The Central Virginian Thread

Congratulations! Best of luck to you!

 

Babies love bouncing around in trucks! My kids sure did!

 

Congratulations! Best of luck to the Ms.'!

 

Stone Mountain Vineyard. Check it out. MUD , SNOW & ICE... Great Ride!

 

Hey all, I don't post much but been around the forum for a while. My two little guys and I love backwoods primitive camping. For example, we went to Crabtree twice and Flagpole once last year. As my boys get older we are trying to get out in the woods more. Does anyone know of any other spots besides Crabtree or Flagpole? We love talking the tacoma out to the middle of nothing and just relaxing. Hiking trails, fishing holes & waterfalls are preferred, but our biggest thing is we don't want to be on top of the next person like at a typical campground.
I'm sitting on stock suspension so I'm not looking for crazy trails, but some wheeling isn't a problem.

 

So how do you go about getting in to the vineyard...Hi I'd like to hit the 4x4 trails..

 

Once you get to Dyke, VA, there is a brand new BP convince store, (gourmet kitchen that offers really nice picnic packs) There pick up RT 627, take that to 676, you can only turn left. That is the road/trail that Stone Mountain Vineyard is on. There are several 4X4 trails off 676, some are quite challenging! I have a Virginia Gazetteer, it offers such great detail.

 

Great directions and insight, thanks again as this is very helpful! I've really been trying to workup weekend outings that are less than 3hr drive to the trailhead with the hopes of actually getting the wife (back out into the mountains) and 1yr old out there with me is the ultimate goal, especially ahead of late spring/summer family glamping (overlanding without the over land part!! ha) trip.

 

Pm sent

 

Just got back from Upper Crabtree Meadows. ROAD CLOSED! after the first turn around about ¾'s of a mile.

 

Hey guys. I live in Scottsville, just south of Charlottesville. I just ordered a Yukon clamshell because the ecgs is sold out. Does anyone know of somebody that has the removal tool around us that I could borrow for a weekend?

 

I just went into Charlottesville to run a few quick errands. In the span of 10 minutes, from the north end of 29 to Barracks Road I saw four really nice, built up Tacoma's and about eight to ten others! How cool would it be to get together and do our own version of "coffee and cars" Who are you and where do you go? I'm getting a GMRS installed next month and would really like to get some kind of local group started.
What do you say??

 

Out of desperation to use my new truck, I ignored the golden rule... I went out this morning alone. The first part of the trip went well, a quick loop around Upper Crabtree Falls. Then I decided to take the Kennedy trail (Big Levels) from the parkway (mile marker 27 I think) down to Sherando. The trail was tough as any trails up there, very rocky, steep and lots of mud holes. It is a nine mile run and at mile four, about an hour and a half later, I saw a sign for a "short cut" to STRT 42 (Coal Road) two miles. Tried of the beating... I decided to take it. Big mistake! This trail was rougher than the main one and about a mile or so in, it started to close in on me. With my mirrors folded in I kept on as I had no choice. I could only imagine what those laurel branches were doing to my paint. After another grueling mile (almost another hour of going through the "cheese grater" the trail ended! the shotgun peppered sigh said "no motorized vehicles beyond this point" and two bolders blocked the path. You guessed it, I had to back out in low range for several hundred yards until I found a spot where I made a painful twenty point turn to head back to the main trail. So much for the short cut. At least I was done with tearing my paint to shreds. Even though the though the damage was already done.
The next not so pleasent experience came in the form of one of the many mud holes I had to pass through, up to this point they weren't that bad so when I came upon this one in particular I stayed in first gear High, then about twenty feet in the nose of the truck dropped! I floored it, as the water almost started coming in my window and the truck was about to stall by the grace of God it stated picking up revs and the fact that I was getting a shower of stinky muddy water didn't matter I made it out! Thank goodness for Tacoma Toughness! The next dozen mud holes (none nearly as deep) only saw second gear LOW RANGE and high RMP's with the windows closed, but again the damage was already done.
The rest of the ride was uneventful, just rocky and steep. all said it took me over three and a half hours to make the nine mile trip.

I can only hope that I have learned something from this. As I make the appointment for paint restoration.

 

I'm slowly moving toward central VA (not quite to the Lynchburg yet) but if anyone is up for a trek to get latest latest and greatest OVTune-based offering (KDMax 6.0) I was setting up a FB event just south of Richmond for May 1st: I continue to get great feedback on how improved the accel pedal control and predictability is for Autos and Manuals. for those tricky trail ventures.

 

This may have already been posted but just FYI this weekend...

 

Please take a look. Thanks.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/northern-virginia-roll-call.188512/page-5391#post-25752333

 

It's been a long time since I last posted in this forum. But a couple of weeks ago I finally traded my 2010 Tacoma for a 2013 Tundra.

12" Bulletproof lift with 20" Fuel Wheels wrapped in 38" Toyo Open Country tires.

 

You're definitely not getting in that garage, though...

 

HaHa! Nope!

Although I couldn't even fit my Taco with a 3" lift and roof racks. My garage doors are only like 7' tall. Opens up once inside.

 

The first and third Saturdays of the month is a Charlottesville Cars and Coffee. At Greenberry's at Barracks Road. I had my Z out there the first meetup of the season and my truck the last. Next one is this Saturday from 8 - 10.