As an avid, expert skier, Ira Riklis’ favorite resort, hand down, is Vail, Colorado. He’s been going there for 35 years now, but he still remembers his first visit way back in the summer of ’75. But he also remembers the trip that brought him there: a cross country driving excursion from Philadelphia to the western mountains, the Pacific coast and back with his wife Diana. While she had traveled widely in Europe, it was her first exposure to the wonders of the United States.
Overall, it was a wonderful trip. And it did lead to Ira Riklis discovering Vail. But the method of travel left something to be desired. They undertook their long journey in a brand-new AMC Pacer. Those who remember this car, may recall it as a striking an unique design at the time. It looked something like a jellybean on wheels, wide and rather squat. Unfortunately, that small, wide body, surrounded by massive side, rear and front windows, made it a rolling solar oven, especially when traveling through the badlands and deserts of the Southwest. Add to that the fact that the car was woefully underpowered (think 5 mph top speed heading up the Rockies), and you can imagine some of the trials they faced on their 7-week, 8,000-mile adventure!