There is a group of dedicated car guys who live 3 degrees north of the 49th parallel.
The 49th parallel is the marker between the United States and Canada. 3 degrees north of that 49th can mean a big difference in terms of climate.
The climate in their area of central Alberta Canada is categorized as a humid sub-arctic continental climate.
Any area that includes “arctic” in any part of their climate description means they need not worry about sunburn in November.
The sun sets before 5 in the afternoon at this time of year in Central Alberta and its residents are only at the start of a very long winter season.
The average high temperature in early November is about 3 degrees Celsius (37.4 F), while the average low is about -5 Celsius (23 F).
Al Gore notwithstanding, the average November is cold with a 100% chance of colder in Alberta, so some of the local car guys seize the day any chance they get when the frigid winds of early winter are on their way.
The second Saturday in November was a transitional day for the Alberta car guys. The morning was mild by local standards, but the dire forecast warned the car guys they had one final opportunity for a cruise before the storm.
They left before noon and headed northeast into a fog bank followed by rain. One of the participants contacted a guy who lived about 40 minutes away and he told them they were headed directly into bad weather.
None of these conditions really mattered to the car guys because they wanted one more run together before they parked their rides for the winter.
They like the journey and the company when it comes to classic rides, so every opportunity to cruise together is a great opportunity, particularly when they have run out of summer in their area.
We decided to follow them on the road so we can see where and how they travel together.
Besides, the opportunity to watch a convoy of classic rods on the roads in November here in the Great White North was irresistible to us.
They like to take the road less traveled and choose bi-ways over freeways on their trips. They stick to the speed limits and are not an impediment to faster-moving new cars on the road.
They are well-mannered and allow faster traffic plenty of room and visibility to pass them on the road.
We followed them down portions of a historical road known locally as the C&E Trail (Calgary and Edmonton Trail) on part of their cruise route.
The C&E Trail was the main route between Calgary and Edmonton Alberta, Canada, two cities that are now home to well over a million people each in their urban regions.
This particular route would be similar to the famous Route 66 because both of them used to be the main road in their heydays.
These days both roads are a shadow of their glory days, but they still offer a trip down memory lane for anyone lucky enough to drive down them in a classic rod.
Eventually we ran straight into the inclement weather but it never slowed these guys down in the least. It was their last best chance to hit the road together for 2014 and they wanted to enjoy every moment of it.
November weather in a sub-arctic climate is not forgiving and eventually their rides will have to be parked for the winter.
This day belonged to them and the snow held off until later in the day. They got one more day to cruise in style together and they squeezed as much out of the day as they could behind the wheel of their beloved rides.
Congratulations gentlemen, you guys are the best reason we know for the car hobby: you love to drive them.
Jim Sutherland
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