Mike and I love spending time outdoors. This is what brought us together initially and continues to be a critical part of our life today. As we look toward the future, we want to make it an even BIGGER part of our story.
Mike and I met at a ranch in North Texas that catered to and hosted mountain bikers and campers. I was there with a group of adventure racers, practicing some land navigation and getting some trail miles in. Mike was with a fun group of folks (the Hash House Harriers) for an annual event involving a redneck version of Germanfest, camping, and some mountain biking.
When planning our wedding in 2010, we knew a few things: It needed to be outside and packed with awesome people. So, we held an amazing 'wedding camp' at one of our favorite spots in Arkansas. To this day, no offense to anyone else, but it definitely holds the top place as BEST WEDDING EVER. #justsayin
In 2019, we ventured out to Moab, Utah with some of our closest friends. We knew we would be staying off-grid, on BLM land, so we rented a teardrop trailer and Mike hacked together a solar/battery solution to run his CPAP machine and keep our beer cold. We loved it - but we knew we could find an even better solution for our camping needs.
We've discussed all the things we like about camping, what we wish could be improved, and mainly - how to make hitting the road and going on adventures easier, more comfortable, and give us access to more locations (regardless of power or facilities).
We finally landed on buying and converting a Ford Transit cargo van into a camper! With this build, we anticipate challenges and celebrations.
While we do not have plans to go full-time van-life (i.e. living out of it), OR going *fully* off grid, we do fully expect to spend a LOT more time on the road and enjoying nature.
In the coming weeks, months, and definitely years - we'll share our adventures of building the van and taking it on the road.
