Our car is stuffed with maps, documents, clothing, snacks, toys, books, CDs and DVDs -- so much stuff that we can scarcely squeeze in two kids ages 6 and 4, two parents and enough Kosher picnic provisions to get us through to Georgia.

We're on a journey into the unknown -- a 1,639 mile trip.

The voyage is spurred by a job change requiring a move from Chicago to Miami. But as we toodle down the Chicago Skyway at 55 mph -- (OK, plus) -- that's not at the top of my mind. What is: Making it to our first stop.

You may be wondering just why we've chosen to drive instead of fly. Partly it has to do with finances. Mostly, we're spurred by a sense of adventure and the educational possibilities that we're convinced a road trip can provide.

In seven days, we'll sleep in three roadside motels, two government-run park cabins, and our friends' couch. We'll splash in pristine waterfalls, huddle for courage in a dark cave and collect weird souvenirs that will quickly get lost. Along the way we'll learn that road-tripping may not come naturally for us -- but it does have benefits.

FIBERGLASS LIONS

Three hours of flat prairie views and the kids are asking the dreaded question: Are we there yet?

Fortunately they fall asleep on the way to the graceless yet functional Comfort Inn. The hotel lies close to the highway, the Indy 500 racetrack and the Yen Ching Chinese Restaurant. But Benjamin, 6, and Yehuda, 4, don't complain; they're crazy about the motel's gold, spray-painted fiberglass lions, the fortune cookies, the hotel pool and a card game of UNO. If all goes like this, I think, this trip will be a piece of cake.

The boys climb the sculptures in the entry of the Indianapolis Children's Museum and continue playing even while browsing through the overstimulating museum toy store we hit at the exit. An exhibit on creating cartoon designs and characters catches their attention, but it's an interactive kinectic sculpture that Yehuda is loathe to leave. My husband, Isaac, and I have to drag our sons off the 1917-vintage carousel as they shout ``again, again!''

On the road, we're all getting restless; a leg stretch at Indian's Falls of Ohio State Park seems a worthy antidote. Bad call. Low water levels make the Ohio River stink, and Benjamin refuses to continue after we take a wrong turn on a path that leads to the driftwood-strewn river bank. Drawn by the comforts of A/C, we abandon our exploration and tromp back to the car. Only then, hidden behind a big dumpster, do we notice the shaded pathway that matches the one on the map.

So much for survival skills.

KENTUCKY BREEZE

We pop off the A/C and open the windows to let in the cool air blowing along the country road that leads to Kentucky's Mammoth Caves National Park. A deer boldly stares out at us from the forest and fireflies guide us to a ranger program about medicinal plants. As urban folk, we're charmed by the rough hewn floors but freaked out by the quiet country-calm of leaves rustling in the wind.

The next morning breaks bright and clear, and we're somewhat surprised to find the entrance to the world's largest cavern system secured by a gloomy New York City-style subway grate. It's daunting, and Yehuda's grip tightens around my hand as we head down the low-ceilinged passageway on a ranger-led tour. I trip over him as he clings to my side. Soon, he's in my arms, plastering his face in my neck and threatening not to budge until daylight is visible. For effect, the ranger cuts the power -- and Benjamin, too, starts to panic.

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