Jenny's Travel Blog:

Are you well traveled? Do you have a knack for recognizing U.S. locations? Have you been carefully reading my blog? :) Then this is the game for you! I call this game Sojourn Photo Challenge . Simply look at a picture and guess the city and state of the U.S. location where it was taken. Included are places I've been to and photographed in the last 14 months of sojourning. Are you up for the challenge? If you want to compete, please follow these instructions: a) Look at the pi

It's that time of year when parents are planning ahead for the end of the school year and readying themselves for the vast open space of summer when the school age children in their lives once again become their all-day responsibility. (God bless you, teachers, every one. We appreciate you.) I'd like to make a suggestion to all those parents: Find a great overnight camp, find it now, do not pass GO, and do not hesitate to register your children for camp today . You may wonder

superbloom  A superbloom is a rare desert botanical phenomenon in California and Arizona in which an unusually high proportion of wildflowers whose seeds have lain dormant in desert soil germinate and blossom at roughly the same time. The phenomenon is associated with an unusually wet rainy season. While traveling in California in April of 2023, I heard about the superbloom from my California friends. Evidently the rainy season had brought massive amounts of precipitation, wh

It's partly about the open road. It's partly about seeking healing in nature. It's partly about getting out of the home environment; stepping away from constant reminders like his recliner, his toothbrush, his half of the closet. It's partly about "Go outside and start walking." It's partly about escaping from cold Wisconsin winters. It's partly about going places you know he wanted to go. It's partly about finding your smile. It's partly about fishing still waters. It's part

The Sojos = random awards given by Jenny Rule about her adult gap year.

I've stayed in my fair share Cracker Barrel and Love's Truck Stop parking lots, but with research and help from apps like iOverlander, I've found a few top notch places. Here are my top ten favorite dispersed camping spots from my trips across the U.S. in 2023, along with a short story of each location, from west to east.

Meet Top Car Model Lakester von Subaru! In an industry where newer models typically grab headlines, veteran Lakester von Subaru - a 2016 model - is taking the U.S. car modeling world by storm.

A while back I put out my list of essential car camping equipment . This post included all my big ticket items, including my car, air mattress, portable power pack, travel fridge, camp stove, 5 Gallon water jug, portable car battery jump starter, rooftop cargo carrier, personal locator beacon, and homemade window coverings. Since writing that post, I've been on two more long car camping swings: Lake Superior and New England/Northeast . I've learned more about myself: what I

I have been car camping across America since March 2023, and for this blog post I'll be featuring seven free apps that have served me well in my travels. (No paid endorsements - I'm just sharing what has worked for me.) The quick list: Google Maps, Life 360, iOverlander, NPS (National Park Service), Seek, Merlin, and Compass.

I visited Joshua Tree National Park for three days in late March 2023. I had been in Phoenix visiting with family, and it took me about 5 1/2 hours traveling west on Highway 10 to reach the park. I arrived just before sunset and drove into the park by the south entrance, pausing to snap a picture of Lakester. I drove into the park to get the lay of the land. Cottonwood Visitor Center and Cottonwood campground are only 7 miles from Highway 10. I didn't have a camping reservat

I'd left home March 15th and it was now April 2nd. I was car camping my way across America, seeing national and state parks and visiting friends and family along the way. Things were mostly going as planned - but then again, when it came to my time in California, I hadn't planned too much. I had ideas of things I wanted to do, places and people that I wanted to see, but I was intentionally not following a strict itinerary. My sister Susan lived in California for 20 years, and

FIRST CAR CAMPING SWING - March 15 - May 1, 2023: The overview of who I saw, what I did, where I went after packing my Packer blanket and heading out! (Click on hyperlinks for detailed blogs about each location.) March 15: Drove from Whitewater, WI to St. Louis, MO to see Gateway Arch NP, campground at Sam A. Baker SP near Patterson, MO March 16: Drove to Fontainebleau SP near New Orleans, LA - electric campsite March 17: Visited New Orleans, LA - if I visit again it will

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

I wake up later than usual. I avoid getting out of my warm sleeping bag. Today is my writing day.

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)