Sam Heads North

Day 5: Return to Wausau

Another mini-road trip, this time to Wausau. A pilgrimage to where Sam's mommy and daddy met. We're leaving Platteville just after lunch. Rollin' down the street in our Prius, sippin' on apple juice. Laid back...

Day 4: Dipping Into Illinois

Another day, another road trip, this time to Oregon, Ill., to see Grandma J, as well as Aunt Sue and Uncle David.

Sam gave his stamp of approval everywhere we went: To the house on Fifth Street, good for running around. To the Sunrise restaurant, where Sam ate a surprisingly full and well-balanced meal. And to Mix Park, where he tested out the swings and slide, dug around in the wood chips, checked out the fountain, skinned his knees a few times on the sidewalk, got unbelievably dirty rolling around on the ground and finally filled up his diaper, much to the dismay of our noses.

Needless to say, he had a good nap on the car ride back.

Day 3: Reedsburg ... on a Sunday Afternoon

Sam was not fully prepared for the experience of playtime with Madelyn. She begged him to play in the sandbox. Then she begged him to play on the swings. Then she begged him to play in the basement of the Caseys' house in Reedsburg, Wis.

I think Sam had a tough time keeping up, if you can believe it. She's 3 years old, after all.

Daddy Dave and Daddy Nick helped out, ensuring that Madelyn didn't knock Sam over too much and that Sam didn't accidentally bury himself in the sand. Mommy Liz and Mommy Sarah had a few precious hours to catch up before we had to drive back to Platteville.

I haven't seen Sam much in situations when he could interact with other kids. From the looks of it, it seemed to do him some good having to keep up with someone else rather than just himself. Next time, maybe Sam will be old enough to go bicycling with his new girl-friend.

Day 2: Hello, Wisconsin!

The road trip was even better than we thought. Both days, we got in before dinner. In this case, dinner was at the Putnam household in Platteville, Wis.

Sam - who had had just about enough of that stupid car - was excited to see Grandma and Grandpa and play with their new vacuum cleaner. And by vacuum cleaner, I mean a Fisher-Price deal that makes realistic whirring sounds.

We also ran around the yard a few times, and Sam met his first cricket. When you wish upon a star …

Day 1: Somewhere on the Ohio Turnpike

It's day one of the Great Paulsen Midwest Road Trip 2010. Not a lot to say, other than New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio. We set up camp in a Super 8 just south of Sandusky, about halfway to Platteville. Just under 500 miles left to go. Sam has been handling it well, but he clearly suffers from vertical activity deprivation. The kid has grown fond of running around, and you can't do that well in a car.

As for the car, it's a Toyota Prius, a two-week rental that cost us less than the price of two plane tickets, not to mention all the baggage we're taking. And with two weeks to burn, it's nice having our own four wheels.

And I still can't believe I have a full two weeks off. This is my longest stretch without working since college. Not sure how I'm gonna feel by the end. Hopefully, I'll keep the thoughts of work to a minimum.

Coming up: we're looking forward to seeing Grandma and Grandpa Putnam, Great-Grandma Putnam, Great-Aunt Sue, Great-Aunt Suzie, the Wangs of Wausau, the Uhligs of Wausau, the Caseys of Reedsburg and some of the Twin Cities crew, including Joy, Jason and Rodney. Good times ahead.