In 1982, at the age of 17, I jumped in my 1973 Chevy Chevelle with two friends and headed west. The goal: two weeks backpacking in Glacier National Park. The result: well… eventually, we did backpack our way through the park, but only after experiencing some unexpected adventures along the way. Those adventures, coupled with the kindness of strangers (more on that later), launched an incurable, lifetime addiction to back-country travel and exploration.
The following pages, pictures and videos are intended to share this life journey with you. It will not be the same as your journey. It shouldn’t be. But if you pick up an idea, or are inspired to get out and hit the road for even one night, that’s great. May our adventures be your inspiration.
So who, exactly, are we? And why should you care?
I’m John, and my wife is LeAnn. Generally, when I say “we”, I’m referring to the two of us and a loose group of friends and family we’ve collected over the years. The makeup of this little group changes over time, of course, but it is basically a group of (relatively) ‘normal’ people – mid-western, middle-class, middle-of-the-road folks who prefer the middle of the two-track-dirt road to fancy resorts and superhighways. In our stories and videos, we will introduce you to some of our favorite weirdos (OK, friends). These characters make us laugh until our faces hurt.
From our stories, I think you will find that we aren’t afraid of hard work, but we don’t want to work hard just to work hard, either. We want to play too, and we don’t want it to cost a fortune. Money is an object, after all. We are not part of the 1% !! But we also enjoy our comforts. We want our loved ones, our favorite peeps, to want to come along on the adventure. These are family adventures, not exercises in proving how tough we all are out in the backcountry.
If you want to head out on a two-track adventure, look here for some solid advice on everything from getting there to getting home, from the kitchen to the throne, and everything in between. Advice from real people with real budgets. Or, just enjoy the stories and laugh along with us until your face hurts, too. Either way, you are welcome. Come along, enjoy the ride.
