SemperCoasty

Hello all! My name is John but friends and family call me JJ. Where do I begin? First off I grew up in the Midwest, NW Indiana specifically. Most of my immediate family is still in the area and several others scattered throughout the US. When I turned 17 I joined the U.S. Navy and participated in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. After 6 years I decided aircraft carriers (I was an Aviation Boatswain Mate ABH) were not as fun as depicted on tv. So at the end of my enlistment I traded grey boats for white boats and joined the U.S. Coast Guard. I drove search and rescue boats and engaged in law enforcement. I had a blast of a career and would recommend it to everyone thinking of joining the military! Why wear green and march through mud and sand when you can be in command of a boat and look at bikinis everyday? After retiring from active duty, I loved the USCG so much I took a federal government GS job working for them as a civilian and actually getting paid my worth. Little more bureaucratic and not as fun, but the money was great. However, I realized the money was not everything. I grew tired of windowless classified spaces, cubicles, and florescent lighting. So in 2016 I took a second (early) retirement from the government and relocated back to the Midwest closer to my parents. I've been away my entire adult life and wanted to spend time with family as they are getting older. During my time back "home", I grew bored and needed something to do with my time. I ended up buying a fancy Corvette and decided to do some travelling with it. My pug dog Wrigley and I had a blast! We both loved the Vette especially back mountain roads with the roof off. I would pack the trunk with my fishing gear (I LOVE fly fishing), a tent, some essentials then we would hit the road with no plans, literally went where the wind took us and loved every minute of it! That car has been to 38 states. I decided that as much fun as paved roads are, I need more and something new. I started researching boondocking and overlanding and thought it would be perfect for our new adventure! So we are new to overlanding and currently have a Jeep Grand Cherokee (no mods yet). Me and my dog plan to travel the U.S. but mostly stay west as I love that area. I've joined this group to hopefully meet friends to travel with, get some tips and tricks, and help me outfit my vehicle with the necessities to be a full time overlander, safely. Currently I just have the basics with a ground tent. I did not want to spend thousands on a roof top or trailer without further knowledge and insights from the experts. Hope to see you out there! jj