"The dog just barfed, pull over!"

We just handed over the keys to our little brick house in Catonsville, Maryland and jumped into our blue not-minivan to seek adventure and new life out west. As I dream of it, it will be 8-10 days of good music and podcasts, campy road trip games (two for flinching!), sour cream and onion potato chips, greasy burgers, and the unfolding majesty of this beautiful country. In this dream there are no, "Are we there yets?" Or, "Mom, she's not sharing!" And especially not, "The dog just barfed, pull over!"

As long as I'm dreaming, this road trip would also be the perfect opportunity for great discussions and to teach my 5 and 2 year olds about the history of little towns and how once upon a time people crossed this country by wagon, horse and foot. They would look at me and cheer, "Tell us more!" And I'd explain how people lived with the land according to the seasons and how whole communities grew and took care of each other through each harsh winter and bountiful harvest. At the end of each day, my littles would rest their heads on their pillows and thank us for letting them sit in the car for hours staring at miles upon miles of road. They'd proclaim that this is the stuff of life and far more interesting and significant than anything their iPad could offer. Then I would tuck them in and whisper, "Get rest now, we get to do it all again tomorrow." And they would let out one more big cheer and then happily drift off to sleep perfectly contented with the day's events and the promise of tomorrow's adventures.

And that's as far as my dream goes. After over 5 years of parenting there is too much reality lived to think for more than a moment that 8-10 days in a car with 2 pre-schoolers and a senior dog will look even remotely like what I just described. And I am okay with that. So this blog is for you, brave parents and curious non-parents! What does a real American road trip adventure look like with your mini-me's, both human and canine? Or better yet, what could it be like with a little creative energy? Join us on our journey west!