I hear you two characters. I used to pick a destination, call a buddy for turn landmarks, and set sail. And always successfully arrived, without any fuss.
Fredonia(past Buffalo on Lake Erie) to pick up a girlfriend from college? No problem, 7 hours, piece-of-cake. Upstate NY to Speculator for camping? Yup.
Stan, don't forget the jerky. GPS and maps are for pussies.