A 2016 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen carried Kim Parker, Jan and me 105 miles last Saturday morning, June 18, to the wide-open plains of northwestern Logan County for a 100th anniversary celebration of the Carey Homestead.
The event, hosted by Don and Audrey Carey, honored Ruth Carey Davis, the last living of seven siblings who grew up in that part of the county. Don’s father, Harve, was a brother of Ruth. Ruth, 95, resides in Greeley.
After lunch at Don and Audrey’s home northwest of Sterling, we drove northwest 10 more miles, close to the Weld County line, near where the original homestead existed for Will and Blanche Carey.
Outside a dilapidated, weather-beaten three-room wood structure which once was a home for Willis Carey, a relative, Ruth and Don headed an interesting discussion of those days of long ago. Attendees of the celebration gathered beneath a large canopy in the 93-degree heat.
The Golf wagon was reasonably priced at $22,445, including rearview camera, heated and foldable power-adjustable side mirrors, cruise control, an eight-speaker sound system with Bluetooth connectivity. The cloth front seats were controlled manually, except for a power switch to recline the seatbacks.
The SportWagen’s overall fuel mileage was 31.3 miles per gallon from its little 1.8-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder direct-injection engine and 5-speed manual transmission. Horsepower production is 170 and the 5-speed manual is adequate, though doesn’t measure up to the automatic or more modern 6-speed manual used in performance models and larger cars for VW.
