This week my trusty Jeep Grand Cherokee had to go on the disabled list.

It would be out of action for just a day, no longer thankfully. But, not wanting to miss any paddling with my fellow mates on Team Checkpoint Zero/GoLite, I begged my wife for the keys to her mini van. The Honda Odyssey has done its duty as a team hauler before, but mostly shuttles the family around to Cub Scout meetings, lake weekends, play dates, school, etc.

She thankfully obliged, so I took off to the river Friday morning with my kayak strapped to the roof and my smelly training clothes and paddling gear piled inside. I have to say it was a wonderful ride.

As a dad who's desperately hanging on to every shred of cool I think I have (as if), it can be hard to climb inside the mini van and consider striking a cool pose as I rumble up to stop lights -- like I did in my 20s when I had a light blue 1978 280Z sports car. Mini vans scream utility, not style. But in reflection, I think they're a great 4-wheel analogy for adventure racers. Shouldn't we, in the heat of battle, be more concerned about performance than how good we look in our spandex shorts and our skinny carbon-fiber bike?

So, in tribute to my wife's Honda Odyssey and to mini vans everywhere, I wrote this Honda Haiku. Excuse the weak reference to former Chrysler chief Lee Iacocca in the first line. I had to stick to the strict 5/7/5 Haiku syllable rule (Lee Iacocca is credited for taking the mini van to market for the first time in the '80s).

Lee I is a god
Paddles, bikes, boats, gear boxes
It all fits just fine

- Paul Cox