Armed with printouts from MapQuest, in June 2004, I flew from Las Vegas to Jacksonville to pick up a 2001 Lexus IS300 for my brother. He had bought the car sight-unseen online, and I offered to play Transporter Tyson. At the time, I was working for an airline, so I was able to fly for free on standby.
The plan came together relatively easily. My brother dropped me off at the airport and I initially flew to Atlanta, then caught a connecting flight to Jacksonville. The wild thing was how I took delivery of the car. All I knew was that it was on a certain level of the parking garage at the airport. The car key was sitting on the driver side front tire, and a temporary tag was affixed to the rear.
I did a brief walk-around, called my brother, and hit the road! The next couple of days consisted of a Cannonball Run-style, 2,500-mile cross-country drive. It was invigorating and scary at the same time.
My journal said, “I got to Memphis when it was dark, and in looking for Elvis’ home, I realized that I wasn’t in the best of neighborhoods. I never did find the house, but I did get a picture on Elvis Presley Boulevard at the Elvis Presley Inn. I attempted to get some shuteye, but it was too warm, so I rolled down the windows a little. That ended up being a bad idea, because the car filled up with mosquitoes. I ended up powering through all the way from Memphis to Flagstaff, Arizona (over 20 hours on the road).”
Along the way, I stopped at various places. “I ate at a little town called Elk City at La Cocina on Historic Route 66. Got a bean and cheese burrito. There was a Route 66 museum, but I didn’t have the time nor the $5 admission.”
My next landmark was in Texas. “First stop was Amarillo. I gassed up and then proceeded to find the Cadillac Ranch. I had to ask a guy at Circuit City for directions. It ended up being right off I-40, so I stopped by to check the cars out. They’ve got lots of paint layers, but it’s cool that people are encouraged to go leave their mark.”
It seems crazy to me now, in an era of instant information and digital maps at my fingertips, that I had to physically go somewhere and ask for directions to find something. Also, Circuit City has been defunct since 2009!
The final stretch was from Flagstaff to St. George via Highway 89. I said, “Highway 89 had no traffic, some fun twisties, and some great straightaways. There were some cool-looking backdrops and lots of little Native American flea market shacks along the way. The hills were a great place to try out the Lexus’ steering wheel shift controls. Feels good to be home!”
I don’t think I have the stamina to make a drive like that 22 years later, but it’s fun to look back at the memories. Also, this experience really made me fall in love with the first-generation Lexus IS300. Even today, the design has aged so well, and the driving dynamics were first-rate.
