May 24th, 2022 - On The Road Again. Just Can't Wait To Get On The Road Again!

May 24th, 2022 - On The Road Again. Just Can't Wait To Get On The Road Again!

The spring driving season has gotten off to a slow start this year. The weather has been decent but less than cooperative at the same time, with only a handful of 20C days until closer to the end of May and even a couple of late-season snow storms. Luckily they didn't last long.

Despite the weather, I was able to pull the CR-X out of the garage and finish hanging the lights in the garage. I installed a total of 8 above single car area where the CR-X resides. What a difference. It's so much more comfortable to work out there now with so much extra light. I'm planning on installing 12 more above the dual car side to really brighten up the entire space. 

One of the first things I did before putting the CR-X back on the road this year was to pick up a set of floormats for her. My “daily” pair of floormats were a set of Japanese Honda Access CR-X mats. Not in mint condition or anything, I bought them to use since, at the time, they were less expensive than the custom-fit aftermarket options. Given the spike in parts prices the past few years, I thought it prudent to retire the mats from “daily” duty and pick up a new pair so I didn’t have to risk the rarer Honda Access mats. The new mats I bought from Yahoo Japan are decent quality, the weave around the edges could be a little better, but they’re mint if ya squint which is good enough for me when it comes to a “daily” pair of mats. And the red trim makes a cool little call-back to my former CRX, my Rio Red Project 88 CRX.

Officially back on the road April 30th, two months earlier in the season than last year, she has been treated to several small trips around town, and I’m trying to take 1-2 pictures or more from each trip so I can have something unique to post on social media all winter long this coming off-season. I don’t want to keep posting the same tired old shots from November through March. I just started using my Instagram account for posting photos of my car, and I'm trying my best to keep up to a one post per day schedule without repeating too many of the same shots. It's great inspiration to keep taking the CR-X out, and as I said above, making sure to snap a few pictures each time. 

For her first trip of the season, she went to my favorite car wash and got a bath, then to the gas station next door for a little top-up. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the issues surrounding the end of the pandemic, gas prices sure have shot up. The Husky gas station where I used to get my 94 octane has closed so I had to settle for 91, and that was $1.52/L – so glad that I have fallen in love with a 4cyl car that sips the petrol as opposed to a V6 or V8 that guzzles the fuel. I remember in 2005 during her first summer in Calgary, Hurricane Katrina had pushed oil above $50/bbl for the first time ever and 94 octane was sitting around 98 or 99 cents per litre. Quite the difference.

Edit: since I’ve been writing this post over a few weeks now, the price of 94 octane is now over $2.00/L 

Something that's always bothered me about having a right-hand drive car in Canada is the inability to easily go through a drive-thru. Mind you, I have a no food rule for my car, but it's really more of a 'no eating' rule, so transporting food isn't really a problem. Drinks are still not allowed except for bottled water... While last season I was able to stop at some places that offer curbside pick-up, this season it felt limiting. So I picked up this little gem from Amazon for $20 and tested it out. Works flawlessly! Why did it take so long for me to figure this one out!?

Had a little bit of cheeky fun with my CR-X this Spring as well. Being a child of the 80's (70s?), it's a safe bet to assume that I'm also a huge Star Wars fan. What better way to celebrate Star Wars day than to do a dorky photoshoot with some Star Wars toys--- uhh, I mean collectibles. 

I’m still quite hopeful that I can get my front bumper installed this season, but I’m thinking that if I do, it will have to be closer to the end of the year. I’m planning on selling a selection of spare parts in my inventory to fund it but I don’t want to take up any of the upcoming season having my car in the shop. Plus, Calgary’s weather can be on the extreme side in spring and summer at times, with flooding and golf ball (or larger) sized hail not uncommon in and around the city. 

If I'm being honest, though, I have a mental block against doing it, and I don't know why... I mean I used to sell shit on eBay all the time and I had (have) a great rating there, but the more I hear about scammers the more I just don't want to be bothered, even at the expense of not getting my bumper done this year. Not sure why but I think it's just something I'll have to get over. 

Misc Pics From May 2022

Remember, this blog was written in chronological order so, you will need to click OLDER POSTS to move forward in time, and click NEWER POSTS to go backwards.