[Sketch Trip America] Episode 14: Drive to any place in life, 1966 Ford Pickup Truck

Before we left Sinclair, I looked at some old automobiles strewn on the station ground. I sure remember seeing few of them in American movies or photographs. They certainly looked different from the ones at the museums which had shiny coat of bright colored paints. These here must have been driven on the road around this area until they ran no longer. One of them was looking down on a fallen headlight in front of it. Perhaps, old things that hadn't been thrown away get even older and become antiques. These cars that surpass one or two generations before me were as romantic as they can get and were whispering to me to reminisce the memories that did not exist in me. I was a blank sheet. I've never spent time in these before. So I wondered what they could ever mean to me.

As we were leaving Sinclair, I found another old Ford truck someone had driven here parked on the side of the road. A Missouri plate, must belong to someone from around here. I don't know about cars much, but looked like it ran for several decades. Is everything, even the trucks that people drive around here antique? I thought briefly, but that is just a nonsense a city person thinks up. It is just that the things around here exist longer than those in the cities. They are stronger and healthier, and there are plenty of apt care and maintenance around for them, so they thrive without the worries of getting thrown out or stopped working. I could not start calling these antiques simply because they are thriving longer than the others. So I did some research online. They were 1966 Ford F-Series pickup trucks. If it was bought the first year it came out, it is running in its 49th year between the cornfields in the Midwestern United States. Now I knew the model of the car, but that didn't mean that I had particular feelings toward it. Staring at it certainly wouldn't bring out any emotions, either, however, I looked around and around at it. I looked at the back of suspensions of rear wheels and underneath the oil pan as if the non-exsistant sentiment is hiding under the car. Then a couple of men wearing blue jeans hopped in the car, noticing me looking at their car, talked to me,

"Where are you from?"

"New York… no, Korea."

I almost said the word that would get myself killed the next scene.

"Are you traveling?"

"Yes, your car is very nice."

"Thanks, it got a lot of work done on it."

"Does it run well?"

"Good enough to pass onto my son."

"It looks like it"

Two men in jeans drove away bidding me a good travel in the truck that looked older than themselves. Heavy metal sound and dirt cloud from the disappearing 1966 Ford truck again told me to go search for the memories. So I decided to think of the memories of past few days driving through the Midwestern states.

It's a crack of dawn. Sleepy eyed, I'm driving my 1966 Ford pickup through the cornfields. Twenty years had passed since I was able to drive by myself. Loading and unloading this truck countless times. I went to the large corn contest and county fair with this guy every year. Baseball games and football games were with him always. We went to Indiana for the Popcorn Festival and dodged tornadoes. It was beautiful and exhilarating looking at lightning strikes out front of the windshield. Numerous camping trips with friends and looking at star studded night sky with my girlfriend next to me on the hood of the truck. My young son sat in the seat next to me smiling at me. Looking back, this truck was my best buddy that was with me at any time and any place in my life, a part of me. Once again, I'm driving through the cornfields toward the sunset.

This was what 1966 Ford F100 meant for me.

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[Sketch Trip America] Episode 10: St. Louis and the Melting Pot is still melting

Upon leaving the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, we entered city of St. Louis. We briefly missed Route 66 and went a bit north somehow. The roads were terrible. There were potholes and deep cracks everywhere and this turtle back of a road went on for a good while. Sumi said looking at the map on her phone that the place of Michael Brown shooting wasn't far from here.

Ferguson is a northern suburb of St. Louis. It is a place with chronic condition of discrimination against Blacks. Recently when Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager was shot 6 times and killed by a white police officer, resulted a national outrage and protests. Also near Ferguson, a black man stole two cans of soda from a convenient store and was quickly surrounded by police officers. He then approached police yelling 'shoot me,' and the police really shot him several times in broad daylight. He also was unarmed. Someone on the street filmed the whole thing on his camera phone and I'd seen the video right before we left for the trip. Ferguson tragedy once again put American society face a turmoil stemming from deep rooted racial discrimination.
In twenty minutes or so later, we happened to drive by Forest Park, near city of St. Louis. All of a sudden, the rocky roads became smooth as if they were ironed. And unlike the northern neighbors, streets and lamps were adorned with flowers and most of passersby were whites. It was a stark difference to us as travelers that got off Route 66 briefly and drove through St. Louis from north to south.

Mom and Pop Store

Mom-and-pop store means a business that is run by mom and dad. In other word, a small, independent, family-owned business. One of the reasons Route 66 brings out certain nostalgia is because there are many mom and pop stores along Route 66. The section of Route 66 (now called Chippewa Street) that passes through St. Louis, there were two notable mom and pop stores. The Donut Drive-In that opened in the 1950's and Ted Drewes Frozen Custard opened in 1929. Perhaps, the fact that they are well and prosperous within the competition with those large franchised businesses also pique interest in people.








'Open' neon sign is lit. The friend we're going to meet in L.A. recently had a donut shop in Dallas, Texas just a year ago. It wasn't a franchise but a mom and pop store which he and his wife made all donuts themselves starting in the crack of dawn. He once told me that the people in Texas prefer donuts made in small stores than big chains like Dunkin Donuts. He believes the donuts made in far away factories can't compare in taste to his donuts made from scratch all in his store. I agree with him. He also described the scenes of his store in early mornings. When he and his wife make donuts from dawn and turn on the neon sign when it's still dark, it meant the freshly made donuts are ready. And because Dallas was so flat, people can see the light and come to buy his donuts from far away. Now, looking at the donut store that existed over 60 years and the tall sign standing above the roof, I thought that people in St. Louis also like donuts from mom and pop store and the owner of this store started to make donuts from the crack of dawn every day, just like my friend.






Ted Drewes is popular for its frozen custards. Until then, I thought custard was a bread with a cream filling. It was because of a well-known bakery brand in Korea that I thought such. It turned out the custard that I knew was just bread, but the cream filling itself was called custard. When I found this out from Sumi, I felt empty for being misinformed about custard, but was satisfied for learning it before I was dead. Puuhaha! I could only laugh a hollow laugh. Sumi expected to taste a good custard at this store, but when we saw the long line, gave up at once. I think we're not, so called foodies.






Ted Drewes' custard is supposed to be so thick that it doesn't spill when you turn it upside-down. I wondered what that meant exactly, in the world of custard. Instead of tasting it, we only gathered facts about the store being started as an ice cream truck in 1919 and now Ted Drewes, Jr is running it, then left for our next destination, Meramec Campground.






On our way to Meramec campground, Joongdeok(aka JD), the friend in LA, who used to have a donut shop in Dallas had called. JD asked, "I heard you started your trip, when are you going to get to LA?" I answered him, "We're on our way. It'll take about 10 days." JD told us to give him a ring 2-3 days before arriving in LA and I told him that we'd call 7-8 days later. After hanging up the phone, 'What a strange conversation,' I thought. Back in Korea, we used to live 5 minutes apart by walking. Now I'm telling him that it would take 15 days to get to his house to see him. And he says, "Okay, give me a call 3 days before." What a strange situation. 'America is so big,' I talked to myself, incoherently.






Meramec Campground was privately run. Basic camp site was $18 and site with electrical hook-up was $25. Usually, electrical hook-ups are for the RV's, but anyone can use it if you're particularly in need of electricity. Usually, other campgrounds are shaped in circles, but Meramec campground was a large grass field with sites scattered all over. There were many campers already there to enjoy the weekend.


Some photos of Meramec Campground.

We pick a spot under a big tree. The picnic table was moved from an area several feet away. It is all right to move tables little bit as long as it is not tied down. We like to put the table close by so we can shorten the distance between tent and table. It makes it efficient for us to go back and forth between working, cooking, and going into the tent. We weren't going to make camp fire or use barbecue grill, so we put everything even tighter than usual.

Inside of our tent. For a long trip, we've set up a few rules as below:

Tent.

We need to move to a new location every day, so we wanted to minimize the stress from having to set up and take down the tent. We had the specific needs in mind while shopping for tent. Now it only takes a minute for us to pitch the tent and another minute for taking it down. Tent is from Kelty, for 4 persons and 3 seasons.

Inside the tent.

Let's put only necessary things in the designated places inside the tent. It's faster to pack up that way, too.

Pillows.

For a good rest everyday, we should have the most comfortable pillow.  So we brought our pillows from home that we've been using.

It's nothing too grand, but we planned to keep everything comfortable and also simple. I thought it was important for a long trip such as ours.

After pitching our tent, we started to paint and write, then cooked up a spicy stew with sausages and veggies. Looking at the stew inside the pot, I suddenly remembered the streets in St. Louis.

A melting pot!

America is often mentioned as a good model of melting pot with all its different races, ethnicities, and cultures mixed together. However, to me, it was a melting pot that still hadn't been successfully melted, as long as there were flawed ideas of superiority and aversion to integrate. 

However, at Meramec campground, these people with different skin colors, races and ethnicity, were all melting away, having sweet and restful Labor Day weekend and enjoying the pleasure of camping outdoors. We were also melting together with them in good harmony and our fourth day of the trip was slowly closing down.

To go to Jingoogk's original blog in Korean --> http://blog.naver.com/hwangjinkook/220160154000

[Sketch Trip America] Episode 8: Enter, Route 66!

We were happy to see the corn dragon in anticipation of the end of the cornfield. However, the real reason was that we had bought some beer and steak for camping tonight. A fire-breathing dragon. A dragon is a carnivore so it should know how tasty steak is. And maybe it will blow a warm firey breath to make our steak more delicious. And a cold beer on top of that! A true happiness! We ate sandwiches during the day to save cooking time for the last three days. This evening, we were going to enter the campground early and relax a bit with some wine we brought from home. In our calculation, we will be entering Route 66 tomorrow morning, so it is perfect time to celebrate our journey.

Sumi found this campground in Litchfield, Illinois, located near Lake Lou Yaeger. She said there are fish that eat men's testicles. This fish is from the Amazon but must've gotten loose in this lake somehow. Pacu fish killed two men in Papua New Guinea by biting off the testicles. This is from the internet so whether it's true or not, the lake has a story and Sumi excitedly headed us toward the lake. She seemed to want to catch the fish with me as bait. I'm not sure if my testicles would stay intact until I bring the fish up.

 

After driving winding country road for some time, we found the lake Lou Yeager. It was large and had many facilities for water sports. The campground… was not so great. Campground for tent was so-called 'primitive' site, which means there're no amenities like water or even barbecue grill. The fee was $12, but it was dirty. There was no shower, not to mention even a water faucet. People had left remnants of campfire here and there. Normally, there are sites with shower and sink even if a section of campground is primitive. Primitive camping can be fun but not for tonight. We needed some water and barbecue grill. The decisive moment was when we found cockroaches crawling all over the bathroom stalls. Sumi yelled 'Pass!' and instead looking for another campground, we decided to get on Route 66 right away. Yes, let's go! But, how about barbecue….?   

Left turn, right turn, after thirty minutes or so of driving, we reached a road end with brightly setting sun almost blinding us.

"After a left turn on that corner, it is Route 66!" I said after checking on the map.

Then, Sumi said, "It feels strange."

The road to Route 66 was shining so brightly, we couldn't even make out where the end was. Like Sumi said, strange lights seemed to wave at us from the end.

Advancing toward the end of light, we passed an old railroad track. We already knew what this meant. This railroad track, running almost parallel to Route 66, is part of America's great old railway system that stretches across the country, transporting goods between the East and the West, solemnly and quietly, hidden behind the automobile culture of America. If there's a railroad track, there would be Route 66. Then, as we made the left turn, the shining light moved to our right, and in front, there was a brand new road, wide and clear. It was Route 66. There was something moving about this. "This is an important moment!" Sumi shouted. I also cheered on. We yelled together, "Wow!, Yeah!, Whoo-hoo! Route 66! We've arrived!" We even clenched fists and threw our arms up in the air. But the road was really, very incredibly empty and quiet. No other cars on the route, if any, no one was shouting as we were. They all looked as though the sky would fall. We must be the only ones excited about Route 66 in ten miles radius. "This is disappointing," I said. "Why? it's great!" Sumi replied. So we shouted again some more. We give the road a meaning to travel. "Whaoo! Yahoo! Eeek, eek!" I took pictures of anything and everything that said 'Route 66'. Sumi yelled, "Oh, there's really Route 66 sign on the street!" Unfortunately, I missed that while looking at other signs on the road.

Entering Route 66

Litchfield, Illinois

August, 29th, 4:30 PM

Picture above is the official signage for Route 66 in Illinois. 1930-1940 means it was Route 66 during those years. Route 66 is a very old road that connected Chicago to LA passing through eight different states(built in 1926). Therefore, according to each states' plan, some sections were rerouted or combined with other roads. In other words, this sign reconnects the old Route 66, giving pointers in the entire route's history. If you made a turn at a fork and don't see this sign again in 10 miles or so, you can safely assume that you've made a wrong turn.

The pictures below are the road signs and store signs of the Old Route 66 in Litchfield.

 

After driving some more on the Route 66, we did find out we were not the only ones yelling and shouting about the route. The ones that are still driving on this road which is still as empty and quiet as we first got on, and going slower than the speed limit, then they are probably Route 66 travelers. If the back of the car was filled with stuff, then definitely Route 66 travelers. It may not appear as so on the surface, but all traveling on this road, whether living in America or not, are filled with modern American nostalgia and shouting about it.

The gas station with above pump was opened in 1926- the same year Route 66 opened. The last day the pump was working, gas price was $5.74 per 8.88 gallons. Looking at the old gas pump, I thought about everything that modern life had thrown out for the last 100 years. The things that were trendy at the time but outdated by two to three generations. Things that are simply forgotten. Roads that were just put aside with all these things still on them. So it naturally became the symbol of nostalgic memories of last 100 years of modern history. It felt like the beginning of our Route 66.

Pictures below are landscapes between Litchfield and Hamel in Illinois.

   

After excitedly driving on Route 66 for some time, we got to a motel called Inkeeper in Hamel. We looked for lodgings and campgrounds for a while and found this motel right by the road. It was run by a nice Indian family and it even had a barbecue grill for the guests in the back. 

8:30 PM. Inkeeper motel was like a beach on a resort. The surface of a small lake outside the window was wavering in warm breeze. Soothing moon light, the kind Indian family, and their children's laughter made me feel very relaxed. While barbecuing the steak, I didn't feel like we were right by a highway, but at a peaceful beach somewhere in the Maldives.

Steak and beer.

I normally don't drink Miller, but today, I'm drinking this, because of the design on the can. Reminds me of the slogan, "Live to Ride, Ride to Live." Perfectly fitting to celebrate our entering Route 66. From tomorrow, it's the actual beginning of our history museum tour of the route. Cheers! Route 66!  

Jingoogk's original blog is in Korean. You can read it here: 

http://blog.naver.com/hwangjinkook/220139772008

[Sketch Trip America] Episode 7: America's National/Regional Brand and the Corn Dragon

Morning of August 29th, we woke up by the birds chirping. Oogagagak-ogk! Oogagagak-ogk! What sort of bird? Never heard such annoying sound. A crane? A cormorant? Though somewhat imprudent, the idea of waking up by sounds of birds was very graceful and blissful. We drove through the endless cornfields the day before and arrived at Summit Lake State Park in Indiana. It was a beautiful lake. 

Pictures below are various landscapes of Summit Lake campground. It was almost Labor Day weekend and there were some people but not crowded, yet. We found a site right by the lake. Sumi said she wanted to come back here at another time.

The picture right above has some shocking elements. Someone did themselves justice and brought the entire refrigerator from home! It is as tall as a full-grown man. Looks like  two different families came to camp for the Labor Day weekend and they also have a cooler per person. They get a perfect score for their preparation for eating, drinking and enjoying the weekend. Summit Lake State Park has electricity for all sites.

Ricker's - A convenient store at a gas station in Indiana.  Sumi told me to take picture of this building. I asked her why and she said she's never seen that store chain, before. But why? I wondered at first, but after seeing numerous store signs along route 36, I realized, that these chain stores reflect a side of American culture. America is a nation of chain stores. Some brands encompass the entire country. Some are based in Eastern, Western, or Southern region of the country. And some chains only exist in certain states or cities. If you look at these brands not as businesses but as life and cultural aspect, one can understand a lot about the area and people. For example, if you see a certain brand, you may realize what state or region you are in. If someone seem familiar with a certain brand, one can easily assume where they're from or that they are knowledgable about that area in general. Sometimes, certain brands also represent certain area and may provoke pride or affection of the place. Anyways, Ricker's convenient store had pretty store front than any other national chains that I'd seen.

        

A regional fast-food restaurant chain. I don't know how the food tastes there. I saw the signs mainly in central mid-west states like Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. I actually saw this specific one while passing Indiana on Route 36.

The signs might've reminded her, Sumi said let's eat In & Out burger when we arrive in LA. She excitedly shouted, 'Double!' 'Animal style!', but I had no clue what she was talking about. Animal? What does that mean? It must be something we can only eat in LA. And we must eat in animal style. Okay! In animal style! Whatever that means.

Home of the Popcorn Festival

We hoped for the end of it but the welcome greetings never stopped by the cornstalks on the roadside. And finally, we came across the sign that said "Home of the Popcorn Festival." The home of popcorn festival, eh? It seems rewarding enough after driving through cornfields for three days straight. It was like a revelation that the end is near. What kind of festival is popcorn festival? Kernels of corn thrown up in the air and pop white in the sky like fireworks? Would there be a popcorn-eating contest? Popcorn throwing contest? Popcorn pudding, popcorn juice? A giant sculpture made with popcorn? I was very curious but we have to get on Route 66 first. So we passed. Good-bye, the home of the popcorn festival!

I've heard of the middle aged men that would die to look good in their old classic car in the Midwest. I actually saw many cars like this on the road. It made me feel excited and happy for some unexplainable reason.

In the afternoon, we saw a sight that really seemed to mean the world of corn is coming to an end. A giant dragon that breathes fire. It is trying to blow pop the entire cornfield we saw up until now into popcorns. Boooosh! Bwoom! Boom! Pop! Pop! Just like I imagined, popcorn fireworks dotted the Big Dipper and the Orion's Belt in the sky. You must think I'm crazy, but aside from the popcorn star in the sky, the fire breathing dragon is real and it stands in front of a cornfield right in Illinois. It says on this scary looking metal dragon's thigh, "Danger! Dragon Breathes Fire!"

We again hoped that, beyond this dragon, there would be a different world.

And, this wish for the end of cornfield came true! and then there was Route 66!



Jingoogk's original blog is in Korean. Read it here: http://blog.naver.com/hwangjinkook/220131966153     

[Sketch Trip America] Episode 6: Jeepers Creepers, Field of Dreams, Corns…. and more Corns….

Morning of the 28th. Breakfast was simple sandwich with boiled eggs. Sandwich was good but the eggs were especially good with the seasoning that Sumi prepared from home.

SUMI'S MIX - All-around player seasoning

7~8 seasonings for several different recipes are mixed in one bottle: Black pepper, rosemary, cayenne pepper, thyme, and……and a lot more, I forget. Sumi's Mix was put in my mother-in-law's diabetes prescription medicine container. We have a lot of them around the house. I hope my mother-in-law exercises regularly so we don't find the containers any more at home. Then I'd gladly buy real seasoning containers for camping. Go! Mother!
Another positive aspect is that the volume significantly reduces: several bottles into only one.   

We decided to walk around the Parker Dam State Park before we left. We wanted to know the place we had stayed the night. When we arrived, it was dark and we thought we saw some sort of a pond. Besides, the park ranger trio we met the night before was so nice, this place must be pretty special.

Pictures below are the view of the Parker Dam Campground.

It was a manmade lake with a dam and even had a beach with white sands. I've been to about 6-7 campgrounds so far in the States, and this place was the best in terms of the openness and vast landscape. Sad not to have swum in the lake, but we have to keep going combatively until we get on to the Route 66.

We marched on listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and Barbara Streisand. My personal preference in music while riding in a fast car is hard rock and metal. American band music sounds somehow better when driving on American roads I found once I arrived in this country. The music seeps into the hot asphalt and becomes unison with the scenery. Of course, when we were driving on the country road, Roy Orbison and fast beat country music was best fitting with the road and the crops growing alongside it.

Two days since the start of the trip, I suddenly thought, "Where's our destination?"
From the beginning, our trip this time was different from our other trips. This trip had no real destination. Sure, we are heading for Los Angeles, but Los Angeles wasn't our destination. We weren't just heading for this one spot named Santa Monica, either, but the entire line of roads that connected to Santa Monica. The entire journey on the route. That was the purpose of our trip. Roads that never end, all scenery, and everything that we meet on it were our next destination. 'A-Ha! This is indeed what it is about crossing the country on Route 66!' A light bulb suddenly turned on inside my head.

Then, I remembered what we had met on the second day of our trip. 

Golden Rods along the road became our travel companion for hours.

Remnants of history that were seen from time to time.

And the biggest of the similar line of Ford trucks. The bottom of the car seemed to bounce up and down so much. I wondered how it would perform if it was in a monster truck show. Unfortunately, all I could see was the truck bouncing up and down on the top of a huge trailer truck.

And a fire-roasted corn on a cob.

We roasted some corns in a campfire last night. When we were roasting them, we hadn't a slightest idea how we would not be able to get away from this realm of corns for three days.

We drove two days straight passing Pennsylvania and Ohio and arrived in Indiana. We had met more corns than the entire population of seven billion people of the world. Everywhere we went, corns greeted and cheered us from the roadside. They can stop now, I thought, but still continued on when we drove over a hill. We waved back at them. Then I realized the faces of the corn looked all different as 7 billion of people on Earth all look different. You keep looking carefully, then you can tell the subtle differences naturally. Thank you corns, We appreciate all your greetings and cheers. You can stop at the end of Indiana please.


Click to go to Jingoogk's original blog in Korean: http://blog.naver.com/hwangjinkook/220120607925 


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