‘Great River Road Ramble’ rolls on through

Local car enthusiasts filled the parking lot at Causeway Pontiac here Sunday morning awaiting the arrival of the “Great River Road Ramble.”
And when the first vintage car arrived–a 1965 Buick Wildcat belonging to Corwin and Kay Stephen of Ames, Iowa–the crowd was not disappointed.
Fort Frances was just the second stop on the long haul to Missouri for the Iowa-based tour, which runs from July 18-25. It started with an opening ceremony in Kenora on Saturday, and had stopped in Sioux Narrows before rolling into town Sunday.
About 50 cars are in the “ramble,” which event organizer Claude Jones described as a sort of tour where the drivers only loosely follow one another.
“They have a period of time when they have to make it to a checkpoint,” he said. “Sometimes they can go for miles and miles without seeing each other.”
Jones is a member of “Motor Memories,” a vintage car club based in Des Moines, Iowa. It was approached by the Mississippi River Parkway Commission to do the tour to promote road travel along the river.
While the first leg of the tour follows the long river to Missouri, the second leg of the tour next spring eventually will end where the Mississippi terminates–New Orleans.
“I don’t think we’ve had anything like this through here in a while,” noted Trevor Szmon of Causeway, who first heard of the “ramble” through the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce.
“People are really getting to see something different,” he added.
Everyone on hand Sunday morning seemed to enjoy the cars, and some even brought along their own vintage automobiles. Sandy Haney of Crozier drove onto the lot with his blue ’38 Chevy truck–and drew a bit of a crowd himself.
“I got it on the road a month ago, and decided to drive it here to check [the ‘ramble’] out,” he noted.
The members of the “ramble” also were having a good time, eager to talk with enthusiasts about their cars. Vernon Rowe of Indianapolis, Ind., for one, was very proud of his rare 1934 Chevy Cabriolet.
“We know of 16 left in the world . . . nine of which I have seen myself,” he said.
Rowe also pleased with the crowd that turned out here. “I’m surprised to see that many people waiting for us. The hospitality has been tremendous.”
Although most of those on the “ramble” were from the States, three vehicles were from Kenora. L.F. and A.F. Gordon will be driving their green 1940 Buick for the long haul, John Edwards has his ’33 Ford Cabriolet, while John Cederwood and Al Sutherland will be riding in their white 1966 Mustang.
“I restored it originally a few years back and then sold it to John, who has since done a little work on it,” said Sutherland, explaining their relationship to the automobile.
Participants in the “Great River Road Ramble” paid a fee to join the tour but in return received overnight vehicle security, emergency vehicle assistance, a souvenir licence plate, and a commemorative dash plaque, among other things.
But mainly, the drivers are doing it because they love to travel and vintage cars. “It’s been marvelous,” summed up Jones.
The tour will be moving at a rate of about 200-300 miles per day, including mid-morning and afternoon “pit stops.” But when asked about the long haul they will have to make, Kenora’s Les Gordon simply smiled and said, “So far, so good.”
After leaving Causeway around 11 a.m., the “ramble” crossed over to International Falls, then carried on to Big Falls and Bemidji to wrap up just the first day on the road in a long, fun-filled tour.