Singing Owl from RevGals writes:

Maybe it’s just me, but I often remember how long ago someting occured or something about it by recalling the car we had at the time. For today’s Friday Five, tell us about the cars in your life. Maybe we can even tempt some of the guys of the ring to join us. Specifically, tell us about:

1. The earliest recollection you have of a family car: I was one of 7 kids, so our “family car” was always a big ‘un. We had a Volkswagon Bus which, when loaded to the gunnels with all of our stuff, had a hard time making it uphill, but managed. People used to try and count how many were in the bus, so we kids would hold up 9 fingers…

2. The first car you drove when you could (legally) get behind the wheel yourself: The first car I drove on a regular basis was a manual transmission Volkswagen bug. It made it a challenge to start and stop on hills… but I learned how to handle the clutch/emergency brake/gas like a pro. I think I could still do it with a little practice. It’s all in the feet!

3. A memorable road trip: Probably the first time I drove a long distance by myself. I drove from Columbus, Ohio to Miami, Florida to start grad school. I had a car full of junk and a bag full of AAA maps. My dad and I mapped out my route, figured out the number of days and where I would stay in a motel. We even chose the motels from the AAA Guide books. This was before the days of cell phones. It must have made them crazy wondering if I were OK. All went extraordinarily well. It wasn’t until I had lived on campus a while that I realized that the motel I chose to stay in until graduate housing opened the next day was in a very… uh… “sheets by the hour” kind of place. Funny thing. The AAA Guide didn’t mention that. For that trip, I drove my trusty Dodge Omni.

4. The car you drive now. Love it? Hate it? Right now I’m driving a 2004 Honda Pilot. It has over 100,000 miles on it. The only concern we have is that the transmission is doing funky things. Since it is a moderate gas hog, our debate is when we should trade it in for a more “green” car, or if we should replace the transmission. The Pilot is a perfect size for hauling The Johnnie’s harp, so I hate to replace it with something smaller. Besides, it makes for a great transport device for a mongo Costco run, or lumber, or a camping trip. And the 4 wheel drive assist has been a great bonus for the “solar snow plow” method used here in Maryland. Oh. And it has a GPS. I love me my GPS. I am totally spoiled.

5. An interesting story that involves you and a vehicle. (No, I do not have a dirty mind!) Probably the best story for this category is from a camping trip we did to Assateague. The wild ponies tromp through the campsites and generally you have to safeguard all of your food in the cars, because they can (and will) kick in coolers and carry off bags of anything you leave out. One morning we were busy making breakfast when the herd rolled through. A bold pony stuck his head in the back of the minivan, almost climbing in the hatch back looking for food. We chased him out. He then went around to the side door and pulled out a Ziploc of Cheerios. He neatly pulled it open with the tip of one hoof and his teeth and ate the kids’ breakfast. Someone managed to push the sliding door shut before they did any more raids on our food supplies. The ranger commented to me later that ponies saw minivans as just another big food source, and that they have even been known to push open the side doors which haven’t been latched. The little buggers.

Bonus: What’s your idea of good “car music?” Geez. There’s so many options here. However, we are partial to traveling to one of the fun Sandra Boynton albums like “Philadelphia Chickens” or “Rhinocerous Tap.”