you're driving what?

The conversation usually goes like this...

  "What car are you taking on your road trip?"

  "My little red car."

  "Really? Will all of you fit?"

For those who have seen my Honda Fit, they are always a bit surprised when I tell them that it is the car of choice for this two week road trip. That's because my three sons range in height from 5'10" to 6'1". People are even more surprised when I tell them that it was the boys' choice.

We had several choices in vehicles. Renting a a car was the original choice, but the cost of driving out of state and the fact that none of the guys are 25 years old, ruled that option out fairly quickly. I'd like to be able to share the driving, and rental car companies have rules about that. Yes, I know I don't have to tell them, but that's just not my way.

The minivan was our next choice which was eliminated even faster. While it has the most space, it's too old, has too many miles on it, and is a bit smelly. We don't want to get stranded somewhere and I'm not sure our old van could handle the trip.

That left us with two final options - Matt's Ford Escape or my Honda Fit. I thought the Escape was the obvious choice. It has more luggage space (including a luggage rack on the roof), and it's wider and longer than my car. But the three brothers, informed me that my car has more leg room than Dad's car, and they'd rather take the Fit.

They are right. The back seat passengers have more leg room than you would think, especially if you sit behind me. With my short legs, I pull the seat up and their is plenty of room for them to stretch out their legs. In fact, whenever we drive in my car, the coveted seat is behind Mom. Just goes to show you that even with cute little red cars, appearances can be deceiving.

We'll have to pack light since the back of my car doesn't have a large amount of storage space. That means laundry every few days and wearing the same clothes over and over again. But Joe pointed out that we won't see the same people each day until we are in Mississippi for four days; four outfits should be just fine.

Honestly, I think the main reason everyone wants to take my car has little to do with space and much more to do with opportunity. My car has always been off limits except to Matt and myself. The boys are chomping at the bit to drive it. Even David is working hard to get his permit with the hope of getting to drive on some straight, empty road in the middle of nowhere. I'm still not sure how I feel about the whole thing. I'm very protective of my car. After all it's the cutest little red car you ever did see, and I'd like to keep it that way!

I have a sneaking suspicion that we are going to look like modern day Joads, squeezed into our vehicle, filled to the brim with our stuff. Of course, we'll have air conditioning, a clean place to sleep each night, and showers. I guess it's not quite the experience of John Steinbeck's heroes, but it should be an interesting trip!

Five days and counting!