Us on a Bus Father Takes Four Children on Trip Through Southwest

[Page 1] Us on a Bus Father Takes Four Children on Trip Through Southwest Charles G. Griffo, father of six children, and Indianapolis Star staffer is traveling by Greyhound bus through 6.000 miles of the Southwest. He is accompanied by four of the children while mother staws at home. Here is his first dispatch. By CHARLES G. GRIFFO Aboard Greyhound Highway the southern Indiana hills, they flipping past the tinted glass of the fly by in monotonous regularity. A age passenger in the back seat is "*All Shook Up." Which is precisely present time. It isn't the thought of the strain 14, Chuck 9, Mary 6, and Gregory| 4½ on a 6,000-mile bus tour of the Southwest.

It has been the effort required just to get started. According to Hoyle Which, I imagine, if one has to he philosophical about it, is all according to Hoyle. "There'll be nothing to the packing" said Mrs. Griffo, who is staying home with a 16-year-old daughter, Patty and 2-year-old Vincent, when we first discussed the e trip. "I'll make all the plans for getting ready. You can take three changes of clothing for each of the children, they each have separate bags," she said. "We'll use synthetic materials that can be easily washed in hotel rooms. We'll plan this scientifically." I might add that my good wife had been reading articles written by women who never take children on n trips and say that all you have to do is be scientific in your bag packing.

In order to outfit the brood for the tour, Mrs. G. went on a shopping trip. bought some "wash and wear" clothing. Did you ever try putting 2-ounceweight "miracle fabric" on boys 9 and 4½ who want to be Texas Rangers? We are now carrying at least six pairs of heavy-weight denim jeans. They are narrow of hip, they look like cowboy gear but they also take up the major portion of one of the bags which Mrs. Griffo had said would do for Gregory's entire three-weeks' wardrobe. Our luggage has increased from 4 to 7. Purchasing : an adequate: summer vacation outfit for children doesn't take much time. My wife at least $150 within an hour spent I then spent the better part of a week taking back and exchanging sizes of pants, shoes, shorts, pajamas and other wearables that either were too large or too small.

Traveler, 1104- greenery of say in pamphlets, is thevels bus window and telephone poles portable radio carried by a teenblurting out Elvis' recording of my physical condition at the of taking four children, Martha Department store detectives began giving me the eye. I trembled at the shrinkage of a wallet that already looked as if he had been the victim of a street steam roller. "It's amazing how fast children grow," said Mrs. G. matter-offactly. "It's really hard to figure out sizes unless you take the kids along with you and you know that is impossible, they just have to cram through the final days of school," she said. In the cramming department there was little evidence visible, but I kept my mouth shut.

Learned His Lesson I've tried to follow this policy at least around the house, since last summer when I casually mentioned that fathers these days don't get to spend enough time with their children. I wound up on a 2,500 mile tour of the Smokies and Florida in the family sedan with three of the kids while Mrs. G. stayed at home. Plans for this year's trip followed. So here we are. We'll follow the gulf coast, New Orleans, then Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Juarez, Phoenix, Tucson, Tombstone, Nogales, Santa Fe, Tusla. We'll visit the real "Boot Hill," "Last Chance Saloon," the OK Corral. While Al Whitt of Evansville, a Greyhound veteran of 32 years, follows winding Ind.

37 to Evansville, a route he has driven for 15 years, I'll sit back relaxed. First stop New Orleans. This is the way to travel. "Down. Sit -Gregory."