I'm back!
I didn't think I could survive a week without Internet connectivity, but what do you know, I made it. This was our 3rd trip to Zaca Lake and I highly recommend it to fellow Californians looking to get away from it all.
The Honda Odyssey performed beautifully, completing 375 heavily laden miles, including steep hills, fast back roads and Friday-night Los Angeles traffic, on about 3/4 of a tank of gas. In terms of space and convenience, the Odyssey proved to be a nice compromise between the Dodge Grand Caravan, which is easy to pack but not the most comfortable for passengers, and the Nissan Quest, which offers first-class seating but is tricky to pack for a long trip. This weekend I'll fill up the tank, calculate my mileage and find out first-hand how easy the Odyssey is to clean, and then I'll prepare my full report which will appear on About.com's Minivans site. For now, I think I'll crawl back into bed... relaxing sure is hard work. -- Aaron Gold
Welcome back! I’m writing from Mazatlan, Mexico, where I’m investigating stories for About SUVs. Actually, I’m on my honeymoon with Mrs. SUVs Guide. I’ve been taking some interesting photos for you — some tiny cars that I’ve never seen before, which I hope will make it to the US before too long. Also, a cool fiberglass-bodied taxi called a Pulmonilla that’s built on a VW Beetle frame here in the state of Sinaloa. Very popular, and fun to ride in. No airbags or seatbelts or rollbars or any of that pesky safety equipment you gringos are so crazy about.
¡Hasta luego, Americanos! — Jason Fogelson, your Guide to Sport Utility Vehicles at About.com.