Dave Bugg wrote:
>
> Well, my youngest son, Ethan, just finished his high school sophomore
> year. As I've done with each of my kids when they've reached this age,
> I'll be taking him on a two week road trip to an area of America
> that he has chosen to visit.

From about ages 4 to 10, my parents took me all over
Europe, Canada, and the northern states along the
Canadian border. Visited Asia for part of a day
at Istanbul, and saw Africa across the strait of
Gibraltar.

That was when Europe was cheap, and VW buses were
cheap. And campgrounds were plentiful and cheap,
too. I hated it. Right now, my favorite place
to be is home. And since I'm there right now,
I'm happy. Very happy. When I see a picture in
National Geographic of enthusiasts on a glacier
in the Chilean Andes, my first thought is always
"If I were there, how would I get home?". I'd
have to get off the freakin' glacier, for starters.

> We will be hunting trilobite fossils and topaz, renting ATVs, visiting a
> gaggle of National Parks, touring Anasazi ruins, scrambling through slot
> canyons and various back-country areas, target shooting our handguns
> and .22 rifles, mountain biking, hitting a few Hopi and Navajo trading
> posts (I spent four months as a midwife at sage Memorial Indian Health
> Hospital in Ganado, AZ a long time ago), getting to know some
> regional history and cultures, and doing whatever we feel like doing.

What? No trip to Mt. Rushmore? Or Rugby, ND
(the geographical center of North America)?
Wall's Drugs?

Been to all of those. Never again.

While you're in AZ, you might consider touring
Arcosanti. A monument to failed dreams and
crazed artists. I believe Paolo Soleri is still
alive, so your son would have a chance to meet
him shortly before he croaks. Also, Biosphere 2
is in AZ, near Tuscon.