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Route To Elsewhere: A Personal Journey
Author: Dirk Wierenga
ISBN: 978-1614850106
BISAC Category: TRAVEL / Memoir
Release Date: January 2026
# of Pages: 328
PRICE: $19.99
Imagine what you would think if you were approached by a stranger carrying a camera and a voice recorder who asked you to tell him your story?
In Route to Elsewhere, driven by a sense of adventure, self-described “imperfect person” Dirk Wierenga embarked on a 10,000-mile journey across the northern United States to discover why rural folks choose to live where few others do.
The journey took him from Maine to Washington State and back again. Along the way, he met farmers working their fields on land without irrigation, retirees who still contributed to the places they lived, an independent logger who drove hundreds of miles to find work, a restauranteur who returned to her hometown to run the family restaurant so her parents could retire, Native Americans who made the best out of a forced existence on reservations through the actions of a government that doesn’t seem to care, an attorney by trade who took over the bookstore his late wife founded, and a struggling full-time artist who resorted to gig work to keep food on the table. In all, more than fifty people shared their stories with him.
In this wide ranging book, Wierenga learned that most rural Americans willingly sacrifice many modern conveniences that city folk require in order to live in pristine natural environments and in close-knit communities of caring neighbors. Haunted by his own flaws as a person, Wierenga reached a point of forgiveness toward himself and others by witnessing how people along the route he traveled met the challenges that life through at them.
About the Author
Dirk Wierenga
Dirk Wierenga is an author, photographer, documentary filmmaker and rural wanderer who, when not on the road, lives in Grand Haven, Michigan.
What Others Are Saying
Absorbing, engaging, and well-written account of a traveler and observer.
If you put Jack Kerouac, Charles Kuralt, and Bill Bryson in a blender, that’s the tone of this absorbing book. All those hours alone in a car give one lots of time to muse, and Dirk has shared his memories and insights along with the compelling stories of interesting individuals from all across the country. It’s well written and engaging from the very first page. Highly recommend.
Take a fun roadtrip without ever leaving your house
This book takes you to beautiful places you may never go to, and introduce you to some interesting people that you may never actually meet. The book takes you on a road trip without leaving the couch or filling up your gas tank. This book takes you on a road trip all over our beautiful country at a time where many of us need a break from media, cell phones, work, finances… Read this book and enjoy the roadtrip!
This is a fantastic experience
Route to Elsewhere is one of those rare books that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading it. Dirk Wierenga has an extraordinary gift for bringing places and people to life. His vivid descriptions of the landscapes stretching from Maine to Washington are so rich and authentic that you feel as though you’re traveling the highway with him, seeing America through the eyes of someone who truly understands it. What makes this book exceptional is the way Wierenga seamlessly blends history, geography, and the unforgettable people he meets along the way into a story that is both enlightening and deeply moving.
A book for those who enjoy long trips to unknown places with a fellow wanderer
This is quite an amazing book, part Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon and part Working by Studs Terkel. What I liked best was how the author would pull up to a strangers house, ask for an interview and get it. A 10,000 mile journey from Maine to Washington State and back to Maine by a different route. A journey filled with chance meetings of over fifty people the author met along the way. In addition the author tells about his own challenges growing up. It is a multifaceted book that packs a lot of meaningful information about the author’s travels and about the author himself.
Route to Elsewhere is a cross-country ride that is not measured in miles but in the individuals and couples we meet along the way
The author, Dirk Wierenga, was curious about how people make a living, find adequate healthcare, and learn. His peripatetic route to find these people includes places you probably never heard of or thought of visiting. You may wonder why people trust a stranger to sit with them, prod them into conversation, record it all to capture their thoughts and character, and even take their photographs. If you know Dirk, you will understand. By the time you finish reading Route to Elsewhere, you will have vivid portraits of the diverse and unique personalities of dozens of individuals and couples. You will also enjoy a firsthand acquaintance with the author himself. In short, Wierenga’s book introduces the reader to uncommon people and places from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back. It’s a ride worth taking.
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