VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 8, 2012) - The dipping of the yellow Camaro's wheels in the Pacific Ocean near Victoria, BC marks the end of the Trans-Canada Trek today, a cross-Canada journey initiated by automobile writer Mark Richardson on June 4^th in St. John's, NL.

The expedition, sponsored by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), commemorated the 100^th anniversary of the first road trip across Canada and the 50^th anniversary of the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway. Richardson, an award-winning journalist and author, documented the significance of these important milestones in Canadian history, and recorded his own stories as he retraced the routes used by the country's earliest drivers.

Accompanied in July by his 12-year-old son Tristan, Mark chronicled his many encounters along the way with local residents. Politicians, media personalities and even a professional hammock maker near Peggy's Cove, NS told stories of the route and the impact it has had on their lives and the livelihood of their regions.

"Mark did an incredible job of describing the route's significance to Canadian driving history, adding his own artistic charm to an already remarkable story," said Jeff Walker, Vice-President of Public Affairs, CAA National. "The romance of the road is alive in Canadians from coast to coast, and I'm delighted that we were able to experience Mark's clear passion for driving over these past two months."

Mark crisscrossed Atlantic Canada for the month of June, traveled through Quebec and Ontario until mid-July, spanned the Prairies and entered British Columbia ahead of August. In addition to celebrating the route's official 50^th anniversary on July 30^th in Revelstoke, BC, Mark visited soldiers in Gagetown, NB, a nudist resort in Drummondville, QC, and viewed the route from above during a skydiving lesson in Moose Jaw, SK. CAA clubs across the country supported Richardson for the duration of the trip and organized local events for Mark to meet with regional members and the greater community.

Richardson's daily updates, bridging the dipping of the Camaro's wheels in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, are available online on the Trans-Canada Trek blog. Mark provided ongoing commentary through @WheelsMark and @CAA on Twitter, and his weekly video blogs can also be viewed on TheCAAChannel on YouTube.

About Mark Richardson

Mark, formerly the editor of the Toronto Star's Wheels section and its wheels.ca website, is now the editor of the MFuel automotive supplements in Maclean's magazine. He is a veteran of North American road trips and has driven to every province, territory and state on the continent. His daily accounts of a family drive in an RV last July from Toronto to Tofino became the third most popular blog that month on thestar.com, behind only that newspaper's coverage of the Blue Jays and the Raptors. For this summer's 10-week road trip, he will be driving a yellow 2012 Chevrolet Camaro convertible provided by General Motors, and will be sponsored by the Canadian Automobile Association; once home, he intends to write a book about the experience to be released at CAA's 2013 Annual General Meeting.

About CAA

CAA is a federation of nine clubs providing more than 5.6 million Members with exceptional emergency roadside service, complete automotive and travel services, member savings and comprehensive insurance services. CAA also advocates on issues of concern to its members, including road safety, the environment, mobility, infrastructure and consumer protection.

Mark Richardson's 2012 Trans-Canada Trek Itinerary