’d had some special tuning done with the exhaust system to give it a little more “growl.”  I’ve explained to them that the car is in fact stock and it left the Indiana factory just as-is.

You’ll remember that I had the privilege of meeting Chief Acura Designer, Jon Ikeda, a couple of months ago to talk to him about the ILX design language.  I followed up with Jon via email and included some pictures to let him know that I’m now the proud driver of an ILX.  Jon’s response to my email included some sound advice.  Following is his reply (pasted verbatim):

Hello Tyson,

Car pics look great. Only one thing left…..Enjoy!

Regards,
Jon Ikeda

Couldn’t have said it better myself.  I’m without a doubt following his counsel as I have a blast with this new ride.  Until next time!