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and the drivers get weary, when
one Amoco Station begins to look
like the next, and the next, and
the next, the Cherniaks resort to
another form of entertainment.
Masks.
They've got a Nixon mask and
a hockey mask to simulate Ja-
son, the horror-movie bad boy
from Friday The 13th. The per-
son in the passenger seat gets
to play dress-up. Fellow road
warriors driving in adjacent
lanes pass by and nearly pass
out — laughing.
"It breaks up the monotony,"
Mr. Cherniak says.
Iris and Sheldon Yellen of
West Bloomfield have two boys,
ages 5 and 7, who revel in the
Florida outdoors. Bungee jump-
ing, miniature golf, boating and
swimming — if it involves fresh
air, count them in
No less entertaining is their
trip down south, via a jeep or
van stocked with all sorts of es-

.

sentials. A VCR hooks up to the
small mobile television. Films
like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
cure bouts of boredom.
When the children, Brandon
and Jordan, exhaust their stash
of videos from home, the Yellen
parents buy more at gas sta-
tions, which sell fuel and just
about everything else.
There's always good stuff to
eat and drink in the Yellen's
back-seat cooler, and there's
Sega and Gameboy to play
when the movies get old.
"We've made an adventure
out of driving," Ms. Yellen says.
"Personally, I'd rather fly, but
the kids love the van."
Sheldon takes the wheel. She
takes books-on-tape and needle-
point.
After 10 hours on the road,
the family pulls over and checks
in for the evening. Their hotel
must have a pool. Ice machines
are a plus. The boys get a kick
out of pushing buttons in
the elevator.
Lest such thrills seem
petty, consider another rea-
son for driving to Florida.,
Yellen clan members sing
songs and tell jokes. Bran-
don writes in his journal.
"When we drive, it brings
us all closer together," Ms.
Yellen says. "You actually
have a chance to talk with
your kids more than you
otherwise would."

Left:
Disney World and Epcot
Center are just two of the
sites to see.

PH OTO COU RTESY OF MA.

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Traveling
on all
fours, with
a tank full
of gas and
a stash of
chips,
sun birds
go south.

efore we get started,
tell me you at least
tried to use the bath-
room.
Any luck? Good.
Now climb in, fas-
ten your seat belt
and let's take off. You
might say we're headed
someplace between utter lunacy
and old-fashioned practicality.
Our travel partners: Jews
who make the 1,300-plus mile
trip to Florida on all fours. All
four wheels, that is.
Travelers partial to flying the
friendly skies might wonder if
these road-running sunbirds are
functioning on a full tank of gas.
"When you tell people you like
to drive, they look at you quizzi-
cally. Most people just want to
get there. They don't want to be
there three days from now," says
West Bloomfield resident Ed
Cherniak who frequently makes
the trip by car with his wife, Suzi.
Truth is, the 1-75 phe-
nomenon is surprisingly
common. The trek is as
much about getting to Flori-
da as it is about basking in
the sun once there.
And for many families, 23
hour > in a minivan sounds a
lot less miserable than
spending a winter in Michi-
gan without some type of
warm-weather respite.
The Cherniaks have made
a practice of putting their
children on a plane headed
to Boca Raton and Fort
Lauderdale, where the
grandparents live.
Then, Ed and Suzi climb
in their Corvette and start
driving. They stop at classy
hotels, nice restaurants and
beautiful sites, where Mr.
Cherniak puts his photog-
raphy skills to good use.
When the road gets long,

Opposite:
For Ed Chemiak,
getting there
is half the fun.

