After many months of hard work, the broker-dealer transition is now pretty much wrapped up.  If you have been following me for awhile, you know that last week, my best little buddy, Rajah, finally passed on after 20 years.  That was very difficult, and my home feels so quiet and devoid of warmth without him.  Frankly, I needed a break.

So, since we had a beautiful, warm winter day, I decided to take my new toy for its first real two-laner cruise.  Back in October I purchased a 2019 Mazda Miata RF (retractable fastback).  The Dart is not working out, and once I really get caught up with work, it is getting sold.  I had been thinking about a Miata for a couple of years as a few of my friends have them, and absolutely love them.  (No, I didn’t sell the Hellcat Charger; I still have it and love it.  It is totally clean for the winter, and I just didn’t want to get it all dirty from the winter roads.)

Well, I had been just browsing on-line last fall, and built a Miata MX-5 RF on the Mazda website, just to see what one would cost decked out like I would want.  Once the computer build was done, it asked if I wanted to search for one like it around the area.  Nothing in Utah.  But for fun I expanded the search area to include Las Vegas, Nevada.  It’s warm there, and sports car convertibles are more popular.

Bingo!  Here was this red one with exactly everything I specified for sale.  I mean it was exactly like what I built on-line, exactly!  So, I hit the “chat” button to see out of curiosity if that dealer still had the car. Yep, along with 5 others.  My plan was to sell the Dart in the spring, and then go Miata shopping.  But this little guy was exactly what I was looking to find.  A few phone calls later, and at weeks end I was on a plane to Las Vegas to check it out.  If I liked it, I would buy it and drive her home.  (I bought a one-way ticket.)  And here she is.  The car is a hard top convertible; the center roof over the cabin folds away at the touch of a switch.  The Hellcat she is not, but it is quite quick – 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds.  Miatas handle unbelievably well with a perfect 50/50 front to back weight distribution.  It is super light, coming in at only 2400 pounds (about 1089 kilos.)  It has a sweet 6 speed manual transmission with 181 horsepower from a twin cam, naturally aspirated, fuel injected 4 cylinder engine.

Where the Hellcat is pure adrenaline (it’s like driving the Batmobile), the Miata is super nimble, incredibly tight, and just fun.  The cars (the Miata and Hellcat Charger) are almost polar opposites, except their both fun as hell, just in totally different ways.

So, for first real two lane highway road trip, I decided to head west from home as the snow levels aren’t bad at those elevations.  Anyway, I made a stop in Fairfield, Utah at the old Pony Express Station hotel.  Took a couple of pictures and I hit the road westward.  I ended up on Utah Highway 199 which heads west from Rush Valley out to Dugway Proving Grounds – a tightly guarded US military installation.  I shot the wild horse photos, just south of Dugway last year on New Years Eve.

Not far past Rush Valley, the road really started to twist and turn as it headed up toward Fisher Pass.  Highway 199 is part of the old “Lincoln Highway” system that was started back in 1913 as the US’ first transcontinental highway system.  Highway was a term used quite loosely as much of the original roads were unpaved.  Take a look at this photo, and blow it up, so you can read the sign.

Anyway, the miles had gone by quickly, and it was time to head home.  This is a road that I must explore again when I have more time.  If you are a history buff, do some searches for the old Lincoln Highway.  It is quite fascinating.

I really hope you enjoyed my little post as much as I enjoyed the cruise.  Thanks for stopping by by blog, and drop me a note.  I would love to know what you think.

Best wishes as always,