The East Tennessee Tour

[LR Max]

Preface: Fellow Photographers, I used three different cameras for this trip. Depending on what I wanted to do, I used a crop sensor DSLR, a pretty decent Point and shoot (heavily, most photos from it), and my camera phone. So if you notice a huge difference in image quality, that is why.

So I really haven't taken a vacation this year. The opportunity never arose and I didn't push for it. So I had a few days and decided, screw it, I'm gonna go for it. I spent a few weeks before finishing up a few projects on the truck that I needed to do, packed, and went for it. There was a lot of preparation beforehand and I took a lot of time to load up my GPS as much as possible. This preparation would make a world of difference for me throughout the entire trip. Also for prep was loading up with enough food and whatever else I needed. Clothing weighed heavily on my decided equipment as everyone told me it would be extremely cold and wet.

Day 1: Just Get There

My first destination was Windrock ORV Park. For those not familiar, it is AMAZINGLY AWESOME. They are known for their difficult trails but have a TON of trails perfect for lesser built vehicles. However, first thing is first: gotta get there.


IMG_0307 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
I love Atlanta...except for this.


IMG_0310 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
And this...

Fortunately I was able to escape the city and began to cruise.


IMG_0312 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Who says old Land Rovers can't scoot...

Before I even hit the Tennessee line, one of my fuel tanks ran dry. What!!?? That was a bit sooner than expected. This raised a lot of concern as I spent the next few hours constantly re-calculating my fuel consumption and when I would run dry. As I turned off the interstate, I saw a gas station that had the right price on fuel. Since I knew my route the following day would be extremely desolate, I decided to do a full fuel up. Turns out I had about two gallons left in my tank. Enough to make it all the way to Windrock and then some. Meh. No one ever complained about having too much fuel.

Just a personal note, for some reason, I seem to be unable to arrive at Windrock any sooner than dusk. On the bright side, the campsite offers great views of the mountains.


Arrive At Dusk by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Great photo opportunity


First night Camping by expeditionmax, on Flickr
The Campsite at Windrock is top notch. Great facilities and cabins and smaller bunk houses if being outside isn't what you want.


Camp has been established

Overall the weather was perfect. A bit nippy but clear.

 

[LR Max]

Day 2: Hit the Trails

I got up, got camp packed up, got some chow, and hit the road.

I'd never gone to the northern part of Windrock. Known as "The North Country". According to the map, it looked like a very good place to go. I could go through the park to get there, but that would take a least 2 hours. However by pavement, I was at my trail head in 30 minutes. I aired down, and began.


IMG_0313 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Rollin'


IMG_0316 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Apparently Axle Mike has been here. Wonder if he is a decent fellow...


IMG_0318 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Just rolling along.

I came to my first intersection and headed up Trail 53. I was all like, AAAAWWWW YEAH lets get it AWN.


IMG_0320 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Engage.

No kidding, at the top of this hill, I had my first issue.


IMG_0321 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Apparently there is a rock to the right side that perfectly grabbed my rear diff. I came to a sudden stop. I got out, checked, and re-assessed the situation. I thought about dragging me out with the winch, but decided to back up and try it again. After using my gas tank skids and rock sliders a few times, I got over it. The entire time I'm thinking, if I just had a spotter, or a bit bigger tires, it wouldn't have been an issue. Oh well. Now I know.


IMG_0323 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Said rock to the right, just grabbed me.


IMG_0327 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Most of the trail looked like this. Single track with some little rock outcrops. Nothing challenging but definitely fun. Oh and plenty of water holes. I don't say mud holes because they were clear and the bottom was solid.


IMG_0328 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Derp.

I came to an intersection and there were two ways. One was short, but labeled, "Difficult". The other was easy and long. With Jeremy Clarkson in the back of my head saying, "How hard can it be!!??" I went up trail 54o. I came up, got out and walked it. Good thing I did!!


IMG_0330 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Uh...nope. Glad I walked it!! Looks like we are taking the long way around!!!


IMG_0332 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Then I found a thing. No clue what this used to be. However I feel like I should've brought spray paint or something to blend in with the locals. Maybe next time.


IMG_0335 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Along the way a grouse flew out in front of my truck, and then I chased it up the trail for a bit. Very beautiful animal.

My plan was to run Trail 55 to 56. At the intersection, I consulted the map (BTW windrock sells a super mega nice map and its cheap. I HIGHLY recommend you procure one, they are like, $5 and totally worth it) I realized that my original route had been updated and the trails from the end of 56 to The Flats had been re-categorized as ATV only trails. Crap! I could do it, but why. So, lets turn it around...


IMG_0337 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
I did do a bit of 56. Nothing really to see.


IMG_0339 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Trail 55 is no joke. A bunch of fun and SUPER steep.

I made the decision that The Flats is where I wanted to end up at the end of all of this mess. I'd heard of it and wanted to go there.


IMG_0343 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
More rock!!

The flats lived up to its name. Quite an amazing place and really somewhere I could stay for a while.


Looks About Right by expeditionmax, on Flickr
That looks about right.


The Road by expeditionmax, on Flickr
One big road goes through the middle.


Look down on the peeps by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Great overlooks as well. There are "campsites" up there, but I don't think they are legit.


Across The Hills by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Maybe I can come back on a day when the weather isn't crap.

At this time I looked at my watch. 4:15pm. Uh oh. Took me a while to get up here and if I took the tracks back out, I'd be out here well past dark. I'm not really a fan of night time wheeling. I figured I had another 90 minutes before total darkness. I consulted the map and saw a possible way out. However I was met with a super narrow and super steep descent. Like, Camel Trophy style slide-down-with-your-truck. Nope. Not happening. During the turn around, my truck died. 100% loss of power :Wow1: . I opened the hood, hoping to find an obvious issue. The starter solenoid is what I was thinking it was. However no problems could be seen. I got back in and decided to give it a try again. She lit right up. No clue what the problem was, but was just happy to have a working truck again!

I tried another way out and got lucky. I hit pavement! I aired up and hit the road.


IMG_0344 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Airing up.


IMG_0345 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Actually took a couple of miles on I-75 to get back to camp. Was the fastest way. Ended up getting to camp...yep...at dusk. Cranked up the lantern and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

 

[LR Max]

Day 3: The Rain Came

Up until now, the weather had been fantastic. Cool, but not cold. Cloudy, but not raining. The temp held off but not the water works. Yep, it was going to be rainy. In the middle of the night I heard the rain so I put the lantern under the truck. Turns out this is a great place to put it!

I gassed up right before the highway and hit the road.


IMG_0347 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Saw another old truck on the road. Looked like an early 60s burb.


IMG_0348 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
However he was going about 5 mph slower than I, so I punched it and slowly left him in the dust. I'm sorry but when you are slower than a 109, you have problems.

My next destination was the Adventure Off Road Park outside of Chattanooga. I've wanted to visit it for a while and also it would set me up perfectly for Saturdays events. I was basically the first truck to arrive on Friday. The owners were very nice and I told them my plan. They said that if I got into trouble, they would come pull me out with their Jeep. I thought, na. I should be fine.

I soon learned their definition of an easy trail.


IMG_0350 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
What!!?? Oh yeah this is going to be awesome!!


IMG_0352 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Their "Trail 1" turned out to be a blast.


IMG_0353 by expeditionmax, on Flickr

However things turned rough. I came upon a steep descent and basically bobsledded down it. The mud was super thick and I was sliding. I kept it in the ruts, using brakes to keep sliding or gas to get me back in the ruts. At the bottom I consulted the map. There was another way out of this hole. Thank goodness because I wasn't getting up that hill.

As I turned onto trail 18, I realized I might have more problems. But, I had no choice. While going up a little no nothing hill, my rear end kicked out and threw the passenger rear tire off the trail and the rear of the truck into a tree root. I wasn't going anywhere.


IMG_0355 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Whoops.


IMG_0354 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Fortunately a month before the trip, I had done winch maintenance and had full confidence in my equipment. A quick pull and I was on my way again.


IMG_0356 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Keep on keepin' on.


IMG_0357 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
More fun.


IMG_0358 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
I took this photo right before a big hill climb.

Said hill climb did not go well. I was going forward...then slid backwards. Out comes the winch again. I've done it before, but can't remember when, but that was a full pull. I had no traction the entire way up and most of the line out of the winch. I had no traction the entire way up. Wow.


Winch winch winch!!!

Despite having pulled winch cable twice within a 20 minute period, I pressed on. I headed to the northern side of the park. By now it was 4pm and decided to head back out. I found my campsite far away from others. Before I setup camp, I decided to pull out my cable and re-spool it. Turns out later this was a good decision.

While I had carried it, I hadn't used my tarp. The light drizzle was annoying so I setup a basic lean-to. Note, bring poles next time. Either way, better than being out in the open.


AOP Campsite by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Once again, very beautiful surroundings despite the weather.

 

[LR Max]

Day 4: Day of Hill Climbs

I woke up to meh weather. The rain had stopped but I did notice a drop in temperature. I packed up everything and hit the road.

Anyone who has driven north on 24 knows that after Chattanooga, going up to Monteagle, its just straight up. The little four banger under my hood didn't like that.

Then at the top, I found this:


IMG_0363 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
What!!?? I guess the people of Monteagle live in a cloud.

Driving in that crap was not fun. I came off the mountain and cruised to my next location. I was meeting a few other guys to hit up some trails that lead south into Alabama. Our meeting point was a gas station and of course, right before the gas station, another hill climb. Back to third gear, wound out.

The gas station was not very friendly. Seems like if you weren't buying beer, you weren't welcomed. They didn't even have gas! Anywho Matt arrived and we left. The temperature had dropped significantly and I decided to finally put on my radiator muff. For those who don't know, older rovers need all the help they can get in the "retain heat" department. So I open up the back and discover no radiator muff.

...

Jeez. Fortunately, Matt dug around in the back of his Trooper for some cardboard. A few zipties later and I had it good enough. FSU Disco showed up and we hit the trail.

Overall, this trail was no joke. The rocks were slick and so was the mud. We had to get out and spot a number of times through some difficult sections. The antiquated suspension and tires on my 109 became apparent through the trail.


IMG_0365 by expeditionmax, on Flickr


IMG_0373 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Cardboard radiator muff ******


IMG_0374 by expeditionmax, on Flickr


IMG_0376 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
An easy section of the trail.

Then I got some crap in a tire. I heard the slow leak and so I stopped the group to fix it. FSU Disco was nice enough to let me borrow his hi-lift. I simply knocked the bead off, removed the crap, and mounted the tire again. Also at this time I noticed that my C02 tank was almost empty. Huh...


IMG_0378 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
That looks right.


IMG_0380 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
My leaf spring suspension really sucks on this.


IMG_0383 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Awesome water crossing.

We soon hit the pavement and aired up. My C02 tank put me 3 psi shy of having all my tires up to snuff. Matt was nice enough to let me have a bit from his Puma air compressor. I tell ya what, that thing is AWESOME.


IMG_0384 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
We then hit the road. Matt had to part from us so FSU Disco and I headed over to Skyline. Of course, another hill climb. I felt bad as I downshifted into 3rd. His TDI D90 probably could've passed me with no issue what so ever.

It was getting dark but we headed into yonder wood anyway. We passed many hunters coming out of the woods.


IMG_0385 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
At first we had well graded gravel roads. No challenge here. Then it got dark and things started getting challenging.

We found a few trails that were no joke and were a ton of fun. It was getting dark but other than that, I was actually having fun!

Long story short, we ended up not knowing where we were. The map provided by the wonderful State of Alabama was not...completely accurate. We had an idea of where we were, took a right turn and that just did not end well. A hill climb and a V-ditch put the D90 on its axle housings.


IMG_0390 by expeditionmax, on Flickr
Fortunately I had pulled out my winch cable and properly re-spooled it. So winching the 90 out was no issue. At this point we decided to abandon our intended campsite on the other side of the mountain and head back to a hunters campsite we had passed. We high tailed it out the way we came in.

In camp we discussed our route and our plan while warming up some dinner. The temperature was beginning to drop significantly. A hunter came over and we talked about the trails at Skyline. We gained local knowledge on the trails and what we needed to do next time. Finally sometime after cleaning up, I decided I had enough of today and wanted to turn in.

The next morning, it was full on cold. All that cold weather gear I hadn't used...was now on. I tried to light the stove but couldn't get it to light. Too cold!!! When we saw that, we decided, screw it. We are done.

We high tailed it to the highway and called it a trip.

 

[Raw7s]

nice

good lookin rig, good lookin trip, thanks for sharing!

 

[Hatfield]

Nice pics Max, was nice to meet you guys. Glad to hear ya'll didn't freeze to death camping Saturday night.

 

[mtnbike28]

Great trip report and I love the 109!

 

[ryandavenport]

Glad you had fun Max! I knew once I told you about the Northside that you would want to do it. I wheeled with FSU Disco a few months ago at SAE. He's a nice guy with an awesome truck. What day were you on I75 and I24? Coincidentally enough, I was on both this weekend and I swear I saw a Land Rover like yours somewhere, but I can't remember exactly where.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[LR Max]

Drove up on 75 on Wednesday. I was on 75 south Thursday evening. Then south on 75 Friday morning.

Also I saw a rhd fj45 with an exo cage heading north on 75 friday late morning. Could have been him.

Yeah I had a blast. Glad I got to take the old truck out for another adventure!!

 

[Foy]

Windrock coal minining history

Max,
Nice trip report and very nice Old Iron. Thanks for sharing.

That "thing" you saw at Windrock is a coal mine portal. Windrock is on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau, typified by flat-lying sandstone, shale, and coal beds. In that part of TN, there are a number of coal beds separated by layers of sandstone and shale, so there may be 40' to 80' vertical separation between them. You probably noticed many of the trails generally follow contours and are on a fairly wide cut. These "benches" are where a flat-lying coal bed was strip-mined as far back into the mountainside as then-current economics allowed. With several beds occurring in a deeply incised mountainous area, one finds several benches from down low in the drainages to way up towards the mountain tops. The portal is where a coal bed was pursued beneath the mountain by a network of horizontal tunnels and drifts. Lastly, "The Flats" is where a large area high up in the sequence was strip-mined by mountaintop removal.

During the summer of 1978, I did field work throughout Campbell Co, TN and surrounding areas. My field vehicle was a 1967 IH Scout 800. I worked solo and camped by Norris Reservoir. I'd head up through the gap at LaFollette each morning with a cooler of Pepsi, a jar of Dukes mayo, fresh local tomatoes, a loaf of Wonder Bread, a Brunton Pocket Transit, and a gaggle of USGS 7.5' topos. Few of the benches or workings of any kind were on the topo, so I had to pay sharp attention to keeping track of where I was going. I thus had the opportunity to drive miles and miles of strip mine benches and the rough, steep connections between higher and lower benches. No winch, just a shovel, some short pieces of 2x8, a venerable 2.5 ton come-along, snatch blocks, straps, and logging chain. Getting stuck was to be avoided, as manually digging/handwinching out was a giant PITA which could easily take an hour or two, or a half-day.

On the highway, you saw an early-mid 1960s Chevy Panel Truck. They were on a Suburban chassis but were not built with side glass, seats, etc. The were an early form of tradesman's van, before COE-style vans became popular in the mid- late 1960s. A friend used to have one with a hot-rodded 283, a Muncie 4-speed, 4.10 gears, and Positraction. When he would get it bouncing up and down with the throttle in 1st gear, he could nail it on the upstroke and pop a wheelie.

I've looked at some of the Windrock maps online. Your pics and report remind me I need to go back over there, and soon. Thanks again.

Foy

 

[d110pickup]

Great trip report Max!

BTW . . . weren't you singing the praises of your "leaf sprung suspension" while we were working on Kevin's coil sprung rig last week????? Coils would have felt mighty good in that rocky stuff. I'm just say'n . . . .
See ya,
Mike

 

[LR Max]

Great trip report Max!

BTW . . . weren't you singing the praises of your "leaf sprung suspension" while we were working on Kevin's coil sprung rig last week????? Coils would have felt mighty good in that rocky stuff. I'm just say'n . . . .
See ya,
Mike

Wasn't singing praises, but simplicity. That had many drawbacks on Saturday. Just couldn't go as fast as the other guys without shaking apart my truck. Heck probably did anyway. I mean, it is 40 years old.

Foy, thanks for the awesome history lesson! The area looks like it had been mined/tree harvested/other things in the past. Heck right now there are tons of natural gas wells on the site as well. The owners really are getting their moneys worth out of the land!! And yes, you can easily get lost in that place. I had put a bunch of stuff into the GPS beforehand which made all the difference. Having your map, trail signs, and GPS all singing in unison makes a huge difference when you are out there by yourself.

And yes, head on back out there. The map on their website is ok but the map they provide at the check in/campsite is super top notch. Also I think it was like, $5. $5 for an awesome map, hard to beat. Heck I can't wait to get back out there! I bet those trails in a month will be a lot more challenging once covered in snow!!

 

[Howski]

Nice pics Max, was nice to meet you guys. Glad to hear ya'll didn't freeze to death camping Saturday night.

Freeze to death is a relative term. Certainly won't be camping in weather that cold again.

Good to meet you too. I'm looking forward to running that trail again sometime in the spring but uphill.

 

[LR Max]

Freeze to death is a relative term. Certainly won't be camping in weather that cold again.

Good to meet you too. I'm looking forward to running that trail again sometime in the spring but uphill.

Yes indeed. I've camped in worse...but can't remember when. I knew we were in trouble when the stove wouldn't light.

 

[profro]

Great trip. That's my back yard. I love the North side and usually have to beg folks to head that way. The state has quite a bit more trail straight north out of the Flats that can take days to explore (North Cumberland OHV).