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2017 Hagerty Silver Summit – Day Two

With all the weather and changes in our most recent event days, it was such a pleasure to be woken up by the sun streaming through my window and the sound of a V8 being warmed up in the parking lot. Carburetors being warmed up in the sunshine could only mean one thing…today was going to be a good day.

The previous days’ snow had melted, jackets were abandoned and the parking lot became a symphony of classic car activity. “Do you have a timing light?”, “Hey, anyone got a booster pack?”, “Okay, seriously how did we not pack JB-Weld?”. While the coffee pot was calling my name, a Volkswagen engine was calling louder…“Dave, your Volkswagen whispering skills are required in the parking lot.”

Jim and Zach’s ’57 beetle was plagued by fuelling issues yesterday, perhaps I could help. While i checked float, needle, tuning and timing I could hear other adventures going on behind me. An E-type’s charging system has decided to take a break, a Datsun roadster needed the complete tool kit spread out on the parking lot, and one of our Camaro’s appears to be using oil at an alarming rate. I suspect the pits at a 24-hour of LeMans have less activity than our parking lot did this morning, but with the sun shining none of us seemed to mind. Breakfast was had while peering into engine bays, which is pretty much the best way one can enjoy a breakfast.

Eventually all our cars would leave the parking lot, with the exception of Tim’s TR6. The overdrive clutches in the transmission have developed a case of ‘On or Off’ action, resulting in a loss of forward momentum, or a large bang followed by a violent launch forward. Rather than tear the drivetrain out of the TR, Tim and his son wisely chose to fill vacant seats in other entrant’s vehicles. Experiencing other classic cars, even from the passenger seat, is always better than the ride of shame in the sweep vehicle!

While the Oldsmobile 442 was a wonderfully relaxing couch-like ride yesterday, you may not be surprised to hear I jumped on the chance to trade keys with Victor and his 914 2.0L. Victor is participating in his fifth CCA adventure, having done the Spring Thaw, Silver Summit and Maple Mille multiple times. Each time, he’s suggested I try out his 914, but we’ve never followed through. Today, he insisted, and I must be honest I wasn’t arguing very hard!

Our group set out from Gunnison, heading south on CO-149. We traveled through canyons into Lake City, up the steep Slumgullion Pass and wound our way into the historic mining town of Creede. The 914 2.0L is a much better choice for the twisties, and Erik and I spent the morning dicing it up with 911’s, 914’s, a few Mustangs and the Mercedes. Arriving in Creede, we planned on lunch with Victor…but the red 914 kept calling our names. The targa top, the sunshine, the twisty roads…it just seems so unfair to leave a great car parked on the side of the road. There’s no delicate way to put this, while Victor and his son Ian dined in Creede, I stole his 914 and headed for the hills once again!

We meandered south through the town of South Fork, and over Wolf Creek Pass into Pagosa Springs. Here we met up with the Porsche crew, and dined while we waited for Victor to catch up. While I did text message him right away on where he could pick up his car, it appears it didn’t arrive. We waited a while for Victor to rendezvous, enjoying some quick visits with other entrants at the gas station. Victor had wisely traded the 442 for a Camaro, but that caused a new problem. Some people we met were telling us Victor was “definitely behind us” in the orange Camaro. The other half were telling us he was “definitely ahead of us”. With two orange Camaros in the event, who knows where he could actually be?! Should we wait, or venture ahead in the 914? Given the choice between waiting at the side of the road or driving a 914 2.0L…which would you choose?

As we headed towards New Mexico, we passed the 442, an MGB, the Ford Falcon and the ‘other’ Orange Camaro. The New Mexico loop was designed for cruising, and the 914 quickly ate away at the miles. We headed south, and then west along highway 64. Eventually the route took us North alongside the Navajo Dam and Reservoir, which offers tight twisty corners in a roller-coaster fashion. Victor’s 914 handles like the autocross champion that it is, carving around the corners and bumps like cones in a course. As I pushed the throttle down, Erik pushed the “virtual brake” on the passenger floor and together we giggled our way towards Colorado.

With our overnight stop in Durango near, the route book had one more surprise for us. Rather than take the usual route into town, we ventured off into little-known side roads for a gentle roller-coaster ride through trees and fields. The parking lot was quite full by the time we arrived. A traditional post-drive party of beers and stories was in full swing, with many curious how I was still in the 914. I pulled out my phone, called Victor and gave him the news…

“Victor, I’m pleased to report your stolen 914 has been recovered, and is down here in the hotel parking lot. Don’t worry, I’ve been keeping it safe for you!”

Fortunately, Victor is just as wonderful as our other Classic Car Adventures friends. It turns out, as he handed me the keys this morning, he knew he was unlikely to see the car of the rest of the day. While he does own an impressive array of classic vehicles, his 914 is definitely his favourite. Given the choice of anything to drive, he’ll take this particular 914 every time. Perhaps that’s why he’s owned it for over 25 years. I gotta say…I completely agree with him. The smile on my face is going to last as long as this sunburn!

Speaking of sun, Andrew Snucins and Dan Evans spent the day hiking cliffs and baking in the sun to bring us more stunning photos. Today’s preview of photos is below:

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2017 Hagerty Silver Summit – Day One

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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2017 Hagerty Spring Thaw – Day Three

Having finally made it home to a couch, I can barely keep my eyes open. I know the feeling is shared amongst many of my fellow driving friends, as we all sit at home unwinding from the weekend’s adventures. Whether it’s finding a spot in the garage for a newly received award, an assessment of just how long the road grime will take to clean, or a laundry list of ‘tweaks and upgrades’ the car might need before the next event…the final day never feels “over”.

The morning in Kelowna was held in sunshine, and after a quick “shady section” where driving expectations were reinforced, the driver’s meeting commenced in earnest. Amazingly, today’s roads would be clear and we could all enjoy the route-book as originally intended. The route would take guests out of Kelowna, through to Penticton before darting west along Apex Mountain Road. From there it was onto Princeton, via the event favourite of Old-Hedley Road. It doesn’t matter how many times we travel along Old Hedley Road, it seems everyone comes off raving about it’s curves and cadence.

New for 2017, instead of going all the way through Manning Park and down to Hope, we opted to gather the group and finish at the Manning Park Resort. Considering the rest of the weekend, and our history with Manning Park, this was a pretty risky decision! In the previous eight years of CCA events, we have never passed through manning park without rain and snow. To park and finish in Manning Park must have seemed simply diabolical…but here were were, in gorgeous sunshine enjoying the early afternoon.

Our finish party seemed a little like a successful ascent of Mount Everest had occurred. Our travellers were certainly exhausted, but the joy and excitement of what had been accomplished over the weekend was palatable. We had endured flooding, crazy route changes, and uncertainty. We had driven 1,476 kilometres, arriving windburned and sunburned, but along the way made new friendships that will last a lifetime.

The finish of any Hagerty Spring Thaw includes the presentation of three coveted awards. First up, is the MacGyver award. This is usually given to the entrant(s) who perform the best or most amazing fix during the weekend. Perhaps it’s using mosquito netting to create a fuel filter, or modifying the windscreen washers to fuel the carburettors. This year, an entrant suggested our own Dave Hord receive the award for “MacGyvering all the route changes”. We decided that was an exceptional choice, especially since Dave hadn’t had anytime to actually assemble the award for 2017!

Our next award is the “Hard Luck” award. Jordan Rodier was certainly in the running, having arrived in an SUV when the fuel system on his Fiat couldn’t be diagnosed. Our own Dave Hord was up for this one as well, having abandoned the Rally Beetle in Abbotsford on Day one with fuelling issues. But it was Chris Beck and Sue Schneider who will be taking the award home with them to Switzerland. They had, you see, flown in to enjoy the event with friends from Calgary. Early this morning they offered to switch their borrowed Pantera with another set of friends, so they could enjoy the V8’s rumble for a stretch. What they also enjoyed, however, was the rumble of a wheel bearing which was quickly destroyed, leaving the Pantera stranded in Kermeos. Rather then finishing the event in the Pantera, it was a ride with Sweep through to the finish.

Our final award, and perhaps the most important, is the Hagerty Spirit of the Thaw award. This one is reserved for the entrant or entrants who best exemplify the Spirt of Classic Car Adventurism that Dave and Warwick set out to establish nine years ago. This year’s winner has been trying to get into the Hagerty Spring Thaw for three years. Even their 2017 entry was listed on the wait list for many, many weeks. But it wasn’t just their entry, they had roped three of their friends to enter the event as well. Amazingly, all three found spots on the ‘Thaw, and they were quickly making friends. Despite being a first-year entrant, Greg Long was the one holding spots at his table for new found friends. They heard about special car rotting away in a field, and instead of going off to find it themselves…they convinced other entrants to join them on the hunt. His cars, while certainly precious, were offered to new friends to try, simply because he wanted them to experience why he enjoyed them so much. Greg’s enthusiasm was contagious, his love of classic motoring obvious, and we couldn’t think of a guy more deserving of the Hagerty Spirit of the Thaw.

And so with that, we head to bed for some much needed sleep. Tomorrow’s route for us consists of relaxing and unwinding…and will not be be re-routed!

Special thanks, once again, to Andrew Snucins for providing us with amazing imagery from our weekend’s adventure.

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2017 Hagerty Spring Thaw – Day Two

We awoke this morning to sunshine, and the promise of fantastic road ahead. The driver’s meeting covered the usual items; yellow-cards, lunch options, and (new for 2017 it seems) the alternate route which had been prepared for the washed-out highway. Our original plan was to take the group along a CCA favourite, highway 8 from Merritt to Spences Bridge, but a highway closure necessitated a re-route.

Our new route would take us first along Highway 5A, before turning north on highway 97C towards Logan Lake. Here, we turned left and enjoyed a section of yesterday’s route in reverse, this time running down the hill into Ashcroft instead of up it. Our group of 95 cars basically dined together, in one of two places. Half of the group descended upon Cache Creek, where we enjoyed Herbies Drive-in…a famous burger joint which has been in operation since the 1950’s. The other half of the group continued on to Clinton, where I suspect the restaurant of choice was the Cariboo Lodge, famous for it’s country fare. I had just settled into my Herbie’s Milkshake when the first text arrived…

“Flooding on highway 97”, it read from living near by, “barely got my truck through” was the next text. A phone call quickly followed, and I pulled Warwick and Andrew in for a speakerphone conversation and a roads consult. Between the three of us, (Andrew Snucins, Warwick, and I) we quickly determined that my route book was no longer going to work, that two of the main options for getting to our evening hotel were closed, and an emergency plan would need to take place.

Warwick and I went car to car and table to table in Cache Creek to give the best information we could on the “new route option”. I suggest that in quotes, as at this stage it consisted of “drive the route book to this town, and then google your way to this other town.” While we gave Cache Creek lunch guests these vague directions, Andrew was dispatched to Clinton to provide the same for those folks. The group would still be following the route book for a good 2-3 hour loop, which would buy me time to determine a solution.

While the classic cars headed North, my co-driver Greg and I headed back to Kamloops to find a spot the cars would cross on their way to Kelowna. Greg drove, while I scoured road reports, closure reports and the maps to try and give our guests the best option possible. We parked on the road-side, created the best “CCA STOP” sign we could muster with the supplies we had, and I hand-wrote two copies of the new route instructions.

As each car came into our impromptu checkpoint, we handed the sheet over and asked them to take a photo of the notes on their cellphones. Directions were confirmed as understood, and guests were waved off with a laugh and hopes they’d find the hotel without too much trouble.

Despite three major route re-routes, pulling off in a somewhat-questionable checkpoint location, and having to drive off with only a small cellphone photo of the route instructions…every one of our guests, to a tee, was smiling and laughing and having a great time. Flooded roads, questionable new directions and roadside re-routing just didn’t seem to matter. Sometimes “getting there” is the adventure, and today our guests were living it…and loving it.

Our previous loop through highway 24 from Green Lake to Little Fort had proven to be a favourite of the weekend. Little traffic, phenomenal curves, exceptional elevation changes. By the time cars rolled into the re-route checkpoint they’d had a wonderful sunny drive. Our re-route allowed them to skip some of Highway 1 and Highway 97, and instead sent them south on the twisty Salmon River Road. If you’re going to re-route your entire event, you can do a whole lot worse than a twisty road which would make a great trip on it’s own!

All 95 cars made it to Kelowna for dinner, and while certainly exhausted from the day, everyone was clearly enjoying themselves. Behind me at dinner was a prize and give-away table literally stuffed and overflowing with gifts. Thanks to Dave Koszegi, Ted Wilkinson and RWM&Co, almost every car will be heading home with a new automotive related item in the trunk tomorrow.

The day may have been an organizing challenge, but as one guest suggested to me at dinner; I don’t even have to worry about a route for next year, we’ve barely used this one that was printed in the route book!

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2017 Hagerty Spring Thaw – Day One

Gathering in Squamish this morning, the air was filled with anticipation, the joy of seeing old friends again and the excitement for the start of the 2017 Hagerty Spring Thaw. Usually the organizers are greeting our guests, enjoying a coffee and checking out the wonderful cars that appear in the parking lot. This year, however, I’ve been told I was looking slightly more stressed…typing away on my laptop.

You may think the weather, slightly raining in Squamish was to blame, but no. I was on the phone and laptop checking weather reports, avalanche reports and road closure reports. Our main road for the day, Duffy Lake Road, was closed the night before by an Avalanche. By 7:30am it was open, and avalanche dangers were lowered from high to moderate. Perhaps the event could travel as planned? At 7:45am, however, the text messages started coming in. “Mud slide closes highway 99”, “Have you heard…Duffy’s closed.” Where I would normally spend the morning greeting and catching up with guests, instead I was typing out new instructions to replace almost the entire day in the route book.

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2017 Hagerty Silver Summit Entry Opens!

Entry for our 2017 Colorado Adventure is now open! The Hagerty Silver Summit explores the best roads Colorado has to offer, and these roads are some of the best driving roads in the world. This year’s adventure will start in Golden CO, with a finish planned for Grand Junction…or the surrounding area. Full event information can be found on the Hagerty Silver Summit information page. We’re looking forward to seeing our Colorado and area friends once again, and meeting new entrants in 2017. If you haven’t yet explored Colorado, now is the time!

2017 Hagerty Spring Thaw – Registrations are Open!

The entry form for the 2017 Hagerty Spring Thaw is now posted, and entries officially open at 10am PST. You can find the entry forms by going to the Hagerty Spring Thaw information page. We’re looking forward to watching the entry list grow, and seeing all our classic car friends once again.