Family Road Trip 2008 Version....

3 kids. A minivan. Driving across the Midwest on the way to Chicago.

I feel a bit like Chevy Chase in "Vacation," but with portable DVD, GPS, laptop, 2 phones, FM Tuner for the iPod, I just need more cigarette lighters.

I tell people that when you travel by plane with kids, you take the amount of time you need and just multiply that by three.

For road trips, so far it is looking like 20% increase in time. Adults would drive from DC to Columbus, OH in 6 hours or so. It took us about 8.2

We were doing great, until Paco got a case of carsickness and while we were cleaning it up (now I know where the term "blow chunks" comes) from", a MASSIVE storm rolled in and we got drenched. Of course, at that point the wind was so strong that it closed the door on my leg. Yes, that hurt...a lot!

Even in the days of $4/gallon gas, it's still cheaper to drive and there's something mythical about the family road trip.

I feel the memories getting formed and the bonding time is certainly rich. The kids are asking GREAT questions:

• what do the numbers on the side of the road mean?
• why are the colors on the mountains so different?
• what's a Buckeye? (my Ohio cousins are big fans!)
• why are there orange balls on the (power) lines?

I love seeing their curiosity and having the chance to give them an appreciation of American culture and history.

I'll tell you one thing, the more I sit in it, the more satisfied I am w/the Honda Odyssey. It's a very well-designed and functional car.

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