It started off as quite a nice day. When Lessa and I went for our walk early in the morning, there was a nice sunrise and the promise of a lovely day. By noon, the clouds had started to roll in. But I was still hopeful the “promised” rain would hold off until after our Fall Colour drive.

Due to the deterioration of my right knee, I was forced to put my Ambassador away for the winter earlier than I normally would have and so was driving my Pontiac Vibe. I loaded up and headed up to Gail and Mike Putz’s place on the outskirts of Cameron. I was making good time so decided to take the scenic route – along the west shore of Cameron Lake, part of the Kawartha Lakes system. The view across the lake to the colourfully-painted far shores was almost breath-taking. Mother Nature had certainly been having fun with her paintbrush!

I arrived at Gail and Mike’s in good time and while waiting for the rest of the club joining us that day, had a chance to look at their new home, including the new garage that Mike was building to house his cars, including his 1969 Blue Javelin. When it’s done he will have a workshop incorporated in it as well. It is insulated and heated with a wood-burning stove. Very nice! Their home is so cozy and sitting in the woods with the sunroom overlooking the forest behind it, a lovely refuge from the fast-paced world we live in.

We were only missing Ken and Irene Perrier but we couldn’t contact them so we decided to head out. The AMC reps of our intrepid little group were Gail and Mike in Mike’s 1969 Blue Javelin and Ken Edwards and Roberta Sommerville in Ken’s 1970 Big Bad AMX.

Our tour took us through Fenelon Falls over to Bobcaygeon which was built on the narrows between Sturgeon and Pigeon Lakes. In 1833, the provincial government began construction of a lock and canal at the narrows between Sturgeon and Pigeon Lakes. Soon a community began to develop around the lock. Today, Bobcaygeon's chief industry is tourism, particularly related to recreational fishing. Bobcaygeon is a hub for the region, providing many of the services unavailable in the smaller neighbouring communities. There are wonderful little shops along the street and we stopped to explore a few. Ken and Irene found us there and then we were 3 AMC’s – with Ken and Irene in Ken’s 1968 Calypso Correl AMX. We certainly turned a few heads.

Unfortunately, it started to rain and we headed back to Gail and Mike’s for snacks, beverages and great conversations. We caught up on the latest news of work, family etc. We found out that Gary Freelen had recently purchased a 1968 American 2-door hardtop and his plan is to have it ready for the road come spring and hopefully will be joining us for the run to the 2013 International Show. We remembered funny and crazy stories from past events and enjoyed a marvelous supper of nice hot chili and grilled kabobs. By supper time it had really started to pour. So, shortly after desert, we all packed up and headed out.

It’s always such a wonderful time – the last drive for the year, Ontario’s spectacular display of Fall Colours and get together before the snow hits! We are all looking forward to our Christmas Party which will be held at Barb and Harm van der Veen’s, November 17th. I hope to see you all then folks!

By Jodee Scott

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Fall Colours tour – October 1, 2011

By Gary Freelen

Even though the calendar said it was Fall, the day showed summer. The sun shone on the AMO+ members as they paraded through the streets of Milton.

Jodee brought her 67 Ambassador and Mike chauffeured Gail in their 70 Javelin. The great pumpkins arrived with Irene & Ken and Roberta & Ken driving AMX’s.

Originally it was planned to go up to the Forks of the Credit, but after a visit a few days before, it was clear that it wasn’t worth the drive. The Salamander festival was on. We were tipped off that there were bus loads of salamander lovers on their way, and by the time we would have arrived – there would not have been any room for an AMC convoy. The area had changed quite a bit since I had been up there last.

The decision was made, and it was a short drive to a couple of Milton attractions – and I led the way on my Kawasaki. We headed up the back streets to Springridge Farms, where they have a variety of attractions. A gift shop, plenty to eat, lots of fun family attractions. The AMX’s stood out from the rest of the pumpkins and the AMC parade made a lot of people take a double take as we had the AM-C and AM-X factor.

After a snack, and a few purchases to keep the economy moving it was time to move on. We jumped in our vehicles and we were off to Rattlesnake point for a quick tour. Rattlesnake point is used for day picnicking and overnight camping. There are trails that access the Bruce Trail. According to the brochure, “Five breathtaking lookouts dot the edge of towering cliffs of Ontario's striking Niagara Escarpment. For the adventuresome, Rattlesnake Point has three designated sites where experienced rock climbers can scale challenging cliffs under a canopy of rich woods. Hiking enthusiasts can trek the Bruce Trail through the Nassagaweya Canyon complete with trail connections to Crawford Lake”.

We didn’t do any ‘aventure-istic ‘ hiking, but we toured through the park, and once again we stopped a lot of people in their tracks as they watched our cars cruise. We stopped between some trees and basked in the sunshine. We had some of the camper paparazzi stop by to take some pictures and have a look at our AMC classics. Instead of going any further out, we left the park and toured through the colourful escarpment and back to home base for dinner.

Once we got back to the house, we chowed down, and spent the rest of the day chatting and laughing. Thanks to all that brought their delicacies for our dinner. I hope that everyone else had a chance to get out and view the colours in their area.

Hope to see everyone at our Christmas Party! Take care.

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Ken and Irene Perrier joined me at one of the last Tuesday Night Cruises in Peterborough with their recently restored ’68 AMX. Although the turnout wasn’t great – about 50 cars, there was lots of interest in the only AMC’s on the lot!

We wandered around admiring the cars there - and there were some wonderfully restored and/or modified vehicles. My favourite was the ’57 Ford Fairlane convertible - lots of chrome and a real “show quality” car. Ken loved the ’66 Dodge Coronet.

The Legion runs a 50/50 and the hamburger/hot dog stand – to raise money for various charities. Their Cruises last year raised $8,652 for the Wall of Honour for our Peterborough Veterans – which was installed in Confederation Square in October 2010. The folks at this Legion are so friendly and seemed to love our cars as much as we do.

By Jodee Scott

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Lindsay, Ontario

As part of the Classics on Kent, a Rolling Thunder Classic Car Parade down the main street was on Saturday evening, July 16th. Everyone returned to the A & W for a cruise night.

5 minutes before the big storm hit and everyone ran for the hills!