Author Archives: Dave Hord

2016 Spring Thaw Registration

The registration opening date has been set! If you’re interested in being one of our guests on the 8th running of the Hagerty Spring Thaw, you’ll want to mark your calendar! Registration forms will be posted on the website in the early (wee) hours of Sunday January 10th. Registration officially opens at 10am. Please be sure you’ve read the event supplementary regulations before submitting an application.

As per previous years, applications are accepted via mail, courier and in-person at the CCA Squamish office. A number of spots have been reserved for guests using mail or courier to submit their application.

The Hagerty Spring Thaw sells out every year, so we definitely encourage applying early. So far, in eight years, we’ve managed to get every guest on the waiting list an open space…so don’t be scared to enter if you see things filling up. It’s never surprising to hear a restoration isn’t going as quickly as planned, and a space subsequently becomes available.

2016 Event Schedule

The 2016 Classic Car Adventures Schedule has been released! We’re very excited to have the dates to each of our events decided, which certainly helps when planning vacation time and restoration schedules! Our season begins in British Columbia, for the 8th running of the Hagerty Spring Thaw, which runs April 29th to May 1st. From there it’s off to Colorado in May (20-22) for the 2nd running of the Hagerty Silver Summit. August 26-28 brings “Dave’s Birthday Touring Adventure“, a B.C. event that’s better known as the “Rush to Gold Bridge“. In September we’ll be running the Hagerty Fall Classic (WA/OR, Sept 16-18), and the Hagerty Maple Mille (Sept 23-25).

Information on each of the events can be found by using the pull-down menus at the top of our website. We suggest joining the mailing list for your region, as we release advanced-notice entry information via the mailing lists…it’s a great way to ensure you’ll get a spot on your chosen event. We don’t share our mailing list info, and we send out very few (less than 12) emails per year.

 

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Fantastic Petrolicious Video

Originally I was going to post this video with a comment about the Rush to Gold Bridge, our mixed gravel and tarmac event. It seemed fitting, since this Porsche 356 is driven in places your pickup truck probably doesn’t go. But as I watched the video, and listened to Matt talk about his car, his passion for ownership, and his passion for driving, I was instantly brought back to each of our events this year. I could have been standing in the parking lot at any one of our hotels, hanging out with some of the best car-nut people, following a day of twisty road adventures. We had a fantastic year of exploring new roads, new regions and making some of the best new friends. Videos like this remind me how lucky we are.

So with that, I suggest you grab a coffee and enjoy the newest Petrolicious video. You’ll love it for the car, you’ll love it for the visuals, you’ll be surprised at where he takes the darned thing. Perhaps, like me, you’ll be transported back to B.C., Colorado, Oregon or Ontario and the great group of friends you met while on one of our adventures…

#Drive4Adventure
#drivetastefully

-Dave

Link to Petrolicious and the “Against the Grain” video

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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:

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:

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:

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: