GOING PINCO
Heading South In
the Chevy Venture
Family reunions can be like firecrackers -
you never know if there is a dud, bang or
explosion in store for you. My fathers side
o f the family, which reunites every two years,
settled on the predictably sedate surround
ings o f Dalton, Ga.— home to several Mitchell
descendants and hub of the carpet industry
— as host site for this year’s family gathering.
Suspecting this reunion could be a potential
dud, my husband and I decided to round
out the lengthy trip from D etroit, Mich, by
making a pit stop or two. O ur first sightseeing
spot would be M emphis, Tenn., an histori
cally rich so u th e rn
to w n
poised on the banks o f the Mississippi
River. We chose Chevrolet’s all-new Venture
minivan (AAO W s 1997 Urban Pick winner
for Best M inivan) as ou r transportation. I
w anted to see how General M otors’ latest
entry in the highly competitive minivan seg
m ent would hold up on a m arathon trek
through blistering heat, hauling an active
three-year-old.
Expectations were high for Memphis and
the Venture. As an experienced minivan
owner, I noticed imm ediately the conve
nience o f the additional fourth door when
packing our belongings, which the cream-
colored Venture graciously accommodated.
T his also included daughter Maya’s exclu
sive club o f various Disney and Warner Bros
“friends.’’
As we began our trip late Friday heading
south on 1-75 from D etroit through O hio,
we noticed how remarkably comfortable the
54
AFRICAN A.MERK LANS O N WHEELS
cloth-covered seats made the 11 -hour drive,
even for my 6 ’2 husband Greg Robinson,
who slept in the rear seat while I drove
Electronic controls allow the driver to se
lect the perfect height, position and inclini
necessary to make a long trip bearable. Th,
van’s responsive handling and a C D play«
which effortlessly cranked o ut clear soun
put m e in just the right vacation moo.
T his was cool.
Sweltering Memphis heat greeted our ar
rival Saturday afternoon. At first glance,
M emphis appears rather
plain and ordinary, but
w hen
w e p ro b e d
deeper, we fo u n d the
city’s many fine histori
cal points-of-interest,
such as Root’s author
A lex H a le y ’s c h ild
h o o d h o m e , w h ich
still stands on the o ut
skirts o f town.
T h e Civil Rights
M u se u m , fo rm erly
the Lorraine M otel
w here the Rev. Dr.
M artin Luther King,
Jr. was fatally shot,
houses a painful, b ut trium phant story o f
our fight for freedom and justice. A favorite
exhibit there included handmade quilts with
an extensive display o f color, a testim ony to
our rich heritage handed dow n through
many generations. N ot far
from the m useum , past
M ain Street w ith its trol
ley cars, is the legendary’
Beale Street, w hich was
the starting ground for
m any blues an d jazz
greats.
After o u r cultural
a d v e n tu r e , w e re
tu r n e d
to
th e
Venture’s air-condi
tioned com fort and
cruised tow ard the
M ississippi River,
in pursuit o f some
‘toddler’ fun. Pass-
HE N E E D L E S PR A N C E, T H E G A U G ES G L 9U I
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