Traveling with the troop.

When you are a dozen plus, going anywhere as a family can be daunting. That is probably why we didn't do it very often. Our church had multiple service times, so we went in shifts. As some of us older kids got our licenses, it was even easier for multiple trips.

Usually, family functions were held at our house, due to my Grandma living on the same property, and we lived on the original family farm. If we traveled to a relatives for family function we needed to take two cars. My Dad drove a 1970 Buick Estate Wagon, which held 9 passengers. My Mom drove a 1967 Buick Wildcat, which held the rest of us, and was just about as long as the wagon.  Dad always bought cars with a powerful engine, and liked to use it. One time with the car full of kids, we were behind a slow driver and he passed 7or so cars at one swoop with no trouble. You have to love a 455 Buick motor!

Our wagon was like this, but no wood grain stuff.

You might have thought that ours would be rowdy trips, but, when Dad was driving, it was silence in the car. We usually tried to get the back seat, there we could whisper and not be heard. That usually worked. We also were forced to listen to the "beautiful music" channel of elevator music. Songs you sort of recognized, but, not played by any original musicians.

It was Dad's job to drive whenever he was in the car. I was at least 35 before he rode in the car with me driving. Not that he didn't trust us, he just believed it was his job to do it. We drove to Canada once, him, my Mom, and my brother Jim, he drove the entire way for 10 hours. At least he wasn't one of those that don't stop to eat or use the restroom.

How do you remember your childhood travels?