By Joan Bercovitch, UCR Member (from Provinz November 2014 page 29)Sept 27th turned on its bright lights to showcase the 30 polished Porsches winding their way through Muskoka. We checked in with Anne and David Forbes and Laurie and Ernst Johle around 9:30am at Tim Hortons outside of Bracebridge. The warm reception, coffee, sunshine and smiles had us joking as to whether it was a top down day for the Fun Run.
David and Anne had us on the road by 10am. Simple rules prevailed: Respect the speed limits, remember we are guests of the community and enjoy the day.
Leg one took us from Bracebridge to Dorset on Hwy 118 and 35. Two groups of fifteen cars carving their way through granite outcrops and deep red sumacs was a sight to watch. As much as we were having fun in the cars, we realized we were providing entertainment along the way. Picture it: Gleaming black, silver, grey, white, blue and red Porsches with engines roaring down the ribbon of highway, had people waving and smiling back at us.
Our first stop was Dorset. The small town was busy and the 15-minute stop turned into a 15-minute line up in Robinson’s Store… no matter what you needed. Why is it so much fun to shop in country stores?
From Dorset we headed north to our lunch destination on Lake Rosseau. At this point we thanked David for choosing a counterclockwise route heading north. Bridgework had the incoming traffic backed up at least 10 km.
We settled back and drove though the most glorious display of autumn colours. The sunshine brightened the reds, yellows, browns, greens and oranges reflecting off lakes and rivers at every bend in the road. We could see the weather was ideal for paddlers and fishermen too. Moose and deer signs warned us to watch out for wildlife, but all that crossed our path was wild turkeys.
Our lunch stop was high on a hill in picturesque Rosseau at the Crossroads Restaurant. Anne and David had arranged a delicious outdoor buffet with choices of salads, cheeses, breads, bbq meats, and desserts. Morley and I had the pleasure of sharing a table with Wendy and Guido of Oakville who had just started participating in UCR Socials and the Fun Runs. Guido’s comment was: “The highlight of belonging to PCA-UCR is meeting friendly people at events like this.” Spread the word.
The circle route took us through the tunnel of trees around Port Sandfield, through the Precambrian Shield in the Bala area and down Muskoka Beach Road, an old two-lane road crowded by maples and poplars. It’s a driver’s road, full of twisting, thrilling curves.
Our last stop was at the Muskoka Brewery. Who doesn’t like to taste beer? But by 4pm choices had to be made: Stay for dinner at the Japanese restaurant, or head home? Either way the day was perfect.
A huge thanks to David and Anne Forbes and Laurie and Ernst Johle for organizing a simply beautiful day in Muskoka. Members like them who volunteer their time and talent make PCA-UCR strong.
