drivetofive

Throwback Thursday: 10 Years Ago in Utah

Posted in Legend, Throwback, Utah on February 19, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 532,592

Odometer (ILX): 113,347

Odometer (TLX): 2,736

Ten years ago, I was 23 and the Legend was 11. It had traveled a mere 159,000 miles. Those were the days! Today, we’re taking a drive back in time to the year 2005. George W. Bush had recently been sworn in on his second term as president. Hurricane Katrina pounded the Gulf Coast. Will Smith starred in the movie Hitch. And Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” was the most-downloaded song of the year. Can you believe it’s been a decade?

In February of that year, I was a plowing through my undergraduate degree at Utah State University in a town called Logan. The highlight of my college career was meeting Bill Nye the Science Guy at an assembly.

I’d only owned my 1994 Acura Legend for a couple of years, but I was already documenting my travels with plenty of pictures. Here are a few shots I dug up from the “Feb 05” archives in a box and scanned. Indeed, back in that day I used to have nearly all of my digital camera’s photos printed up as 3×5’s at Walmart. I’m glad THAT tradition fell by the wayside. I’d have filled a library by now with all the volumes of photo albums.

In the below photo, I was hanging out my sunroof whilst paying a visit to my friend Nate. As you can tell, Nate was quite the Honda-fan, too. Notice the Accord, the Odyssey, and three Legends (besides mine) at his family’s home in Sandy, just south of Salt Lake City. There’s a black 1995 LS coupe peeking out behind the white sedan.

I decided to send the picture to Nate and see if it looked at all familiar to him.

Sounds like Nate’s family has upgraded to newer cars. He said his dad’s now in a TL Type-S and his mom is in a newer Odyssey. At least they’re still as Honda-loyal as ever. Here are a few other pictures I dug up.

Snow Canyon State Park, St. George Utah

Winter evening in Cache Valley, northern Utah

From that same photoshoot: Train tracks. Don’t try this at home, kids!

Highway 89 through Logan Canyon. This scene brings back memories. I’ll never forget the day I was off galavanting after a fresh snowstorm and decided to pull a U-turn in some snow on the side of the road. The snow ended up being a lot deeper than it looked, and I got my car hopelessly stuck. Cell service sucked but my little Samsung flip-phone eked out a call for help to a tow company operated by my dad’s friend, and a guy came to shovel/push me out.

Frosty morning before hiking to class (yes, uphill both ways, in the snow)

Speaking of snow: We did get our fair share that winter.

The aftermath was pretty entertaining. I don’t even know if I owned an ice scraper. I know that I don’t have one today.

Camouflage. It fits right in with the background.

I bet it was a good ski season that year.

Mostly cleaned off.

Antelope Island, an island in the Great Salt Lake. The entire island is a state park.

So that was February 2005 in a dozen memorable pictures. Before we know it, we’ll be in the year 2025 and I’ll be reminiscing about 2015 just like this. Meanwhile, over at my house, there’s new kid on the block this week.

More to come!

18 Comments »

Saturday Drive: Lynx & Watson Lakes in Central Arizona

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on February 15, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 532,587

Odometer (ILX): 113,171

Trip Distance: 226 Miles

I recently saw one of those “You know you’re from such-and-such place when…” lists. It talked about the joys of living in sunny Arizona — a place where the best parking spot is determined by shade, not by distance. One of the items on the list was “You no longer associate bridges or rivers with water.” That is pretty true! We have dozens of bridges that cross over dry riverbeds. Many times, the only times those rivers get wet is during our rainy “monsoon” season in late summer.

For some reason, it’s tough for people to believe that we do have our fair share of water here in the Grand Canyon state. Central Arizona has a couple of beautiful reservoirs that I’d been wanting to check out for some time now, and I thank my friends Peter and Jack for cluing me in on them.

The Prescott National Forest covers 1.25 million acres of land in north-central Arizona and is an easy getaway (< 2-hour drive) from the Phoenix area. The key draw is the climate, since temperatures can be up to 20 degrees cooler in the summertime than they are in Phoenix. I took off on a Saturday morning and headed north on I-17 to do a little exploration of my own. Traffic was on the heavy side until I broke away on Highway 69 toward the Prescott Valley area.

A few minutes from downtown Prescott, Lynx Lake is a hot spot for fishermen since it’s stocked regularly with rainbow trout by the Arizona Fish & Game Department. It covers 55 acres and was formed in 1952 when a dam was built on Lynx Creek downstream. I took a little one-lane road to a parking area along the south end of the lake. I didn’t linger longer than a few minutes for pictures. Oddly enough, when I sent a picture of my car to Peter, he responded within minutes by sending me a picture of his car parked in the exact same spot. Great minds think alike.

Just 7 miles away from Lynx lies an even larger body of water called Watson Lake that dates back to the early 1900s and covers 70 acres of area. I paid my $2 day-use entry fee using the automated machine at the entrance to Watson Lake Park, then cruised around to see what this place was all about. A group of 25 or more motorcyclists had overtaken one of the parking lots, so I continued driving around and found the entrance to a boat ramp. I figured – what the heck – and drove down the ramp. Unfortunately, parking was not allowed so I had to loop back to the visitor lot to leave the car there. That was fine since it was a perfect 70-degree day and I wanted get out of the car and hike around anyway.

Watson is surrounded by a variety of sandstone rock formations. Water conditions were calm and I watched a few people launch kayaks from the ramp. For being a Saturday, things were pretty calm and quiet, tourist-wise. I plopped down on a rock and just soaked in the scenery (and sunshine) for about 20 minutes. When the time came to exit the park, there was a lineup of a half-dozen cars waiting to pay at the gate and enter. I rolled down my window down and held out my parking pass. A woman in a black Honda Civic graciously took it from me when I offered it to her. Saved her $2!

I had just one more place to visit before my trip was complete. I’d recently learned of Jack Ass Acres in New River off I-17 just north of Phoenix, so I pulled off the interstate long enough to get this picture. Jack Ass was once a gas station, convenience store, and souvenir shop but it appears to have been abandoned for decades. The building’s roof is crudely lined in barbed wire and the paint it peeling from every panel. Still, it makes a fun pit stop!

It was a fun day experiencing some of Arizona’s beautiful scenery and I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of the pictures here.

Heading toward Prescott Valley on Highway 69

Quick stop in the historic town of Dewey-Humboldt

Lynx Lake entrance

Approaching the parking area at Lynx Lake

Access to Lynx is via this one-lane, pine tree-lined, loop

Photo-op at Lynx

The ILX parked momentarily on the boat ramp at Watson Lake

Driving back up the boat ramp at Watson to the parking lot

Unfortunately, no swimming allowed!

A kayaker sets sail

Back to the parking lot

Another area of the lake with a dock

Heading back home, northbound on Highway 89

That’s not confusing at all. Two highways named “89A”?

Jack Ass Acres as seen from New River Road

Jack Ass sign

Starting this Wednesday, I’ll be in a 2015 Acura TLX for a week to drive & review it. Where will I go? Wait & see!

17 Comments »

Quick Eats: MacAlpine Restaurant in Phoenix

Posted in Arizona, ILX on February 11, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 532,536

Odometer (ILX): 112,778

Let’s shift gears today (literally and figuratively) but keep our road trip right here in town. Sometimes we are so busy looking for out-of-town travel opportunities that we forget to look for those hidden gems in our own backyards.

Back in 1929, a small pharmacy opened up on 7th Street in Phoenix, Arizona. Technically, though, in those days even 7th Street (which today is about as “Central Phoenix” as it gets) was outside city limits. Some 86 years later, that same location lives in a sort of time warp as a soda fountain that pays tribute to the olden days.

My friend Kevin and I are always on the hunt for unique dining opportunities, so when we were planning a catch-up meal (or ketchup meal?) we decided to check out a place that I’d passed by dozens of times but never visited: MacAlpine’s. It took me about 35 minutes in rush hour traffic to get from my place in Scottsdale to the small brick building at the northeast corner of 7th & Oak Streets. I found suitable ILX parking (read: door-ding-friendly) along the south side and had about 20 minutes to kill until Kevin arrived.

That worked out perfectly, since MacAlpine is joined with an antique store and there is a lot of “stuff” to browse. I played around with a vintage TV set and record player, then thumbed through a 1958 issue of Arizona Highways magazine. There were at least a dozen sets of antique patio furniture sitting on the sidewalk outside, so I also spent a few minutes out front watching the sun go down and the cars whiz by at 50 miles per hour on the busy 5-lane road. Surely if I had been on that same front porch in 1929, the scene would have been quite different.

Kevin arrived and we seated ourselves in a booth and got comfortable. The stools and bar date back to 1938 when the original pharmacy was first turned into a soda fountain by Fred MacAlpine. Bonus points if you can find me in the reflection in this picture!

A jukebox nearby sang songs from the 40’s and 50’s while we took a minute to make our menu selections. The menu itself was a little daunting – hundreds of flavors to choose from in creating a “custom” soda. I ordered a lime, lemon, raspberry concoction of some sort on ice. It was straight sugar but totally delicious. For the main course, the meatloaf called my name. It didn’t take very long until it came out of the kitchen piping hot with a side of mashed potatoes and steamed carrots. I give it an A+ rating – highly recommended. Dinner is served starting at 5 p.m. and the restaurant closes at 7, so the window is short but the rewards are worth it.

My favorite item on the menu – and one that I’m determined to go back and consume – is called “The Legend.” It’s a 10-pound ice cream sundae that sells for about $100. Can you imagine? It should be free to anyone who can finish it in one sitting. For anyone visiting the Phoenix area, take the time to swing by and try out the patio furniture and the sodas. You won’t regret it. Here are a few pictures from our short trip back in time.

Arrival heading northbound on 7th Street

Vintage sign remains

Building as seen from across 7th Street

Some of the bric-a-brac for sale. I love that word because it’s fun to say.

Ice cream flavors of the day. Sadly – I did not have the appetite after that soda & meatloaf!

Dining area. It looks like a lot of clutter, because it is.

Candyyyyy. I almost picked up a box of candy cigarettes for a friend of mine.

Is this the Brady Bunch set? Nope, just furniture for sale at the antique store next to MacAlpine’s.

Classic AZ Highways!

Check out that meatloaf!

MacAlpine Restaurant:

2303 North 7th Street

Phoenix, AZ 85006

(602) 262 – 5545

Last note: For those who were following it, the newly-redesigned 2016 ILX went on sale yesterday. Here’s a great write-up by my buddy Steve Siler from Road & Track. Will I be upgrading mine? Nah, unless the stick-shift transmission option comes back. But still – looks like a sweet ride.

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“Weekend Roady” Blog & Minnesota’s Northwest Angle

Posted in Arizona, Blog on February 8, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend Coupe): 532,525

Odometer (Legend Sedan): 146,224

Odometer (NSX): 99,460

Odometer (ILX): 112,556

For about nine hours each weekday, I’m surrounded on 3 sides by turqouise fabric cubicle walls at an office. Sometimes I forget what the weather is doing outside, or even if it’s daylight out yet. Cubicle #1G010 can be a dreary place to reside for 33% of my waking life, but I found a way to make the view a little more appealing. For about the last 7 or 8 years, I’ve had a huge 5-foot-wide US map hanging up on my wall. Every once in awhile during the workday, I’ll spin around in my office chair to look at it, and I’ll zone out while contemplating the many uncharted destinations that are begging for a visit.

Where to next?

I was getting lunch with my coworker Brandon the other day in the cafeteria and learned that he’d recently moved to Arizona from Minnesota. I remembered seeing something about Minnesota on the map at my desk. “You know anything about that piece of the Minnesota,” I started, “That isn’t connected to the mainland? Don’t you have to drive through Canada to get there?” Brandon’s geography teachers must not have fulfilled their obligations because he didn’t know what I was talking about. The area I was focusing on was this (circled):

I went back to my desk after eating my chicken & broccoli, determined to find out the deal. What I discovered was that this piece of Minnesota – referred to as the “Northwest Angle” – is inhabited by 152 hearty individuals and is indeed only accessible by one of two paths:

Driving through Manitoba, Canada and passing through the “un-manned” border checkpoint. There’s a telephone located there that you have to use to call and make your declarations.
Crossing Lake of the Woods. During summer, by boat, and during winter: by ICE ROAD. That’s right, my readers, when the time is right, you can drive your car across 20 miles of frozen solid ice to get to this remote area of Minnesota.

Check out this article from just a couple of weeks ago where a semi truck broke through a crack in the ice.

Sounds like an adventure waiting to happen! I don’t know when I’ll next make it to Minnesota – I’ve yet to set foot in that state at all – and I don’t know if it’ll be during the depths of winter when I do, but you can bet this is going on my bucket list. During the course of my online research I stumbled across an insightful write-up by Philip Sites called “The Weekend Roady.”

I was immediately drawn in because his posts are entertaining and educational. This guy gets out almost every weekend to explore the open road. Sounds like my kind of fun! Here’s Philip’s post about the Northwest Angle.

(photo credit Philip)

This weekend, I have company in town from LA. My friend Brad has been visiting for a couple of days. Yesterday morning, we stopped by the monthly Scottsdale “Cars & Coffee” meet-up.

Later, we dropped off the NSX for an oil change. It’s sitting at around 99,500 miles.

This rare Honda S2000 “CR” was also looking pretty nice.

Brunch this morning at “The Good Egg” on Central Avenue. Here, I’m demonstrating proper parking in an end space.

Kelvin showed up in his immaculate 1993 NSX.

This time of year is the best in Phoenix!

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!

14 Comments »

Northern Arizona Part 2: Horseshoe Bend, Colorado River

Posted in Arizona, Hikes, ILX, Road Trip on February 4, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 532,455

Odometer (ILX): 112,326

The story of our weekend’s canyon crusade left off when we had finished visiting the Utah/Arizona state line after our hike through Antelope Canyon. But the fun wasn’t over quite yet. Turns out, the timing was perfect to make a sunset-time visit to nearby “Horseshoe Bend.” That name refers to a section of the Colorado River where it makes a 180-degree turn just south of Page, Arizona. We were not prepared for the grandeur of this site!

Just a 3/4-mile hike from the trailhead, we stood at the edge of a 1,000-foot dropoff that rivals the nearby Grand Canyon. We had to hike along the rim of the canyon with care, as the sand on the rocks made for a slippery surface. None of us felt particularly like taking a freefall to the Colorado, though Peter stood on a pretty precarious looking ledge as if he entertained the idea:

Here I dangled my legs out a little.

Sunset lighting and some fresh rainwater puddles in the trailhead parking lot made for the perfect photo-op on our way back to Page. Can you believe these pics we got of the ILX?!

Our night finished out with an enjoyable Italian meal at Strombolli’s. Best of all? We banned all electronic devices. Here’s how that played out: At one point, someone realized that all eight of us were iPhone users. Naturally, we had to stack all the iPhones up in the center of the table for a picture. This triggered an idea. “Hey,” I said. “Let’s challenge ourselves to leave these phones here for the entire meal and not touch them.” I saw some fear struck into the eyes of a few, but we all agreed. And what a great hour it was! Talking — without feeling the need for constant text-messaging and Facebooking. Just like in the olden days. Stephen missed out on 24 text notifications but the rest of us only had a few.

iPhone Jenga

We all crashed out after an exhausting day and a dip in the Comfort Inn hot tub. Sunday morning, I peeked out of our second-story hotel window and saw that the sky was completely clear and there was a thick layer of frost on every vehicle in the parking lot. Sure enough, my weather app confirmed that was was a mere 30 degrees outside.

We fueled up on hot breakfast in the lobby and headed out on our return to Phoenix by about 9:30 a.m. In Flagstaff, we had a driver change and Peter took the wheel while I lounged in the back seat. Peter commented that he felt that the ILX was faster than his Acura TSX which has a similar horsepower rating. He had a great collection of tunes to entertain us with for the 2-hours remaining in our drive: hits like Billy Joel’s “For the Longest Time,” and Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks Like a Lady.” Nice selections, P!

Phoenix was crawling with Super Bowl festivities so my friend Scott and I couldn’t resist the temptation to drive over to the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale later that afternoon to see some of the chaos. Sure enough, road closures, coned-off lanes, parking attendants, and plenty of police presence kept us from getting very close to the venue. I did still manage to get a picture of the ILX in front of Super XLIX! It was taken sometime during the second quarter of the game.

Please enjoy the rest of these pictures and a short video from Horseshoe!

A few photographers waiting for perfect sunset lighting

Pretty amazing all around

Silhouettes of our group

Back at the trailhead, some pics of the cars in the puddles

Talking on 8 iPhones at once at dinner

Chilly Sunday morning

Highway 89 southbound with the San Francisco peaks in the distance, approaching Flagstaff

Peter at the wheel of the ILX, and Chris in shotgun

Driving past the Super Bowl while it was going on!

Super Bowl pic with my buddy Scott from Massachusetts (obvious Pats fan)

Hey, did everyone see the side-by-side of the 2013-2015 ILX next to a 2016 model? Thanks to Acura Connected for the image. What are your thoughts on the changes?

16 Comments »

Northern Arizona Part 1: Antelope Canyon

Posted in Arizona, Hikes, ILX, Road Trip on February 2, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 532,450

Odometer (ILX): 112,154

Trip Distance: 572 Miles

Saddle up for a drive! We’re past due for some high adventure.

The area along the Utah-Arizona state line is one of the most oft-photographed locations in the southwest. The Grand Canyon, Vermillion Cliffs, Monument Valley, and other landmarks offer endless opportunities for backcountry exploration in some remote – and stunning – desert landscapes. This weekend, I took a couple of friends to a little-known slot canyon located on the Navajo Indian reservation near the small town of Page, Arizona: Antelope Canyon.

Named originally for a herd of antelope that freely roamed the area, this canyon is a very sacred place to native people who live in the vicinity. From the Navajo Nation website:

To older Navajos, entering a place like Antelope Canyon was like entering a cathedral. They would probably pause before going in, to be in the right frame of mind and prepare for protection and respect. This would also allow them to leave with an uplifted feeling of what Mother Nature has to offer, and to be in harmony with something greater than themselves. It was, and is, a spiritual experience.

Like other canyons in the area, Antelope was formed over time by erosion from rainwater which has cut the deep channels in the sandstone rocks while also smoothing the edges to create the “flowing” appearance of the walls. Since 1997, the canyon has been accessible via tour guide only. Part of the reason for that is because the dangers of slot canyon hiking can be extreme: that same year, 11 tourists were killed by flash flooding in Antelope. Back then, the ladders going down into the canyon were wooden and got swept away. Today, metal ladders are bolted into place. The “upper” canyon that we hiked didn’t require any ladder access.

Caramel frappaccino in hand (or in cupholder, rather), I cued up the windshield wipers on the ILX on Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. and set out for the rainy open road with three friends: Chris, Peter, and Stephen. Our drive northward on I-17 to Flagstaff was wet and foggy, but we arrived just in time to meet up with a car-full of other roadtrippers who would be joining us for our excursion. Jason of Driven for Drives brought along Alec, Jennifer, and Jouhl in his recently-acquired 2004 Mazda 6. Now with 8 of us in total, we had about 130 miles left to go before hitting our destination.

Highway 89 descends from Flagstaff’s pine-covered 7,000 feet in elevation to the barren, yet beautiful, red sandstone valley below at around 4,300 feet. We entered the Navajo Indian reservation which covers 27,000 square miles and spreads across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. By this time, the sun had started peeking through the clouds and the scenery was non-stop. I kept a close eye on Jason’s Mazda’s headlights in my rearview mirror and he didn’t fall too far behind.

By about noon, we’d rolled into the small town of Page, Arizona. Page thrives on tourism thanks to being on the shores of nearby Lake Powell and close to Antelope Canyon. However, because January is off-peak, we found very little traffic or difficulty getting a table at lunch right away for our large group. The “super burrito” at Fiesta Mexicana hit the spot – and soon, we were ready to go canyoneering.

Much like the early pioneers must have arrived in covered wagons, we donned our sweatshirts climbed into the bed of a lifted Ford F-250 pickup with a blue canopy overhead and our tour guide from Antelope Canyon Tours gave us the lowdown. “It’s a 20-minute drive to the mouth of the canyon,” she said, “and half of that will be on a dirt road.” Sure enough, before long we were bouncing along in a sand-covered wash toward Upper Antelope Canyon.

This particular stretch of the canyon is only 1/4 mile long but has some of the most incredible rock formations I’ve ever seen. With each turn, our guide would shine her flashlight and point out different features & shapes: the face of Abe Lincoln, the “Heart of the Canyon,” a pattern that looked like it was woven, and many others. We did the best we could to get some pictures along the way but in the 120+ foot depths of the canyon and under mostly overcast skies, many times it was too dark for a photo to do it justice.

The next chapter of our day was a quick jaunt to the Utah state line just a few miles north on Highway 89, for the sake of a couple individuals in our party who hadn’t yet been to that state. Jason turned over the Mazda to me for part of that drive, and I fully enjoyed it! We had thought of touring nearby Glen Canyon Dam but the visitor center had closed at 4:30 p.m. right as we arrived, so we had a brief pow-wow in the parking lot to decide our next move.

And for that next move, you’ll have to tune in next time! It’s special enough that it deserved its own post. Thanks for coming along, and enjoy the rest of these pics and a short video in the meantime.

Road trippers Stephen, Peter, Chris, and Tyson

Approaching Flagstaff on Interstate 17 northbound

I’m okay with those gas prices in Flag!

Gearing up to head out

Suspension bridge in Cameron, Arizona: Built 1911, it’s 680 feet in length. It was damaged by an overload of sheep in 1937 (!) and was retired in 1959.

The “Little Colorado River” which that bridge crosses. Looks pretty muddy to me.

Lunchtime for some hungry travelers in Page at Fiesta Mexicana

Our limousines for the next portion of the trip

Awaiting our 1:30 p.m. tour departure in Page

Peter, Stephen, Chris, Jouhl, and Jason riding along in the back of the truck

Entrance to Upper Antelope Canyon

Inside the canyon

Views all around

Jouhl and Jennifer looking up

Tyson and Jason

Tyson, Jason, Jouhl, Stephen – and Peter in front

And the entire group, on our way back through

Not allowed!

Back at Comfort Inn – Room 324 gave me a perfect view of the cars.

Utah state line with Jason

Lake Powell – 9 trillion gallons’ worth! I took the ILX across this lake on a ferry last year.

Glen Canyon Dam, completed in 1966

Hey, check out that milestone!

Until next time. Oh, and a shameless plug! Mom’s Lexus is for sale. Link!

9 Comments »

Saturday Drive in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Road Trip on January 25, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (ILX): 111,069

Trip Distance: 90 Miles

Sometimes a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city is just what you need to recharge. The teeny town (read: Population 6) of Tortilla Flat, Arizona is a step back in time to 1904 when it served as a stagecoach stop during construction of nearby Roosevelt Dam. Today, the town retains its wild west heritage and welcomes dozens of weekend visitors, just like me, who need an occasional break from the urban grid.

Exiting US 60 at Idaho Road, Arizona Highway 88 winds itself through the Superstition Mountains for about 18 miles as a two-laner lined with gigantic saguaro cacti leading up to the townsite. The bright blue desert sky didn’t have a stitch of cloud in it, and temperatures were perfect for windows-down and moonroof-open cruising, so I hit the road with a few friends:

Chandler, Jack, and Midge (the Border Collie) joined me for Saturday’s eastward trek in the ILX. My favorite part about the drive to Tortilla Flat is that the road has two one-lane bridges near Canyon Lake. It takes careful planning & coordination with oncoming traffic to decide “who’s up next” when it’s time to cross.

Tortilla Flat’s only restaurant, Superstition Saloon, was busy with an early afternoon lunch rush, but we got seated right away. Lining the walls that surrounded us was a wallpaper of a very unique type: Dollar bills. The walls, pillars, and sometimes even the ceiling, were absolutely covered in $1’s. Each one had a handwritten Sharpie message inscribed on it. I noticed that most of the bills near our table were dated around 2009. I asked the hostess at the front desk, “How much money is on these walls?” She told me the bills totaled up to around $200,000! The burger with green chili slices was exceptional, and Jack’s open-faced “Killer Chili” burger with homemade chili on it looked pretty tasty, too.

We felt like hiking around a little bit after lunch, so we wandered across the street and down to Mesquite Creek which is a tributary of the larger Salt River. Midge loved romping around on the boulders and playing fetch with any stick she could get her mouth on. A couple of times she took a dip in the water for a gulp or two. The dangers of the desert became apparent when Midge inadvertently got her paw stuck on a branch of cholla cactus. The cholla’s needles are incredibly grabby – even to the point of seeming “sticky.” Chandler had to perform a few minutes of extraction to clear the needles from Midge’s paw while she patiently waited.

Quick photo-op with Jack.

We noticed that a couple of people were coming out of the General Store with ice cream cones, so the temptation overcame us and we went for some dessert too. I recommend the waffle cone and chocolate! We were in a “country” mood for the return drive so while Jack dozed off in the backseat, Chandler and I treated our ears to a few hits from Tim McGraw and Sam Hunt. Midge may have caught a few minutes of shuteye, too. Here are the rest of the pictures from our adventure.

Clean ILX after a hand-wash late last week.

Menu cover to Superstition Saloon restaurant.

A look inside the restaurant.

Some decor outside the General Store.

Mine replica and some fun antique artifacts in the surrounding area.

Nothing quite like a bright blue sky.

Acura NSX meet-up later that evening with a few friends. I drove my 1992 down to meet up with everyone.

Group at dinner.

Few other blurry pictures, but you get the idea. We have a a great group of NSX enthusiasts here in Arizona.

Few more of the cars.

Formula Red is such a great color on these cars. But, I might be biased.

Hope the weekend has treated everyone well!

8 Comments »

Readers’ Rides: TL Type-S Twins

Posted in Reader's Ride on January 21, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 532,417

Odometer (ILX): 110,773

For awhile now, I’ve had a not-so-secret obsession with the 3rd generation Acura TL “Type-S” that was offered in model years 2007 & 2008. I’ve always thought it’s one of Acura’s best designs and even today, 7+ years later, I break my neck trying to catch a glimpse every time I spy one out on the road.

Apparently, I’m not alone. Why else would my friends Chris and Marc have each gone to such great lengths to seek out and buy such a car? Last month, Chris had his 2008 TL Type-S transported from Austin, Texas, to Baltimore, Maryland after a sight-unseen online purchase. And last week, Marc flew to southern Florida and picked up his 2007 Type-S, only to immediately get in the car and drive it nearly 1,200 miles home to New Jersey. There is just something about these elusive Type-S 6-speeds that makes them that special.

Chris’ neighbors in Havre de Grace, MD had a glimpse at an extremely rare sight last Friday when Marc paid a visit and the two “Kinetic Blue Pearl” TLs met for the first time.

Chris’ car: 2008 with 61,000 miles
Marc’s car: 2007 with 174,800 miles
Both: Absolutely immaculate

Head-to-head. A Texas car ends up in Maryland, and a Florida car ends up in New Jersey.

These guys are making me want to join the KBP TL-S 6MT club (that’s a mouthful) in a big way.

Nice looking rear ends. These TLs are powered by a 3.5 liter V6 that pushes out 286 horsepower.

One of my favorite designs from Acura, ever.

I suppose it’s only a matter of time until the TL-S “bug” gets the best of me and I join the club. I asked Chris to tell me a little about what makes his TL-S so special.

When the 2004 TL came out, instantly fell in love with the exterior styling and the fit and finish of the interior. I couldn’t wait to hit my local auto show to sit inside one. At the time I was content driving my somewhat rare 20th Anniversary Edition Nissan Maxima. But I knew if something ever happened to that car, the TL would be the next one in my driveway. The icing on the cake was Acura’s offering of a 6-speed manual transmission.

Seven years later, the Maxima was gone and it was a matter of time before I picked up another sports sedan. I knew the Type-S had returned for 2 years and was the model I had to have as I’ve only been interested in cars that are rare or harder to find. After spending months performing nationwide searches for a TL Type-S with a 6-speed manual, I noticed all the results were black, white, silver and carbon bronze; though I knew a blue and red one existed but they always seemed to be automatics.

After reading numerous threads and research, the Kinetic Blue and Moroccan red were definitely the rarest colors equipped with a manual trans. I wasn’t a big fan of the red so it would have to be blue. After months of searching to no avail, a kinetic blue Pearl result finally popped up on Carmax with no photos as the ad was fresh. The mileage was incredibly low and knowing how rare these cars were I had to have it and bought it sight unseen. Luckily for me it was a one-owner with all Acura maintenance up to date and the factory A-Spec kit had been installed. I took delivery of a rare and near showroom quality car and couldn’t be happier with it.

Marc’s comments were similar. Following are his own words:

The 2007/8 TL Type-S had been on my wish list since first seeing them on the road when Acura brought back the Type-S model at that time (’07). Very similar to back in the mid-90s and I would see 2nd gen legend coupes on the road and think how nice they looked. After seeing a Sherwood Green Legend LS coupe on a highway in Florida that looked stunning, I knew some day I would own one. At that time they were too costly for me.

So fast forward to the years 2007-08 and my search ended in owning not just one but two low-mileage legend coupes that have essentially been garage queens. The 3rd gen TL-s was new to the road at this time and was a bit too costly for me. And I had the Legends now so I figured maybe a few years down the road… So fast forward to today and my daily driver car (an ’02 TLs) started to exhibit some of their notorious transmission failure symptoms. I started to look around for an 07/08 Type-S with 6 speed manual. Figuring the cars were now at 7-8 years old, prices are pretty reasonable. Unfortunately, much like trying to find a well-cared-for and clean manual Legend coupe, the same holds true for the TLs. I found a couple local ones with higher miles, but test drives proved they may not have had an easy life. I had always really like the Kinetic Blue Pearl color, but I was leaning now towards a White Diamond Pearl with black/gray interior.

Right after the New Year I come across a 2007 Kinetic Blue Pearl just listed on a popular auto classified site. This color combo with the two-tone black/gray with 6MT is becoming pretty scarce. It was traded in at an Audi dealer in south Florida. At first look, the mileage was high at 174k so my first thought was it was too many miles and too far away. But at closer examination, the pictures revealed a very clean car. Then looking at the Carfax report, it revealed an extremely well-maintained car — one that had been to the dealer for every required service. And I also find out it was a one owner and by a gentleman in his 50s.

Things start to sound intriguing as I figure the car also has likely been racking up these miles on the smooth, pothole free, unsalted roads of Florida. One thing leads to another, I figure it was worth the risk of buying a cheap one-way ticket to Florida and drive the car over 1300 miles back to NJ. Fortunately my intuition proved correct and the drive home was a blast. Kind of ironic how 20 years prior when I laid my eyes on that Sherwood Green Legend coupe and knew I had to have one, I was now traveling to Florida to buy a different Acura that I had been lusting over.

Dreams do come true for Acura fanatics! Thanks, guys, for sharing these pics – as well as your great enthusiasm for these amazing cars.

Hey, before you all click away, check out this sweet video. My brother Bentley has put a lot of time & effort into building a custom 1968 Chevy Nova SS. Now, it’s the subject of an online contest by H&S Motorsports called “Guess the Power.” If you watch this video, “like” the H&S Motorsports Facebook page, and comment your HP guess, you have a chance of winning a hat. Go for it.

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2015 Rock & Roll Arizona Half Marathon

Posted in Arizona, Running on January 19, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 532,391

Post-race conversation between my friend Rustin, and my mom, Tia:

Rustin: So, you left them in your dust?
Mom: No, the dust had already settled by then.

That pretty much sums it up! Marathon Mom has done it again by showing the rest of us who’s boss.

When my return flight from Detroit landed in Phoenix on Wednesday morning after attending the North American International Auto Show, I hit the ground running. I immediately had to commute to the office and catch up on 270 unread emails from being out of the office for two business days. My mom & stepdad arrived from Utah that same evening, and we spent the last several days together.

The grand finale of mom’s Arizona visit was this year’s PF Chang’s Arizona Rock & Roll Half Marathon, which I’ve run with her a half-dozen or so times in the past. The 13.1-mile race course starts and ends near Arizona State University in Tempe in the historic Mill Avenue district. This year I competed alongside my mom (veteran of more than a hundred competitive running events), my step-dad Todd (relatively new to the scene), and my friend Beau (first-timer!). We made our way to the start line around 6:30 in the morning on Sunday.

The cool thing about the Rock & Roll series races is that, true to its name, the entertainment comes with the experience. At least a half-dozen bands were playing alongside the race course as 22,000 runners pounded the pavement. By about mile 6, I had to shift to a run/walk/run/walk strategy to save myself from burning out. My “training” for this event — if it can even be called that — had consisted of one, 3-mile, jog around my neighborhood last week. That’s it.

When the finish line finally came into sight, it was a glorious occasion. I chugged not one, not two, but three bottles of chocolate milk in the runner recovery area. It hit the spot. I’ll share just a few pictures with you today. First, mom’s spy shot of me getting into the Legend after Saturday’s marathon expo.

Mom’s shot of me driving through my neighborhood.

And mom’s 2003 Lexus GS430. Still looking good at 135,000 miles. And what’s not to love about a torquey V8 and silky smooth transmission?

Early morning eastward view down University Avenue in Tempe, Arizona, just prior to race start.

Runners congregating in their assigned “Corrals” – 20 or so in total.

Running up McDowell Road through Papago Park.

Quick selfie with my mom around mile 9.

Getting close to the finish!

Mom’s spy shot of me approaching the finish. She seems to be handy with the phone-cam!

And, the victors! Beau, Tia, Tyson, with our medals.

Hope everyone’s week is off to a great start.

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High Mile VW and Vette Stories

Posted in Milestones, Reader's Ride on January 17, 2015 by tysonhugie

Odometer (Legend): 532,340

Odometer (ILX): 109,814

I was fixing a salad in the cafeteria at work a few days ago and ran into my coworker Todd who’s been a long-time reader of the blog. He was excited to tell me about his high-mile acquisition: a 2003 Volkswagen Passat with 304,879 miles on it. The car has clearly been well-maintained to make it this far on its original 1.8 motor, manual transmission, and even clutch. Todd has only had to do a few small cosmetic repairs since taking delivery of the car. I will be staying in touch with him as he presses onward toward the 350,000 mile mark.

Shifting sights to the domestic car world, my friend Kyle (and later, my buddy Joe) recently clued me in on this awesome YouTube feature. Mark, the original owner of a red 2000 Chevy Corvette, has shared it with the world in a short 2-minute video. The special feature of this Corvette is its odometer which reads over 648,000 miles. Mark’s work commute has caused him to pack on the miles. This particular Corvette is his 5th – and each of his previous cars have also had high miles on them. I congratulate him on his achievement!

My own crusade on the mileage front continues. I recently had to replace the battery in my 2013 ILX for the first time. The original unit lasted me about 2.5 years and 109,499 miles. I ended up going with a $135 Duralast unit from Autozone with a 3-year warranty. Out with the old, and in with the new!

A few more pics for entertainment before closing. Back on Christmas Day, I took a drive through the Salt River Canyon in the ILX. I took this picture.

I sent it to my friend Kyle that day because I knew he’d be driving through the same area. Today, he surprised me by taking a photo in the same location, with his 2005 Pontiac GTO. Nicely done, Kyle!

And a very sweet Pontiac, I might add.

Today, the Legend came out to enjoy perfect temps. My mom and I are running the Rock & Roll Arizona Half-Marathon tomorrow morning, so we had to go to an exposition at the convention center downtown.