Article 4 - Days 8, 9 & 10
by Frank Colgoni

Day 8 - Medicine Hat, Alberta to Calgary, Alberta

If you read article three in this series, you'll know that it rained big time during the evening and overnight in Medicine Hat. When we ventured down to the parking lot the next morning, everything had received a major soaking. The cover over our roadster was plastered to the car and all the dust that was previously in the cover (over years of use) had been transferred to the car. The car looked grey rather than blue. I didn't feel too bad though after looking into Clarke's open roadster …

Being in Alberta now, it felt like we were in the home stretch although we still had three days to go. This day would be an easy drive into Calgary. This would be followed by a pretty good haul into Kamloops then the final drive through the Fraser Canyon to Langley and the wrap-up.

As usual everyone was in good spirits as we got ready for the drive to Calgary. Plans for the day included a stop at the A&W in Brooks, meeting up with the Foothills Street Rod Association in Strathmore, lunch and a tour at Allan Rod & Custom and an evening activity at Capitol Hill Park in Calgary.

Did I say people were in pretty good spirits?

Very cloudy and threatening skies gave way to blue sky and sun as we left Medicine Hat and headed up Highway 1. When we arrived in Brooks, we had a fabulous welcome at the local A&W. Many thanks to them.

After a great visit, we were on the road again for our rendezvous in Strathmore. Arriving there, we were greeted by a large contingent of FSRA cars. After getting organized, Gary Savage of FSRA made a few announcements relative to the afternoon/evening itinerary and we were ready to roll. Ted Allan of Allan Rod & Custom was also on hand and led the now huge parade heading to his shop.

Leaving Allan, FSRA escorted us to our hotel to check in and chill out for a bit before the evening activities. Just after arriving at our hotel we received a free car wash courtesy of Mother Nature – nothing to worry about – although it would rain on and off for the rest of the afternoon and evening but, once again, it didn't dampen our mood (pun intended).

Our thanks to:

• A&W – Brooks Alberta
• A&W – Strathmore Alberta
• Foothills Street Rod Association / Gary Savage
• Allan Rod & Custom / Ted Allan
• Executive Royal Inn, Calgary

Day 9 – Calgary, Alberta to Kamloops, British Columbia

This was to be our second longest driving day (after the Sault St. Marie to Thunder Bay leg). I made a decision that I wanted to attempt repairs to fix the fuel pump problem rather than sticking the car on the trailer. I really didn't want to miss this drive although the trade off was that I would have to send the Tour down the road without us and try to play catch-up. So be it. We wouldn't be alone however as a group stayed behind to lend a hand and make the drive with us. (Thanks for the “Comrodderie” of: Jamie & Stacey, Wayne & Mary, Jerry & Joyce, Grant & Barb, Norm and Jean, Wayne & Barb, Tom and Randy)

About sending the Tour down the road, I should mention that we had gotten quite a bit bigger since arriving in Calgary. That is, we arrived with just over 40 cars and left with 75.

While attempting to find a direct replacement for the pump (thanks for the ride Tom), Wayne located a suitable alternative nearby that required very little to adapt to the existing frame bracket. So with a new pump, some freebie fuel hose, clamps, a few wire splices and MANY helping hands, the replacement was made and we were ready to roll – a few hours late though. By the way, we had a ton of laughs during this repair. If you were there, you'll recall. Bears were involved again… Thanks guys. Memorable moment of the day #1.

After a gasoline stop, we headed out. To say that we were in for a change of scenery and topography would be an understatement. While it seemed that we had been traveling on a pretty flat, straight, path since entering Manitoba, we had been gaining elevation steadily, then dramatically, in Alberta. This would change even more dramatically after leaving Calgary and venturing into the foothills of the Rockies and up into Lake Louise. Just for fun, here's some above-sea level elevations along the way:

Toronto - 253 feet

Sudbury - 1142 feet

Sault St. Marie - 645 feet

Thunder Bay - 653 feet

Brandon - 1342 feet

Moose Jaw - 1893 feet

Medicine Hat - 2349 feet

Calgary - 3533 feet

Lake Louise Village - 5033 feet

Kamloops - 1132 feet

Lytton - 561 feet

Langley - 121 feet

Dipping your tire in the Pacific(carefully) – minus ½ foot

Once again, we were blessed with beautiful weather for the journey up through Banff and into Lake Louise. We made a few stops along the way to take in the fantastic vistas. By the way, the new fuel pump was working just fine thank you.

Despite being way behind the main group, we stopped in Lake Louise for lunch (and to help “Homer” with his belt issue).

In the meantime, the main group had made their way into Revelstoke and made a stop at the A&W on the Trans Canada. As they left for Kamloops, we needed to make time. I'm not going to say that we exceeded the posted speed limits but we enjoyed some spirited driving on an often twisty mountain stretch of highway. And, try as I might, I just couldn't lose Wayne and Mary in their '57 Chevy ...

Afterward, when we arrived in Revelstoke and stopped for gas, Wayne and I exchanged a hug and a few appropriate expletives (I'll leave it to your imagination given that this is a family show). Memorable moment of the day #2 . As a side note, the custom rear sway bar that Dream Machines fabricated for our roadster performed like a champ. If you're curious, you can check out the details of the bar HERE.

By the time we got back to the hotel, it was getting dark but it was obvious that we had picked up additional cars as the lot was quite full. It had been a long but great day.

Our thanks to:

• A&W – Revelstoke, British Columbia
• A&W – Kamloops, British Columbia
• My car repair helpers / traveling companions
• Best Western Kamloops

Day 10 – Kamloops, British Columbia to Langley, British Columbia

Wow, big day – not so much the journey but the final “official” day of the Tour. Then, I'd be off duty and we'd be off to Victoria for Deuce Day weekend. Hard to believe actually that it was coming to an end after fifteen months of planning. I can't tell you how many times that either Judy or I had said something like “can you believe we're in …”. And that held true in Kamloops.

Once in the Canyon, the temperature soared but it was a truly beautiful drive. We ran alongside Tom Racz & family for quite a while – lots of fun. Our last stop was at the A&W in Hope for lunch and then we made our way down into Langley.

In the event you aren't aware, Judy has a twin sister Jane, identical twin sister in fact. She was meeting us in Langley and coming over to the Island. Some fun ensued when she was mistaken for Judy in the parking lot of the hotel before our arrival.

While there, we had our last official Tour prize giveaway and presented long distance awards to both Deuce and non-Deuce participants:

Mark Latrace (1932 Ford 5-Window) of Black Creek, British Columbia

Jack Mather (1940 Ford Sedan) of Brentwood Bay, British Columbia

I had an amazing surprise when Terry & Patty Denomme of Hot Rods & Classics magazine presented me with a framed print of Tom Fritz's “Like Bats Outta Hell”. Thanks again guys.

Our thanks to:

• A&W Hope
• The Old Car Centre
• Sandman Hotel Langley

About Our Charitable Fundraising

The 2007 Canadian Hot Rod Tour raised over $7200 for RIck Hansen Wheels In Motion funding solutions that improve the quality of life of men, women and children with a spinal cord injury.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed and bought a ticket in our hot rod pedal car draw. Special thanks to Jamie Burns for the donation of the pedal car and Diana Markle and Treena Voldeng for their special fund raising efforts.

The proud winner of the pedal car was alan Frank of Sudbury, Ontario.

Wrap-Up Comments and Thanks

While a large group of us were carrying on to Victoria for Deuce Day, we were parting company with some and Langley marked the end of the Tour proper. To say that the experience was fantastic would be an understatement by a long shot.

We made many new friends and collected a ton of indelible memories. I would like to thank everyone who sent along personal expressions of gratitude, all of the clubs and individuals who greeted us along the way and made us all feel more than welcome. In fact, we were treated like special guests wherever we went.

To all of the sponsors, all I can say is that I appreciate the support. Without you, an event like this just would not be possible. A special sponsor thank you to Roger Barnes of A&W / Cruisin' The Dub for participating in most of the drive with us. It was great having you along.

Speaking of participating, Terry & Patty Denomme went coast to coast also and became an integral part of our “Canadian Hot Rod Tour family”. I applaud the work they're doing with Hot Rods & Classics magazine.

I also wish to applaud and recognize the group that went the entire distance – and back. As a sad footnote, one of that group, Jean Fleming, passed away this past spring. We'll miss her.

Naturally, thanks to everyone who registered and participated by driving a little or a lot.

Thanks to everyone who submitted photos, especially Paul Jordan who spent much of his personal time to chronicle the event in photos (more on this at a later date).

To Moe Loveless, thanks for all of your help and support leading up to this event. Moe had volunteered to pilot the support vehicle but had to drop out suddenly when his wife became ill. Thankfully she's much better.

Tons of accolades to Jamie Burns and Stacey Greene who stepped in to take over the support vehicle duties. They worked their butts off the whole way to help other rodders and with the more mundane Tour chores.

I can't say enough about the work that John Edwards of Dream Machines put in on the “Deuce Odyssey” roadster we took. Only two days old when we hit the road, the car performed flawlessly.

Finally, to Judy, my love and appreciation for her support of my endeavours and her endless help and enthusiam.