Armin's done the posts thus far. Now I'll take a shot at one.

 We're just over a week away from our departure date. There's so much to do! We're at the point of making many lists, trying to anticipate what we'll need but not wanting to haul everything we own with us.

The sky over Arches; Photo by Dan and Cindy Duriscoe

We're also trying to calm some anxiety on the part of the boys—they're concerned about carsickness, snakebites, getting lost in the backcountry, missing their friends, not getting enough s'mores... At the same time, we're all getting excited about all of the adventures ahead of us. We're reading up on good hiking trails, wildlife, breakfast spots, things to see. I can't wait to look up at the stars from our campsites!

 Our first few days will be pretty much consumed with just covering ground. We'll make it to Toledo the first night, Iowa City the second, and Mitchell, SD the third. I've never been to the first two, but have fond memories of the Corn Palace from our trip out west in the '90s. Our first camp site is in the Black Hills, and I'm really looking forward to hearing what the boys think about the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, and Wall Drug.