As I sit here looking through this past weekend’s photos, the rain falling hard in Squamish, it’s hard to believe the weather was so perfect. We awoke on Friday morning, in the Kelowna start hotel, to a few sprinkles of water on each of the cars. I had awoken early, a rarity for me, to quickly wax and clean the car (even more rare) before the start of the 2014 Fall Freeze Adventure. By the time the driver’s meeting had started, it was warm and sunny…a condition we enjoyed for the entire weekend.

The theme for this year’s Fall Freeze was a chance to “stop and enjoy”, with each day taking a new twist from previous events. For day one, our goal was to give the group a chance to rekindle friendships, meet new guests and experience more than just a wave and smile between passing cars. We began the day in our traditional manner of driving for the sake of the roads, twisting our way along Hwy 6 to Needles BC. Once there, however, we took an usual pause for a group lunch. The entire group enjoyed a picnic together and a chance to socialize while overlooking the Needles-Fauquier ferry. Then, with our lunch finished, it was on to Nelson via the Slocan Valley. This new route, and the day’s timing, allowed for relaxed stops along the way. Some guests chose to explore old silver mining towns, grabbing coffee together in unique mountain settings. Others arrived early to Nelson taking the time to explore it’s streets and history. Those who simply wished to drive, were not disappointed. Our route for Day one included over 380kms of twisty mountain roads.

Day two was a mix of big mountain driving, and historical stops. The first suggested stop was a CPR Paddlewheeler, now a museum, in the town of Kaslo. This unique museum has no barriers, and gives you a true understanding of what travel in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s must have been like. After wrestling the car through the twists of Hwy 31, guests arrived at suggested stop two, the ghost town of Sandon. An active Silver mine, the town still operates a Power Plant which has been continuously running since 1906. From there it was a blast up the Arrow Lakes to Revelstoke, where we refuelled before heading back west. How many times have you driven past the “Ghost Town” at Three Valley Gap, and promised yourself you’d stop in? Well, that was our final suggested stop, and many cars followed our lead. Whether climbing through historic train cars, looking at cars from the early 20’s, gawking at incredible mountain views, or simply just enjoying the twisties…there was something for everyone in our 380km day.

Following our dinner and prizes, we awoke in Salmon Arm for the final day of the tour. We did take some of our favourite roads, and even squeezed in a new one, before heading down to the historic town of Quilchena. Our final stop after 215km of driving was a group lunch in the Historic Quilchena Hotel. Built in 1908, the hotel features a historic setting, great food, a saloon serving cold beer and even bullet holes in the bar. What more could we ask for?! With lunch nearing a close, and all our guests accounted for, we handed out the McGyver Award to Bob Hartwig, and the Spirit of the Freeze award to Laurie & Verna. With that, our sunny weekend with Classic Car Friends had come to a close.

Below you’ll you find our first gallery of photos from the Fall Freeze. As we receive more photos from guests, and soon Andrew Snucins, we’ll create another post with “Gallery Number 2”.

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