Lighthouse Landmark Rallye
A fun 25 mile road rallye has been planned for TE/AE United XXV for Friday, August 26.
A driver and navigator are needed to compete in the rallye. The landmark type rallye was popular in the 50s & 60s. It was also know as a *gimmick* rallye.
No need for time-speed-distance tables or slide rules and computers. A working trip odometer would be helpful.
We will meet at Beefers Family Restaurant on Route 12 in Alexandria Bay. (Just a few minutes drive from Bonnie Castle Resort) You can have breakfast before the rallye at a discount; Beefers is the home of the famous “Gorilla Breakfast Buffet.” There will be reserved parking for Sunbeams.
Each team will receive the instruction sheets and then off you go on your way! Check the mileage number on the left side of the sheet and look for landmarks and signs. The navigator will write down the missing words, (Spelling Counts) and answer Sunbeam trivia questions. The rallye will take you along the St. Lawrence River to the village of Cape Vincent at the mouth of Lake Ontario.
Tibbitts Point Lighthouse is where the rallye ends. The lighthouse, one of the oldest on the Great Lakes, has a visitors center, museum, and gift shop. The lighthouse was first built in 1827, then re-built in 1854.
In 1981, the Coast Guard automated the light, but it still uses a Fresnel lens, the only operating lens on Lake Ontario.
After you hand in your instruction sheets, you’re on your own to explore the grounds. The former light keeper’s house is now a hostel, which is host to visitors from all over the world.
There is no cost to enter the road rallye. Prizes will be awarded at the banquet on Sunday evening.
Driving a Sunbeam/Rootes vehicle would be the most fun, but other vehicles are welcome.
Please mark the registration form if you think you might go on the Lighthouse Landmark Road Rallye.
You can search the website to learn more about Cape Vincent at www.capevincent.org.
Friday afternoon at 2PM would be a great time to take the Singer and Boldt Castles 4 hour tour.
Rootes To The River Host,
John Miller, III