VICARIOUS | Discovered: A Pacifica Road Trip

Story and Photography | Harry Pegg

It began when my wife, Pat, and daughter Karen announced they were going to pick up my granddaughter from college near Boston. They said Stephanie had asked if I could come too.

Being a doting grandfather, I agreed.

That got me thinking west coast to east coast would be a cool road trip. Stephanie’s school, Nichols College, is just west of Boston, giving the trip a dual purpose: Bringing Stephanie home and drive coast to coast.

I thought about Karen’s 2016 HEMI-powered RAM which would certainly carry four of us AND Steph’s stash of stuff but would likely become uncomfortable.

What to do? A big SUV would be large and thirsty.

A minivan? Carrying capacity is better, it’s more comfortable and drinks less fuel.

FCA Canada was willing to provide the van – and the project was born: From the Pacific to the Atlantic: A Pacifica road trip.

Comfort for four? Check. Room for our luggage and Stephanie’s stuff too? Check. Better fuel economy? Check.

The adventure started when I flew to Vancouver to pick up a Pacifica S and return to Calgary, driving solo over the Rockies for the first time in decades.

I headed east on the Trans Canada to Hope then over the Coquihalla Highway and down into Kamloops. Weather was good and The Highway Thru Hell was more heaven than hell.

I stopped for fuel in ($1.48/litre) Salmon Arm which has grown considerably since Pat and I were there on our honeymoon road trip many years ago.

Beyond Kamloops, Highway 1 climbed back into high country. They say mountains are eternal, but I see changes to the human stuff.

The hotel/museum at 3 Valley Gap has been brightened up, re-igniting a desire to stay there. Enchanted Forest has undergone an enchantment enhancement.

Rogers Pass hotel and service centre no longer exist. Nothing there but pavement. It was cold and windy at the summit, so I kept going, secure in the warmth of the Pacifica.

I spent the night in Golden, B.C. at a new Holiday Inn, leaving early on April 30, on the three-hour trip to Calgary though Field, Lake Louise, Banff and Canmore

I wish I had more time along the route. There is so much to see, like the railway museum in Revelstoke, the scene of the driving of the last spike on the CPR beside the highway at Craigellachie, BC, the CPR spiral tunnels, to name a few.

But I had a mission: Bring Stephanie home.

Early on departure day, Pat, Karen and I headed east. Our target: Winnipeg 1,300 km away.

Breakfast at A&W in Brooks, AB, introduced us to the most expensive tomato I’d ever seen. A single slice cost 40 cents. Big price, no taste. No tip.

We stopped for fuel in Medicine Hat and visited the world’s biggest tepee. It provided no protection from the icy wind and we didn’t stay long. There was snow on the hilltops east of “The Hat” but the Pacifica was warm.

The snow was gone when we hit Swift Current SK but Chaplin SK brought an OMG moment. It’s located beside Canada’s second largest inland saline water body and a monster mound of salt looks like a huge snow pile.

Time prevents stopping at so many attractions: Moose Jaw’s huge Mac the Moose and tunnels linked with the Al Capone bootlegging days; Regina’s RCMP museum, Indian Head’s historic round barn, Elkhorn MB’s vintage car museum and the longest swinging pedestrian bridge in Canada at Souris Manitoba.

We fuelled up in Brandon, second largest city in Manitoba and head to Winnipeg, hotel and dinner.

Two hours later, Day One is complete.

94The Pacifica S is a terrific carrier. Average fuel economy is 9.2 L/100 km.

Early on Day Two we headed south, crossing the border near Emerson, bound for lunch at Fargo, North Dakota where, I’m told, “we have to eat at Chipotle. It’s sooo good!”

Good call. It is good! And it’s the only time on the trip I photograph our food.

From Fargo to our Day Two stop at Chippewa Falls Wisconsin was uneventful. Mileage from Winnipeg: 894 km. Pacifica still a light drinker at 9.3 L/100 km.

Day Three held more interest.

About lunchtime, we came to Wisconsin Dells, billed as The Waterpark Capital of the World. Even mid-week in the offseason it’s amazing. Not being waterslide fans, we opted for lunch at Cracker Barrel Restaurant Old Country Store – after Pat and Karen perched in rocking chairs and engaged in a friendly game of giant checkers. The restaurant’s food was okay, the gift shop large and the décor filled with early- American antiques.

We couldn’t stay long. Today we were headed for a hotel in Granger, Indiana. Getting there was less than half the fun. Construction on our I-90 route pushed us through the west side of Chicago…at rush hour.

As we crawled along, the highway electric sign teased: “Sipping Margaritas or Mint Julips? Designate a Driver.” I had a driver. Karen. I never did get my drink. Where is the hospitality?

We finally made it to our hotel in Granger after 687 km. Day 3 done.

Karen is a huge college sports fan so on Day Four we had to stop at the home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Indiana’s Mishawaka area.

It wasn’t far, but it was mostly deserted. The denizens of Notre Dame had gone home.

The day ended in DuBois Pennsylvania (658 km) with dinner at Luigi’s Ristaurante. Good food. Odd décor but worth the visit and only a short run from our hotel in Bloomsburg.

On Day Five we hit Sturbridge Massachusetts, 687 km away, our headquarters for the next couple of days.

We check in and head to Dudley and Nichols College to find Stephanie. It’s great to see her. A lot of stuff to sort out and load up. But that came later.

Day Six we completed the coast to coast trek. In keeping with Pacifica’s roots, it seemed fitting to complete the journey in Plymouth MA.

It’s interesting here if you’re into history, so we braved a biting cold wind to take in the sights.

Plymouth Rock is smaller than one imagines and it’s not in its original place. The Rock is where the Pilgrims set foot on shore, not where Mayflower anchored.

There are historic markers everywhere, even a replica of the Mayflower which, unfortunately, was not in port. We read the plaques, took photos. And shivered. After a couple of hours, we headed back to Sturbridge (via Salem) with seato-sea mission accomplished.

Salem, site of the witch trials of the 1600s, hosts many museums, lots of old headstones. One old cemetery showed the summer of 1692 to be a hanging time.

Again, so much to see, too little time. We had to meet Stephanie and load up the Pacifica.

Day Seven is spent in Boston. This historic city demanded more time but…

We did get to the start of The Freedom Trail, and the Boston Holocaust Memorial, a simplistic project with a huge psychological impact. So many numbers. So many stories.

Day Eight we left Sturbridge, headed for Fredericton, New Brunswick, 770 km away where we hooked up with our youngest daughter, Krista, and family for a brief reunion and some relaxation.

On Day 10 the destination was Ottawa 1,006.9 km away on Highway 1 through Montreal.

Traffic and construction and rain slowed progress through Montreal and we were late arriving at our Ottawa hotel. Thank God for the Pacifica’s navigation system.

We started out of Ottawa on Day 11 later than intended but determined to cover as many kms as possible.

Several hours and 491 km later, we hit Sudbury too late for the nickel tour but we saw that giant coin anyway before moving westward, sights set on Sault Ste Marie, 310 km away.

And the day is done.

Then came the Day 12 marathon: The Sault to Winnipeg, 1,382 km, following the north shore of Lake Superior.

It’s wilderness all the way: rocks, forest and the ever-present lake. At one point I said to Pat “it makes me want to dial up some Lightfoot music.” A bit prophetic, it turned out because 10 minutes later we came to a turnout at Alona Bay where an information sign pointed out the area where the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a storm in 1975. Weird.

Lunch time found us at White River. Briefly.

On this long stretch from the Sault amenities are scarce. Many had not yet opened for the season, so fuel stop planning was imperative. Pacifica was still returning an impressive 9.5 L/100 km even in this twisting and turning, up and down stretch of desolate pavement.

Late in the afternoon we stopped for a time to contemplate the inspirational Terry Fox memorial site near Thunder Bay.

Sometime before dark, I decided even beautiful scenery can be too much of a good thing and resolved never to make trek on this route again. Pat was quick to agree.

Kenora is quiet at 10 p.m. but we found an open gas station and gave Pacifica a drink. Winnipeg and the end to Day 11 is just over 200 km away and we arrived at our hotel about 1 a.m.

Tonight we sleep. Tomorrow we go home and Stephanie will be reunited with her dad, her brother and her dogs.

Morning of Day 13. After a drive-by of the stunning Museum of Human Rights, we left Winnipeg, another place where more time would have been well spent.

Our route took us through Saskatoon, the “City of Bridges” and west through North Battleford, across the Saskatchewan River from Fort Battleford, once the seat of the Northwest Territories government, then to Edmonton, and at last the Leduc area.

We have brought Stephanie home and the Pacifica is unloaded at last.

Distance: 1,328 km.

Pat and I spent the night, then headed south to Calgary and home. Day 13 and the journey is over. Fuel consumption average for the 14,690 km trip: 9.8L/100 km.

We’d have loved to have more time in so many places. Thirteen days is a tight time frame from coast to coast to Calgary, but Pacifica made it easier.