About Us
In 2019 Courtney and Andrew said goodbye to a comfortable life to drive around, sleep in vehicles, and give their young son the gift of travel.
Their story, at least most of the stuff related to what you’ll see on this website, begins in March 2019 when they dropped a set of house keys into the hand of a real estate agent and hit the road. Their original timeline didn't stretch too far into the future - six months to a year tops. But, things changed (as they tend to do) and within the first 12 months they decided to hold off on acquiring a new set of house keys until they're forced to settle down and stop exploring.
Before they settle down again they hope to travel throughout the Americas, around Europe, and spend time exploring Africa. But, they're not limiting their travels to those locations. If all goes well someday they'll drive a vehicle around Australia, a bit of Asia, and maybe a few other far flung places that aren't currently on their radar. As they say time will tell...
Above: Crossing a small stream in Idaho in our 2019 Ford F350 with our house, a Four Wheel Campers Hawk Flatbed, riding well above the water on a Norweld tray.
Background Info...
Courtney and Andrew met in Seattle, Washington - each well into a life as fully functional and independent adult. Long story short - they enjoyed one another's company so much that they got married, moved to Central Oregon, got a dog, and started a family. Then, after realizing how unpredictable and fragile life can be they decided to change course and focus on travel.
Before they decided to sell their home Courtney and Andrew's lives followed a blueprint very familiar to most people. Courtney grew up in Western Washington, went to college, and spent more than ten years teaching young children. Andrew's fairly standard childhood unfolded in Montana and Washington, but as soon as he could Andrew left home to serve in the military. After that he went to college, worked for the government, and spent some time in a small corner of the aerospace industry. Generally speaking they lived lives similar to many others. Unique to themselves but nothing incredibly noteworthy or particularly extraordinary.
When it comes to travel and the outdoors Courtney and Andrew offer unique perspectives. Before they met Courtney camped out at the occasional concert, hiked on paved city paths, and spent holidays close to home or somewhere with a on-site swimming pool and great food. Andrew, on the other hand, grew up in the remote forests of the Pacific Northwest, spent vacation time backpacking, and his international travel was primarily taxpayer funded. But, after they met Courtney became more adventurous and Andrew really began to embrace interacting with other humans outside of work. Their trips together slowly evolved to look more like the style of travel they currently enjoy - frequent human interaction and good food combined with remote landscapes and evenings under the stars.
The "Crew"
Courtney
She's a huge fan of cooking, good wine, and making new friends. On the road Courtney is often the one scouring the internet for awesome eateries or cool places to buy supplies for the next few meals. Her other frequent contributions to "the adventure" include serving as a teacher, finding interesting places to stay, and making sure to stop to enjoy museums and educational experiences.
Courtney was also the catalyst for traveling full time before retirement. She attended her first Overland Expo and after a quick tour of an Earth Roamer LTS decided that traveling sooner rather than later would be a concept she would be willing to explore. And, while an Earth Roamer was never really a viable option it did serve as a tangible benchmark for what might be possible. It showed the couple that long term overland travel didn't have to be an endless camping trip devoid of hot showers, heat, or a comfortable bed.
Above: Courtney traversing a rocky section of a trail in Arizona's Kofa National Wildlife Refuge on a recent winter trip across the USA in search of warm weather.
In the next ten or so years Courtney is looking forward most to possibly competing in the Rebelle Rally, exploring Baja, and visiting Australia.
| Favorite Overland Travel Books | The Road Chose Me, Drive Nacho Drive |
| Favorite Road Snack | Cheetos, Taco Time |
| Top Travel Gear | P-Style, Omnia Oven, Snowpeak Mug, Aeropress |
| Essential Travel Apps | onX Offroad, AirBnB, iOverlander |
| Dream Travel Vehicle | Blissmobil / Boxmanufaktur / Krug |
Andrew
Andrew loves gadgets and rigs. Even though he's doing his best to put travel first - he still can't resist shopping for new gadgets or talking about the next vehicle build. Limited payload, storage space, and the lack of a reliable shipping address are proving to be excellent tools helping him in his ongoing battle with chronic gear replacement syndrome.
Aside from a somewhat unhealthy obsession with gear and vehicles - Andrew also enjoys fly fishing and hopes to get back into cycling.
While Courtney set the "travel now not later" ball in motion it was Andrew who always dreamed of someday enjoying long term overland travel. Ever since he saw Gary and Monika Wescott's Turtle III in the pages of a 4x4 magazine back in the 90's he frequently daydreamed about someday building a vehicle of his own to explore places far from the tiny towns of his childhood.
In the next ten or so years Andrew is looking forward to getting back into cycling, exploring Europe, and learning Spanish for thier trip to south America.
| Favorite Overland Travel Books | First Overland, We Will Be Free |
| Favorite Road Snack | Beef Jerky, Chili Mango, Fruit Cups in MX |
| Top Travel Gear | Weed Sprayer, Fixed Blade Knife, Metal Fire Pit |
| Essential Travel Apps | onX Offroad, |
| Dream Travel Vehicle | Troopy / Defender 110 or 130 |
"Mountain Goat"… Formerly “Dinosaur Chomp”
Yep... that's what his latest nickname. He gave it to himself after climbing Amboy Crater in CA. We're also doing our best to keep his childhood relatively private - so we avoid putting images that show his face on the internet and obviously personal info like his name / birthday / etc. With that out of the way Dinosaur Chomp is clearly a fan of learning about various dinosaurs. He's also crazy about planes, Porsches, construction equipment, and 4x4s.
He also loves to make new friends. He's always looking to expand what he refers to as his "crew." Playgrounds, museums, and rivers are some of his favorite places to hang out when he's not playing with Hot Wheels or roadshcooling with his mother.
Some of his favorite travel memories include seeing Manatees, feeding Tarpon, driving by Bison in Yellowstone, and riding bikes to see Alligators in Texas.
In the next ten years he is really looking forward to traveling to South America, seeing Lions, and and go to lots of parks.
| Favorite Song | Danger Zone |
| Favorite Road Snack | Cheetos, Mexican “Cheese Chips” |
| Top Travel Gear | Hot Wheels, iPad, Lego |
| Essential Travel Apps | Khan Academy Kids, Maps.me |
| Dream Travel Vehicle | A four wheeler or side by side |