by George Dyke…..
While we normally hold our Citroën Autoclub Canada annual summer outing in July, but this year, because some of us attended the 100th Citroën Anniversary Celebration in France at that time, we decided to move the event to August 24. It turned out to be a good choice! The weather was sunny and the temperature perfect for a drive to Niagara’s wine country.
We started the day at 10 AM, congregating at Chris Deja’s house in Oakville, where she welcomed us with coffee, juice and fabulous cookies. After our habitual group photo, gathered around my 1969 DS21, the tour got underway at 11 AM.
View pics of the day here:
We drove along Lakeshore Rd to Hamilton and then across the city on Centennial Parkway to Ridge Rd, where we stopped to admire the magnificent view of the Golden Horseshoe area of Southern Ontario, overlooking Lake Ontario with Toronto in the distance. From there we continued along Ridge Rd to Beamsville, stopping for lunch at Smoke & Moonshine, a local BBQ restaurant favoured by the locals.
A Niagara destination was chosen once again because of the plentiful fresh fruit, such as peaches, that are in season and available for purchase at roadside stands, which we did immediately after lunch. And of course, a little wine tasting is a pre-requisite for any Niagara tour and we accommodated discerning palates with stops at three wineries; Redstone, Hidden Bench and Vineland Estates.
After an afternoon of wine tasting and people admiring our Citroëns, we travelled back to Oakville to enjoy a hearty meal at the King’s Arms Pub.
It was 9:30 PM by the time we finished dinner and said our goodbyes. Some, including myself, exercised our Citroëns by taking the QEW (expressway) back to Toronto.
Once again, we had lucked out with a perfect day to visit the Niagara Region and cajole with our Citroën friends.