Member's Canadian Adventure
Member Jim Martin had a
great weekend this summer in British Columbia
with his Galaxie. Here's an edited version of Jim's story.
"The '62 XL has been to many
places in the US since I bought it in 1980. This time it was North up I-5
to Olympia
then Highway 101 to Port Angeles and a ferry ride to Victoria BC. If you
own a '60's Ford and drive the streets of
Canada, be prepared for the staring, pointing and smiles you generate in your
wake. It definitely is not a car for the
shy. Saturday all the streets of downtown Langley were blocked off except
for us car lovers. They had 2500 cars in
the area with an estimated 100,000 fans. Sunday the drive to Mission
Raceway could not be more perfect. Alex
Bronevitch, President of the Galaxies of Canada gave us tickets for the Mega
Ford Drags - Show and Shine. I met
more great Ford guys who loved to sit and 'bench race', talk FE's and the never
ending chase for parts. Galaxies of
Canada ran a first rate operation in inviting race cars as well as street
machines to their event. Sunday evening the
6 hour drive south on I-5 was perfect as the top was down, the 3 carburetors
were whistling with no coughing, Elvis
was on the radio, beautiful woman beside me, a beautiful car under and the azure
blue sky above; A perfect ending
to a perfect weekend."
The Complete Story as mentioned in our Newsletter
Jim Martin’s Canadian Adventure
The 62 XL has
been to many places in the US since I bought it in 1980. Hot Rod Magazine's
Power
Tours covered 38 states before we decided to switch to our 68 Edelbrock 550
Horse powered
Galaxie for those. I'll tell you of the 68 at a different time. This time it was
north up I-5 to Olympia
then Highway 101 to Port Angeles and a ferry ride to Canada.
We had been invited to the GREAT CANADIAN BEERFEST in Victoria BC, and so while
in Canada
had thought to explore other venues. The wife had never been in Canada, so
initially planned one
day trip evolved into a into a 5 day long weekend excursion The ride across Juan
de Fuca was fun
but bloody expensive - Black Ball ferry charges $50 for a car and a
driver, plus $13.50 for any
additional adult passenger. Fortunately, Magellan GPS knew the streets of
Victoria BC, so it was
10 minutes off the ferry and we were parked at the hotel.
Butchart Gardens on Thursday was a real treat as the usual crowds were limited
and we could stroll
the gardens at leisure. Amazing place to relax and enjoy the gardening and
architectural genius of
people, most recommended! Friday was devoted to the Beerfest. The organizer had
us in as his guests,
so the admission cost of $25 (Canadian) was waived, plus they gave us free
tokens for sampling of the
beers (those would cost us $1.25 for each 4 oz sample). Micro Beers from 4
Provinces and 3 states made
it great time!! MY goodness, if I had not had to drive to
Swartz Bay
for the late ferry to Vancouver, I'd used
all 15 of them, but instead I sampled 8, the bride did 10, and we gave the rest
to a girl of statuesque
proportions as we left.
The drive to the Tsawwassen ferry was interesting as the freeway goes straight
to the dock. No town or
bypass or turnoff. One minute your looking at the rolling green hills of
Vancouver Island and next you are
in row 5, sitting 25 cars back from the on ramp.
The ferry was even more expensive - $45 for a car (it was amusing though that 62
was categorized as
"under-height") and $13.50 for both driver AND any passenger, so we ended up
paying $72 Canadian.
But the ride was pleasant enough as the boat slipped through the many green lush
islands as the
Georgian Strait was smooth as glass. The cost of fuel north of the line was
$4.11 cents once conversion
to Canadian dollars and liters to gallons.
If you own a 60's Ford and drive the streets of Canada, be prepared for the
staring, pointing and smiles
you generate in your wake. It definitely is not a car for the shy.
Saturday all the streets of downtown Langley were blocked off except for us car
lovers, and barricades
fell like politicians' promises as we approached. They had 2500 cars in the
downtown area with an
estimated 100,000 fans, which definitely was a great day for a place of
population of 115,000.
Langley was a marvelous host city, and the people there could not been more
friendly. They had an
area set up for Harleys and another for antique Transit buses. BUSES? Who knew
they had such a following??
We tried to stroll through all the streets and
admire as many cars as possible, but also enjoyed just sitting
in 62 or next to it and enjoy the admiration from other people strolling by. It
was not a surprise as our
62 seemed to be one of just 2 Galaxies around.
Sunday the drive to Mission Raceway could not be more perfect. Joe Detemple had
hooked us up with
the President of Galaxies of Canada, Alex Bronevitch, who gave us free admission
tickets for the MEGA
FORD DRAGS - SHOW and SHINE. Met more great Ford guys who loved to sit and
'bench race' and talk
of FE"S, and the never ending chase for parts.
The Galaxies of Canada ran a first rate operation in inviting race cars as well
as street machines to
their event. Access in and out was eased with the coordinated operation.
Sunday evening the 6 hour drive south on I-5 was perfect as the has price
suddenly was almost affordable,
top was down, the 3 Carburetors were whistling with no coughing and Elvis was on
the radio, beautiful
woman beside me, beautiful car under and the azure sky above, a perfect ending
to a perfect weekend.
Jim Martin
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