THE DRIVE TO TARGA NEWFOUNDLAND

By Ohan Korlikian

DAY 1 – August 25 – Friday

The anticipation and excitement of a long awaited journey has always kept me from a good nights rest. This day was to be no exception. When the alarm rang this morning I had no desire to wake up.  

The drive scheduled to begin at mile zero from the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in West Vancouver. A Trans Canada sign pointing east seemed like a symbolic way to start this journey. Here a small and informal gathering consisted of Richard (Navigator) and his wife Deb, then Steve and Darlene who showed up in their Alpine and lastly, Kim from the Make-A-Wish office. The streets were quiet. Few passersby’s admired the car and couple of tourists requested photos with the car, which was naturally granted.

Departure time was 08:00 hours and it was evident that the media had no interest in covering our departure. When the time came, we hit the road. Steve and Darlene joined us in this small convoy all the way to Hope where we stopped in for brunch. An hour later we said our goodbyes and resumed our journey.

It felt good to drive. I thought I would be very tired and in need of a nap. But I just kept at it. I was exhilarated. Two months earlier I had been on this same road enjoying the drive and taking in the beautiful scenery in my Alpine. So, it was a treat to be here once again.

Clear skies all the way. The car was handling beautifully despite the extra weight of supplies and tools in the trunk. After a fuel stop in Princeton, Our next stop was in the town of Keremeos for some fresh fruit and snacks as I had the cravings for cherries. The sun was in full force and the heat was pounding down. With the stereo full blast we made our way through the desert roads.

Our first hiccup came while ascending the hill east of Osoyoos. Halfway up, I noticed the temperature gauge overheating. Gave Richard the heads up and he nodded indicating that we should pull over and we did. It was a hot afternoon and it took some time for the engine to cool. We made the best of the situation and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the town atop this hill. Few passerby’s offered assistance to which we kindly turned down.

When the engine cooled, we were off again. This time, keeping a close eye on the temperature gauge. Few times the gauge reached near the maximum however as the hills subsided we were fine to continue.

Earlier in the day, I had received a call from Margaret, the media liaison from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She had made arrangements for an interview in Castlegar. I contacted the reporter advising him our recent mechanical issue and we would be late. Needless to say by the time we got there it was 21:00 hours, we were two hours behind schedule and missed our first media opportunity.

We fuelled up the car, registered into a hotel, had our dinner and called it a night.

A good nights sleep was in order. By 21:30 hours I was ready for bed. Within minutes Richard began to snore. This guys makes a chain saw sound like it is whispering. I shouted across the room for him to wake up. He apologized and went back to sleep. As I was slowly falling asleep, the noise factory was open for business. I can't fully explain the noises that was emanating from him but I’m sure it would make for an interesting ring tone.

Needless to say, I could not sleep. The noise was on/off. By 01:00 hours I was up. I got dressed and went to the hotel lobby. I turned on the TV there and watched the CTV national news. The breaking news story from Vancouver was about a guy who figured out that by hanging hammocks on Robson Street will help passerby’s take a moment to rest from their busy schedule. You can imagine my dismay by this as my fundraising efforts took a back seat to a hammock story.

DAY 2 – August 26 – Saturday

Feeling extremely groggy from the night before, I began packing the car early. There was no point in trying to get extra few minutes of sleep. The damage was done. Richard was extremely apologetic. For the remainder of the trip we would get separate rooms. I was fine with this idea but somewhat hesitant as it was going to double our accommodation budget.

Another hot and sunny day ahead and 90 minutes into our day, we had another mountain to concur. From yesterdays overheating issue, I kept a close eye on the gauge and as predicted it was beginning to max out. Once again, pulled over and let it cool down. By late afternoon we would clear the Rockies and be in the prairies and wouldn’t have to deal with any more hills.

The splendor of British Columbia continued throughout our journey. We made our usual pit stops for fuel, food, water and photo opportunities. I got a kick when we arrived in Creston and stopped at a cherry stand for, yes, you guessed it, Cherries. The sign on the stand said “NO’s Orchard” I found this rather comical as any Sunbeam Alpine or 007 fan would see the connection. I won’t get into explaining it; I will leave that for you to figure out. Naturally, I took a photo of it while Richard was purchasing Cherries. He had explained to the lady behind the counter of our trip and fundraising. She was kind enough to donate a large bag of cherries. The balance of the afternoon consisted of us gorging on them and spattering cherry pits along highway 3.

17:10 hours - The majestic vistas of the two provinces uniting came to view as we crested the hill between British Columbia and Alberta borders. Upon our decent into Alberta we had concurred our first province. I had purchased a set of provincial flags to be placed on the rear fender of the car at every provincial boarder we reached. I would add the matching flags on the driver side and Richard for the passenger side.

Prior to the start of the trip I had installed a factory overdrive transmission to ease the rpm’s during highway driving. The solenoid wasn’t engaging fully and I didn’t have the time or the energy to dismantle the thing and fix it before this trip. Up to this point the mileage calculation has been off for some strange reason and I couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t until we began to pass odometer test signs along the highway that I was able to solve the problem. I discovered that the factory odometer, which is in miles, was registering in kilometers and the logical answer was that the current transmission speedo cable pinion had a different gear ratio unit than that of its predecessor. The other issue was that the speedometer needle was not giving an accurate reading. In fact, the needle would read 20 miles over.

20:00 hours - we arrived in Lethbridge for an interview with a local reporter. We agreed to meet at Humpty’s restaurant – one of our sponsors. Needless to say the reporter never showed up however the manager and staff were most hospitable as we sat down for dinner and afterwards I took some promotional photos with the staff next to the car.

DAY 3 – August 27 – Sunday

Today was media catch up day. Margaret has kept busy making these arrangements. We started the day at 06:00 hours. We got to Medicine Hat where we met a Sunbeam owner, Kevin Rissling and his family for breakfast. The timing was dead on as Richard was talking with Kevin I was on the cell phone giving an on-air interview for the local radio station.

Our next radio interview was in Moose Jaw. Conveniently enough the radio station was next door to Humpty’s. After our interviews, we stocked up on food from the restaurant and carried on our way.

By the time we reached the Manitoba border it was 21:00 hours and dark. I did my best to arrive here before the sun set. I wanted to capture an image of the provincial sign with some natural lighting. The evening was cool but not cold. It was very quite and starry night. One could appreciate the vastness of the universe. Both Richard and I were in awe at the grandeur of it all. We were there for ninety minutes as I took some extended exposure photos and Richard explored the area. We had a late dinner; leftovers from the days boxed lunches. When we were ready to leave, the car was dead. There was battery power but not enough to start the car, we pushed it to a short hill at the entrance way and let it roll down in an attempt to push start it. After the third attempt, we go it started.

Once on the road, it wasn’t long when we had a complete power meltdown. We lost engine power and lights. I quickly pulled over at this narrow roadway in the dark only lit partially by the stars. I quickly got the safety triangles while Richard opened the hood. It didn’t take him long to find the source of the problem. The alternator wiring had come loose and short-circuited itself and melted the connection. That was quickly fixed and we drove to the next town (Virden) where we stayed the night.

DAY 4 – August 28 - Monday

Early morning I had the tools out and began working on the alternator wiring. I also discovered that the air filters I had purchased on e-bay had cracked. So duct tape to the rescue. I rigged the alternator wiring with spare parts that I had in the trunk and waited for Richard’s arrival, he knew what his next task was – to push the car.

One more alternator related glitch on our way to Brandon for a TV interview. It seems that the alternator is starting to fade away and it’s time to have it looked at. At 11:14 hours, at a predetermined location outside Brandon, we met a news crew for an interview. After our meeting, they were kind enough to direct us to an automotive electric shop.

11:50 hours we were at Fishers Auto Electric where Steve Fisher provided us with superb service. He discovered that the housing for the alternator that I had “rebuilt” in Vancouver wasn’t installed properly as the bearing had cracked and was spinning freely inside the casing therefore not properly charging the battery.

Steve’s search for a matching Lucas alternator proved impossible. The closest one was in Winnipeg and it wouldn’t arrive until the next day. I didn’t want to waste the day as we were falling behind schedule. I recalled seeing a MGB parked inside one of the garages down the street. I walked over to see if it was possible to purchase it. Seems that no one likes Lucas; the MGB had a modern alternator installed. Steve explored other options to no avail. He came up with an idea of rigging the alternator so that the bushing would remain fixed. He added splines to it and wedged it into the housing. Added plenty of lubricant and that was enough of a patch job to get us to Winnipeg. We were grateful for his assistance however he refused payment. We had some catching up to do and get to Winnipeg before dark. By 15:36 hours we were on the way.

19:11 hours brought us outside Winnipeg. We pulled over and I made my call to Chuck Ingram. For some reason, he wasn’t answering the phone. I knew he was expecting us as I had kept him posted of our ETA. The alternator was starting to call it quits as the battery power was dwindling. Shutting the car off would have meant having to call CAA and possibly towing it.

It wasn’t long when the call went through. Chuck gave us directions for our meeting spot. We were on the right route and few more Kilometers away we met up with him and his beautiful “Spirit of Lister” Sunbeam Tiger. He took the lead and we followed him home. Once we reached his driveway, Richard shut off the engine and the car was dead.

We spend the better part of that evening admiring his car collection. In particular the custom built Tiger. Ollie had prepared us a nice meal and we chatted about the trip and cars. The car battery was put on the charger overnight and Chuck did a quick patch weld on the bumper bracket that had cracked.

DAY 5 – August 29 - Tuesday

We thanked Chuck and Ollie for their hospitality and made our way to Ace Auto Electric in Winnipeg to have the alternator taken care of. We arrived early and of course nothing is short and sweet.

We had two options. One was to install a Declo alternator. A cheaper model one with more amps and it required modifying the mounting bracket. It also meant having to remove the mounting bolt that connects to the water pump. I was reluctant to do this, as this bolt was the Achilles heel of the water pump. During the engine assembly process it took me numerous tries to ensure that it didn’t leak. I had added extra sealant and it was holding nicely. I didn’t want to compound the current problem with a new one. So I opted to get a matching alternator. They had a Lucas model in stock but needed to order a built-in regulator. This took better part of the day. At 15:30 hours and six hours later the new alternator was installed and we were finally back on the road.

At 18:09 hours we reached Ontario. This province was to take us three days to cross, the longest province yet. We arrived in Dryden at about 22:00 hours and 6 hours behind schedule. The alternator was working nicely. The initial plan was to be in Thunder Bay tonight, which is another 500km. Given that we had a long day and the unlikely availability of fuel late at night along this stretch of road was questionable, it was best to stay the night and get to Sault Ste. Marie tomorrow – a 12 hour drive for sure.

DAY 6 – August 30 – Wednesday

I have one thing to say to the truckers in Ontario. Slow down and pay attention. I don’t know what’s wrong with these guys. At one point, we were on a two-lane portion of the highway uphill bound. Naturally one’s speed slows down on such a climb. I was doing just that but still within the speed limit. This trucker was riding my tail for a fair distance. Eventually, he got fed up, crossed over the solid yellow line, and preceded to pass me. The three vehicles from the oncoming lane had to quickly pull over to the side of the road, meanwhile, I got a blast of his air horn and almost got clipped by the tail end of his trailer as I had to veer to the right and onto the gravel shoulder to avoid a collision. I couldn’t get his license number. I tried to pick up speed but it was too late, he was long gone. For a period of time, I could still see the trunk far into the distance. I just wished I had more power in this car to catch up or better yet that he would pull over at a gas station or rest stop. Then an exchange of words would have been in order.

By noon we reached Thunder Bay. After re-fuelling, I closed the trunk and walked back to the passenger side when I heard a gush of fluid spill from the trunk onto the ground. At first I thought I overfilled the gas tank but that wasn’t the case, I could smell that it wasn’t. It was the WD-40. I re-opened the trunk and sure enough, the can had wedged itself between the gas tank and toolbox and ka-boom.

A visit to the Terry Fox monument was in order. During my last visit the monument was adjacent to the highway. Now, it was located inside a dedicated park high atop a hill, a more appropriate locale.

15:30 hours - Richard drove while I took a nap. I found that leaning my head back in the pocket of the racing helmet made for a nice pillow. After a short nap I woke to the sound of the car pulling into a gas station. Here was an opportunity in the making. Few admirers gathered around the car and one of them was the Mayor of this town - Schreiber. This man wore many hats including co-hosting a local radio show. Given that we were far from the radio station, he called his co-host, who was on the air and arranged an on air interview from his office at the convenience store.

As the sun faded into the background a long and cold night of driving remained. The temperature changes from one extreme to the other very quickly on these roads. However, properly layered clothing with a hat and gloves made the drive more bearable. I know, why not put the top up? Where is the fun in that, besides, it wasn’t raining and was a nice evening.

DAY 7 – August 31 – Thursday

Today was a busy day of interviews with the media. Our day started in Sault Ste. Marie for the regional news then off to Sudbury where we met up with the local CTV affiliates by the giant Nickel and then to North Bay for last TV interview of the day.

20:08 hours – Pembroke. Richard and I stocked up on burritos and spent a quite evening outside the Motel room discussing the trip and what remained. It was a relaxing moment to wind down and take in the clean night air.

DAY 8 – September 1 - Friday

09.00 hours – We reached Arnprior where we rendezvoused with a group of Sunbeamers at the Tim Horton’s. This meeting was a great opportunity to finally meet these guys after numerous correspondences. In particular Bill Williams, Gilles Blais, and Gary Corbett who would later meet up with us at Targa as a safety Marshal. 

Before entering Quebec, we stopped in for fuel. Inside the gas station was a large map of Canada covering from floor to ceiling. I stared at this map and was in awe at the size of this country and how much distance we had traveled. In comparison, it looked like we only had a small distance reaming.

15:55 hours – arrived at my Mom’s home. She was thrilled to see us and of course like any good Mother; she had the dining table with an assortment of edibles.

DAY 11 – September 4 – Monday

The past two days we spend time with my family in Montreal. The majority of Saturday we shopped for parts. We made the necessary fluid changes and general inspection. Everything was in order. We had to weld a seat bracket that was broken and mend an exhaust pipe bracket. One major issue we discovered was that the four bolts holding the drive shaft to the rear axle were loose. That explained the lateral shaking at high speeds.

08:30 hours - After a tearful goodbye with Mom, I had to pay my respects to my father to which this trip was dedicated. He died of cancer a decade ago. His passing had a profound affect on me. At the cemetery I felt very emotional. I stood there gathering my thoughts as to what to say and nothing could come out. I couldn’t hold back my tears and felt the sharp tightening sensation in my throat. I just knelt down and gave my respects to a man who overcame so many hurdles over the years and at the age of 63 he passed away. I owe so much to him. The fundraising element of this journey is in part a large element of my tribute to him. I am merely paying it forward to a deserving child. I wiped away my tears and made my way back to the car and proceeded with the journey.

On the outskirts of Montreal we were greeted with a deluge of rain. So far we have been fortunate to drive ¾ of the country with the top down and enjoyed nothing but sunshine. After a short drenching the soft top was up. I had made an error and missed our exit. The map was out and an alternate route was selected to put us back on track. We zigzagged our way through the back roads and back onto the Trans Canada Highway. I enjoyed the back roads more so that the major roadways because it offered a perspective of the country.

Mom had packed us a large bag full of goodies and we snacked on them for the balance of the day as we made our way through the downpour.

19:00 hours - we entered New Brunswick into the Atlantic Time zone. It was almost midnight when we arrived in Fredericton and checked into a hotel. I was very tired and sleep was the first and only thing on my mind. We quickly offloaded the car and retired to our rooms.

DAY 12 – September 5 – Tuesday

This morning an unexpected surprise, the right rear tire was flat. Good thing I had brought two spares. The change was made and I was ready to warm up the car and wipe off the morning dew. Now the car won’t start. Members of the Wilson Niblett Racing were at hand as they were on their way to Targa. Generously they boosted the car and we got the car started.

Back on the road, we stopped at the Canadian Tire store to pick up a new starter solenoid. We made the switch yet the problem persisted – not starting. By now the car was warm, so another push start to get it going. It was evident the problem was beyond the starter solenoid.

Today was a special day. There were some time constraints however the distance we had to cover was a short one and I was confident that we would make our scheduled appointment. By 13:00 hours we entered Nova Scotia and headed to Amhearst Head. We drove through Amhearst en-route to the Wal-Mart. It was 20 minutes into farm country I sensed that something wasn’t’ right. I couldn’t see Wal-Mart building a store in a middle of an open field. We stopped for direction and discovered that the store was in Amhearst and not in Amhearst Head. A quick u-turn and back to town.

Forty minutes late, we rolled into the Wal-Mart parking lot. I could see the presence of the media and a group of people. I automatically spotted Marrina, the five-year-old girl whose wish was granted by this project. She was wearing a light blue princess dress.

We had our introductions and posed for photos and interviews. I had Marrina sign the customized “I WISH” (The motto of the Make-A-Wish Foundation) license plate I had on my car. The biggest joy from this meeting was when Marrina’s father asked her if there was something she forgot to give me. He requested that I kneel down. She walked over and embraced me in a hug. What more can I say, this gesture was worth all the effort I had put into this fundraising.

We spend about two hours getting acquainted with Marrina, her family and the media. Prior to our departure, we discovered that the starter wiring was loose. Marrina’s father assisted us in diagnosing the problem and after fixing it we replaced the existing battery with new and more powerful one.

By now the clouds had lifted and the sun was beating down. We backtracked through Nova Scotia and crossing the Confederation Bridge brought us into Prince Edward Island. A 14km bridge span - something worth seeing.

A very scenic drive trough the island brought us into Charlottetown and we checked into a hotel. I was tired but had multiple e-mails correspondences to catch up on which took a fair bit of time. So much so, that I merely skipped dinner.

DAY 13 – September 6 – Wednesday

The day started with a continental breakfast at the hotel. Our plan was to catch the ferry to Nova Scotia. After talking to one of the cleaning staff she suggest that crossing over the Confederation bridge back would be more economical. The toll at the bridge is $40 and the ferry would be $60 with a 70minute sailing.

On advisement, we decided that the bridge was the best option. After about an hour into the trip I realized that this was a mistake. Not only did we have to backtrack 30 minutes to the bridge and down the same road we had traveled yesterday but the route added about 2 hours plus fuel cost. It would have made more sense to pay the extra $20 for the ferry and had a nice sail back to the mainland. Anyway lesson learned.

For the majority of this leg, Richard was at the wheel while I updated my notes and formulated our schedule. 

14:00 hours - we entered the famed Cape Breton Islands. Once we crossed the steel bridge we took the low road, as it seemed to be the most scenic on the map. A quick refueling and we were off to our final destination – the North Sydney ferry terminal.

16:41 hours - we arrived at the ferry terminal and were advised that the 16:00 hour sailing had been cancelled due to a ferry breaking down and the18:00 hour has been rescheduled to 17:00 hour. We were placed on a waiting list however it didn’t look promising as I could see the ferry at berth and no other vehicle boarding it. By 17:30 hours it sailed and any chances of us leaving today was not to be. Richard made a reservation for the first sailing tomorrow and we went into town in search of accommodations. We have covered 9/10 of the provinces without a single traffic jam and now this. Oh, well not much we could do. It’s all part of the adventure. Certainly we were not going to swim across.

DAY 14 – September 7 – Thursday

08:15 hours - we boarded the ferry. I had intended on being near the car during this sailing to ensure that it wasn’t vandalized. This plan went out to sea when advised no one is permitted on the vehicle deck during sailing.

We found comfortable seats and it wasn’t long before Richard fell asleep. I tried my best to do the same but couldn’t. So, I did the next best thing. I grabbed my camera gear and went for a walk on deck. For the first time during this trip, I felt relaxed and without any scheduled obligations. The six hours sailing was to provide me with the opportunity to explore this ship and photograph things of interest.

After my initial walk around the ship I returned to my chair. Richards was still asleep. I went for breakfast. It consisting of two breakfast bagels, apple juice and chocolate mouse. I didn’t like the food as the eggs were runny and the slice of ham had the thickness of my boot heel. I ate what I could and hurried towards dessert. I began to devour the cream topping and started to bore my way to the bottom of the narrow glass tower. Halfway through, an obstacle, the spoon was too wide to go any deeper. What would a chimp do in this situation? I grabbed a napkin, wiped the spoon clean, flipped it around and began my feast using the handle of the spoon.

I searched the ship for a quiet spot and not a single one existed. I would have been happy sleeping in my car but that was not to be as the entrance doors were locked shut by steel doors. Therefore, I returned to my seat, for the third time, hoping to get some sleep. No such luck. Now the band struck up the tunes from the bar across the way while few rows behind were two American sport hunters talking about shotguns and the finer points of hunting. Their conversation was never-ending. I think they had hunted every known creature on earth. Some animals may have even committed suicide in their presence. These two did not pause for a breath. That is all they talk about. Correction. They did change the subject for a brief moment when the topic was corn bread and beans and what meat complemented it. I looked back at these guys in disbelief and went for a walk. At hour later, I returned to discover that our fearless hunters have talked themselves to sleep. Shhh! Be vewy, vewy, quiet.

After six hours of sailing Newfoundland was in sight. It seemed small and flat but definitely that was not the case. Port Aux Basque was our port of call. I couldn’t help think about how the first explorers felt when they first encountered this island. My first impression of the island was prehistoric and bare, yet as our drive took us inland we discovered it’s natural beauty.

We stayed overnight in Cornerbrook and make our final dash to St. John’s the next day.

DAY 15 – September 8 – Friday

The wind and beautiful scenery never seized throughout this island. By early evening we arrived in St. Johns and headed straight to our hotel. As we pulled into the parking lot, a row of racecars solidified our arrival. We had made it and logged 7,723km.

Tomorrow. TARGA.