Steinbeck Slept Here

As I get closer and closer to 25, it seems to become more apparent that the only way out of my misery is to win the Powerball lotto. I wouldn't go the obvious route with my winnings, buying my mama a new house and getting all my boys new Caddy Escalades like every new rapper on MTV Cribs. Rather, after paying off my credit card debts, I'd traverse the country, "Travels with Charley" style. I've got it all planned, too.
At first, I was against taking any kind of tech with me (cell phone, laptop, iPod, etc.) I wanted it be be as authentic an American experience as John Steinbeck enjoyed. Then I realized that I would slowly go insane. Plus, if this were a modern equivalent of Steinbeck's novel, I would need to contemporize. Where as he had a set of encyclopedias with him ("A set of what?"), I'd have a laptop. Where as he had a dog, I'd have my iPod. Where as he had liquor to give his coffee "authority", I'd....well, I'd be doing that, as well. You can't completely mess with a classic.
The laptop would also come in handy in a pinch when I would need a specific local map, or a list of places to see in a city (surely they have wi-fi hotspots in Iowa), and I could document my journey (remember, Steinbeck took a little typewriter with him).
I hate dogs, so I'd change my iPod's nickname from "Ziggy" to "Charley" for the trip, for a nice parallel.
So now, with the gear set, we need to look at the means of transportation. Steinbeck used a pickup-type truck with a cab on the bed. You'd think the natural modern-era equivalent of this would be an SUV, but no, I won't stoop that low. Besides, I HATE driving large cumbersome vehicles. My best option would be something more akin to my current car, a Pontiac Vibe. Fairly small, but with plenty of storage room, and I can put the back seats down and throw out a sleeping bag if I'm in a pinch.

So now, I need a destination. Or more precise, a series of destinations. I'm supposing that as of right now, I'd start by heading south, towards Atlanta, (where my friend Mat lives) then head west towards New Orleans (I've been obsessed with it since I was 12 and discovered Gambit). After trying to avoid Texas all together (and at the same time, avoiding a lynching, I'm sure) I'll pull into Las Vegas ("They're gonna give daddy the 'Rain Man' suite...") and work my way over to San Diego (home of "Three's Company" and the unofficial Scooter Capital of the U.S.). I believe it's around here where the Monterey Peninsula is (where, if memory serves, Steinbeck grew up), then it's north to San Francisco (the Greenwich Village of the West Coast!). Seattle will require a stop over (my friend Megan is from there, and she won't shutup about how much better than the Philly area it is...though they do have Nintendo). I'll then shoot east to Darwin, Minnesota (Home of the "Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota"!) , and maybe cross over up into Canada to get into upstate New York (to visit my birthplace in Rome, and see a friend from high school, Kyle, in Buffalo). Past that, I suppose I'll meander up into New England, and just work my way back to Philly.

I'm aware I skipped the middle of the country. It's like John Steinbeck himself once said: "What the fuck am I going to do in Oklahoma?"