Enthusiast II
Had fun, learned a lot, and I already started planning the next trip.
Back Story – We had a wedding to attend in Cleveland, OH and wanted to see family in Northern Michigan while we were up north. We planned to fly and rent a car but it was unusually expensive and I really wanted to take my dog along as well so I started thinking about a road trip. Our destination in Michigan is a remote island with lots of overlanding opportunities so having my truck and gear was a huge bonus to see more of it than we’ve done before.
Planning – I was blessed with the ability to take a long vacation so I didn’t have to be rushed. My wife expressed her desire to skip the outdoor experience and since one-way tickets were cheap, I booked her and the kids a flight and found myself with 4 days to get from Florida to Ohio. I picked numerous off-road and/or forestry service routes through national forests and public lands and picked a few touristy things to see along the way. I gave myself a few options each day for something cool to do so it wasn’t all a drive. Armed with only the essentials (a few fly rods, hiking boots, camping gear, a cooler full of great food and some great sipping bourbon) the dog and I headed north.
Rig/Build – 2016 Tundra, Bilstein 6112 / 5160s with 34.8” tires underneath. I’ve had this for a year and this trip was a great reason to add a few thigs to it. Prior to this trip I added some CBI overland bars, a Smittybilt overlander tent and a few other tweaks and off we went.
Stops
Lessons Learned
Back Story – We had a wedding to attend in Cleveland, OH and wanted to see family in Northern Michigan while we were up north. We planned to fly and rent a car but it was unusually expensive and I really wanted to take my dog along as well so I started thinking about a road trip. Our destination in Michigan is a remote island with lots of overlanding opportunities so having my truck and gear was a huge bonus to see more of it than we’ve done before.
Planning – I was blessed with the ability to take a long vacation so I didn’t have to be rushed. My wife expressed her desire to skip the outdoor experience and since one-way tickets were cheap, I booked her and the kids a flight and found myself with 4 days to get from Florida to Ohio. I picked numerous off-road and/or forestry service routes through national forests and public lands and picked a few touristy things to see along the way. I gave myself a few options each day for something cool to do so it wasn’t all a drive. Armed with only the essentials (a few fly rods, hiking boots, camping gear, a cooler full of great food and some great sipping bourbon) the dog and I headed north.
Rig/Build – 2016 Tundra, Bilstein 6112 / 5160s with 34.8” tires underneath. I’ve had this for a year and this trip was a great reason to add a few thigs to it. Prior to this trip I added some CBI overland bars, a Smittybilt overlander tent and a few other tweaks and off we went.
Stops
- Day 1 – Spent 500 or so miles on the freeway to get to the north-Georgia mountains. This was a “drive day” and I didn’t plan any stops but booked a great campsite on hipcamp at a horse farm in the foothills of the Georgia mountains about 20 miles outside of Ellijay, Ga. This place was exactly what I wanted and I had plenty of space all to myself. It was a welcomed change from the boring drive up I75. This was my first night in the tent and I slept great. I was glad I added an extra 2” of memory foam and that I packed a small USB fan to keep cool.
- Day 2 – My goal was to completely avoid a freeway and try to spend as much time in the dirt/gravel as possible. There is a great system of forestry service roads and trails in north Georgia and southern Tennessee and I really enjoyed the views along the way. It was neat crossing the state line with only my GPS showing it. I had been in this area a few times in the past and covered some parts of the Georgia Traverse and there is still a lot I want to see. The Tellico and Citico rivers in Tennessee were great and some of the best fly fishing I’ve seen in a while. I could have spent a few days there without seeing the same stretch of river twice. This was the best day of the trip and since it was Saturday, I skipped the dispersed camping opportunities of the national forest and booked another great campsite on hipcamp at a local chicken farm. This was almost glamping as they had a fire pit/gas grill/shower/outhouse set up but it was fantastic. I got a dozen eggs that were as fresh as possible and made a great breakfast the next morning.
- Day 3 – after a scenic drive we found ourselves in I75 for 100 miles or so through Knoxville and into southern Kentucky. Once there, we touched parts of the KAT (Kentucky Adventure Tour) as well as the DBBB (Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway) and could have spent a week doing more of it. I will be back! I planned to stay somewhere in Kentucky but I was only 1.5 hours away from where I planned to stay Monday night so I hit the pavement with plenty of daylight and was a day ahead. I did detour to the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort and sadly, they were out of Bourbon in the gift shop by the time I got there. I didn’t have a “tour” booked but they were slow and let me walk the grounds and it was an impressive operation for sure.
- Day 4 – After a quick visit to the horseshoe (Go Buckeyes!) I took the scenic route through Ohio and drove through some pretty pasture land and a few small towns. I lived in Ohio for 27 years and was surprised at the vast swaths of open land in the middle of the state. I arrived in Cleveland for lunch with an old friend and ended the solo portion of my trip.
- The rest of the trip was great. I acquired my family at the airport and we got to explore a few remote places Up North. We spent a full week in Michigan, then back to Ohio for the wedding, then spent 2 days in Charlotte before making our way back to Florida.
Lessons Learned
- You don’t need much stuff/gear to make a great trip. I overpacked for sure and will slim down my camping load out next time.
- My truck is way more capable than I am confident. I found a few sections of trail in Kentucky that made me think about turning around but a slow and steady accent/decent and the truck went with ease.
- I should do this more often.
