<P> During the family's travels, they run into numerous mishaps, such as being tagged by vandals in a rundown area of St. Louis, while Clark is tantalized numerous times by a beautiful young woman driving a flashy red 1983 Ferrari . They stop in Coolidge, Kansas to visit Ellen's cousin Catherine and her husband Eddie, who foist cranky Aunt Edna and her mean dog Dinky on the Griswolds, asking them to drop her off at her son Norman's home in Phoenix . </P> <P> After stopping at a decrepit and dirty campground in Colorado for the night, Clark forgets to untie Dinky's leash from the bumper before driving off the next morning, unintentionally killing Dinky . A state trooper pulls the Griswolds over and angrily lectures Clark over animal cruelty but accepts Clark's apology; Edna learns of Dinky's death, and becomes irate with Clark . Exiting Colorado, Ellen loses her bag which had her credit cards, forcing Clark to have to cash a check for future spending . </P> <P> While Ellen and Clark argue during a drive between Utah and Arizona, they crash and become stranded in the desert . After setting off alone in the desert to look for help, Clark eventually reunites with his family, who have been rescued and taken to a local mechanic . The mechanic extorts the remainder of Clark's cash only to make the car barely operational . Frustrated, they stop at the Grand Canyon; when Clark cannot convince a hotel clerk to cash a personal check because HIS credit card was reported stolen, he takes cash from the cash register behind the clerk's back and leaves the check . Leaving, they find that Aunt Edna has passed away in her sleep . They tie Aunt Edna to the roof of the car, wrapped in a tarpaulin . </P> <P> When they reach Norman's home, they discover he is out of town and leave Edna's body at the back door . Having enough of the road - trip and of the mishaps they encountered, Ellen and the children want to go back home, but Clark has become obsessed in reaching Walley World and they continue on . After an argument with Ellen, Clark eventually meets the Ferrari - driving blonde beauty at a hotel and goes skinny - dipping with her in its pool, but they are discovered by the family before anything untowards can transpire . Ellen forgives Clark, and the couple goes skinny - dipping as well . </P>

Who is the mom in national lampoon's vacation