iK0NiK's 2015 TRD OR "Mostly Modest" Build

Yeah man, I'm 33. Luckily we know the cause was I inherited a blood disorder that runs in the family that had never really flagged on any lab work in the past. They have me on thinners indefinitely BUT I should be go from now on!

Only advice I can say is if you feel like something isn't quite right, go to the doctor or the ER. I had a headache for 10 days that turned into the worst headache of my life and I still didn't go to the doc. Never knew the symptoms of an aneurism until I was mid-stroke in the ER. If I'd just gone to the doc when the headache took a turn I could've avoided the stroke but hell who goes to the ER for a headache, right? Live and learn. Lucky to be here and even luckier to be here as good as I am with a near clean bill of health and no expiration date. I'll never take another day for granted I know that much.

 

Mini update post... maintenance and trips and all that! With last year being a kicker, we didn't make many trips, but we're getting back into the swing of things.

November 13, 2022
We took a mid-November trip up to Clayton and stayed overnight at Earl's Ford. Quick trip with a downtown tour, dinner at U-joint, and camp by the water. Sunday we stopped by 12-Spies winery and Jaemor Farms on the trip home.



New Years 2023
We took a non-Tacoma trip to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge for our anniversary/holiday. It was way too busy and touristy for our taste, but the highlight was definitely the helicopter tour we took of the area. Still a fun trip overall with great food.



June 11-17, 2023
We took another non-Tacoma trip to Asheville for a week-long vacation. PERFECT weather, and we enjoyed the area much more than Gatlinburg. Asheville has all of the best things about Gatlinburg without all of the tourists. Tons of great food, beer, and wine. Highlight was definitely the Frying Pan Mountain Fire Tower. One of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen in the southeast.


September 3, 2023 - 70,500 Miles / 70k maintenance
Yearly service on the Tacoma. Oil change (5w-30 full synth w/OEM filter), tire rotation, greased drive train. Both air filters inspected fine. Brake pad inspection showed average wear. They could use a change but I'll probably save that for the next maintenance. The Goodyear Duratracs are holding up excellent. Around 13,000 miles on them, and still have 15/32nd tread on all 4 corners. Color me impressed.

November 4, 2023
Finally took the Tacoma back north. It was a last-minute call to do a Saturday night stay in the mountains to catch the last of the fall colors. Instead of tracking down a backcountry site, we took the easy route and stayed in Moccasin Creek State park. We hiked to Hemlock Falls on Saturday, and Sunday did some minimal offroading on our ride home. We took a detour to Raper Creek Falls off of FSR376. Nice little trail with a couple of small switchbacks, mud puddles, and an old forest service bridge with a gate. Luckily there was a turnaround at the end where someone had apparently camped the night before (coals were still hot).




November 18, 2023
Overnight trip to what will now easily be our favorite nearby spot. Perfect weather with a nice remote backcountry campsite sitting above the banks of the Flint River in Talbot County. A bit of trail riding through some beautiful WMA land is required to reach the area, but everything is graveled and mostly well maintained so we had an absolute blast. This will definitely be our new go-to for local camping trips.





Looking forward...
We're planning at least 2 more small trips before the end of the year. Typically every year we do a winter run of the Talladega National Forest. We missed the trip last winter so we're planning to make it up that direction sometime in December. There's also another camping spot at the Sperwell WMA that we want to visit located on a bald spot on top of Rockhouse Mountain. It's very exposed with no shade, so not somewhere to stay during a windy or hot weekend. We're hoping to get an overnight trip in during the dead of winter when there's not much else going on. Probably sometime in January. Need to get the front brake pads swapped during the next maintenance and from there we'll be onto the next one.

 

Dude Hemlock Falls never disappoints. Good bit of traffic, but still a pretty stroll in the woods.

My family has a little place on the lake right off of East Wildcat Rd. If you take 197 towards Laprades from MCSP it’s on the left just before the big hill that drops down to the fire department.