Talladega ride pics

Here are some pics from my ride in Talladega National Forest, AL this weekend. It was a lot of fun, but I did manage to get the first scratch on the truck. It killed me to hear the branch scraping down the side like nails on a chalk board!

First thing I did was setup camp. I used my truck as a wind shield on the open side of my lean to:



Crossing a small creek:



This spider was guarding the exit from the creek! Anyone know what kind it is? All I know is that it was HUGE!



Leaves haven't changed color yet, this is what majority of the trails looked like that weren't gravel roads. Nothing difficult, just what I was looking for in my stock truck.



I would have gone through this and most likely made it since the bottom felt pretty solid and only a few inches deep, but since I didn't have a winch or anyone else to pull me out if I did get stuck I decided to take the detour around it.



This is the only times when I wish I had the short bed! The other 99% I am happy with the long bed. I felt like Austin Powers doing a 75 point turn.



Back at camp to start the grill and the fire before sunset:



We filled the back of the truck up with firewood while were exploring so we ended up with a fire so hot that it was melting aluminum cans in 5 seconds!



We were off-road for 4 or 5 hours and I had it in 4HI for about half of it and 2WD for the rest. I only went down 6 or 7 of the fire roads, so there are a lot more left to check out next time. I was impressed with what the taco could handle even without a lift or tires. There were a few mud holes I wouldn't have wanted to go through without some AT tires at least though. It would have been more fun with a few more trucks, so maybe next time. jspadaro was going to come down, but didn't make it.

 

AHHHHH. Alabama The Beautiful! looks like a lot of fun.

 

Great Pictures, I would like to see some more mud on that pretty Black truck though.

 

Nice pics, the first scratch is all ways the hardest.

 

Awesome pics

 

Yeah we've gotta get something organized in the next few weeks; lifesaflaw123 and docwatson said they would definitely be up for it.

 

Great pics!

 

Thanks everyone!

I might be able to do something around this area - maybe Stoney Lonesome or the place on hale mountain at the TN/AL border, but between work and school I'm not gonna have many free weekends for the rest of the year. Ya'll might have to go without me.

 

looks like fun. I wanna go camping

 

The camping was fun, but the off-roading was definitely MORE fun!

 

Great pics.

 

washed my truck good yesterday and found 4 more scratches! OUCH

 

Would sliders or other armor have helped at all? Or was it just from small crap sticking out higher up - whoops

 

I live like 15-20 miles away from the Talladega National Forest. Next time hit me up I might could go depending on work schedule. But would need some one with a winch because mine is only a prerunner (no diff lock either) Never have taken it off road really excep the occasional back roads aka dirt roads in Alabama.

 

Tow straps and we're good

 

BTW to the spider pic. I HATE SPIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Me and spiders do not go well with each other.

 

Sliders wouldn't have helped with the scratches, but they would have helped me get around that one tree. I could have just let the sliders with the flare in the back hit the tree and it would have pushed the back end around, I guess, I don't really have any experience with sliders.

You would have been fine with a pre-runner almost everywhere except a couple mud holes, which you could be pulled through. I had it in 4WD most of the time just because the hills are so steep it was nice to have the extra power.

I will definitely be going back in the spring, if not before then.

 

Love it, fun stuff, camp season is upon us!