We're Off To The Wide Open Spaces
The bus trip begins with scientific packing theories, denim realities, medical shots, Elvis on the radio, and Griffo discovering that getting four children started is already an expedition.
Newspaper set
The Indianapolis Star
13 full articles, arranged by publication date. When an article ran across multiple clippings, the article page gathers those sources together.
Children Put New Light On Old French Quarter
New Orleans gets the full Griffo inspection as the children confront fish-market aromas, ferryboats, Bourbon Street mysteries, contraband toys, and the French Quarter's many chances for paternal alarm.
Trick Pacification on Of Small Boy Backfires
Crossing Texas, Griffo tries to pacify Gregory with rewards for impossible livestock, only to find pink cows, Alamo questions, hairbrush law, and child bargaining all harder than expected.
4 Children Floor Night Clerk
Arriving in El Paso at a deeply inconvenient hour, Griffo and four tired children are rescued by a Hilton sample room that turns into both emergency shelter and children's paradise.
Mix 4 Kids, Mexico Policeman, Camera, Horse-And Dad Pays
In Juarez, a wooden horse, four children, a camera, and a watchful policeman create a miniature international incident, settled with two bits and Griffo's wounded dignity.
Phoenix, We're Here: Wake Up!
Phoenix greets the travelers with sunrise mountains, copper country, and a portable radio that dramatically regains its voice after a midnight fall, startling everyone within range.
Suspicion of Stinking Pipe Averts Hotel Fire
A Phoenix morning of earaches, breakfast diplomacy, and odd hotel smells becomes a fire-prevention success when Chuck's nose helps uncover a smoldering chair.
Travelers Earn 'Western Ties'
Scottsdale outfits the travelers in Western ties, lariat lessons, souvenir temptations, and enough staged frontier charm for Chuck to judge whether the West is Western enough.
Group Gets Look at Heiroglyphics
In Phoenix, the children vote for hieroglyphics over a cool movie, turning South Mountain Park into a family field trip of rocks, gold-mine hopes, ancient markings, and vacation democracy.
Our Travelers Come to Grips with Western, Wrestling Lore
On the road to Tombstone, Wyatt Earp lore meets impromptu wrestling lessons from traveling midget matmen, giving the Griffo children a Western education no guidebook promised.
Boy Tourist Looks On Antelope As Just Something Else To Eat
Near the Grand Canyon, Arizona offers antelope, mountain views, and grand scenery, but Chuck keeps proving that a boy's tourist eye can still be led firmly by his stomach.
Scenery Startling--So's Thermos
Between the Painted Desert, Albuquerque lights, souvenir shopping, and the turn eastward, a leaky thermos steals the scenery by raining soft drink inside the bus.
Pike's Peak Fades In Distance... And Western Jaunt's Completed
The final leg carries the family past Pikes Peak, Denver, and the long road home, with extra passengers, fading mountain scenery, and Griffo's relief all sharing the bus.