It was a sunny day, with views of the Adirondack High Peaks underneath a bluebird sky, and Devlin wished drivers and their passengers well in the coming days as they make their way through northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine as a tropical weather system was predicted to make driving conditions challenging later in the week.

“It looks like I’m going to get you out of the village before there’s any rain,” he said. “On Wednesday, Hurricane Beryl is coming up. I think you’re going to be done just ahead of that, too.”

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Wednesday and Thursday, warning residents in the Northeast of flash flooding due to heavy rainfall from post-tropical cyclone Beryl. Beryl reached category 5 status in the Caribbean Sea before weakening and slamming into the Gulf of Mexico coast of Texas on Monday as a category 1 hurricane. Its remnants affected the roadways taken by Sunshine Rally participants.

Rally North America’s Sunshine Rally — traveling along the backroads of the Northeast to raise money for Camp Sunshine — began at the Pine View Auto & Country Club in Lafayette, New York, just south of Syracuse, on Sunday, July 7, arrived in Lake Placid on Monday, left the Adirondacks on Tuesday, and ended in Maine on Wednesday.

At far left, Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism Chief Operating Officer Mary Jane Lawrence takes photos of Rally North America’s Sunshine Rally participants as they get ready to leave the Olympic Speedskating Oval in Lake Placid on Tuesday morning. (Enterprise photo — Andy Flynn)

About 75 cars took part in this year’s scavenger hunt-style rally. Each day, the teams receive route cards, detailing clues that describe a location to visit or a task to be performed.

Established about 15 years ago, Rally North America was designed to bring automotive enthusiasts from the United States and Canada together for the purpose of auto rallying for a cause. They choose a different charity for fundraising each year. Since 2009, Rally North America has raised more than $2.5 million in direct donations for charities. Learn more about Rally North America at rallynorthamerica.com.

This year’s cause is Camp Sunshine, located on the shores of Sebago Lake in Casco, Maine, which supports children with life threatening illnesses and their families.

Families with a child diagnosed with diseases such as cancer, kidney disease, lupus, solid organ transplants, and other life threatening illnesses attend one of the week-long camps held throughout the year. This year, more than $100,000 has been raised for Camp Sunshine and the families it serves, and Rally North America has raised more than $500,000 for the camp over the years. Learn more about Camp Sunshine at www.campsunshine.org.

“On behalf of myself and the village of Lake Placid, let me officially welcome you to the North Country,” Devlin said. “I don’t know about you, but I think there’s some really great roads up here, and from what I can see, you’ve got some really great vehicles and some really great people. I hope you have a lot of fun.”

The mayor spoke about New York state’s multi-million-dollar investment in upgrading the Olympic venues in preparation for the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games and how it set the village up for more international sports competitions in the future. Then he put on his chamber-of-commerce-style hospitality hat and invited the group to visit again.

“I realize that you’ve been here only a short time, and I hope while you were here you had a chance to get out and see some of our unique shopping and restaurants both on and off Main Street,” he said. “And in closing, I hope that you enjoyed your time here and either come back individually or as a group and that we’ll see you again.”