By Kevin Miller

10.18.2008

I’ve long been a proponent of choosing a car that is sized no larger than it absolutely needs to be. I’ve scoffed at the childless or single-child families I see running around the suburbs in their minivans or large SUVs. Our family of three (soon to be four) fits nicely in our mid-sized sedan and our mid-sized wagon. I’m unwilling to trade the poor fuel economy and roly-poly handling of a minivan or SUV for the space we would use only on rare occasions. The truth is, I’ve been so single-minded in my fervor against large vehicles that I’ve failed to see the occasions where such a vehicle would be useful.

This weekend, however, my eyes have been opened. Our family of three planned a weekend trip with another family of three to Washington State’s San Juan Islands, which involves a 75 mile drive north from Seattle to the ferry terminal in Anacortes, and then a wait for the 45-minute ferry crossing to our destination on Lopez Island. With the heavy traffic out of Seattle and the expense of driving a vehicle onto the ferry, it made a lot of sense to carpool. Continue Reading →