14 minute read
PROFILE
PHOTO BY TROY MEYER
IN FRANCONIA
BY BETH LAWTON
Rafael Lopez, who owns one of the most-recognized rare cars in the country, is used to the questions and comments, and he is nothing but gracious about them.
“You can’t enjoy this car and be a hermit at the same time,” he said. “People will approach you.”
Lopez, who lives in the Franconia area, owns a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 — yes, the same model as the famous car featured in the Back to the Future movies. The stainless steel body, rear-mount engine and gull-wing doors are obvious clues.
“This thing is a happiness machine.,” Lopez said. “Everywhere you take it, people smile. It doesn’t matter their age, background, whether they know the name of the car or not, they know that it’s different and most of them know it’s from a movie.”
In the past year, especially, younger fans have started to stare and point. The addition of the entire Back to the Future trilogy on Netflix in 2020 has introduced a new generation to the time-travel machine. Lopez grew up in Puerto Rico, but when he was a teenager, his mother, who was in the National Guard, transferred to Washington, D.C. They lived in Hybla Valley, and he graduated in 2003 from West Potomac High School.
“Alexandria was really my first real U.S. home and a great place for it because you have the history and you have the diversity of people here. As a Puerto Rican, my experience of diversity was Mexicans and Dominicans — Caribbean people — and that was considered ‘foreign.’ So I came here and it was like the United Nations,” Lopez chuckled.
He eventually joined the military himself and bought the car when he was 30 years old for about $32,000 from a DeLorean dealership outside of Chicago. Aside from a radio fuse going bad midtrip, the car made the 14-hour trek back to Alexandria with no issues.
“I grew up with the movies and I wasn’t just fascinated with it because it was a time-machine car, but I thought when I saw it in the movies that it was such a cool car, so ahead of its time, and it just had such a futuristic look to it. As a kid, I grew up on NASA and space so that always attracted me, and the look just matched that attraction that I always had,” Lopez said.
Since buying the car just a few years ago, Lopez has spent about $30,000 in restorations and improvements, while keeping true to the car’s spirit.
“I’m not a purist, but I’m very much an originalist, so I try to keep the car in the spirit of the original. I don’t have any movie props on it,” Lopez said.
The car sits surprisingly low to the ground, and Lopez said he had to get used to staring straight into the headlights of today’s SUVs. It’s also underpowered for a “sports car” by today’s standards. The car’s V6 engine has just 130 hp, since it was manufactured in Northern Ireland during the oil crisis. The car, with its trunk in the front, is rear-wheel drive.
Lopez’s improvements have included a new Bluetooth-equipped radio built into the original radio’s faceplate, original factory-made DeLorean floor mats, a new DeLorean transmission and a new suspension. He had a DeLorean service company in New York do a full frame swap on the car because rust has started to form from the car’s prior life in Minnesota. He also added a remote door popper, but the car doors still fly up using the original Northrop Grumman torsion bars. Contrary to popular belief, the gull-wing doors actually need less clearance to open fully than normal car doors — they come out just 11 inches from the car when opening.
Lopez is a do-it-yourselfer for most things. His wife is endlessly patient, he said, as “quick fixes” that should take 30 minutes end up taking three hours. She drives a Jeep.
“Most of it is self-taught,” Lopez said, of the work he’s done. In his youth, Lopez worked at an auto parts store on North Kings Highway, which is no longer in business, where he learned the basics of car mechanics. The online DeLorean owners’ communities have been helpful, and both his original dealership and the New York service center have provided tools and parts. Members of the Tri-State DeLorean car club have freely given plenty of advice. “They’re all the same car, so at some point somebody has had the same issue,” Lopez said. Between all the resources at his disposal, he said, “I’ve been able to keep this thing not just on the road but driving really nicely.”
In fact, the 40-year-old car is what Lopez drives on a near-daily basis. Before buying it, he drove primarily BMWs, which he admitted are very nice cars, but he actually prefers driving the DeLorean.
“This is fun — a lot of fun.”
Rafael Lopez with his DeLorean. PHOTO BY TROY MEYER
DIFFERENCES FROM THE MOVIE
The DeLorean in the Back to the Future movies isn’t exactly the same as the DeLorean built as a consumer vehicle in the early 1980s. There are a few key differences: • The DeLorean’s speedometer only goes up to 85 mph, even though the car can go much faster. For the movie, designers added another line for 95 mph, allowing the car to hit the critical 88 mph needed to time travel in the movies.
• “You always get the question, ‘Where’s the flux capacitor?’” Lopez said. Since time travel isn’t possible (yet), the car doesn’t have one.
• While the DeLorean that Lopez drives is a bit loud, the sound effects of the car in the movie came from a Porsche 928 V8, not from the DeLorean’s
V6 engine.
WHAT ABOUT HOVERBOARDS?
Today’s “hoverboards” for kids don’t actually hover above the ground — they’re typically two-wheeled, self-balancing rideon toys that cost between $100 and $300. But a true hoverboard does exist.
Lexus developed a prototype hoverboard that floats over a special magnetic-conductive surface. Learn more about the Lexus SLIDE at discoverlexus.com/experiences/ journeys-beyond-the-road.
FLYING CARS
General Motors (GM) and Fiat Chrysler are both working on “flying cars” — also called personal aircraft. GM revealed its concept, called the Cadillac eVTOL, in January this year at the Consumer Electronics Show. eVTOL stands for Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing. The craft is not available for purchase, and as a “concept car,” may never be produced.
Salamander Resort library. PHOTO BY MARY ANN BARTON
Meet Me in Middleburg
BY MARY ANN BARTON
As the rollout of vaccines this spring begins to return our lives to normal, travel is on a lot of people’s minds. An easy trip that will make you feel like you’re truly getting away is just down the road in Loudoun County, about an hour's drive from Alexandria.
Ziplining in Middleburg. PHOTO COURTESY OF SALAMANDER RESORT
A recent trip to Middleburg’s horse and wine country to celebrate my daughter Kate’s new job started with lattes and breakfast sandwiches at Middleburg Common Grounds at 114 W. Washington St., (the town’s “Main Street”) in the heart of town. We found a table on the front porch overlooking Washington Street, where there is plenty of people-watching to be had.
Established in 1787, the town got its name because of its location midway between Alexandria and Winchester on the Ashby Gap trading route (now known as Route 50).
AXE THROWING 101
From the coffee shop, we headed to an axe throwing and archery lesson just a few minutes’ drive at the luxe Salamander Resort & Spa at 500 N. Pendleton St. There is easy parking and a few minutes’ walk into the lobby and down the elevator where we met our instructor at the fitness center. From there we walked out back to the rolling hills and woods (the resort sits on 340 acres) where we spent the next couple of hours having a blast hitting balloons, targets and bales of hay with our axes and arrows.
There are safer activities there for younger children, including horseback-riding lessons, zip lines (OK for ages 7 and up and there’s also a “Kiddo Zip” for ages 4-7) and toasting s’mores around a bonfire.
We went for a hike afterward through the woods and around the fishing pond and explored the grounds and a former barn now used for events like rehearsal dinners. Be sure to also make time to stop by the stable on the property to see the beautiful horses.
OYSTER OPTIONS
Next up was lunch in Middleburg at the King Street Oyster Bar, which is housed in a former bank building built in 1924, at 1 E. Washington St. There was a bit of a wait but we didn’t mind strolling around the block checking out a number of boutiques
Red Fox Inn. PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT LOUDOUN
Salamander resort outdoor dining.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SALAMANDER RESORT
like The Fun Shop, a small-town variety store which opened in 1956 and is still run by the same family and Créme de La Créme (a pretty pricey spot specializing in pottery, linens and candles) and Nature Composed, a charming garden shop at the corner of Pendleton and Federal streets.
We sat at an outdoor table and tried the Grilled Salmon Salad and Tuna Tacos with a glass of Chardonnay. Both were stupendous. Next time, we’ll try the Rockefeller Oysters or Charbroiled Oysters (they offer at least 10 different kinds).
Other lunch options around town include the Red Fox Inn & Tavern at 2 E. Washington St. (the oldest building in town dating back to 1728) and the Red Horse Tavern, 118 W. Washington St. for more casual dining. Both offer outdoor seating — Red Fox Tavern has a patio out back and Red Horse Tavern’s outdoor seating fronts Middleburg’s main street.
After lunch we headed to the National Sporting Library & Museum, at 102 The Plains Road, home to dozens of sculptures and images of horses as well as a library. We got a chance to see some interesting books in the F. Ambrose Clark Rare Books Room, including several featuring fore-edge paintings (decorations painted on the closed edges of a book’s pages). The library also houses an original hand-written manuscript about fox-hunting by a then-28 year old Theodore Roosevelt. Each September, the library and museum holds the Polo Classic at Great Meadow in The Plains, a key fundraiser.
National Sporting Library sculpture. PHOTO BY MARY ANN BARTON
BLAZING FIRE PITS, STARRY NIGHTS
We headed back to the Salamander Resort to check in, enjoying the cozy lobby and views of the patio and lawns. Valet parking is available but self-parking is an easy walk.
The 168-room hotel includes rooms for those traveling with pets — we saw quite a few people walking their dogs on hikes around the property. We really enjoyed the view from our room’s outdoor balcony (each room has a balcony or patio).
The resort offers free Wifi, a spa, fitness center, an indoor pool, the Gold Cup Wine Bar and Harrimans Virginia Piedmont Grill.
Wine tasting is part of the fun in a visit to Loudoun County's 50 West Vineyards.
PHOTO BY ABOUD DWECK FOR VISIT LOUDOUN
The resort’s outdoor pools are open May through September — the spa pool is more luxurious but you have to book a spa service in order to use it.
We enjoyed dinner at Harrimans on the patio, where we had a beautiful view of the lawn and some blazing fire pits. The meal and service were impeccable. Afterward, we enjoyed a glass of wine by the fire while checking out the stars on a clear night. Even if you’re not staying at the resort, you should try to fit in a night at Harrimans if you’re planning a trip to Loudoun County.
Other hotel options in Middleburg include the Red Fox Inn, the Goodstone Inn and Briar Patch Bed & Breakfast Inn.
FRUIT OF THE VINE
With about 40 wineries in the county, it can get confusing trying to decide which ones to visit. Visit Loudoun has grouped the wineries into six clusters, making it easier to plan ahead. They also have maps. You can see those here: visitloudoun.org/stay.
Just up the road from Middleburg is 868 Vineyards, which won the top prize last year at the 38th Annual Virginia
The Mosby Cluster consists of:
50 West Vineyards
39060 John Mosby Hwy.
Boxwood Estate Winery,
2042 Burrland Ln.
Cana Vineyards and Winery of Middleburg
38600 John Mosby Hwy.
Chrysalis Vineyards
39025 John Mosby Hwy. Greenhill Winery
& Vineyards
23595 Winery Ln.
Quattro Goomba's Winery
22860 James Monroe Hwy.
Fleetwood Farm Winery
23075 Evergreen Mills Rd.
Wineries Association Governor’s Cup wine competition with its 2017 Vidal Blanc Passito. The winery is located in Hillsboro, about a 40-minute drive north of Middleburg and features live music on weekends starting May 1.
If you want to stick closer to Middleburg, there are seven wineries in the “Mosby Cluster,” named for John Mosby Highway aka Route 50. As you drive from winery to winery you'll pass scenic horse farms, stacked stone fences and manicured estates. Be sure to check each winery website for more information about hours and policies due to the pandemic.
The Very Near, the Near and the Future of Travel
BY JUDITH SUTHAR
In early 2020, when I wrote my last article for Alexandria Living, I would have never predicted we would still be talking about whether it’s safe to travel. Like the restaurant industry, tourism has really suffered through this long year of COVID-19.
I have canceled rebooked and canceled again, in a never-ending pattern that repeated all year, but I do see some sunshine on the horizon with the vaccines rolling out. And people are tired of staying home and need a change of scenery and something to look forward to.
I was fortunate to go to Costa Rica on a fully hosted trip with the tourism board in early December. Even though the destination itself does not require a negative COVID test, as an extra precaution, everyone in my travel bubble of eight, six travel advisors, a private guide and a driver were all tested within 72 hours of arrival.
We wore masks on our small bus, while touring outside, in all indoor spaces, and until our food came at (mostly open air) restaurants. And each one of us tested again after being home for four days. That is responsible and defensive travel and the new “normal” in foreign lands. And if you are looking for a COVID test for travel purposes, Preston’s Pharmacy in Arlington and Merrifield has a very efficient system in place. I’ve used both locations and was quite happy with the options. You can book directly on their website and unless you are seeking same-day or overnight results, they will bill your insurance.
My best piece of advice is to purchase travel insurance and book through a travel advisor. A good travel advisor will sit on hold for hours to make sure you receive a refund or future travel certificate. Travel advisors last year learned valuable lessons discovering which travel suppliers are financially solvent, have flexible cancellation terms and which ones have taken care of their travelers.
Maybe you could navigate the waters by yourself before this, but it is now a quite complicated ball game. So, where can you go if you are seeking a different view of the sunset in the very near or near future? The national parks were a big hit in 2020 and RV rentals were impossible to come by. Did you know there are 62 national parks? This trend will continue in early 2021 until more borders open for travelers from the United States.
If you are willing to leave the country, but are hesitant to stay on property at a resort, there are very nice villas around the globe and sometimes these are much more economical because they have a full kitchen (and pre-stocking of groceries and alcohol can be arranged). You can have your own pool and chef services are available to book if you don’t want to cook on vacation.
And most of the Caribbean islands are open for travel (with varying degrees of COVID testing required, as well as travel insurance requirements), as is Mexico. In Europe, a few non-Schengen countries are welcoming Americans, such as Croatia and Montenegro. Turkey, too.
And what is your dream destination, when the world is again your oyster? Maldives is tops for a romantic destination, “glamping” is still hot and land trips to Alaska's Denali National Park might be preferable to a big cruise ship. Culinary and wine travel and wellness travel are still making a big splash, as are expedition ships in Antarctica, and Rwanda for gorilla-trekking.
In the meantime, I’ll be leaving on a jet plane in the very near future, fingers crossed!
Judith Suthar is a luxury travel specialist with Cruise Planners. Visit her website at joyfuljourneyllc.com.
