[Sketch Trip America] Episode 3: Cross-Country Trip Route and High-Tech-Very-Smart-Super-Nova-Auto-Chart-System

 

Sumi drives better, speaks English better and uses computer better than me. So she got to plan the route and schedule.

Hm…. I need to do something that's comparable. What should I do?

The whole route was set as follows:

East-West route
New York - Ohio - St. Louis - Take the Route 66 then stop at town to town, canyon to canyon - L.A. 
3510miles. Estimated about 12 days. 

West-East route 

L.A. - again stop at canyon to canyon - New Mexico - Dallas - Houston - New Orleans - Mississippi - Tampa - along the East Coast - Delaware - New York

4288miles. Estimated about 12-13 days.

Total 7798miles. Estimated 23 to 26 days.

Of course, nothing was certain from the beginning. As soon as we discussed the overall route, Sumi started tapping something on her keyboard. I pretended I wasn't interested at first. Then when I glimpsed over her computer screen while I acted as if I was stretching, I saw something amazing. There was the entire route drawn on the U.S. map, and when Sumi put in places and the date, it memorized them and added to the whole schedule. It was a website called Roadtrippers. You put in places to stop along the way, then it also calculates the mileage, time and fuel cost. I ecstatically shouted, "Wow, this is amazing!" But, Sumi, not caring too much about my excitement, made a quick phone call to somewhere then headed straight out to the garage. She apparently made an appointment to take the car to the auto mechanic.

 

 

I don't need to follow her out to the garage. She probably wants to check on the car to see what's needed before taking it to the mechanic. Sumi is good at car maintenance as well. While she got our travel route ready and the car prepared, all I did was to say "Thirty days seems too long." I felt like I should contribute more. I wondered around the studio thinking what I can do, then decided to come up with an efficient system to make a travel book on the trip. I actually had been thinking it in my head last few days. It was a system, sort of like a black box, which records everything that happens, such as the route we travel, the mileage, food we eat, and places we sleep. But it needed more. A magnificent systematic recording chart comparable to Roadtrippers.

First, I flapped open the tents and sleeping bags as loudly as possible, and spread them out to dry where Sumi will easily notice. Then, It suddenly hit me. A system that will outstrip the Roadstrippers,… uh, I mean Roadtrippers.

 

It is…. HIGH-TECH-VERY-SMART-SUPER-NOVA-AUTO-CHART-NOTEBOOK System. 100 Sheets.

It is most important that we work on our travel book during the trip. We have to sketch and write constantly, but can't do that while driving. So I come up with the High-Tech-Very-Smart-Super-Nova-Auto-Chart-System-100 Sheets. It works quite simply. If the driver had something to write about, as if using a hands-free device or Siri, speak out his or her thought, then the non-driver jots them down in the notebook. To categorize the ideas, you must call out the subject before what you have to say, such as 'what to draw', 'photograph', 'tools needed', and etc.

For example, if Sumi yells out, "Jingoogk, write this down! You suck!" then, I have to write under 'Sumi', 'Jingoogk, you suck!' under 'Impressions' category. There is additional services. If Sumi says, "Jingoogk, water!" then a bottle of cold water is served to her. "Jingoogk, back itches!" I scratch her back. "A tree in 3 o'clock, take a picture!" then, you have to anything to take picture of this tree without it being blurry, in a car that is going over 60 miles per hour. It is a perfect system that even Siri on iPhone cannot even begin to copy. Now, the Roadstripper, I mean, Roadtrippers is beaten. Now what more can I do to be comparable to Sumi's car maintenance skills? Then, this hit me again, suddenly.

 

It is called, 'Auto Underwear Washing Machine'.

A clean pair of underwear is a difficult subject while traveling. During long trips, I am used to wearing underwear for many days and leave it glued to my body then peel it off like a second skin, but Sumi, like everyone else, likes her underwear nice and clean. So I came up with the auto underwear washing machine. It soaks and pre-washes garments while camping using a rather simple method. In a container with lid, water, detergent and dirty laundry are added. Then while moving in the vehicle, it's shaken around, thus washing garments clean. Upon arriving at the camp, rinse the soapy water from laundry while taking shower. Repeat. If the container has round bottom, it may help to speed-wash. I found an empty Planter's Honey-roasted peanuts container. I like to eat them with beer often. Very rewarding aspect of beer drinking, I must say.

Clean underwear for thirty days of our entire trip, this will compare to Sumi's car maintenance. I am finally proud as a man. I'm already married to her, but I still want to impress her.

 

Something extra- A mood lantern for night.

We bought this flat LED lighting from IKEA a while ago. When the round part gets pushed down, it lights up. If you place a bottle filled with liquid, it creates a reverberating atmospheric light. We randomly tried this idea during our trip to the Blue Ridge and it worked really well. Other people must have thought the same, this idea was listed as one of the best ideas for camping tricks on the internet.
We are ready to go now. Leaving is the only thing left.

 

I'm posting this two days into the trip. Currently, I'm writing about the first two days. Next episode will be about the first day of trip and the real travel story. Wi-fi is the most critical matter.

*Read Jingoogk's original posting in Korean here.