We?

Hi we're Chris & Wendy -

We're two-halves of a whole. Two peas in a pod. Two... well you get it. We go on expeditions. We test gear. We document the cool stuff. We share it with you. Our goal is to document and share our adventures- whatever they are!

Combined our backgrounds are in Technology, Outdoors, Cooking, Writing, and Education .

The story of our meeting is one of technology bringing people closer together. Once we met we found we had a similar interest for the outdoors. Chris had more experience than Wendy but she, being the nature child she is leaped at the opportunity to explore more 'pretty places and cool things'. Our path is one which leads on the scenic route – a scenic route that so far has covered over 9,000 miles spanning California, Nevada and Arizona.

We really enjoy where we live- Northern California, but our hearts lie with the escape. The leaving behind of the known, the routine, the crowds. Some may call it Wanderlust, but we still have a home base. We're not ones who simply travel vagabond-style. That has it's place for those who enjoy it, and kudos to them- but we do much better having a home-compound at this point in our lives. So, for now we're still currently tied to our day jobs (hence the name WorkMonkeys), but our ultimate goal is to be able to support ourselves by bringing these locations & activities closer to you- maybe even in a helpful way. We really enjoy documenting our adventures & sharing them with anyone & everyone who cares to read.

“My mother really does think we’re a little crazy. She loves fishing and maybe basic camping, but nothing like this. She tried and tried [to dissuade us from going so far out on our own], but understands our enjoyment and desire to do this.” says Wendy, about our adventures. "Chris on the other hand has been involved with Camping, Offroading & related activities for much longer"; “I grew up doing this stuff.. My father and I often went on trips when I was growing up, and once Wendy and I had the idea we couldn’t not do it.”

We set off on our first adventure in April 2007 from our home in Sacramento, California. Having crammed the Toyota Tacoma we borrowed from Wendy's sister Margie to make our trip to our first destination: Arizona. We left for that 8 day trip with enough supplies and gear to last 3 weeks. We had the thing horribly overpacked.

El Dorado National Forest, California / Photo: Chris Shook

We loved her sisters' truck and used it a few times, but let's face it... it was HERS and not OURS.

So, it was time for us to build a rig of our own. We researched and researched, and when we finished we researched some more. We finally decided on a 1992 Jeep Cherokee. It was a ton of work and time, but it was fun and we're happy with the results. With the rig rebuilt basically from the ground up, we were ready to REALLY start doing our thing!

When we are asked about the genesis of our trips, our reason is simple: Pure enjoyment. We came up with the idea because we're perfectly fine with leaving The populated World (and pavement) behind us, finding views relatively few get to see in person.

So we started small, and as we develop our skills and gain experience we hope to embark on progressively larger and more complex trips. We have some great ideas in store!

Please follow us and enjoy as we do what we do!