As the sun rose on Friday August 30, 23 Porsches arrived at the Tiffin Boat Launch Park in Barrie for the starting point of our Simcoe County & OPP Museum driving tour.
After the safety briefing, we set off along the shores of Lake Simcoe and up into more rural roads north of Hwy 11. Our goal and first stop was the Simcoe County Regional Airport, where we enjoyed a few snacks from my frunk, and we were met by Geoffrey Campbell, CEO of the new ORO Station race track. Geoff gave us an update on the track’s progress and said he hopes to be able to host UCR for various events in the years to come. We hope so too Geoff!
After this pit stop and bio break, we continued our meandering drive back down to the shores of Lake Simcoe and around Eight Mile Point Road – with the second pitstop goal being the OPP Headquarters in Orillia.
We were greeted by retired OPP staff Doug Shearer and Neil McWhinney. We split our group into two, and each had a tour of the OPP HQ. Doug and Neil explained some of the history of the building and the significance of the stones at the entrance, labelled ‘The Pathway of Memories.’ These stones pay tribute to current and former OPP members, their families, and organizations that have contributed to the service over the years with personalized inscriptions on each stone.
Walking inside the OPP HQ, one is greeted by security, along with an array of OPP memorabilia such as a vintage Chevrolet Master Deluxe Coupe OPP cruiser from 1941, a 1931 Henderson Streamline Special KL Motorcycle, and numerous display cases dedicated to fallen officers and celebrated individuals. While the OPP Museum is free to enter, our group made a monetary donation to the OPP Museum, and we wandered around on a self-guided tour for 30 minutes.
Leaving the OPP HQ for our third and final destination, lunch, we arrived at Perfect Landing Bar & Grill on the shores of Lake St. John in Ramara. Here, we enjoyed our private patio with lunch and the view of planes taking off and landing both on Lake St. John and on the runway.
For many, this was a perfect way to start our Labour Day long weekend. </>
