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2017 Hagerty Maple Mille – Day One

The classic car world is full of stereotypes; British cars have terrible electrical systems…Porsche enthusiasts won’t drive in the rain…Italian cars only come in red…Japanese cars aren’t really classics…the list is long, and usually ridiculous. The one stereotype that has held up over the years, however, is that American brand car owners “don’t drive their cars”.

The Hagerty Maple Mille began today, as with all our events, at the morning driver’s meeting. Route book instructions, driving styles, cautions and Hagerty road-side-assistance were highlighted, before the entire group set out to explore Northumberland and Prince Edward Counties.

We began in Bowmanville, and quickly zipped down to the shores of Lake Ontario where we wound our way through the twisties and trees, crossing historic bridges and towns you’d never realize were just a stones-throw from Highway 401. We explored north to Warkworth, and down through the lakes of Glen Ross before stopping for lunch in Wellington (or Picton). From there it was the twisty and flowing roads of Prince Edward County, winding our way through the vineyards and farms before arriving at the Glenora Ferry. A quick ferry trip, which helped to gather the group and give a break for stories, before we were off to visit historic Kingston. Finally, a short 20km later, we were pulling into Gananoque for our overnight stay. The temperatures were quite warm all day, and it was either into the pool, dipping our feet, or parking lot beers that helped to cool us off.

Here in year three, you’d be hard pressed to figure out whether American Muscle, or European Sports Car is the predominate enthusiast. We’re almost split 50/50, with the American’s taking a sizeable (yuk yuk) portion of the parking lot. What is going on? I decided I must infiltrate the ranks to find out.

I started this morning as co-driver in Paul Hord’s 1966 Mustang Coupe. I can remember being 5 years old going for Ice-Cream in this particular Mustang, back when it was a 289 Automatic. So it was pretty exciting to ride with Paul in what has become a restored 302 5spd car with wonderfully throaty noise and a fantastic amounts of horsepower. In our driving group today were three other Mustangs, and a Ford Fairline 500. We toured flowing driving roads and wonderful small towns. We stopped for butter tarts, lunch in stone-mason building and even stopped to check out a church…turned brewery. Along the way we gathered a Datsun 1600, the Plymouth Fury and even an original Audi Quattro for part of the journey.

I set out today to discover what makes these particular Ford enthusiasts different, why they love driving their cars so much, and how I might encourage more American brand enthusiasts to try out the Classic Car Adventures brand of excitement…

What I discovered, however, is a group of die-hard driving enthusiasts, friends who are exactly like my driving friends back home. Their love of exploring, driving and road trips is what fuels their passion. The brand of car never came into question, just as my Mini and Italian friends back home don’t look down on me in my lowly Volkswagen. We’re car people, we’re driving people, we love the open road. My new group of Ford Mustang friends are exactly the same. Come to think of it, these Ford folks have done more miles today than 90% of my VW buddies back home have done all summer. Hmmmmmmmm….

Nine years ago, as Warwick and I set out to create the concept for Classic Car Adventures, one of our primary rules was “the type of car doesn’t matter”. Today I re-discovered how true that is. It’s about the people, the love of driving and a chance to get out and enjoy the roads together.

Our wonderful Hagerty Maple Mille Photographer Ralph Saulnier, was out chasing us down on his Motorcycle all day. A selection of his photographs are below.

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2017 Hagerty Silver Summit – Day Three

The morning parking lot was sunny and warm, with only a light flurry of activity. The VW Beetle enjoyed a condenser change, and was now running like a VW should. Hmmm…were we chasing “fuel issues” all weekend that were actually ignition related? The smell of starter fluid was wafting across the parking lot, a fairly obvious clue that the Datsun was attempting it’s morning start ritual. But otherwise, it was a relatively easy morning. Stories and laughter were shared in the sunshine before the driver’s meeting began.

With this the final day of the event, I reminded guests of the timing and need to “keep moving” so we could all enjoy the finish awards together. It was somewhat difficult to hide my excitement for today’s route, and the anticipation was shared with everyone who had driven it before. Leaving the parking lot, we turned North onto Highway 550…the famous “Million Dollar Highway”.

If you’ve ever read a magazine article which lists “the best places to drive” in either the USA, North America, or even the world, Highway 550 has been one of the featured destinations. Traveling north from Durango the route follows the Animas river, under the Hermosa Cliffs. Soon, Engineer Mountain becomes visible…the clue for those in the know that things are going to become very interesting. The next 40 minutes is spent gripping the wheel, rowing through the gears, and testing the nerves of your co-driver. We passed over Coal Bank Pass, and then onto the Molas Pass…enjoying views of Molas Lake, the Animas River Gorge, and multitudes of snowy mountain peaks. A temporary traffic stop (in place for avalanche debris clearing), gathered our group for a stunning view of the town of Silverton in the valley below. It was here, while overlooking Silverton six years ago, that I decided Classic Car Adventures needed an event in Colorado.

As I was thinking about the last two days, and the sunny drive we were all enjoying, and just how awesome this whole thing was, Mark Gomez called my name, and pointed at his car. His 1967 Mustang Coupe, fresh from a suspension, steering and brake upgrade, was mine to pilot down into Silverton and beyond. After a quick gas stop it was “Team America” heading North to Ouray. Two of the three Mustangs, the ’67 Camaro and the Olds 442 would travel together. Leaving Silverton the highway heads up the Mineral Creek Valley, before running up the Red Mountain Pass, and through the Uncompahgre Gorge. If you’re co-driver wasn’t nervous before, they sure would be now!

The stretch through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous. There are tight switch backs, steep cliffs which meet the road edge on either side, and zero guardrails. This section is known as the Million Dollar Highway, as it’s rumoured it cost a million dollars a mile to build. I suppose, when you think about it, they were on a budget…no money left over for guardrails or safety!

Soon, however, you begin a steep decent though switchbacks that literally ribbon across each other. If you time it right, you can see 3 levels of your classic car friends in some of the corner sections. The road straightens out of for a moment, turns a tight curve around a cliffside, and the Town of Ouray suddenly becomes visible in the Valley below. Our entire group managed to meet up for a coffee and ice-cream stop in the town, enjoying the many buildings from the late 1800’s, before heading North towards the finish. Having enjoyed the Mustang immensely, I opted to jump in the co-driver’s seat of David’s Porsche 911 for the next leg of our journey.

Our route took us through Montrose, Delta and Orchard city before handing us a final taste of the twisties for 2017. We ascended the Grand Mesa, the world’s largest flat-topped mountain, via a series of switchbacks. Once on top, the highway is a beautiful ribbon of gentle curves working it’s way around the many lakes in the area. Just as we were eight miles from the finish, we saw a Warning Triangle on the side of the road, the CCA way of saying “mechanical issue ahead”. As passing car pulled over to see if we could provide assistance. Surprisingly, Jim (the owner of the VW Beetle) was deep in the act of “paying it forward”. He was underneath Duncan’s Mustang changing out the fuel filter. The rest of us passed the time by either passing requested tools to the good doctor, or throwing snowballs at each other. With the Mustang fuel filter fix completed, a final request was heard from under the Mustang “uh, could you guys lift it up so I can get out?”

It’s a true hero who squeezes himself under a car so tightly, it takes four people to lift the rear end to get him out!

Just as I was about to get back into the 442 for the final seven miles to the finish, I heard Saloman calling my name. Now, if you’ve followed us for the last three days worth of stories, you probably know what’s coming! I have to be honest, I’ve wanted to drive his car since the first time I saw it back in 2015. While my test drive to the finish might have only been seven miles, it was enough to confirm I must own a 911 one day.

As we pulled into the Mesa Lakes Lodge, a lakeside log cabin restaurant, the parking lot was packed full of classic cars. Not only had our whole group made it to the finish, we had done so in the same 30min window. We dined on Elk Burgers, enjoyed the presentation of awards, and gazed upon a sunny lake with classic cars parked lakeside.

This year our Hard Luck Award winner was Tim Lloyd. Friday Morning was a rough start, and it wasn’t the weather. As we packed up at our hotel room it was discovered that something had high Tim’s trailer overnight. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the end of his woes. Last year, Kevin Lewis was our Hard Luck winner, having stripped the teeth off of 3rd gear in his Austin Healey Sprite. As per tradition, Kevin returned in 2017 with a Hard Luck Trophy, made from the damaged transmission bits in his car. Perhaps the award has a theme in Colorado, Tim’s TR6 developed transmission problems on day one with the overdrive clutches failing badly near the end of the day. Tim heads home with a fantastic new trophy, but not before heading all the way back to Gunnison to pickup his Triumph…

The MacGyver award is given to the entrant(s) who have the best fix for a problem on the event. MacGyver was known for always being prepared. Equipped with only a swiss army knife and his endless knowledge, he could take the materials he found around him and create amazing fixes for bizarre problems. This year, our MacGyver award winner took a slightly different approach. He packed every item on the “mandatory spares list”, and used every single one of them. When the materials at hand ran out, he used his secret “swiss-army-knife”. If you’re going to enter a car that has issues on the event, you can’t make a better choice than a Volkswagen Beetle. CCA’s Dave Hord can probably fix it for you, or at least get you running each morning! So, for his ingenious use of “feed the organizer beer and your car will start running”, Jim Hazlehurst was awarded the MacGyver award in 2017.

Our Spirit of the Summit Award, presented by Hagerty Insurance, 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. Truthfully, I wish we had packed an award for everyone this year. Looking out at the snowy roads on Friday Morning, each and every one of our entrants who drove off with a smile on their face deserves the recognition.

Our recipients this year are two car-enthusiast buddies who regularly buy project cars together, and have a bond formed over all things petrol related. You can often find them by the eau-de-petrol, as they seem to be working on the fuel system of their current event car at every Silver Summit! But, beyond unreliable cars and a shared passion for driving, these two are constantly helping everyone out. Whether it’s a much needed tool, a spare part, space in their cooler, or a cold beer, Ross and Jacob are the first on the scene, and the first to offer…whether they know you or not. They can take a frustrating day of unreliable motoring, and turn it into an adventure story you wish you were apart of.

Sadly, this concludes the Hagerty Silver Summit for 2017. We said goodbye to our classic car motoring friends, but made plans to see each other again soon. Whether it’s cars-and-coffee, a skiing vacation, or simply the Hagerty Silver Summit next year, we can’t wait to be back enjoying more time with all of you.

A preview of images is once again provided by Andrew Snucins and Dan Evans.

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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 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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2016 Hagerty Fall Classic – Day Three

We awoke in Omak Washington to a beautiful fall morning in the desert. Across the valley the mountains were tinged with golden light, and while a little chilly on our shaded plateau, you could tell the weather was just going to be fantastic. A few of us checked the weather radar, and while they were calling for rain to hit the west-coast, it looked as though we might finish the event without getting wet.

With the driver’s meeting out of the way, we departed the hotel and headed south towards highway 20. Typically the organizer doesn’t depart in the first half of the group, instead staying to ensure cars get fired up okay. Today, as I closed the driver’s meeting, I almost went for a Le Mans-style dash to my car…I had to be near the front! Leading most of the group onto Highway 20 West, it soon became quite evident why. The climb from Okanogon up to Twisp via the Loup Loup pass is fairly steep. One might say “very steep”, if you find yourself with only 60 horsepower behind you. It wasn’t long before I was using every pull out possible to let our entrants by. I may have started in the front, but by the time we arrived in the town of Winthrop, I was very nearly the last car in the group.

Winthrop, though, was a planned stop for the group. The route book tells us that in 1972 the town residents agreed a ‘theme’ should be created to attract visitors traveling the soon-to-be-finished Highway 20. An “old-west” theme was chosen, and bylaws written requiring every business and building to appear period correct. The sidewalks are boardwalks, even the gas station appears as though it was one of the first in the early 1900’s. With tourism thriving, it makes the perfect morning stop for coffee and pastries, and/or simply walking around to take in the sights. Having once again caught up with the group, I used it as my opportunity to lead the charge towards the finish.

For the first thirty miles I began to wonder if i had left too early. Even with just 60hp, the Beetle simply rocks along the flats, easily wrapping the speedometer needle into the police-issued ‘performance award’ territory. But soon enough, the climb towards Washington Pass began. This would be the steepest, longest climb of the entire weekend. It wasn’t long before I was passed by an E-Type. The gang of Mini’s appeared in the rear view mirror, with a Mercedes mixed in for good measure. Our speed differential made it seem as though the whole group was escaping a bank heist. A pair of Alfa Duetto’s went by with a Citroen DS, followed soon by a Spider Abnormale. About halfway up I pulled over to check the engine temperature on the beetle (if you can hold the dipstick for more than 30sec, you’re okay!), and was passed by the rest of the group, including a 1950 Jaguar XK150. Oh sure, it has a bazillion more cylinders than I do…but it was all those aluminum body panels that did the trick.

You would think that crawling up the hill in 2nd and 3rd gear, being passed by all your friends, would be a disappointing part of the day…but in truth, it was absolutely incredible. I got to see each of our entrants today, enjoying the roads together and in new groupings of cars. It wasn’t just the Alfa’s traveling with the Alfas, everyone had been mixing it up and driving with new friends. And while I may have been the slowest one to the top, I did make it! And that’s probably the most important part. I did my best to make up some time on the way back down the passes, but between the speed limits and the swing-axle rear end, I was destined to enjoy the day alone.

Highway 20, on which we were travelling, is known as the “North Cascades Scenic Highway”, and for good reason. Starting in desert scrub, you climb up into the most majestic views of the Cascade Mountains towering above you. Moving West through the mountains there are crystal blue lakes, stunning waterfalls and view, upon view, upon view. The highway twists and turns for two and half hours, all the way to the town of Concrete. Here our route turned onto the old Skagit highway, where the trees are so tight it’s like driving through a tunnel all the way to our finish.

Arriving at our Golf Course finish, it turns out I was ‘just’ behind the group, and many of them were still unloading having just parked their cars. The row of cars, each plastered with insect remains, sat otherwise gleaming in the sunlight. The weather had held out for us on day three, the perfect ending to a weekend of driving. Together we dined outside on the patio, overlooking the Skagit Valley.

Geoff Akehurst, in the 1950 XK150 was the “hard luck” award winner, his Jaguar having shed one it’s spats along the road…it’s going to need a wee bit of a paint, and possibly more attention from RWM&Co. His co-driver, Tony Bradwell, won the “Macgyver” award, our way of giving the two a hard time for being the only car needing the hood up during the weekend! Our final award, the coveted Hagerty Sprit of the Fall Classic, was awarded to Deanna Kitchener in the Mini Pickup truck, for her endless enthusiasm in getting others involved with the event.

And with that, we closed the 2016 running of the Hagerty Fall Classic. Once again our incredible images come from Andrew Holliday, who spent the weekend jumping around the maps and route in his collector-plated Mazda Miata.

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2016 Hagerty Silver Summit – Day One

Typically, the week of an event, I stop watching the weather reports. By time our first driver’s meeting begins, it’s too late to worry about it. The weather is, what the weather is. Last year in Colorado, however, taught me differently. No where else in the world does the saying “don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” ring more true. 2” of snow on our first day last year wasn’t what I was hoping for…so this year, I’ve been watching the weather like a hawk.

By the time this morning’s Driver’s meeting began, I knew today would be a weather hit. True, there was a threat of rain for part of the afternoon, but we’d be in the lower valleys by that point, and snow free for certain. With a final check of the road reports, I opened the morning’s participant meeting.

By the time we departed the Hagerty Collector Car Insurance Denver office, the anticipation and excitement for what lay ahead was palatable. Right off the bat, half the entrants turned right instead of left…Yup, this was going to be just as fun as all our other events! With a quick correction, or meeting up around the block, we were off onto the first highway into the mountains.

Today’s morning route took the group through Golden, up Mt Evans and over Squaw pass into Evergreen. We enjoyed gorgeous pine forests, tight switchbacks front range mountain passes. The morning route took the group by some snow, to remind them of our opening year, but fortunately this year it was just on the side of the road and not falling! After passing through Evergreen, we explored twisty low roads and then climbed up towards this historic mining town of Victor, before descending down into Canon City for our evening finish. Along the way we found B-roads and C-roads that even our lifetime Colorado residents didn’t know existed.

The day wasn’t without it’s mechanical difficulties. Kevin and Mary’s beautiful bug-eye Sprite decided to give them only 4th gear in Evergreen, and unfortunately won’t be repairable this weekend. They’ll be meeting us tomorrow in their “other Sprite”, cleverly disguised as a Honda S2000. The Mercedes guys seem to be having fuel issues, but suspected problems before the event mean they’re traveling with a trunk full of filters and simply change out at regular intervals. Duncan’s Mustang has a curious case of vapour lock. Curious, because it carries a fuel-injected modern drivetrain! Otherwise we haven’t heard of any problems, and the two cars we anticipated to have issues (the beetle and the 442) are humming along nicely.

No trip to Canon City is complete without a run up, and down, Skyline Drive. With 800 foot drops on either side, this 1903 road follows the spine of a ridge and gives a most unique perspective of the city as you arrive. Upon arrival, it seemed dinner wasn’t that important. Everyone was more interested in sharing stories, debating the best road option, or discussing the details of cars and friendships. Never before have we had to encourage folks to get up and join the buffet line, usually it’s a stampede!

A preview of photos from Andrew Snucins Photography is available below:

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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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