Ryan…
…is an engineer who thrives on figuring out how things work and then making them better. He takes all the systems in the truck and trailer very seriously and has personally done a majority of the upgrades & modifications (with the help of LeeWhay of course). Being an engineer, he relishes in taking and maintaining stats on everything. Ryan is a skilled photographer and likes to share his images as well as technical writing with others. He enjoys traveling, seeing new things & meeting new people. Even though he is a social being, he also enjoys the quiet of remote places where very few people visit.
He fell in love with a Unimog (U1300L) and it joined our family in 2016.
LeeWhay…
….walks across countries, climbs the tallest mountains on continents, achieves Rifleman, faces personal adversity with grace, refuses to be afraid, loves her old doggy, dances in parades, leads when others cannot, believes there is no right time for dessert, practices wilderness medicine for fun, prefers to “do” rather than “wait and see what happens”, believes in taking responsibility for herself rather than rely on some other person/entity/organization/government/fictional character/bureaucracy/etc.
…was raised by her grandparents and then her pseudo family on Long Island in New York. She self-funded her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Physical Therapy. With her degree, she specializes in the rehabilitation of people with physical and cognitive impairments. She moved to California in 1999 for a year or two and ended up staying until 2017.
We…
…met hiking in the summer of 2000. From the very beginning, we both enjoyed the outdoors, whether it was hiking, skiing, camping or traveling. We often used our vehicles to access these things, we just didn’t know that what we did had a name. We discovered “Overlanding” in 2011 when Ryan attended an Overland Expo in Amado, AZ. I thought he was going to hang out with a bunch of “Yuppy Hillbillies”. Little did I know, we were those Yuppy Hillbillies. He returned all excited about vehicle based exploration, meeting others who enjoyed the things we did, and the dream of driving around the world. I was hooked after attending an Overland Rally in Hollister, CA the following fall. I learned how to properly drive over obstacles and the useful skill of left foot braking. I even had the chance to break a car window after a failed attempt with an axe, with a small life hammer. From that point on, a majority of our travels have been vehicle based and we have been able to access some beautiful, remote places of the world.
As of the end of 2017, we are semi-retired with the goals of “work less” and “travel more”.
Mission Statement…
We have always told our readers, students, and members of the overlanding community that we would tell them the truth about our experiences. This overlanding thing has opened our lives to many new experiences which have taught us lessons. We promise to relay our unvarnished lessons and experiences so others might learn with us. Come, overland (and learn) with us!