It was a great day and evening in the Toronto and Oshawa area with our hosts The Motor City Car Club. Tuesday found us headed to the 1,000 Island area for a day of sight seeing. After the two hour drive to the Gananaqua area on the St Lawrence Seaway everyone made their own decision as to how to spend the afternoon. Many of us chose to take the three hour boat trip up and down the river to explore the 1,000 Island area. It was a very relaxing way to spend the afternoon as our boat trip navigated us around the area and we got a close look at the incredible Boldt Castle on one of the islands.
After our afternoon on the river it was time to cross over the border and back into the United States. The lines at the border checkpoint were not too long and we all had our photo IDs ready. I pulled up when it was my turn. I handed the young American border guard my ID and he paused and smiled. "My Dad has a chopped '32 Chevy Coupe. Your Deuce looks great! Have a great trip." We had a wonderful time in Canada but it was great to be back in America!
After our border crossing we made the short trip to Alexandria Bay to spend the evening. Wednesday morning we made a stop at the Antique Boat Museum in nearby Clayton, New York. The museum was very, very cool. We saw some amazing classic wooden boats that ranged from canoes to world record Gold Cup racing boats. I am not necessarily a boating fan but after seeing the quality and craftsmanship in these beautiful rigs, I could see how someone could become involved in the hobby.
From Clayton we took a beautiful three hour drive through the Adirondack Mountains to Lake Placid, New York. The winding drive through the mountains was fantastic. We arrived in Lake Placid, freshened up and all headed into town for dinner. It had been another great day on the Road Tour and now we were enjoying it with good folks that had become great friends.
Thursday it was time to head to Burlington and the NSRA Northeast Nationals. We did have a few more stops to make. About an hour east of Lake Placid we stopped at the Ausable Chasm, known as the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks. It was a spectacular view into the river far below. From the Ausable Chasm it was a very short trip to Port Kent to load onto the ferry for the one hour boat ride across Lake Champlain to the waterfront in downtown Burlington. It was quite a sight to see all twenty Road Tour rides loaded onto the ferry. The captain even invited me up in the pilot area to sit behind the wheel.
We landed in Burlington and headed to the headquarters hotel for registration. It has been a fantastic week on the Performance World Road Tour. We were part of the first Road Tour to travel beyond the borders of the United States. We found great folks north of the border and saw some of the most picturesque parts of the United States and Canada. It is going to be a fun weekend at the NSRA Nationals and all of the Road Tourians have memories and have forged friendships that will last a lifetime.
Watch for the upcoming announcement of the 2008 Road Tour schedule. We have eight Tours planned and we are heading to some very cool events and locations. How about a run to Bonneville for Speedweek, a cruise to Back to the 50's in St Paul, the NHRA Hot Rod Reunions in both Ohio and California, the Syracuse Nationals and three or four of the best NSRA events on their schedule? It is going to be a great 2008!