-By Michael Barone-
We had planned for this event weeks before, never expecting the sort of devastating turmoil in which our Twin Cities subsequently would be enmeshed. But Saturday morning, May 30, proved perfect, weather-wise, and a momentary distraction from the more urgent, and depressing, realities of a fractured community seemed worthwhile. So, off we went.
A cordial collective of 12 cars (four 2CVs, four DSs, and four ‘others’…details below) made a rendezvous in Marine-on-St. Croix for the planned ‘spring fling drive’ in the lovely countryside of the Saint Croix river valley, led by life-long gearhead and 84-year-old transplanted Englishman Tom Warth, founder (and former CEO) of Classic Motorbooks and founder and present director of Books for Africa.
The day could not have been more beautiful…clear blue skies and sunshine, a very light breeze with temperatures in the comfortable 80-degree range. After the belated arrival of a few stragglers, we set off @11 a.m., led by Tom’s spry gray 2CV, setting a comfortable pace.
Our first stop, less than two miles after crossing Highway 95 and following Broadway Street, was Jackson Meadow, an idyllic planned community in the lush countryside adjacent Marine. Tom had alerted the residents that we would be driving through, and a number of families were out (with kids and cameras) to smile and wave as our odd collection of uncommon automotive conveyances.
From there we continued on ‘rural routes’ (Old Guslander Trail/170th Street North, then Olinda Trail/Highway 3) to the Swedish Settler’s Monument and Hay Lake School Museum near Scandia, the monument commemorating the first Swedish settlement in Minnesota in 1850. Schooling began in 1855, and this building was operative from 1896 to 1963.
Travelling another two miles up scenic Highway 3 brought us to the Gammelgarden (Old Farm) Museum on the edge of Scandia, a unique open-air museum preserving , presenting, and promoting Swedish immigrant heritage. We lucked out in that Lynne Blomstrand Moratzka, the museum director, was there with her husband installing a new horse sculpture. She gave us some background on the place. Among the collection of historic structures on-site is the oldest surviving church building in Minnesota.
From Scandia we zipped east on Scandia Trail over to Highway 95 heading north, then east on Highway 243 to cross the river to Osceola, WI, winding through town to the outskirts and the former Classic Motorbooks offices and warehouse grounds, site of many enjoyable “Wheels and Wings” gatherings of collector (MORE INFO), always an amiable mix of foreign and domestic. W&W is an outgrowth of the annual book-sales and car-shows sponsored by Classic Motorbooks. Citroën Club members participated annually with much pleasure in those days, though the foreign-domestic balance unfortunately is not so much the case at W&W since the move of Classic Motorbooks headquarters to Saint Paul and the car show’s relocation to the city airport.
Tom Warth’s story is an intriguing one. He came to the USA in the 1950s when life in post-war England was still colored by rationing and a somewhat under-developed standard of living (no central heating, etc.). Tom found a congenial environment in which to build a business and began slowly by importing and selling car books. The business grew in the car-crazy America of the 1960s and 70s, and beyond simply acting as a central clearing house for other’s publications, Classic Motorbooks began commissioning and publishing its own product, with great success. Tom sold the business in 1988 (“for an unimaginable amount”) and diverted his energies to Books for Africa (“My most important life’s work,” he claims). Present in our tour group was one of Tom’s earliest clients, a (now retired) orthodontist with whom Tom traded car books for work on his kid’s teeth.
After an attempt at a group-car photo, from Osceola Tom led us through a delightful sequence of ‘roads less travelled’ before finally connecting to Highway 35 and a picnic area adjacent the new Stillwater/St. Croix Bridge. The majority of us then enjoyed our picnic lunches (amiable groups respecting social distances) and then…again with Spry Tom in the lead…hiked the 1.2 miles out to the end of the bridge (and back), enjoying a lovely overview of numerous boats out on the St. Croix River. From there, it was homeward bound, uncertain as to what would become of our Twin Cities as the second evening of 8PM curfew approached.
Our touring troupe included:
- Tom Warth (gray 2CV6 Club)
- Herb and Heidi Grika (gray/dark gray 2CV6 Charleston)
- Phil Roe (yellow/black 2CV6 Club)
- Ed Raschke and Wendy Sott (red 2CV6)
- Dean Anderson (blue DS21 wagon)
- Michael Barone & Lise Schmidt (blue DS21 Pallas)
- Erik and Anthony Fantin (black & maroon ID19)
- Jean-Paul Schirlé-Keller & Lance Schneider (bronze DS23e Pallas)
- Mike Speidel and Elisabeth Maase (Porsche 911 coupe)
- Paul Lohman and Janeen Ray (Saturn Sky roadster)
- Immanuel Davis and Käthe Jarka (MGB coupe)
- Andy Lindberg and Linda Larson (Saab 96 sedan)
It was a super tour, with 12 cars and 21 people. We left home @9:15, gathered at Marine-on-St. Croix before 10:30, awaited slow-pokes and eventually left there @11, and ended up having our picnic @2:15 at the park near the new Stillwater bridge. A lovely day, indeed!
And now, to do what is necessary to rebuild our community, and our society…