Where It All Starts

At some point you can't just sit in front of the computer reading about other peoples adventures. You need to get out there and see for yourself how truly spectacular our world is. No amount of pictures or YouTube videos will ever do justice to the beauty that is around us.

It would be easy to say that our jeep adventures started when we got a new Jeep Unlimited in 2013, but really our adventures together start with us. Our jeeps are just tools that allow us to get out and spend more time with each other and share the beauty that surrounds us, without the distractions that come from the modern day world and our chosen careers in the tech industry.

Debbie is a Program Manager specializing in large scale migration, deployment, and upgrade of data centers. Currently she drives a 2017 2-door Jeep JK Wrangler Rubicon and in the past has had everything from a Rubicon to a YJ. She's the photographer and videographer of the team and also enjoys Scuba diving and building wood gear clocks.

Jesse is a Senior Build Engineer for a major software company. Currently he drives a 2013 Jeep JK Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited and in the past has had a 68 Bronco and Jeep XJ. Jesse also enjoys maps, navigation, making random websites, and making sawdust with various woodworking tools. 

We both grew up in the small town of Colville, WA. We've known each other since 1980 or so when we met on the playground at the merry-go-round. And, while it took us awhile to realize what was really missing in our lives, we finally got married in 2010.

In early 2013 we purchased a bright green JK, and promptly named it The Green Monster.  In mid 2013 Debbie decided to purchase her own smaller, two-door sport model. Why two Jeeps? Because we both like to drive, we both like to explore, and we like to bring friends along with us when we can. This allows us to share the challenge and to carry enough gear to keep ourselves comfortable at campsites and on the trail. While Debbie has since traded the sport in for a newer Rubi, Jesse still enjoys his Green Monster...though with several modifications added since then!

Also in 2013 we added Emma to our family. She is a Purebred Border Collie and is our official Jeep Dog. We had so much fun with her in that first year that we decided to add a second Border Collie to our family in 2014 and named her Amber. They go everywhere we are allowed to take them and even a few places where we're not sure we are supposed to! They are always willing to go explore and never wander more than a few yards from us. They have been the perfect addition to our family!

This blog will be quite a bit of historical adventuring combined with all of our new adventures. Here's to another year of new places, new roads, 

and new friends. It is our hope that you follow along as we share some of the adventure that awaits. We hope we can inspire you to get outside and see for yourself what can't be seen on a computer screen.

Big Island Hawaii Snorkeling with Giant Manta Rays

Snorkeling with giant manta rays has to be one of the all time best adventures we've had while exploring the Big Island of Hawai'i. If you ever have the chance, this is something you don't want to miss.

Memorial Day Weekend 2014 Part 3

The last day of our long weekend we had sunshine and an idea of where we wanted to go. Once again we headed East. This time we took a left at Cle Elum, WA to head over Blewett Pass. Before heading over the pass, we decided to head up to a fire lookout we had read about, exploring some of the forest service roads along the way.

Memorial Day Weekend 2014 Part 2

Memorial Day Weekend day two was pretty uneventful, but we did get some exploring in. While traveling down the road to Packwood, WA on the East side of Mt Rainier we took a little side trip up an unmarked dirt road. This led us to a mostly abandoned road where the highway used to be. It wasn't very long but it was quite isolated. So we will leave you with a few pics after the jump.

Memorial Day Weekend 2014 Part 1

With the sun out, the temperatures up, and a three day weekend we decided it was the perfect time to stay home and work on the yard jump in the Green Monster and go exploring! With only a basic starting point in mind, but no real destination, it was one of the most relaxing weekends in a long time.

Make the jump to see pics and read about the first day of the long weekend.

First Weekend with RubiRock: Windmills, concrete beacons, and a hidden creek.

With all the wet weather on our side of the Cascade Mountains, we decided to head east until we found sunshine. About 100 miles is all it took.

Make the jump for more pictures and story.

First Weekend with Rubi Rock: Evens Creek ORV Park

When you buy a vehicle for the purpose of driving off road, well, the first thing you want to do is take it off road. Gotta make sure it works as expected, right? That's what we told ourselves anyway.

Introducing RubiRock.

Debbie gets an upgrade to her wheels... and tires and axles and lockers and transfer case and one very important decal on the hood.

Road Trip to Mt Baker

Even though we've lived in this area for quite some time, neither of us had ever taken a trip to Mt Baker. With spring being as nice as it has been, now seemed like as good a time as any to make the trip up there. So we climbed into the Green Monster, loaded up some snacks for us and some dogfood and water for Emma and hit the road.

Make the Jump for more story and pics!

First Weekend in Spring 2014

The first day of spring this year was March 20. What better way to welcome it in than a trip around the area at various places we enjoy. The first weekend we saw great weather and open skies while there was still a chill in the air. We first headed out to NF-70, one of our favorite roads to start out on where we met the elk in the picture above. We wanted to see just how far the snow had retreated and check out the road conditions. We headed up into the hills, then back into town the next day for a lazy walk around the Microsoft Campus where the flowers were in full bloom. We finished up the weekend with a trip to the Marymoor Park to let Emma play with other dogs.

Make the jump to see lots more pics of the first weekend in spring!

Stopping Along The Way

We quite often travel from one side of Washington to the other to visit family. It used to be a trip that was rushed and the drive was more often than not a trip straight through stopping only for gas. Coffee and food were bought at a drive through or the gas station where we were filling up. But a couple of things have changed. First, we got a dog that needed regular breaks from the road. Second, we got a Jeep that needed regular breaks from the road. Now, unless there is some pressing event taking place at one end or the other we take back roads and make stops at places that seem interesting to us. Here is just a sample from one such trip from our home near Seattle, WA to our hometown of Colville, WA, and then back again.

Make the jump to join us on a couple of the little side trips and stops we have made.

OMSI and the USS BlueBack

Off to Portland we go! For no other reason than to visit the OMSI. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is quite the amazing place with lots of cool things to play with, it even has a real submarine you can take tours of. Which of course was the best part of the visit.

Make the Jump for more pics!

Finding Snow Around Seattle

The warm weather we had in January sent the wrong message. It told all of Debbie's tulips it was spring and they all started popping out of the ground. Unfortunately this meant when freezing temperatures came back a couple weeks later, they all died. Not only did we get freezing temperatures, we got a late season snowfall. But despite the untimely demise of all the front yard flowers, we took advantage of the situation to go play in the snow with our Jeeps.

Make the jump for more story and pictures.

Winter Lunch on Crystal Mountain

Crystal Mountain is a favorite ski resort here in Western Washington. The snow is always good and the lift lines are rarely long. We hadn't had much of a chance to get out there this winter because of other events and travels. But an unseasonably warm mid January day we decided to try out the new gondola to enjoy the view and lunch at the top.



Make the jump for more pics and story...

Throwback Thursday: Debbie's TJ

Before we were married, Debbie drove a 2000 something Jeep Wrangler Sport. It may have only had a 4 cylinder engine, but it had a good set of tires, and most importantly four wheel drive and low range in the transfer case.

This little Jeep took us around Reiter off road area and across May Creek for Debbie's first experience with just what her Jeep could do. On a sunny spring day the top came off and we drove up to the Index overlook in the morning where we drove through snow, then all the way back to Alki Beach to watch the sunset on Puget Sound over the Olympic Mountains.

We made a trip over Chinook Pass to see the high elevation wildflowers. We were driving with no top, no doors...and no mirrors. A Washington State Patrol pulled us over somewhere along highway 410 in the wilderness for no mirrors. We chatted for a bit about the the Jeep. He then let us know just how he fixed the problem of no mirrors on his Jeep and he also let us know when trails in the area usually open for Jeeps. So after chatting for a while about Jeeps, trails, and sunshine he sent us on our way.

This little underpowered rig took us places far away from the city together and in the sun. Places like Mt St Helens and Mt Rainier.

It was a sad day to see this Jeep go, but at the time we were having a financial situation that needed to be dealt with. Because we had other cars we could drive, we sold it to help cover our expenses.

Debbie now has her little red Jeep named Gossamer. It is more comfortable, more powerful, more capable, but the little blue Tj will always have a special place in our memory.

Kauai: Wrapping up the trip.

There is so much more to this trip than just the adventures we had. There were lots of slow times and random moments that are hard to fit in with any one story.

Stories like us spending a couple hours chasing a barn owl down a rural road so Debbie could take a picture, but eventually the owl got anoyed and took off into the trees.

Or the thousands of flowers that appear everywhere. Flowers in every color you can imagine. Some even change color during the daytime from bright yellow in the morning to red in evening.

The awesome trees could be a story all by themselves. Trees, while not native, come from all over the world. The tree that looks as if it came out of a movie about Africa, probably did come from Africa.

The local wildlife like the Ni Ni, also known as the Hawaiian Goose is everywhere here. There are many more creatures to be seen in addition to the wild cats and chickens.

Don't forget about Puff the Magic Dragon from Hanalei. When the waves are up and the wind is strong, mist still billows off his nose, and when the sun sets just right you can see fire too.

But regardless of where we went, and what did the trip was really about was who we were with. Time to spend with each other without the world getting in between.

Kauai Ziplining!

Princeville Ranch on Kauai is a 2600 acre working ranch which the operators have also set up horseback riding and ziplining. How can you not take advantage of that?! That's what we thought, so with a phone call and a credit card, we made reservations for the ziplining adventure and headed out.


Make the jump for some more pics and videos!

Kauai Kilohana Plantation and a Luau

The Kilohana Plantation is formerly a 16,000 acre estate built by sugar baron Gaylord Wilcox in 1935. Today it is both a tourist attraction and historic site. Now home to a few shops, Gaylords restaurant and possibly one of the biggest Luau's on the island of Kauai.

Kilohana translates into "Not to be surpassed". Yes it is a tourist attraction, but it is also very fun.


You know the drill... Make the jump for the rest of the story!

Kauai Catamarans, Whales, Dolphins and Coffee

Wednesday morning started off bright and early with us leaving our room around 5:30am. This was so we could catch a ride on a 60 foot catamaran named Lucky Lady operated by Kauai Sea Tours. The tour was to take us from Port Allen out to the Na Pali Coast. Because of the time of year, the weather, and the wildlife it was an action packed ride that we will not soon forget.



Make the jump for pics, videos, and more story!

Waimea Canyon of Kauai: Grand Canyon of the Pacific

Day three of doing touristy things we decided to head up Waimea Canyon to verify a rumor that it was a great place to see. Were we in for a surprise!








Make the jump for more pics and story!