A close runner up from The 10 Unsung Heroes of #MeetMichigan was our never-ending playlist of good/bad music. While 11, 12-hour days on the road accounts for a great deal of tunes, here is what we consider the top hits of the trip. Enjoy (or not, depending on your taste)!

#15 – “Ride to California” by Paper Tongues – Julie is still bumming over their cancellation at Common Ground 2009.

#14 – “You and I” by Lady Gaga – Truth be told, the entire Born This Way album was played at least a dozen times.

#13 – “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John – We just rolled down the windows and pretended we were filming for Almost Famous.

#12 – “Only the Good Die Young” by Billy Joel

#11 – “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine

#10 – “One Headlight” by The Wallflowers – A true classic never dies.

#9 – “Doin’ Time” by Sublime – In our opinion, the perfect summer song.

#8 – “Hey Jealousy” by Gin Blossoms – Because everyone loves a good 90s throwback.

#7 – “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson – A close second was MJ’s classic “Man In The Mirror” … this has a certain singability, though.

#6 – “Sweet Disposition” by The Temper Trap

#5 – “Sleigh Ride” by The Carpenters (from their Christmas album) – Truth: Julie requested multiple Christmas hits daily; this one happened to be playing when the team passed a billboard for Sleigh Rides — yes, we were in the U.P.

#4 – “Part of Your World” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid - “What’s that word again? Streeeeeet.”

#3 – “Piano Man” by Billy Joel - Because one Billy Joel song isn’t enough.

#2 – “Evacuate the Dancefloor” by Cascada – If there was one “theme song” of the trip, this would definitely be it; a great pump-me-up song for summer 2011.

#1 – “It’s All Coming Back to me Now” by Celine Dion – Anna and Julie really shared a moment with this one. It became part of the daily routine: Tweet, blog, Celine.

When all else failed (and 3G was available) Pandora’s “80’s Pop” station was a pinch-hitter.

No matter where your travels take you this summer, don’t forget to pack your favorite jams. And when the weather is hot and the windows are down, have no shame singing along (especially if you’re toolin’ around in the company van). We sure didn’t.

When M3’s Vision Engagement Officer Pete Ruffing invites you to lunch, you go.

1. He usually pays
2. It means something exciting is coming

When promoting positivity in Michigan from all 83 counties in 11 days, sometimes you need to stretch your legs.

Such was the case on May 17 when Pete invited Special PRops members Julie Becker and Emily Caswell to his favorite lunch spot, Moriarty’s on Michigan Avenue in Lansing. Pete sat down with Julie and Emily and said “We need to do something big!”

He’d come to the right place.

After bouncing around a few ideas the group knew exactly what had to happen. M3 needed to hit the road. After all, what better way for us to get the word out than to, well, you know … actually get out there? But this wasn’t going to be just any old road trip. Oh no. This road trip would have a special hook – one of Julie and Emily’s favorite subjects: social media.

Nearly two months, 83 counties, hundreds of tweets, dozens of Facebook updates and a few blogs later we’re finally looking back at #MeetMichigan with @m3_group. It’s been a lot of work, sweat, blood … and as Emily can attest a few tears. But all of it, including Julie’s aching bones from sitting in a van for up to 15 hours a day for 11 days, has been worth it.

In a relatively short amount of time, M3’s Special PRops teams has traveled the state (far and wide) to promote positivity and report on the great things happening in business across our state. We’ve interacted with thousands of people around the nation using social media, and in the process proved that there truly is such a thing as free lunch. Note: if you’re the one picking up the tab, the Special PRops team might just have a big idea for you, too. Give us a call, we’d love to chat and/or dine.

M3 thanks you for your continued #MeetMichigan support. Stay tuned for more #MeetMichigan blogging, including “The Unsung Heroes of #MeetMichigan” and “#MeetMichigan by the Numbers.” Also, join us on Tuesday, July 12 for our #MeetMichigan wrap-up in Detroit. For more information on this event, please see our media release.

As the Motion Mobile turned onto 9 Mile from 95^th Avenue in Evart, Michigan we realized we weren’t in Ice Mountain country anymore. Truth is, we never were to begin with.

While fairly accurate and reliable, Google maps had taken us far away from our 11:15 a.m. appointment at Ice Mountain Water in Stanwood (35 miles south of our current location … not to mention the direction we’d just come from).

On our speedy, yet safe cruise back down US-131 we spent a great deal of time embracing the following positive aspects:

• We made it eight full days on the road with very little backtracking or mistakes in our route
• We were able to see the beautiful back roads of Evart, including the Spring Hill summer campgrounds
• Julie got to hear “Evacuate the Dancefloor” before noon on the Lady Gaga Pandora radio station
• We ended up arriving at 11:16 a.m. for our 11:15 a.m. appointment – not too bad for going 70 miles out of the way (yes, we would have a been very early had Ice Mountain been located in Evart)

Aha's all about safety. Congratulations to Ice Mountain's safety milestone and thanks for letting us celebrate with you.

Most importantly, our on-time arrival allowed us to meet several Ice Mountain employees who had gathered with a reporter and photographer from The Pioneer Group to celebrate a huge safety milestone. Today, Ice Mountain celebrated 4 million hours, over seven and half years of zero lost time for injuries – a pretty big deal for a business with 240 employees.

A lot like our wonky route to Ice Mountain, Michigan has had some unexpected detours on the road to economic recovery. #MeetMichigan has seen the effects of our hardships across the state – some areas have undoubtedly been hit worse than others, but it’s inspiring to see so many Michiganders staying positive.

So, when the road turns to gravel and you feel a little lost, just remember that a positive attitude and three lefts will get you back on the highway.