Hi! We’re Mike & Shannan … two free spirits who like to think and play “outside the box,”…. creative thinkers, advocates of our National Parks & adventure seekers.
We’re a kindred pair of gypsies who love to travel (in our van) and explore the world and delve into history and nature. We love jumping in the van and heading to scenic locations, and meandering through National Parks on treasure hunts for wildlife and breathtaking views. We love venturing down back roads to unknown places, camping out in the wilderness under the stars, and visiting friends and family along the way.
Together, we started rethinking our daily routines. We make time for fun and doing the things we love. Life is what you make it and we decided to make it our own.
We’re simplifying, downsizing and evolving. We’re on a journey of travel and discovery, even house sitting in amazing places, and working remotely with our solar / mobile office set-up. We are advocates of visiting America’s greatest treasures… OUR NATIONAL PARKS. We’d love to share our stories from the road, and our photos and findings along the way. Stay tuned to this site for updates as we go! Thanks for reading and we hope you’ll follow along with us on our journey.
Hope to see you on down the road…. make it a back road!
Mike is a longtime real estate investor with a passion for people and the beauty this world has to offer. Having remodeled, flipped, rented and maintained many houses over the years, he’s a walking plethora of construction and handyman skills. From humble beginnings, he worked hard to achieve his personal and financial successes. Through an evolution of time and thought, Mike began long ago designing a plan for less work and more travel. He loves being outdoors and all things “outdoorsy,” including kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, camp fires and music festivals. He loves getting up at the crack of dawn to watch the sun rise and feed and listen to the birds. He’s often been called the “dog whisperer” and has a real love for all animals. He loves traveling in a van and the freedom it offers. He has customized many vans over the years, including “Our Van” shown on this site. He loves taking the time to visit and help other people. Not a single person who meets him goes untouched by his gift for making you feel inspired, important and introspective. A few words to sum up Mike would be … magnetic, inspired, inspirational and enlightened.
Shannan is a freelance web developer with over 15 years experience and clients all over the globe. She has a B.S. degree from the University of North Texas, studied law at Texas A&M (formerly known as Texas Wesleyan School of Law) and earned her web design chops at Richland Community College. She grew up surrounded by self-employed people – her mom, a costume & fashion designer, her dad, a country singer, her granddad, for whom she plans on writing a book, a Two Time All-Around World Champion Rodeo Cowboy, and her grandpa, a 22-year retired Army officer and appliance and furniture store owner… just to name a few. She was inspired early on to follow in their footsteps and create her own “job” and to live life with integrity and optimism. She loves writing, photography and digging deep into ancestry – even recently uncovering a few family secrets and learning that she’s Irish! She loves to “scavenger hunt” for things, discoveries, historical facts, and even photographic moments of wild animals. She’s fascinated with Great White Sharks and Grizzly Bears, is a certified scuba diver, loves the beach and loves scouring the tree lines of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks for bears and other wildlife. A few words to sum up Shannan would be … thoughtful, analytical, inquisitive and compassionate.
