Tag Archives: 2015

2015 Thanksgiving Run Photos

Well, it was a touch damp this morning. Okay, okay, it was rather wet. But still! 49 cars braved the weather and met in North Vancouver for the start of the CCA Thanksgiving Run. Following our slightly damp drive to Squamish, we stopped at the base of the Sea to Sky Gondola. We found the coffee shop not only featured fantastic Galileo Coffee, but a warm and dry spot to hang out as well!

With coffee finished, and the draw prizes all pulled, we figured we were done…but there was the small matter of push-starting a couple cars for their departure. Oh, and the Hagerty Spring Thaw…

“Hagerty Spring Thaw?”, I can hear you asking, yup! We put all the draw tags back in the hat, added the names and cars of anyone how hadn’t filled out a draw tag, and then pulled a lucky winner out of the hat. Ian Steward will have car number 1 reserved for his entry, no rushing to the mail required!

Here’s a small gallery from today:

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2015 Hagerty Maple Mille – Day Three Photo Preview

Whew! What a weekend! The weather was simply stunning. I’m thoroughly sunburnt from driving in a Convertible most of the weekend…and deaf from from driving the ’65 Mustang. The deaf part is probably my fault, it’s hard not to continually romp on the ‘loud pedal’, when the car sounds so good!

Day Three began, as per usual, with a driver’s meeting outside the parking lot. After sharing jokes and thank you’s, we got down to the nitty gritty; Construction and road paving had played havoc with our plans for day three. The day’s route map (found in the route book) was pulled out, and the problems highlighted. Just as the co-driver’s were readying their pens for a tonne of note taking, Dave pulled out a ‘route book supplement’ for all the participants. The route book supplement included a new map, new route and our usual style of notes and directions. Sleep? Organizer’s don’t need sleep! All kidding aside, we tossed a coffee between the front seats and embarked South towards the finish.

Today’s route, a touch shortened due to construction, wound it’s way down highway 11 with views of the Canadian Shield and the fall colours starting to emerge. Secondary roads and strategic loops took our group off the main highway for some great touring roads. As the finish loomed closer, one final road surprise was waiting. The summer camp Dave worked at in his youth was located next to a highlight in Muskoka’s road collection. Tight turns, elevation changes, lakeside views and not another car in sight. Just as the road straightened out, we turned into Golf Course and parked for our finish.

The golf-course fairway, concour d’elegance, style of parking was a first for Classic Car Adventures…and a fitting way to finish our first event in Ontario Canada.

Here are some Day Three photo previews, courtesy of Ralph Saulnier Photography:

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2015 Hagerty Maple Mille – Day Two Preview

Glorious weather welcomed us for day two of the Hagerty Maple Mille. The group descended onto a figure eight of Muskoka Loops, before heading North, and then East to North Bay Ontario. The hotel check-in staff couldn’t believe we took eight hours to get from Parry Sound to North Bay, as the trip is normally just 1.5 hours by the fastest route! But the fastest route would miss favourites such as Muskoka 632 to Port Sandfield, the Bunny Trail from Dunchurch and of course lunch at the Red Door Bakery.

Throughout the day we began to see the fall colours taking shape, and there is nothing quite like rolling hills, twisting turns and classic cars against a backdrop of yellows, red and orange.

Once again it seemed that everyone wanted to try someone else’s car. Cars, keys, seats and co-drivers were being traded so often it was hard to keep track. At one point, as a group of cars pulled into a gas station one owner was heard to exclaim “wait, if you’re here in a Triumph…where is my Mustang!?!” Eventually all the cars, drivers and co-driver’s arrived at our hotel and combinations returned to matching the entry list.

A preview of photos, courtesy of Ralph Saulnier:

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2015 Hagerty Maple Mille – Day One Preview

Our inaugural Hagerty Maple Mille began in Barrie Ontario this morning. An intrepid group of adventurers set out to explore some of the best roads Ontario had to offer, and we did our best to deliver! If you’ve only ever gone to Muskoka cottage country via Hwy 11 or 400, you’ve missed some of the best roads the region has for the motoring enthusiast. Some of our group was familiar with our choice north, but after toying around on some of Muskoka’s more famous routes and views we introduced them to an Out-and-Back road that few were aware existed, and fewer still had driven.

The twists and turns were on par with Muskoka’s best, and light elevation changes added to the enjoyment. Eventually we popped out into a sunny parking lot, lake side view and the perfect opportunity to switch cars and try something different for the way back.

I went from driving a bone-stock, restored, 1979 Super Beetle into a 1965 modified Mustang. The clutch pedal was like moving a mountain in comparison to the beetle, but once I turned the key it all made sense. An afternoon romping on a 302 V8, pushing out horsepower rounded to the ‘nearest hundred’ is not to be missed! Each session on the accelerator pedal was finished with a “I might have to get one of these” statements. I wasn’t the only one getting to try a new vehicle out…it seemed that drivers and co-driver’s alike had all found new rides to finish the afternoon off with!

When we finally arrived at the hotel for the night, the group gathered together to compare driving notes, favourite roads and discuss the Coach-Bus-Fire which shut down the highway and almost spoiled our fun.

Preview photos provided by Ralph Saulnier Photography:

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2015 Hagerty Fall Classic – Day 3 Preview

Great Roads. Great Cars. Great People. These are the reasons we started Classic Car Adventures, and the thing that keeps us coming back again and again for more. Today’s Fall Classic wrapped up both our event, and our slogan in such a neat package. We traveled from The Dalles to Yakima, snaked beside rivers, over mountain ranges, and worked the steering wheels to exhaustion. At the end of our day, we found great friends (who had “hard-lucked” out of the event) waiting to greet us at the finish.

Post finishing lunch, we consulted maps and realized the fastest way home wasn’t the best. Even though the event was over, groups of people drove together on the twistiest roads they could find heading for home…

A quick preview of today from Andrew Snucins Photography:

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2015 Hagerty Fall Classic – Day Two

Day two on the Hagerty Fall Classic was filled with phenomenal roads and scenery. Warwick, the route-master for this year’s event, truly out did himself with the day’s selection. We began on flowing touring roads through farmlands, and then wound our way up and down various desert canyons. More than a few times today, the road appeared appeared before us like a section of rope tossed out onto the countryside, free to twist and curve wherever it liked.

The day was full of surprises, but perhaps the most unexpected was the town of Shaniko. In the early 1900’s the town was the “Wool Capitol of the World”, producing 14 million pounds a year. While creating the route book, however, it was clearly a ghost town. Imagine our surprise to arrive on Saturday afternoon to the Shaniko Classic Car show, and the streets full of classic cars and car nuts! Many of the group stopped for lunch and a viewing of the show, with at least one car pulling in and parking right in the show!

Our final surprise for the day was Warwick’s Mini. Entering into the final stretch, the front driveshaft decided upon an unscheduled disassembly and spread it’s pieces out upon the pavement. Hagerty roadside assistance took care of towing the Mini to the hotel, and our entrants sprang into action for a solution. The local parts supplier, craigslist, Oregon shops and the Oregon chapter of the mini club were all contacted by various entrants to the event. With parts sourced, a vehicle was loaned and Warwick was off to collect them. The evening ended with a parking lot repair party, some of the group actually working with Warwick on repairing the Mini, and the rest of enjoying a round of cold beverages and mechanic heckling.

A quick preview of today from Andrew Snucins Photography:

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2015 Hagerty Fall Classic – Day One Photos

Day one of the Hagerty Fall Classic is in the books, and wow am I exhausted!

We started the day at “Club Auto Tacoma”, located in the LeMay Classic Car Museum. Hagerty Collector Car Insurance hosted us for a morning registration with pastries, coffee and priceless collector cars. It was tough to decide whether to walk through the cars inside, or check out the entrants cars outside! Soon the driver’s meeting began, however, and all the attention was on the roads ahead.

…and wow, those roads.

On a typical CCA event we try and change up the road style during the day. You’ll experience tight twisties, flowing touring roads and back-woods B-highways. Today, though, once we left Tacoma the steering wheels never stopped moving. Driver’s were ecstatic with the constant left-right-left-hairpin into left-right-left-right. and so forth. We looked for the twistiest roads Washington had to offer, and boy did we find them!

Highlights of the day included visiting the blast-zone of Mount St. Helens, the excellent weather and the adventurous route book. One thing we noticed today was how much fun we all had together as a group. Throughout the day it seemed like we enjoyed a section of road with every single car on the event. And when we’d stop for breaks, each car was telling us how they had driven with every other car on the event. It was fantastic! Whether glued to the back bumper of a 2002 in the switchbacks, getting passed by a ’36 Ford Business Coupe or being swarmed by a pack of Mexican Minis…the variety was endless.

Tomorrow we hit some of Oregon’s best touring and b-roads, but for now here’s a selection of images from Andrew Snucins Photography:

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