A big thanks to Steve Malins and Larry Sutton from the Vancouver Mini Club, who have written a couple of stories about the 2009 Spring Thaw Adventure for the club’s “Mini Scooper” newsletter. We’ve reprinted their stories for you below!

Spring Thaw Classic Car Adventure 2009
by Steve Malins

I must admit I’m a little sceptical of something new, I like to see something proven before I’ll jump in. This is due to the fact that I’ve seen some good ideas go in the toilet because nobody thought things through. Often our club will hear about a new event someone has just created but in the end it’s a big letdown. There are occasions though when I am pleasantly surprised (and even wowed) by the precision of a first-time event. The Chinatown Mini Dragon a few years ago was one of those times. The 2009 Spring Thaw was absolutely another. Organisers Warwick Patterson and Dave Hord said they thought they would limit entries to 50 but if they had 15 they would be quite happy. With some 39 cars in attendance, they were ecstatic with the result and so were we. Arriving in Squamish on Friday afternoon, we found the parking lot full of entrants and their cars. The field was almost exclusively British and German with a smattering of French, Italian and Swedish thrown in for added flavour. Checking in, we received our entry kit with car numbers, name tags and a goodie bag that I could barely fit in the Mini. Alas there was no name tag for our daughter Erin but after a polite request, one was whipped up and run out to her as we mingled in the parking lot.

After a quick driver’s meeting we were off. There was no timing equipment and no logging of start times, cars left in groups of various sizes. Why? Because this event was, at its core, just a drive. There were no secret times, no questions to answer, no hidden treasures to find. The routebooks had dead simple instructions complete with mileage so it took some real effort to get lost. The purpose was simply to enjoy an extended drive, and we did.

The first part of our first day took us north to Whistler and Pemberton and along the Duffy Lake Road. This was definitely the toughest part of the drive with tight switchback turns and steep inclines. The Mini chugged right through, the temperature barely getting on the hot side of N. Onward we ventured through Lytton and finally ending our first day in Merritt. Checking into the hotel was also simple as everything was pre-arranged; all I had to do was tell them who I was. Heck, the bill was already prepaid with my entry fee! Dinner that night was one of those on-your-own deals so everyone ventured off to their own feeding trough.

Saturday morning was a leisurely 10am start after our continental breakfast. More fabulous road that I have never seen lay ahead of us. Onward we went through Cache Creek, and into Clinton where we stopped for lunch and were joined by Silas and Lori in their ’64 Beetle. Passing through 70 Mile House we encountered a fire that was quickly getting out of hand. We had to pull over three times for fire trucks and by the end of the day, the road had been closed. Fortunately for us, it was after all the cars had made it through.

Saturday’s drive ended at The Sun Peaks Resort just outside Kamloops where we had an impromptu car show before heading up to the Cahilty Lodge for the night. The Lodge as I understand it, was in it’s off season (read: closed) but graciously opened up for our group. A wonderful dinner was arranged for everyone in the restaurant/bar which we had the exclusive use of for the evening.

Sunday’s start was the hardest for everyone. However the 8am first-car-out was necessary so we would arrive in Hope for lunch time. More twisting, winding, panoramic roads awaited us and off we went. The end point in Hope had lunch provided by the Lion’s Club. Big steaks, baked potato, buns, salad and more for only $15 was certainly a bargain.

It was here that some door prizes were drawn and some awards were presented. Warwick and Dave had some interesting ideas for trophies including The Press on Regardless (I’m going all the way even if it kills me); The Dipstick (that wasn’t real bright move now was it?) and the MacGyver (best use of duct tape and a paper clip in a roadside repair).

I have lived in Vancouver all my life yet I’ve seen so little of British Columbia so this event was a wonderful experience for me. The scenery changed so dramatically and so quickly it was amazing. We went over mountains, across meadows, along lakeside drives and through valleys, sometimes multiple times in one day! We also saw many horses, cattle, gophers and deer along the way. The weather was fabulous all weekend, comfortably warm without being unbearably hot; despite this we encountered frozen lakes and snow at the roadside. Just to give you an idea of the areas we went through, we passed many signs requiring us to have snow tires or chains through certain parts of the year – up to and including the day before we left!

The popular consensus from people I encountered this weekend was all positive; I have no doubt entrants will be turned away next year with a limit of only 50 cars. So keep your calendars open, you don’t want to miss this next year!

by Larry Sutton

On May 1, at the appointed time, 40 some entrants arrived at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish to start the first ever Spring Thaw Classic Car Adventure. As the organizers said in their promo The Spring Thaw is a budget-minded 3-day driving adventure through British Columbia for pre-1979 touring and sportscars. And that’s exactly what is was.

The cars ranged from Mini’s, VW’s, MG’s , TR’s, BMW’s, Alfa’s and Porsche’s of many different numbers. Oh yea and a 1966 Saab 96 Monte Carlo 850, but more about it later. There were 5 Minis; Ann and I, Rob and Karen, Nolan and Len, Steve, Kimberlee and Erin and new member Warwick Patterson. Warwick was one of the organizers and drove his 1966 Austin Mini 850.

After a quick tech inspection and Drivers Meeting it was off down the road.We went from Squamish, past Whistler and Pemberton and then up the Duffey Lake Road hill. This hill had been of some concern to me as I had driven up this hill before in a “normal” car and knew what to expect. My Cooper S has a habit of running somewhat hot so with this in mind I had install an auxiliary radiator out front of my car. This was the auxiliary rad from Rick Higg’s car borrowed for the trip. It looked a bit (OK a lot) strange but it worked like a charm and kept my car nice and cool for the entire weekend. I had plumbed it in place of the inside heater because it was easy and if the car is going to run hot, who needs a heater anyways. Somehow my thought process did not include driving in the morning with snow on the sides of the road .

The Darcy Lake Road was a bit rough but in was a road that was built to drive a Mini on. Down the hill in to Lillotte for a break and gas for those not sure how far they can go on a tank of gas. Coming down the hill Warwick saw steam coming out around the fender and decided it wasn’t all that far to the gas station and kept driving. He made it, filled up the rad with no harm done. Aren’t these engines great?

From there it was a nice drive to Merritt passing Lytton and Spence’s Bridge. We spent the night in Merritt.
On Day 2 we went past a small brush fire on the way to Logan Lake, then on to Barnes Lake (of ice racing fame), Aschroft, Cache Creek, Clinton for lunch. We were joined for lunch by Silas Bancroft and Lori Lucas in their 1964 VW Beetle. After lunch and more gas we headed up the road to the Painted Chasm. It was at this stop we first noticed the smoke from the large forest fire around 70 Mile House. As we watched it the smoke got bigger and we said to each other hope we don’t drive through that. Well we drove past the edge, Firetrucks, flames and all. From there we went east to Little Fort down the North Thompson then up Todd Mountain to the Sun Peaks Resort for dinner and to stay the night.

The group got a deal on the room rates and in turn the Resort asked us to park all the cars outside in a special parking lot so that the people in the tour buses could all have a good look. It is amazing how many people gather when there is a group of old cars around. Had a nice dinner at the Resort, watched the Canucks lose a hockey game and went to bed.

Up early on Day 3 for a quick breakfast, drivers meeting and off down the hill, past herds of deer and a large number of cattle grates around Kamloops, gathered up in Merritt and then down the road again to Princeton, up over the Hope – Prince Highway and finally in to Hope for the end. The local Lions had arranged a BBQ for us. Then all that was left were speeches, awards and door prizes.

The organizers had pick roads that showed some of the most spectacular scenery. When we live so close to these views it is easy to forget how world class they really are. The roads themselves were all paved and fun to drive on. With the exception of the Duffy Lake road that was rough in places the rest were generally smooth and allowed us to get our cars driving at a speeds the cars enjoyed. The weather was spectacular with sunshine every day and not a drop of rain.

Rob, Steve and I traveled as a group taking turns leading, or in Rob’s case not so much leading but ahead of us…. some distance ahead of us.

It was announced that there will be a Spring Thaw 2010 and get in line quickly because rumour has it that it will be limited to 50 cars and after success of this year, the spots will go fast.

As for the Saab, it blew one of it’s three spark plugs right out of the block and with not enough threads left to hold it in place no matter how many times different repairs were tried and the fact it developed a few other problems it had to retire in Kamloops. This was the only major problem for the cars. And a special mention must go to Kathy Hahn who made the trip with a broken rib. That’s commitment.