When I would tell people that I was going to spend a weekend at the Sacacomie Hotel, most of them had no idea what I was talking about. As a matter of fact they thought Sacacomie was an Italian swear word. Once I showed them that very slick brochure we were all given, all ambiguities were quickly dispelled.

So it all started at our usual meeting ground in the parking lot facing Rockland Center. I must say that a numerous bunch was on hand, with a very eclectic assortment of automobiles. On top of the usual assortment of Triumphs, 2 CVs, Austins and Tractions, also present were seldom seen vehicles such as a BMW M1, BMW Z1, and a De Tomaso Pantera . At one point a gentleman drove up in a stunning red (no kidding!) Ferrari 348 TB. But alas, he was merely a friend of Nereo Valentini and was simply stopping by to say hello. To capture all this on celluloid was a local film crew from Canal Vox (incidentally, it aired on September 27 during the course of the program Le Guide de L'Auto). Also on hand was a local police officer who was mesmerised by the assembly of beautiful autos. He was kind enough to temporarily halt traffic on Cremazie so that our caravan could uniformly depart...and off we went!

By enlarge, the caravan behaved for the most part, until it got past Repentigny and a few of us broke from the pack and took the opportunity to blow off some carbon deposits from our intake valves. This mini-caravan was soon enough slowed down by the presence of a provincial police car...only to resume break-neck speed once the patrolcar was out of sight. I must say that once off the main highway, the roads were absolutely breathtaking. And may I say that the last 6 km of our trek was on some of the smoothest and most scenic road. Thank you Jean Chretien (some of you might get the joke)!

Once at the Sacacomie, we were treated to a feast of both the gastronomic and panoramic sort. Some of us took the time to catch our breath over some fine dining. Others decided to soak in some of that wonderful scenery. I decided to take to the nature trails with my wife and attempt to compare the beaches of Sacacomie to those of our most recent honeymoon in Cuba. So what's the difference? About 20 degrees!

Once the sun set, our evening unfolded in the dining room and we were treated to various culinary delights. Each plate was a treat for all the senses and the wine flowed as fluidly as the conversation. During the course of the evening, acknowledgements were given to (founding member) Gilles Desroches and his wife Lorraine who made a special appearance from France. Also present were Michel and Monique Beaupré from Mont Laurier.

As Sunday came along, a few of us resisted the temptation to sleep in, so that we could gather to watch a live broadcast of the Belgian Grand Prix. After having witnessed what had to be the single most boring race of the season, some of us concluded that we would have been better off if we had stayed in bed.

Once breakfast was over, it was again time to say good bye. I sincerely hope that most of you opted to take the country roads back home. If the Sacacomie wasn't enough to please you, the drive to and from did the trick.

©VEA