Share 'it's about eight days before I'm to head out on my great Steinbeck trip, in which I'll be tracing the route that John Steinbeck took for Travels with Charley almost exactly a half a century ago. Wish…'

it's about eight days before I'm to head out on my great Steinbeck trip, in which I'll be tracing the route that John Steinbeck took for Travels with Charley almost exactly a half a century ago. Wish me luck.There will be three fundamental differences between Steinbeck's journey and mine: I'll have no dog with me. However, I'll be carrying an Opus doll -- you know, the penguin from Bloom County a…