I haven’t posted for a while because we took one of those classic family summertime trips - stuff the kids in the car, drive all over the southwest, stay in something like half a dozen hotels and see just how far your kids can go till they absolutely freak out from travelling so much.

Actually the kids did great - the only issue is we now have a daughter who has to be “un-spoiled” from eating at restaurants for every meal.  One thing that was helpful on our trip was a Garmin Nuvi 350.  Not much bigger than an iPod, this little gadget can attach to your windshield (or just float around the front console without losing signal) and has nearly the level of navigation prowess as my Acura’s built-in nav system, which I’ve been told by my automotive journalist friends is one of the best systems out there.  And it weighs just a few ounces, runs on rechargeable batteries (great for rental cars!) and can even talk to you in a voice of your choosing. 

Go buy one.  Now.