DiNozzo Travelers

The DiNozzos visit the fifty United States.

Prologue – Fifty Nifty United States – June 2024

"Fifty nifty United States from thirteen original colonies… shout 'em, scout 'em, tell all about 'em… Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, …" the five DiNozzo kids sang the song in the van as the family travelled I-81 southbound towards Roanoke, Virginia.

Ziva tried to tune them out as they sang the song for the umpteenth time. "Do you regret teaching them that song?" she smirked at her husband.

"Nope," Tony grinned. "They should learn about our country. I learned that song in the third grade, and I've remembered the states in alphabetical order ever since. As we visit each state, they'll have a memory to associate with the names of the states."

~May 2024~

"I read on the internet that the average adult has visited about twelve of the states," Tali commented as she was finishing up her school project on New York State. Each of the students in the fourth-grade pod had been assigned one of the fifty states to report and create a visual for their "celebration of the USA" to finish out the school year.

Ziva helped Tali place the flag of the state on her poster board and silently went through the list of states she had been in, many of them for her job with NCIS. "I have been in forty-six, I believe. I do not remember going to Montana, Idaho, Oregon, nor Washington State."

"I have been in all but Alaska and Utah," Tony overheard the conversation as he entered the dining room from the family room. "I'd bet most of the adults in our extended family have been to way more than a dozen."

Tali looked up from her drawing of the Statue of Liberty, one of the many famous landmarks in New York. "I know that I have been in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina with our family. Wouldn't it be cool to visit all of the fifty states?"

Anthony followed his father to the dining room, hoping to get an update on dinner time. "That would be fun; we could visit places in each state that are interesting, but perhaps not well-known. Like in Delaware and New Jersey, we rode on the ferry between those two states."

"Where are we going?" Rivka and Beth noticed the others in the dining room and joined the conversation.

"Tali thinks we should visit all fifty states as a family," Anthony explained to his younger sisters. "I think we should see things that are not tourist-traps."

LJ was the last to wander into the dining room, "We go on twip?" He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he fully woke from his nap. "Me weady!"

Tony tousled the little boy's hair, "Not so fast there. We have to make a plan about how we will accomplish this list of states visited."

"Well, first we need a list of all of them," Tali grabbed a pen and paper from her supplies. "Let's see, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, um…"

"I have a better way to list them," Tony got the attention of the others. "Alphabetically, the states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii," he paused for a breath.

Ziva looked at her husband, "And how do you know this list so easily?"

"It was a song I learned in elementary school… Fifty, Nifty, United States…" he pulled up a video on YouTube on his phone and hit play.

"… Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming," he finished listing the states with the video's singing. "It just stuck in my head."

"Will you teach us that song, Abba?" Anthony was fascinated by the rhythm of the song. "I want to learn the fifty states too."

"Can do!" Tony grinned at the kids. "And while we are learning it, we can also start planning how we are going to visit each state."

Ziva smiled at her family; Tony was as excited as the kids for planning their trips. "I think we should visit them in order," she suggested. "But we can adjust our plans as needed to get to all of the states."

~June 2024~

The week before Fathers' Day aligned to be a perfect week for the family's first state adventure. Ziva purchased tickets online for the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama and found a good deal on lodging for the week as well. She also gathered information on other sights to see in the area, including several museums and parks.

They had set out from home at 0530 on Sunday morning to start the ten-plus-hour drive to the destination. Suitcases and duffels were packed and loaded in the van the night before. Each of the children had a backpack with small toys, books, and other items for the road trip. They had also chosen about a dozen DVS to bring to watch on the van's built-in entertainment system.