Jenny's Travel Blog:

The call came mid-June 2025…“We need help moving!” Down in Lewisville, Texas, my aunt and uncle were packing up their 4-bedroom home, and it was proving to be a huge task. Could I help with the move?  “Aunt Soo” and “Unky Bunky” are two of my favorite people on the planet, so without hesitation I answered “Yes!”

We had three days to play, and I kept the plan loose: take two days to get up to Cornucopia - exploring dog parks and natural areas along the way - and stop in Wausau on the way back...

New owner of an old camper van, Jenny Rule, tells about her early days making upgrades and exploring with her 1996 Roadtrek 170 Popular.

Then fate took over. I was scrolling through an online RV sales forum when I came across a listing for a Class B camper van -

It is a good time to be in community with good-hearted people. As Margaret Mead said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committe

My next adventure, after almost 14 months of an extended adult gap year - is to go back to work.

Jenny Rule sitting down to write, with all the distractions of home and puppy and mind and body, is a terrifying thing.

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

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.

In retrospect, I truly can't believe how well it all went. There was not one incident of car sickness; no motel messes, no restlessness that couldn't be cured by a quick pit stop by the side of the road. Buttercup is a perfectly chill road warrior princess, and I can't wait to travel with her again!

We set a date for a video chat, so she could show me the puppies without me having to drive 2.5 hours to Viroqua on icy roads. She also sent me the name of their vet, and a reference from someone who had purchased a puppy from them previously. Everything was looking good, but it was definitely the video chat that made me realize just how "meant to be" this was.

Thanks for coming along on this week-long journey with PB& J. What a life-altering, heart-expanding turn of events for this solo traveler!

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.

For my fifth major car camping adventure of my adult gap year I went to the great northwest. Due to jury duty, I had to stay in Wisconsin until mid-October, but then I headed west. Here's a map and overview of the major stops on my sojourn. (I'll go back and tell more detailed stories down the line.)

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

Gina (Chapman) Foucault and Jenny (Brightbill) Rule met at Badger Girls State (BGS) - a week-long camp for young women between their junior and senior years in high school. Here is the official description of Badger Girls State: "It is a government and leadership conference where the entire delegation will become a fifty-first state and will function according to the laws of the State of Wisconsin. Each day will focus on the various aspects of state government, God & Country

Campers - I'm going to tell you exactly where to go, what to see, and what to eat when you visit Lake Superior. Usually I just tell you where I've been. I guess I'm feeling bossy today. First, make sure it's hot and steamy weather outside - late June or July, perhaps. Pack light, but be sure to bring a fan (unless you enjoy roasting while you sleep). Second, bring bug spray, citronella candles, bug wands, or any other methods of fighting off mosquitoes. You'll need them. Thir

My son Josh transferred to Montclair State University in New Jersey for his sophomore year of college, so we left our home in Wisconsin on August 21, 2023 to drive him to school. My original plans for a late summer sojourn to Montana were placed on the back-burner. Already in the northeast? Let's explore the northeast! The next 27 days took me through New Jersey, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Canada and Michigan - mostly car camping in the back of my Subaru Outback