Our new Four Wheel Camper: Let the adventures begin!

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It all started with a crazy idea Mark & I had in January.  Let’s sell our house and most of our possessions, rent a house in Colorado during the summers and live out of an RV and travel the country the rest of the year.  We spent two and a half months in Arizona this winter and were loving the snow-bird lifestyle.  When we returned home we immediately immersed ourselves in research.  After weeks spent researching the steps it would take to pull off this crazy idea, we came to terms with the fact that’s it’s just not practical to sell our house right now.  As pumped as we were to become modern-day vagabonds, we always find a way to make the best of every situation and opportunity we’re given.  After all, we do love our house and feel lucky to live where we do.  We couldn’t just squash the travel bug though so we began forming Plan B.

Our idea of an RV isn’t your typical idea of an RV.  We wanted something that could take us to the remote places that we loved to go.  When we were initially planning on selling our house, we were dreaming of something like a Sportsmobile or Tiger Provan.  Holding on to our mortgage, the budget had to come down.  In March we checked out the Colorado RV show in Denver.  We were, by a few decades, the youngest ones there and were amused by the sheer size and luxury of some of the RVs on the market today.  In our minds, you buy an RV to explore the great outdoors, not to sit in front of the giant flat-screen tv in your semi-truck size RV that cost more than my house.  We could only conclude that this was to satisfy the wives of the men who dreamt of traveling the country in an RV.  However, at the RV show, we did take a quick look inside a truck camper and thought, “Hmm, roomier than I would have guessed.”  We came home and immersed ourselves in more research.  Thanks to the great land of information that is the internet we stumbled upon Four Wheel Camper.  A truck camper that’s built for off-roading!  Better yet, a dealer had just opened up shop in Denver, we were there within a few days.

When we met Chris, the owner of the FWC Denver dealership, he showed us his camper set up on his Toyota Tacoma and we knew instantly that Four Wheel Camper was exactly what we were looking for.  After hours sucking all the information we could out of Chris, we went home and started researching the perfect truck.  Within a few weeks we got our hands on a gorgeous, very well kept 2001 Ford F250 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel super cab short bed.  We placed our order for our Four Wheel Camper Hawk shell a few days later, waited patiently for 10 weeks and here we are!  We are now suited up with a vehicle that can take us to the remote places we want to go, has a queen size bed, a furnace and solar panel!!!!  We’re now equipped to travel during the winter since we rarely have time to do so during the summer AND are set up to be a mobile office so that we can take our work on the road when we don’t have to be in Colorado for a wedding or a shoot.  I have to say, our Plan B has worked out quite nicely.  Don’t put it past us though to one day sell all our possessions and hit the road for good!

Chris at Rocky Mountain Four Wheel Camper is an awesome guy and a huge source of knowledge for Four Wheel Campers and off-road travel.  Last week, during our install, we chewed on his ear a little more.  Chris has been unbelievably patient with our every last question and even didn’t mind me having a camera in his face all morning.  Here’s what Christmas looks like for a couple of 30 year olds looking for their next great adventure…
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This is Chris’s rig that I was talking about.  Drool-worthy, I know.
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During our install, we met Linda and her two dogs Bedford & Emmie.  Linda was passing through on her way home to Pennsylvania after a two month road trip to Alaska and back in her Toyota Tacoma and Four Wheel Camper Finch.  Talking to Linda not only got me insanely excited for the adventures that lie ahead for us but also for the incredible people that we will meet on the road.
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Bedford kept cool in the shop while Emmie maintained a hold on her captain’s chair in the Tacoma.
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Although we had less than 24 hours to enjoy the camper’s maiden trip, we were determined to do so.  We got home, grabbed the dogs and a few supplies and headed out.  Luckily for us, we live in the boonies so we didn’t have to go far to find a remote place to camp for the night.
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We hit up a nice back road that tested the new set-up.  Everything performed flawlessly and the dogs loved every second of it.  They know by now that when we’re off-roading we’re going somewhere fun.
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We made it to camp just in time for sunset.
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A huge thanks to Linda who so graciously gave us her steps!
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I believe this is what heaven looks like.
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Due to the surrounding fires and smoke in the air, the light that day was extremely unusual.
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I’m happy to say, night one was a huge success and we are anxious for the many adventures that lie ahead.  A HUGE thank you to Chris at Rocky Mountain Four Wheel Camper for all his knowledge, patience and professionalism.  AND…thank you to Four Wheel Camper for offering an amazing product…we are stoked!
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I’d also like to give a shout out to Wander The West and Expedition Portal for the endless amount of information and knowledge provided by all it’s members!

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About

We’re Mark & Michele, modern-day nomads perfecting the art of slow, full-time travel.  Our tiny home on wheels and slow-paced travel style allows us to minimize our expenses while maximizing our freedom.  May our unconventional way of life inspire you to design a life that you love.

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