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Hey there! My name is Mike Chandler and my wife Anna and I are very happy to have joined the 4X Team!! As a way of introduction, I grew up in a small Illinois town. I didn't do much camping as a kid, and when I did, it was in a trailer with the family. I've always enjoyed getting lost in the woods. I also enjoyed hunting and fishing. I left there after high school and joined the Marine Corps, where I did a little bit of camping. 😐 My favorite USMC camping story is waking up at dawn in the California mountains and, upon opening up our sleeping bags (no tents), seeing that a large Tarantula had crawled into my neighbors sleeping bag and was sitting on his chest. I'm sure it was funnier to me than it was to him! 🤣 After retiring from the Corps in the Washington, DC area. I worked for the U.S. Senate for several years and retired last year.
My wife Anna is a city girl having grown up in the DC area. Although she hasn't done much camping, she does like hiking and the great outdoors. She is a retired U.S. Capitol Police officer having served 28 years with them in a variety of specialties, so she's brave and adventurous! We've done some camping together and are ready to take it to the next level.
We're both tired of life (and the seemingly billions of people) in the DC area and will be relocating to the Prescott, AZ area in Fall 2022. We can't wait! After watching several of Scott's videos, we decided to order an Outback Wilderness and plan on outfitting it with a rooftop tent. Our dream/goal is to explore all the places in the U.S. we haven't visited and make great memories together. We're looking forward to meeting fellow wanderers and making lifetime friends.
Hi there, Mike! Welcome aboard. There is so much I would like to say about this post.
First of all, I recall camping at the top of Four Peaks mountain in Arizona years ago and had a run-in with a Tarantula. One note of caution and interest: Arizona has Tarantula Hawk Wasps. They are called that because they sting Tarantulas to paralize them and lay their eggs in them. Then the larve grow inside and eat their way out while the Tarantula is still alive. If you see a live Tarantula that isn't moving and you cannot make it move, it is likely paralized. Sad but true. The note of caution is that these wasps have one of the most painful stings of any in the natural world. You will know when one is around because they are a huge black wasp insect.
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Amazing that your wife worked for the US Capitol!
So, what I find so appealing of your upcoming journey is that you are pursuing a dream and one that will find you exploring the vast, wide open spaces and huge sky of the American West after living in a congested east coast city. That is just simply fantastic. And, Prescott is essentially ground zero of the Overland world with Overland Journal headquartered there as well as the US location for MaxTrax as well as Adventure Trailers. I love Prescott. You will love living there. There is just so much to do in that area and the weather is mild year round with a bit of snow here and there but melts off quickly.
There are many places I have traversed in the great state of AZ. Some I have shared with the public on my channel, and others I have not shared with anyone at all. And, then there are the locations I share only with TEAM 4X.
Because I came from AZ, a large group of TEAM 4X members are there and you will have an opportunity to connect with them I am sure. I am happy to make connections for you.
Thanks for joining!
Scott
Thanks, Scott! We bought the property in Prescott in 2016, and visited at least twice a year since, so we're really looking forward to living there full-time and venturing out. I haven't seen one of the Tarantula Hawk Wasps, but we have seen a paralyzed Tarantula. it is sad. We've also seen several Javelina and deer on our property and, this past November, we saw a Road Runner!
We look forward to meeting like-minded folks and exploring the great outdoors.
Welcome Mike (and Anna) to the 4X family! I am excited for you both to be heading to Prescott. I love it there and AZ in general. So much to do, see, explore and just adventure! Best part of Arizona is that it is year round fun.
I left the U.P. of Michigan years ago to go explore the desert and that I did! A beautiful place to live for sure. Looking forward to getting to know you and your wife and hearing about your big move and of course see pics of it all.
Welcome 😊
@heather-jo Thank you! I was born in MI but grew up in IL. Been on the east coast for work wayyyyyyyy too long. Can't wait to get out west and explore. We look forward to meeting you and Scott also. We actually already moved a lot of our stuff to Prescott (see pics below). The last one is from our balcony overlooking Prescott. You can see Granite Mountain in the distance.
@michael-chandler OMG! That garage is fantastic and the views! 🤩
@4x_admin It's even better in person! It's a million dollar view. We paved the road this year (it was previously pretty rough and I don't have my Sub Wilderness yet ;-)) so it's a much easier climb now. Hopefully you can drop by next time you're in the area and we'll share an adult beverage!
@4x_admin It's even better in person! It's a million dollar view. We paved the road this year (it was previously pretty rough and I don't have my Sub Wilderness yet ;-)) so it's a much easier climb now. Hopefully you can drop by next time you're in the area and we'll share an adult beverage!
Absolutely will plan to do that, Mike!
@michael-chandler that place and the view is Awesome!! We’ll stop in next time we’re in AZ for sure. ☀️
What color wilderness are y’all thinking? Can’t wait for pics.
@heather-jo We're going with the green Wilderness. (It's the color my wife likes (and I'm no dummy)! 😀
Welcome to the 4X Family! Looking forward to meeting you both soon. 😎
@mary-langenfeld Likewise! We have a Gold Wing at our place in Prescott. Scott mentioned you sometimes winter in AZ and suggested we try to hook up for a ride. That would be great!
@michael-chandler Oh Yeah!! Good choice Anna that is my favorite as well. My Subaru I just got rid of was the green too. Her name was Hazel! 😉
@michael-chandler Sounds Terrific! I'm having the time of my life exploring Arizona on my BMW 1200 adventure motorcycle.