They’re off on their North American Tour!
By George Dyke….
We have written about the adventures of Bernadette and Jacky Chevillon traveling in their 1973 DS20 across Asia and South America. They set their sights on North America for a trip in 2023 and now they are here! https://nordamericads20.baf.re/
They visited with my wife Marijke and myself yesterday in Toronto and we discussed their passion for travel in old vehicles and why they decided to make a 20,000 km journey across North America from September to December with their 1973 DS 20 Break.
They own a few Citroëns back in France; an SM, a CX, a Mehari, a Traction Avant and GS Birotor. Their DS20 Break, they feel, gives the most comfortable ride for the long travel days and it has the most room. Of course from a repair standpoint, Jacky does not have to deal with on-board computer complexity as a DS is all mechanical (and fluid) logic! They say it is the ideal car for touring around the world, and no question they are proving that having driven more than 60,000 km so far on roads beyond France.
For their North American trip they shipped the car to Newark, NJ and landed in New York at the beginning of September, then met up with Citroënvie member Dan McCarville in Newburg, NY. From there they went north to Montreal Canada and east to Quebec City before heading west to Ottawa and on to Toronto.
They are off today to see Niagara Falls before heading north to travel across Canada to Vancouver. They will enter the US again to head south to Seattle and Portland, before taking a route through the US Rockies where they plan to drive the DS up Pikes Peak!
The Southwest US is on their agenda as they plan to see National Parks such as Bryce Canyon, Zion and the Grand Canyon before heading into Mexico to visit friends there!
The last leg of their trip will see them entering back into the US to visit friends in Houston and then on to Louisiana with plans to ship the DS back to France from Jacksonville Florida. They will then make their way to Miami to take a flight back to Nice.
They are a charming couple and boy — do they have my admiration for taking the trips they do!
If you would like to follow their adventure, they are posting daily on Facebook. (https://nordamericads20.baf.re/suivre-notre-voyage/) and for those who might be located on their route and would like to meet Bernadette and Jacky, you can reach out to them at: jchevillon@neuf.fr.
UPDATE — Oct. 27, 2023: Bernadette and Jacky have crossed another thing off their bucket list. They conquered Pikes Peak in their DS. And they are pleased to report that the car did it without any issue!
Congratulations on achieving yet another milestone!
UPDATE — Dec. 10, 2023: Bernadette and Jacky visited New Orleans and parked their DS for a concert on Bourbon Street during the home stretch of their journey. (Pictured below.) They dropped off the DS at the port of Brunswick in Florida on December 8 and flew back home to France on December 9, completing their dream trip driving throughout North America. What an amazing trip they had!
I saw your automobile parked near my home in Galveston yesterday and took several photos. I did a little snooping and glad that I found this post that tells the story. Wish I had met the two of you, but hope you enjoyed your visit to Galveston. I wish you safe travels for the remainder of your trip.
You have been to two of my favorite places in the world: Pikes Peak, and Galveston. I grew up in the shadow of the Peak, and fell in love again in Galveston. Many blessings on your journey!!!
Welcome to Galveston! It’s Island time. Safe travels!