The Sojos! The 2023 Sojourn Awards

It's been an amazing year of travel and reconnecting with friends and family....thanks for coming along for the ride! Though my initial plan (and budget) was for March 1, 2023 to March 1, 2024, I've been able to save money and therefore extend this "adult gap year" a bit longer. My plan is to keep writing and blogging and documenting my travels here at the Camp Sojourn website. Thanks for reading! And let me know if there's a particular trip you'd like for me to go back and write about. The TIMELINE page will let you know all the places I've been.

As the one year mark came and went, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the highlights. I've looked back through all my photos and videos, picked out my favorites, and created a photo folder over on the VIEWS page called STUNNING. (Please please view them on a large screen, not a cell phone screen... I promise you they are worth it.)

I also decided to highlight a few favorite odds and ends in a quickie, awards-style blog. So without further ado, the best of my year of travel...the 2023 Sojourn Awards...a.k.a. the SOJOS!

Best travel accessory - Thanks Aunt Soo!

To keep me safe in my travels, I brought along this beautiful cross that was a gift from my amazing Aunt Soo.

Most Unique Lodging - Gorgeous she shed at Beth's house in California

Best Corner Table - Dead Horse Point State Park Visitor Center, Utah

This photo doesn't do it justice. Dead Horse Point State Park is one in a million.

Best accidental meet-up - Betsy B. in Madison, WI - a former camper (now friend!)

Best named rock formation - SKULL ROCK! Joshua Tree National Park

Best human engineering - Gateway Arch NP (Just go see it - it will astonish you!)

Best tide pools - La Jolla, CA

Best ranger encounter - the ranger who showed Gina and I condors at Zion National Park

Without Ranger Bob at Big Bend shuttle stop, we would never have known these Zion cliffs were home to one of the world's rarest bird species - the California condor.

Ranger Bob had two cameras with telephoto lenses on tripods and they were pointed directly at condor nests. Looking through those lenses felt like crawling into the nest with the huge birds!

Best animal encounters - TIE! Buffalo at Wind Cave NP and deer at Capitol Reef NP

Most inspiring work of art - Dignity - 50 foot statue honoring the cultures of the Lakota and Dakota people. On a bluff above the Missouri River near Chamberlain, South Dakota.

Built in 2016, Dignity was a beautiful surprise to encounter as I drove west on Interstate 90 in October 2023.

Best yoga spot - Goat Rock Beach in the Sonoma Coast State Park, California

Best volunteers and best governor - Moms Demand Action and Tony Evers in Wisconsin!

Proud to be a supporter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America-October 2023

Best island - Shackleford Banks, North Carolina

Yes, I saw wild horses here. Yes, my phone battery died before I got a photo!

Most challenging hike - Old Rag Trail - Shenandoah NP

7 hours! Worth it.

Best Showerhouse - Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Minnesota's North Shore

Best library reading room - La Jolla, California

Best selfie alone - Red Rock Canyon State Park, California during a SUPERBLOOM

Best selfie with best buds - "Suzy" with Dianna and Mimi in Lac du Flambeau, WI

Best donuts - World's Best Donuts, Grand Marais, Minnesota

Best tour guide - Elisa A. in Eureka, California

Great food, great hikes, great conversations - plus driving tours and bookstores!

Best large gathering of dear friends - MikeFest 2023! (Join the MikeFest Facebook group for updates - we will be doing this again in 2025!)

Best bus inspiration - Ashland College, WI

Travel on!

Visit on!

Vacation on!

Friendship on!

Your soul shouldn't become an endangered species.

(Don't forget to check out the STUNNING photo gallery here!)

SOJOURN ON!