If you haven’t spent much time in Colorado, a snow storm in May could seem like a bizarre and crazy occurrence. 36” of snow fell in Boulder over the last 48 hours, our start location of Golden was actually white, and here in Colorado they actually named the storm “Valerie”. That’s right, just like a Hurricane, this winter storm had a name. It wasn’t exactly the ideal lead up to a Classic Car Driving event.
So it was with a little trepidation that I walked into the room for our Thursday night “unofficial” pre-event dinner, hosted by Hagerty Collector Car Insurance in their new Colorado office. In just a few short hours we’d be lining up our classic cars for registration, in a parking lot that was currently blanketed by snow. “Right,” I thought, “I should probably address the situation…” So with that thought in mind, I spoke about our pending event. I highlighted alternate route preparations, I suggested the storm appeared to be moving on, I added the usual CCA flourish where a downpour becomes a slight misting of rain. But outside, it was white. It’s kind of hard to hide the white.
We awoke this morning to black roads, and white gardens. The snow was still falling, lightly, but with rising temperatures it wasn’t sticking. Perhaps my luck would change after all! I peered over weather reports, scrutinized highway conditions and highway cameras, and then packed up the final items for registration. Checking each car in this morning, it was nothing but smiles and positive thoughts. Our Colorado guests reaffirmed that this sort of thing can happen, and how they were sure the weather was turning. Our Oklahoma guests, used to extreme weather of another kind, were perhaps a little less enthusiastic of the snow, but still very enthusiastic about the event. Our other out-of-towners were equally excited to start…except, perhaps, the Canadians who joked that they came south to leave this winter weather behind! With warning triangles and registration forms checked, the driver’s meeting began.
2017 seems to be the “year of the re-route due to weather” for Classic Car Adventures, and today was no different. After studying the maps, I selected a route which I believed would give us the best mix of twisty roads, while keeping the group low enough to avoid the potential snow squalls and snow storms. With directions confirmed, it was time to embark on our mission like early explorers.
We started from Golden amongst the snow, and quickly found dense fog along S. Turkey Creek Road. Navigating through the soupy fog, I wondered how Andrew and Dan could possibly shoot photos today…or if we’d see the sun at all on the event. And yet, by 11am the fog was behind us, and by noon the sun was shining. We enjoyed a repeat of some 2016 roads, some of the best on the event, before turning west on highway 24. An hour later we met up with the original route planned in the route book, and headed south towards the Monarch Pass.
The driver’s meeting auxiliary map had split the route into two options at this point. We were to check in at Buena Vista to confirm the pass conditions, and make a decision for ourselves. Those willing to risk possible snow would to head up over the Monarch Pass, while those wishing to avoid it would go on the longer around route though Sagauche.
Climbing up towards the Summit, I was sure we had made the wrong choice. The cars coming in the opposite direction had snow covered front bumpers and license plates. Still, it was just flakes falling and not sticking to the road…so surely it would be okay? “Just another mile then,” we said to ourselves, “we can turn around if it gets bad.” Up we climbed, the weather staying steady, and suddenly there we were on the summit. Sunshine, and dry roads meeting us on the other side. It was a welcome twist from our expectations.
Twenty minutes later, arriving in the hotel parking lot, it was sunny and folks were washing the day’s grime off their cars. One thing you couldn’t wash off, however, were the smiles on our faces. We started the day in Golden expecting the worse, expecting to just bear with it and try and make it to the finish. And yet, here we were. Not only had we made it, but it had been an incredibly fine day of driving. Lucky? Perhaps. Well planned? Well, perhaps ‘well saved’ is a better descriptor. Adventurous? Absolutely.
And, ultimately, that’s why we’re all here. For the Adventure.
Special thanks to Andrew Snucins and Dan Evans for braving the snow and cold to bring us these stunning images from today’s adventure.
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Waking up for day three, we were surprised to find a thick coating of frost on our vehicles. While a simple reminder that the classic car motoring season is coming to an end, it turned out to be a signal that great scenery lay ahead. 
From Barry’s Bay we went around Elephant Lake and down to Maynooth, and then made our way towards Halliburton. Here the morning’s frost was remembered as many of the trees and finally started their fall colour change. As we traveled south of Algonquin park, the traditional fall colours of yellow, orange and red began to overtake the surrounding forests. The sun was out, the tops were down (mostly), and the twisty roads and fall colours entertained us all the way to the finish. 
Once sweep pulled in, I presented the traditional Classic Car Adventure’s awards. The Hard Luck award was awarded to Bob Faulkner, who unfortunately wasn’t able to attend to receive it. Bob and Lynda’s gorgeous TR6 decide to quit shortly after a morning gas stop. Diagnosis and repair attempts were unsuccessful, and the TR6 was towed back to the start (where a truck and trailer were waiting). Bob’s unfortunate luck didn’t end there, as upon arriving to the the truck he discovered a tire had gone flat during the event! 
Our Macgyver award is traditionally presented to the entrant with the best ‘fix’ along the event. About mid-day, Mike and Catherine Martin began to smell fuel as they were driving. Initially thinking it was probably one of the cars ahead, Mike and Catherine agreed they should at least pull over and check their own car. Good thing, as a fuel fitting had vibrated loose, and they escaped any serious consequences. Our Macgyver award includes tubes of JB Weld, as we think it probably represents today’s classic car emergency repair of choice. We conveniently mount the tubes to the perfect display and mixing tray, lets hope Mike didn’t need to use them on the way home!
Our final award, the Spirit of the Maple Mille, is reserved for the entrant or entrants who best demonstrate the spirit of Classic Car Adventures. This year’s recipients were John and Marci Hinde, who drove their Intermeccanica 356 all the way from B.C. for the event. But the drive alone wasn’t the only reason for their recognition. The pair help with registration, they spent the three days hosting our first-time entrants and convinced friends and family to join in the event, signing up our sweep crew from Bromley Automotive. If that wasn’t enough, this is their fifteenth event with CCA…so they’ve clearly got the same adventuring spirit we have! 
The dew was heavy before breakfast, but by the end the sun was shining. Our group gathered in the parking lot of the morning driver’s meeting, where Dave presented two new pages for the route book. Our closed road of yesterday was going to be re-used, but a simple re-route meant we wouldn’t lose any twisty roads, or have any major delays.
Despite a few hours of trying, ultimately, they were stumped. All was not lost, however, as Hagerty Roadside Assistance is included for all entrants, and soon a tow truck would arrive. While Jonathan enjoyed the Ontario countryside (aka: waited for the tow truck), Dave shoehorned himself into the back of a ’69 Camaro and went ahead to meet up with the rest of the event. 
Our route today began with rolling roads with flowing turns, best suited for the larger cars, before dropping into some tight twisties which favoured the smaller European entrants. After about an hour suited to each type of car, the rest of the day was spent swapping out ideal sections or roads in a somewhat random fashion. We started by heading West out of Renfrew, dropped South for about an hour through long-forgotten towns, and then worked our way West again. Soon we were driving North West towards Palmer Rapids, and then began our “lunch loop” to Bancroft, where groups refueled both body and car. 
Returning from the lunch loop, crossing over the morning path, a few groups of cars were surprised to find Dave standing on the side of the road no car in sight. “I know Paul is driving solo in the Mustang,” he’d explain, “so I’m just waiting for him to pass so I can jump in.” An odd thing to come across, perhaps, but a reminder that anything can happen when you take classic cars 1200 kilometres in a single weekend!
The finishing roads for today took us through Barry’s Bay, and then turned North East towards the town of Petawawa. The route book instructed a specific time to meet in the lobby, and warned that missing it would mean no transportation to dinner! We boarded the bus, a simple roll-call was taken, and were soon whisked away to the Petawawa Golf and Country club. Once there, we enjoyed a fantastic dinner with friends old and new. The tables were alive with stories of carburetors, great roads, and the sharing of adventure stories…traditions where ever car people seem to gather, and the perfect ending to a day of great driving.