Mark Stephens

Mark Stephens
Celebrating the natural world with his camera, and recording the human element with his pen, Mark's photos and stories are acclaimed for being both absorbing and amusing. He writes a column for Overland Journal on family travel and an active, outdoor lifestyle.

Born of, reared by, and educated in Arizona's Sonoran Desert, he's climbed the walls of Devil's Canyon, trekked the trails throughout the Rocky Mountains, slept on the ground in most National Parks, rope-swung into a river here and there, driven the back roads of the southwest U.S. and Mexico, enjoyed song and cerveza in the cantinas of the Baja peninsula, and otherwise traveled like a backpacking pilgrim from British Columbia to Peru.

Mark holds a degree in English from Arizona State University; he learned from composition masters such as Jeanne Dugan, Robert Krut, and G. Lynn Nelson. His work has been published in Overland Journal, Nissan Sport Magazine, Arizona Outdoorsman, and JPFreek Adventure Magazine.

"One fine day upon Hayden Lawn," he tells of meeting someone special at said University, "I'd been stunned into a walking coma by this pony-tailed blond walking in my direction. She wore running shoes and perfect little Sun Devil running shorts."

"Naturally, I looked. Then she looked. She said, 'Hi.'  And I swear she smiled in a fashion that would make the entire legion of Greek Gods lay down and weep.  I, on the other hand, drooled a little bit."

Brooke Stephens

Brooke Stephens
Brooke is a devoted teacher, both as a junior high choir director and as a mom to daughter, Chloe.

She brings her exuberance and professional organizational skills to the classroom as well as the Stephens’ family adventures.  With her time split between raising a toddler and teaching teenagers, Brooke is often ready for a trip outside to explore the deserts, mountains, and beaches that are within a day’s drive away from the family’s home in Chandler, AZ. 

As a professionally trained music educator from Arizona State University, Brooke has fine arts experience in piano accompaniment, vocal music, and conducting.  Believing that music is a lifelong pursuit, she continues to practice choral singing as a member of the touring Mesa choir, Sonoran Desert Chorale. 

After meeting Mark in college (and quickly becoming his number one fan), Brooke began experiencing the outdoors more actively through off-highway driving, rock climbing, backpacking, and skiing.

Since their marriage in 2003, Mark and Brooke have taken vacations that are outdoor-recreation focused that allows them a deeper look at the surrounding culture and scenery: hiking to a secluded mountain lake in Yosemite National Park, camping on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Baja, Mexico, and exploring the past of the ancient people of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.  Brooke and Mark make it a priority to get outside and teach their daughter Chloe that the outdoors is a fun place to play and learn.