Well, I have decided that our first stop will be at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (http://www.nps.gov/sucr/index.htm). I've consulted with the kids, and in the interest of getting there with enough time to enjoy the visit, we'll plan just the one park for the day. I figure that if we leave by 4:30 AM, we'll be there by 3:00 PM and have 2 hours to explore and absorb. Now I've just got to look up the child safety restraints, meal & gas stops for that first leg of the route.
Otherwise, my only progress has been in scoring for $20 off Craigslist a brand new, still sealed Super Mario Brothers game for my oldest son's Nintendo DS. He will not get to use it until the commencement of our trip. That should keep him absorbed for hours on end and content to sit contained and restrained.
Off topic, however, I wonder if anyone else believes in dream divination, or journeys and meetings of the soul in dreams? I had a mild nightmare (compared to those that leave me reeling in emotional agony for days) Friday morning that I had taken my boys to an indoors amusement park. While at one of the attractions I met a fine lookin' fella and found myself caught up in exploring the possibilities with him. I let my children run off to pursue the other rides while I focused on the guy. After an hour, more or less, the interest faded, and I looked around for my boys. At that point my oldest ran up to me, alone. I asked where his brother was, and he did not know. Nor could I find my youngest. I had neglected my son, and he was lost to me.
That nightmare woke me, and I jumped out of bed to cook breakfast. Suddenly my youngest was just standing there in front of me. I hadn't heard him come in, nor had I seen any motion. He informed me that he had woken from a nightmare in which he was lost and could not find me. He didn't remember the details, so I don't know how much more his dream paralleled mine.
