Ocala camping and wheeling trip (LOTS of pictures)

in ocala, you can actually camp wherever you want. they do have designated camp ground that charge a small fee, but you can just drive out into the middle of nowhere and set up camp.

this is a fantastic map of the forest http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5192654.pdf
if you look at the shooting range near the intersection of 40 and 11 (11 is more comonly known as 88), we drove about a mile north of the range, hung a left on a small trail, and drove about 1/4 mile down the trail until we found the clearing you see in the pictures

 

That shot inside looking out really showed how well all those lights lite up the trail. That sugar sand can be tough sometimes but it's fun.

Did that pdf map help at all?

 

the map is great, and it was good to have something big and on paper to look at (i printed sections out on 6 pieces of poaper and taped them together), but to my surprise, my gps actually had more trails, in moredetail than the pdf map.....blew my mind, as my gps barely gets the regular roads right lol.

and the lights are great. pictures don't do them justice. it would have been hell setting up camp without them. i also did some night wheeling locally a few weeks ago. nothing major, but it was out in the middle of nowhere, and they lit up everything in front of me light daytime

 

haha. That's funny about your gps.

Did you ever have any problems with clearance with you roof rack/light bar? That's always been my concern with one of those.

 

these were the only two "issues" the first picture got me kinda nervous, but that was about it. i kept on hearing branches hit it, and then i found the big piece wedged in it once, but that was it. it's built strong, so there was no damage other than a couple scratches in the black paint. but those can just be touched up. the bar that goed over the lights to protect it did its job very well though. judging by the sounds i heard, it took some decent hits, and that night i turned on the lights back at the campsite and they were all still aimed perfectly

 

That's good to know. I've always wondered what the branches that screech along my roof would do to those. I wasn't sure if they'd get snagged but I guess not.

 

nah, you'll be good. maybe a couple of light scratches, but it shouldn't get snagged on anything. i did fold in my mirrors a couple times though on the narrower trails.

 

I wish I folded my mirrors in in Orlando. I got some nice scratches in them and they were folded in by the end of the trail anyway.

I forgot to say that it looked like your suspension did really well in those ruts. How did it feel to you?

 

i was more than pleased wit how it handled everything. it obviously wasn't smoothe in the cab, but after looking at the suspension work in the videos, it could have been a lot worse. if i remember right, i think i was doing about 45 in the videos. on another section of the trail that we didn't to video tape, i held 70 for a couple miles. i really would not have wanted to do that with my old setup. that did warm up the reserviors a little though got out and felt them right when we stopped. weren't hot, but i could tell they were warmer than normal

 

I just carry a machete

 

Did you build that bumper? It looks like exatcly what I want

 

me too....i also carry this vvvvv i was just too lazy to get out and use it

 

no, it's an all pro. it just doesn't have the light hoop like most people get.

 

Sorry I ment roof rack

 

ah, no worries. the roof rack itsself is a Thule, but i built the light bar which is bolted to it.

here's the build thread for it http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/lighting/111228-building-light-bar.html

 

Great pics! Im going to Ocala forest for the 1st time this weekend. Do you need a permit to ride the trails? Also where do you get them if so. Did you air down your tires?

 

for a licensed vehicle, no permit is required. for atvs/dirt bikes, need a permit. both alex and i aired down. i went down to somewhere in the 16-18 psi range. alex had never aired down her tires before, so we weren't sure what they would take without risking coming off the rim, so we put hers just over 20. her truck did great, it was only the really deep stuff, or tight turns/going slow that gave her trouble.

 

Thanks for the info. Also can you wheel at night? I plan on staying at Blue Sink

 

that, i'm not sure about. i want to say that you're not supposed to, but i'm not sure. i can say though, that the 2 days we spent there, we didn't see one police officer or ranger.
though short, we had to go on the trails at night to find a campsite. though our site ended up only being 1/4 mile from the road, we drove on various trails for a good half hour looking for a good spot.

 

Why so many pics of me getting stuck?! I only got stuck a few times! Haha! They came out great though, I'll try to get mine up before the end of the week. Can't wait to go back and stick around for camping this time!