29 States.

When we started our trip, the kids had done at least one activity in seventeen states (plus DC and Ontario). As of today, they're at twenty-nine states, and by the end of this vacation they should be at thirty-six states. Some days on this trip we have followed the schedule I had made, and other times we've made changes. On Monday night while Paul and the kids were at the Lowell Observatory, I made some changes to yesterday's itinerary. We decided to visit Walnut Canyon as our first stop of the day instead of visiting Four Corners Monument later in the day, which also meant that we changed our dinner plans to eating at a Denny's in Gallup, New Mexico instead of a Denny's in Durango, Colorado. Thankfully the hotel we stayed at Monday night in Flagstaff had an office chair with wheels. I love it when I have a wheelchair! We didn't have time to swim in the indoor pool. I knew that the cabin and the motel near Bryce didn't offer a breakfast, but it turned out this Days Inn also doesn't offer a free breakfast because they have a restaurant. Oops! I had oatmeal for breakfast. We planned to use a gift card to get breakfast burritos at Taco Bell for those who wanted one, but we arrived at 8:40 and found out they don't open until 9:00. So we used our credit card and coupons to get breakfast sandwiches for Paul and the kids at Wendy's instead. The kids earned Junior Ranger badges at Walnut Canyon National Park where they walked down a trail to see some cliff dwellings. I brought two books for the trip. Had I known I'd spend so much time in the van by myself while Paul and the kids were doing things like horseback ria ding and walking on trails, I'd have brought more books! I read Miss Buncle's Book, which I had gotten through ILL. It was a fun read. I also read a parenting book that was very thought provoking that a small group I'm joining when we return started discussing together on September 8. 

Our second stop was Meteor Crater, which was something Paul had asked that I add to our itinerary back when I was planning the vacation a few months ago. We get into the National Parks for free, but that place isn't a National Park so we paid to see it. I watched one of the two movies and also hoofed it to see a view from the room. I skipped the other parts because I was nauseous from the pain. I also might have been dehydrated. I haven't been drinking very much water because going to the bathroom is such an ordeal hopping on one leg. 

Our third stop was the Petrified Forest which also includes the Painted Desert. The kids earned a second Junior Ranger badge. We spent about 2.5 hours in the park. There are only two times in our vacation where we're driving through a state, going to another state, and then returning to a state we've already been in (aside from Pennsylvania of course). Yesterday was one of the two times (Tennessee will be the other time). As we entered New Mexico, the time changed back to MDT meaning we lost an hour. We had a late dinner at Denny's and then drove to Colorado where we spent the night at a Days Inn in Cortez. The room I had intended for our family had three beds so the boys didn't have to share beds last night. The room that was supposed to be Pop Pop's room had one king size bed. Nadia didn't want to share a bed with me so she opted to sleep on the floor. That should be the only time this vacation she sleeps on the floor aside from the two nights with her cousins in Chicago. We're spending the day in Colorado today, and then we're driving to Albuquerque where we'll spend the night. It would have involved less driving if we had just driven from the Petrified Forest to Albuquerque, but this way the kids get to add another state to their list (Colorado) and thankfully Mesa Verde is in the southwest part of Colorado. I remember that Mesa Verde was one of my most favorite things we did when I was a child and we had a big road trip out west. Unfortunately I screwed up with the tour. You can only book it 14 days in advance. I had it in my calendar to book our tour on September 8, which was the first day of our vacation, but I didn't see it on my calendar that day. And by the time I remembered (several days later) there weren't any tours available. I have checked umpteen times since then. One time yesterday there were tickets available at 1:30, but that was too late for us as we want to be driving to Durango at that point. I feel very badly, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm human and make mistakes.