The Sojos! The 2023 Sojourn Awards

Jenny Rule
Mar 6, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Dec 3

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!

A photo taken inside of a car - Jenny Rule appears in the rearview mirror, smiling, and in her hand is a decorative cross hanging from the rearview mirror. — 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

A she-shed at a California home, exterior.

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

A photo of a pub table and chairs in the corner of a porch overlooking Dead Horse Point State Park, 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!)

Betsy Berry and Jenny Rule take a selfie together at a restaurant in Madison, WI. They are clearly happy to see each other.

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

Skull Rock at Joshua Tree National Park, California.

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

A selfie of Jenny Rule in a blue flannel coat and blue and white hat, standing under the arch at Gateway Arch National Park, St. Louis, Missouri.

Best tide pools - La Jolla, CA

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

A red cliff wall at Zion National Park, Utah. — 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.

Big Bend shuttle stop, Zion National Park, Utah. Visitors and a Park Ranger talking in front of vegetation and huge red cliffs. — 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.

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!

8 volunteers with Moms Demand Action of Whitewater, WI pose at the state capitol with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. Volunteers are wearing red Moms Demand Action t-shirts. — Proud to be a supporter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America-October 2023

Best island - Shackleford Banks, North Carolina

Jenny Rule takes a selfie on Shackleford Banks, an island off the coast of North Carolina. She is wearing a bucket hat and sunglasses. Sand, ocean, and a National Park ferry boat is in the background. — Yes, I saw wild horses here. Yes, my phone battery died before I got a photo!

Most challenging hike - Old Rag Trail - Shenandoah NP

A large boulder made of Old Rag granite balances precariously atop a ridge in Shenandoah National Park. Photo taken along Old Rag Mountain trail. — 7 hours! Worth it.

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

A blue Subaru Outback named Lakester is parked outside a showerhouse at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, Minnesota's North Shore.

Best library reading room - La Jolla, California

A beautiful library reading room - La Jolla, California. 8 chairs and two low tables are in center - beautifully designed room and ceiling surrounds them.

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

Jenny Rule poses amongst the superbloom at a state park in California, April 2023.

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

Jenny Rule and two kids pose for a selfie while swimming in a lake in Lac du Flambeau, WI

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

An exterior shot of a red building with white tables and chairs outside. World's Best Donuts, Grand Marais, Minnesota

Best tour guide - Elisa A. in Eureka, California

Jenny Rule and Elisa A. stand in front of a lilac bush and Elisa's home in Eureka, CA in 2023. — 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!)

Jenny Rule, standing and posing weirdly, is surrounded by friends seated at picnic tables under Shelter C at Ottawa Lake State Recreation Area, Wisconsin. The event is called MikeFest.

Best bus inspiration - Ashland College, WI

A bus in Ashland, WI is decorated with a photo of a kayak on a lake and a quote reads "Your soul shouldn't become an endangered species."

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!

4 Comments

Guest

Mar 09, 2024

I would like to thank my agent Susan for suggesting me for your itinerary. But really, it’s an honor to be nominated. -❤️ Elisa

Edited

Jenny Rule

Apr 02, 2024

Replying to

😂 You should definitely take pride - there was stiff competition! Runner up was my brother Paul in Issaquah who took me hiking and visiting waterfalls and biking...and was a creative problem solver when we needed head lamps for biking through the Snoqualmie tunnel!

Mar 08, 2024

I made the SOJOS!! Along with SO many amazing moments!! 😍, Betsy Berry

Betsy Berry reads my blog!? Glad you saw this! Let's bump into each other again sometime!