Northern Lights Tour
Edmonton, Alberta August 13 -17, 2017
The HCCA Alberta Regional Group hosted the
Northern Lights Tour. It was the most northern HCCA tour ever
and it attracted tourists from right across Canada and the
United States. As well, three members from New Zealand
attended as passengers. Overall, about 35 cars
participated and it was a great tour. After Sunday
overnight wind, rain, and thunder, we had a week of perfect
driving weather.
Mike, Chris, and Bob, along with members of the
Edmonton Antique Antique Car Club, did an outstanding job of
organizing the event and made sure that all of our needs were
met. After a 25 mile "trial run" on Sunday, we did
another 400 miles from Monday to Thursday. The drives
were scenic, with little traffic to contend with and lots to
see.
Monday's drive took us all through Strathcona
county, with lunch at the beautiful Northern Bear Golf
course. At this stop, we were treated to a visit by two
members of the RCMP, complete with Red Serges and
bagpipes. They posed for a great photo with each car.
Tuesday we experienced the Ukranian heritage of
northern Alberta, with a coffee stop at a century old Ukranian
church as well a traditional lunch at the Ukranian
Village. The morning's drive also took us through Elk
Island National Park - Canada's largest completely enclosed
national park. A few of us were lucky enough to see some
buffalo in the park, but I guess they weren't interested in my
Cadillac.
Wednesday was our longest day - 131
miles. After a morning stop at a private home (featuring
23 Rolls Royce cars), we made our way to Wetaskiwin to visit
the Reynolds-Alberta Museum. This outstanding museum is
well worth a visit by any car enthusiast. As a bonus, we
were led into the warehouses to see the vehicles
that are not part of the public exhibit. There are many
rare, original cars there, particularly some early Canadian
models.
Thursday was a short day - only 45 miles - but
it was packed with things to do and see. Our morning
stop was at the private collection of one of the tour participants
and it didn't disappoint. The converted warehouse was
packed with collectibles of all sorts, all neatly presented in
a variety of spaces. A short distance later, we stopped
at historic Fort Edmonton Park where we experienced life in
the area through the past 200 years. Our return to the
hotel took us through the most scenic portions of the city as
well as right through downtown Edmonton.
The tour wrapped up with a delicious banquet
with awards and lots of photos to see. It was an
outstanding tour. Thanks to Mike Reid and all the other
volunteers who made our visit so special.
