Clyde’s Cider Mill Rerun Tour

By John DeWaele

Photos by John, John Rowntree, Greg Stidsen, and Tom Ducibella

So often, beautiful weather is the subject that starts off a tour write-up. Although the weather was indeed spectacular, I have to go with: Five —  yes, five — boat tail Spiders showing up! With me not remembering all of the members and their cars, I knew we would have three from looking at the sign-ups; two more made the Duetto showing quite special!

With this being a rerun of the tour from seven years ago, Lauren and I thought we might change up the route a bit. But after doing our first run-through in August, and reliving these terrific roads and the wonderful scenery (which would be enhanced with fall colors), we thought it was best to leave it alone. As we neared the end of the run-through, Lauren had the great idea to explore the Westerly beach scene; after all, Rhode Island is the Ocean State! On a second run-through, Lauren and her navigator Ellen chose the Windjammer Surf Bar, located right on Misquamicut beach. The manager was eager to accommodate and assured us a table on the deck overlooking the Atlantic. And, it was special!

It was certainly top-down weather for the Spiders, except for Gary's and Mike’s cars sporting beautifully finished hardtops. Off we went, 16 Alfas and 1 Porsche (Avi is an Alfa owner as well), traversing the New Hampshire lake-like Scituate Reservoir, located in Northwest R.I. We were soon crossing the line into North Stonington, CT, and after an hour and a half jaunt, we reached  Clyde's Steam Powered Cider Mill. As expected, parking was a challenge, with cars juxtaposed and scattered all over the property. The donut line was long (but worth the wait), the cider delicious, and the apple squeezing process quite amazing, especially with such antiquated machinery!

We entered the town of Westerly along a waterfront road that showed off the town’s picturesque harbor and beautiful homes. The town of Watch Hill never fails to impress; it has to be one of the most stunning towns in all of New England! A few miles later, we arrived at the Windjammer; the Ocean State did not disappoint!

Over the past few years, we have all read about the “greying” of the collector car hobby, with us stalwarts always hoping for younger enthusiasts to come along. Well, today, two fine young gentlemen joined us ... from China! Haoyi Liu and his navigator Coda Shi are grad students at Brown University. Haoyi drives a 2018 Giulia and has a Stelvio back in California; he's quite knowledgeable about the Alfa brand. Both guys were a pleasure to chat with during lunch; I hope we see them again at future events!

Wonderful people and great cars make for a terrific tour. Thanks to all who attended!

Drivers and Navigators

Dan and Deb Donovan - 1988 Spider
Steve and Nancy Perry - 1969 GTV
Larry LoPresti and Michelle Dextraze - 1977 Spider
Peter Walker and Meg Anderson - 1977 Spider
John and Roberta Rowntree - 1987 Spider
Glenn and Lauren Randall - 1968 Spider
Ron Long - Stelvio
Greg Stidsen and Tom Ducibella - 2018 Giulia Quad
Haig Tellalian - 1974 GTV
Mike Hollinger - 1967 Sprint GT Veloce
Gary Venable and daughter Colleen - 1967 Spider
John and Lauren DeWaele - 1972 GTV
Doug Sondak - 1969 Spider
John Romano - 1969 Spider
Haoyi Liu and Coda Shi - 2018 Giulia Sport
Mike and Diane McGeough - 1967 Spider
Avi Grunn and daughter Daria - Porsche 911