Road Trip Blog

About Me

Porcupine Mountains, Upper Peninsula, MI

About Michele

Well, hey there. My name is Michele Lonergan and I have been interested in the world outside my four walls since I was a young girl listening to my brother’s audio tapes he sent the family from his epic road trip to Nicaragua in the early 70’s. Hearing his tales of crazy bandits, steaming volcanoes and mountains wreathed in mist threw my imagination into high gear. Summers spent down the Jersey shore as a youth provided great memories but I itched to explore. A six month college study abroad in London only confirmed that I was happiest wandering.

I married a fellow traveler, raised 3 young men, settled in the Midwest and spent snowy Michigan winters dreaming of the next destination.  Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Alaska, Peru(Machu Picchu), Spain(The Camino de Santiago), Oaxaca, Costa Rica, Vietnam/Cambodia, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are my top 10 favorite places I’ve explored.

Two years ago, I hatched a plan. Upon launching our last child off to college, I knew I did not want to come back home to an empty house and spend my days wondering where all the time went. I believe transitions should be honored and celebrated and the shift from being needed(mommy mode) to the “what do I want to do next” phase prompted some serious dreaming. I decided to quit my full-time job, take the money I’d saved and wander for three months. My husband was able to take a sabbatical from his career and after considering the where’s and how’s we settled on a cross-country road trip. In a trailer the size of our closet.

I shared the realities of our life on the road with you in this blog. I shared what it looked like to take a pause in one’s life and breathe a little slower and a little deeper. I hope I inspired a few of you to do THAT thing you’ve written about in your journal or mentioned to your best friend. To take a leap.

Now, I’ve caught the bug. We returned to Michigan in early December and since then I’ve been plotting ways I can get back out there.  I found an elemental place in myself that allowed me to see the world differently. The freedom of the road perked up my senses and fed my curiosity. I felt creative and inspired.  I met people who shared a common vision of community and a love of the natural world. I knew that then that the road trip was just the beginning. I needed to wander and explore and write about what that meant. My backpack is ready. Where to?