While, it may not have been the mountain views that I had planned for day 3, but that didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. At the morning meeting, as I described the mountain view that should have appeared behind me, one of the open-top-car participants interrupted me to say “at least it isn’t raining!” It was true, there were definitely upsides to the day!

Today’s route took us from Fernie ski resort, to Golden using Hwy 93/95 and a few tastes of some fantastic twisties. We enjoyed Wardner-Fort Steele road, near (funny enough) Fort Steele, and Westside road into Invermere. For the straighter sections of highway, the route book did it’s best to entertain with history and stories. A running joke became the number of views it was pointing out and explaining, that we simply had to imagine were there.

Finally, to end the day we climbed up the road to Kicking Horse resort, before climbing into the gondola for lunch at the summit. A number of guests caught a view of Boo, the resident grizzly bear who lives below the gondola.

Our Hard Luck award winner was Wendy Porter, who’s recent Lancia purchase decided it didn’t want to attend the event…the morning-of. While the Hagerty Fall Classic should have had the excitement of driving a new classic car purchase, Wendy will have to wait until the next CCA event in order to feel that joy.

Our Spirit of the Classic award, presented by Hagerty, will be split this year by two guests. Sometimes we simply can’t decide between two entrants, and the answer is to have a second award made so that they can share the honour.

Brynn Fram is a long-time CCA participant, who only recently earned her “N” drivers license. While she’s participated many times as her father Rob’s co-driver, this year she was able to attend the event as ‘the driver’. Her enthusiasm all weekend couldn’t be hidden by any mask, and parking lot parties were spent asking for thoughts about what she should choose for her first classic car. Brynn is clearly hooked on classic car adventuring, and her enthusiasm had us all dying for the next leg of the event to start.

Our second recipient for the 2020 Spirit of the Classic was our Hard Luck winner, Wendy Porter. You would think the disappointment of her Lancia woes would have put a damper on her weekend, but absolutely not. She led the pack in her ‘driving bubble’, served up ‘misery margaritas’ to the other participants, and wore a genuine smile all weekend. Was she driving her ideal car? Nope. Did the challenge of a Lotus Seven, tiny clutch engagement, and ankle-burning draft phase her? Not one little bit. Even the downpour of rain, just five minutes from home, was another adventure to be laughed about. If anyone understands turning adversity into adventure, it was Wendy!

A sample of Day 3 images by Andrew Holliday can be seen in the gallery below.