Jenny's Travel Blog:

My last day working was March 1st and I started traveling March 2nd. I was blogging about my travels in the first couple of weeks, but by the end of March I was no longer consistently posting stories. I figured out pretty quickly that blogging and website management were taking too much time away from my travel fun. I had this once-in-a-lifetime chance to travel, and I was spending too much time on my computer instead of out on the trail. I apologize to readers who wanted to

Alternative title: I have not been paid to endorse any of this equipment - I just like it. The most important piece of equipment on my car camping sojourn was my 2016 Subaru Outback, nicknamed Lakester. Lakester is my best friend and travel companion and was the most photographed thing in all photo albums from my adult gap year - humans, objects, scenery included. My late husband Mike found this beautiful vehicle at a used car dealership in Madison, WI back in 2018 after ex

W, March 15 - Whitewater, WI to St. Louis, MO ( Gateway Arch National Park ) to Sam A. Baker State Park, Patterson, MO Th, March 16 - Sam A. Baker State Park to Fontainebleau State Park, Mandeville, LA Fri, March 17 - Fontainebleau SP to Lake Pontchartrain Causeway to New Orleans, LA; from New Orleans, LA to Sam Houston Jones State Park in Lake Charles, LA Sa, March 18 - Sam Houston Jones SP to Studio apartment in Hyde Park neighborhood in Austin, TX (visit with niece Maddie)

As I explored a few more beaches within the preserve, I was once again struck by how much work had been done to make the beaches accessible. And of course I thought of Mike. He would have loved the natural, undeveloped beaches and the unique wildlife, and we could have seen it all together. In that moment of gratitude for the National Park Service, I knew I wanted to tell people about the excellent accessibility, and therefore leave breadcrumbs for another family.

Around my left foot - my formerly white towel is about half red. But Trevor is everything I could hope for - tall and calm and not saying anything stupid (like "what's a woman your age doing surfing by herself?") He acts as if this happens every day. Everything is normal and everything is going to be fine. He helps me with great skill and kindness.

I was promptly humbled to learn that I was TOO HEAVY for the surfboard I had chosen. I could lay down and paddle on it alright, but when I tried to sit up on the back of the board, or to “Pop up”, I would submerge the whole damn thing. To quote Princess Bride, “Humiliations galore.”

I have decided to take a full year off from my current life. I have quit my job and I will be paying myself to travel and write. My plan is to go on an extended road trip across America, visiting state and national parks, camping, hiking, and visiting friends and family wherever I go.