onespiritbrain Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 (edited) My wife is in school studying to become a sonographer so on Saturday mornings while she is at school, my kids and I are going to start going on adventures. I will log our adventures here. 1st Trip Dicks Creek, Clayton Georgia Info: So this is the very first trail I ever traveled. I think I searched "best georgia 4x4 trails" to find it. This is a very easy trail. I believe I might be able to complete the whole thing in a minivan. While easy, this trail has 4 or 5 water crossings, amazing camp sites, waterfalls, beautiful clearings, several difficult side trails (too difficult for my stock jr50), and a creek running the (almost) entire length. On the negative side Dicks Creek is constantly frequented by Jeep groups, and as you can see in the video below, for much of the trail there isn't room to pull off and let folks by. I was looking at satellite images for the exit point of the trail and you can see a group of vehicles there. So we had a great time and the rain/mist while making for a less than optimal photo/video situation was absolutely beautiful in person. In fact it is my favorite climate to explore in. My phone mount broke so getting my phone in and out of its makeshift cradle was a pain and I didn't get anywhere near as many pictures as I wanted to. Also my youngest boy is too small to do any hiking so without my wife we were limited to the vehicle. Cool little spot perfect for photos My little girl and the JR50 This is the waterfall. I'm going to get down there next time! https://vimeo.com/200598336 This is the first edited video I've ever made. I can't decide whether or not I should've left the trail portion at regular speed or not.. you guys let me know if it is unpleasant and I'll make improvements as I create more entries to this log. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited January 23, 2017 by onespiritbrain 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citron Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 I think its great. I think the speed is fine, I would probably edit out most of the on pavement part, just personal opinion. I look forward to seeing more of your exploration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 Here is our trip to Helton Creek Falls in Union County Georgia. We had a blast and it was cold!! The road leading to the falls was traversable in a Honda Civic.. but it was beautiful. There looked to be a plethora of awesome creekside campsites that are only accessible by a steep hike. I am the type of person who likes seclusion and ruggedness so the trips we've made so far don't fit the mold. I do appreciate the lack of danger having my babies with me though. The most secluded and rugged spot I know of is actually just outside of my city's limits. Maybe this weekend we will go there. https://vimeo.com/202976867 Next video will be of this past weekend at Charlie's Creek and Denton Branch Falls, ridiculously beautiful! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citron Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 What are you using for a dash cam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 An iPhone 6 and a windshield mount made out of a coat hanger and a suction cup. I am working on getting something better and i really want to make a mount to go on the outside of the windshield. I am thinking about a gopro also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citron Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Pretty steady video for a coat hanger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 Haha Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted February 11, 2017 Author Share Posted February 11, 2017 Here is our trip to Charlies Creek in Hiawassee Georgia. It was beautiful and a little bit more challenging. When I say challenging I mean that a minivan would have to choose its lines wisely https://justjunk000.wistia.com/medias/nuxjsya57a A good free video host is hard to come by... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunchie Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 That's awesome! Necessity is the mother of invention...I should know, I'm a charter member of Team Winginit-lol. Ur lucky to be able to get out and about this time of year. We've been slammed w/snow for the last month out here in the Pacific Northwest, which is unusual for the coast (Vancouver, BC). Mind you, if I want adventure, all I need do is go for a drive on the streets these days, with the overabundance of clueless drivers we seem to have out here. But such are the trials of livin in paradise!! Look forward to seeing more of your adventures, cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunchie Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Kinda curious about the areas ur finding these little gems to drive on...do people have properties/cabins up there? Or is it State owned land? We have a lot of FSR's (forestry service road)out here in BC, but a lot of them just go to areas where they are still logging. I have yet to start blazing some trails in my Pathy-I'll feel more confident about taking her out once I replace all the worn out & wiggly bits it so desperately needs. Must admit, I'm a little jealous of you and your monkeys at this moment in time. Enjoyable vids, BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 Most of it is state wildlife management areas. When I first got my jr50, I searched "north georgia jeep trails" and found Dicks Creek and Charlie's Creek. I then began searching for secluded water falls in my area on google which naturally include trails and beautiful drives. My not so successful endeavors have included trails found from space with google earth. I have found a few really great spots with google earth but the vast majority are locked up/private land.. My trucks suspension needs help. Struts, shocks, springs, and a plethora of bushings have to be replaced. Until I get that all taken care of I'll have to stay closer to home. Luckily there are some phenomenal spots inside city limits and also a few just a hop away! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citron Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Here is our trip to Charlies Creek in Hiawassee Georgia. It was beautiful and a little bit more challenging. When I say challenging I mean that a minivan would have to choose its lines wisely https://justjunk000.wistia.com/medias/nuxjsya57a A good free video host is hard to come by... I use YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 Here are Dicks Creek and Helton Creek updated for better quality. Helton Creek https://justjunk000.wistia.com/medias/kizvmt58dz Dicks Creek https://justjunk000.wistia.com/medias/ltby08oh7z Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 This is Echo Lake. All the green grass used to be covered by water but now that the lake is 8ft under full pool we have a nice area to run around and play in! This is one of my favorite spots. There are many trails through the woods that I can't manage since they were cut for ATVs. I tried once and had to back out for close to a quarter mile.. We call it Echo Lake because on a still morning the echo from a shout comes back from 3-4 distances. It's quite amazing! https://wistia001.wistia.com/medias/sk4n32bj4t Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted April 18, 2017 Author Share Posted April 18, 2017 This is a sweet little hang out spot near my wife's parent's house. It is found in an abandoned neighborhood that people have turned in to unofficial hunting land and an ATV park. I was about to say that I have searched and searched for the official entrance to the Pavilion but have never been able to find it.. however I just looked with google earth and the reason I cannot find it is because it is part of a separate neighborhood. I was wondering who was cutting the grass.. haha! So I finally got to use my winch! I'll say that without locking differentials one must have a winch. The little spot I got stuck at, while quite deep, would have shamed me to whoever I would've had to call to get me unstuck. I'm so glad I bought a winch! Money well spent. There are a bunch of pictures at the end which are there because I wanted the song to play out. I'll include the beautiful views in picture below the video. The pictures are from our family trip to Gatlinburg TN. https://wistia001.wistia.com/medias/olfmjunb8a Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgallant Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 (edited) It is wierd seeing the east coast of the US,from BC myself. So many people and so much history. But this is more my idea of a good time, did not see another person for 8 hours. It is surprisingly easy to do here. https://www.google.com/maps/place/51%C2%B007'01.6%22N+122%C2%B034'10.8%22W/@51.0354965,-122.4162234,39797m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d51.117099!4d-122.569666 Edited April 20, 2017 by rgallant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted April 21, 2017 Author Share Posted April 21, 2017 (edited) BC is incredible. My dream is to live in Washington state so you should know I am jealous. I do enjoy the Appalachian mountains but the beauty found in the Rockies and it's foothills is on another level. My heart longs for the Rockies. If I lived out there I would build a mini aluminum jet boat to traverse the beautiful mountain rivers. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0kkyYyWfIoU Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited April 21, 2017 by onespiritbrain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted July 8, 2017 Author Share Posted July 8, 2017 I wanted to share with you guys what's happened on July 3rd.. So i took my family to Echo Lake to do some fishing and to let the kids run around.. also to finally test out these new tires out and they did way better than my all terrains. Anyway once we made it down to the lake bed I saw a nice new jeep planted in the mud! Naturally I got excited because I get to help get this thing unstuck. I could see there wasn't anyone over there but the hood was up and the driver door was wide open. We waited around for as long as possible but didn't want to stay there all day so on the way out I drove over to the other side where the jeep was to see if I could just winch it out and leave it there for them when they got back. Well when I got closer I saw a kids baseball helmet on the ground and a busted driver window. When I got right up on it I saw that there were circuit boards hanging from under the steering wheel and the dash was bashed to pieces...! I threw my hands up and backed away. No winching that puppy out... my wife took down the plates and we got the heck out of dodge. When I got home I put the plates in some search engine and turned up the VIN. With the VIN I used research.com to see what the deal was with this thing and wouldn't you know it... STOLEN!!! I called the criminal investigator and left him a message but he still hasn't called me back.. After talking to some people about it, maybe the guy got stuck and blew his transmission trying to get out so he staged a theft and reported it stolen. Apparently insurance just pays it after 30 days if it isn't found.. anyway I did my part. Isn't that wild?!? Needless to say we won't be going back down there and it is time to find a new spot. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 (edited) Ah, Cashes Valley Cemetery.. top 3 of the spots I've had the pleasure of visiting. This place was amazing. Water crossings galore and scenery second only to Dicks Creek(so far). Honestly this place was hard to locate. There are at least 4 or 5 roads named Cashes Valley(Rd, Ln, Cir, North, South, etc.) but when you finally find it.. wow! I found this one by an obscure YouTube suggestion. The water crossings hooked me like a blue fin. Here is the Ramblr link: http://rblr.co/V1v7 (This Ramblr app is awesome.. especially in areas like some of you guys live) I'm sorry about the lack of pictures.. I had to use my wife's phone for the video because mine is acting strange(blurry and exposure is off.. I'll have to replace the camera module) and so I only have the video. Again this is hosted on Wistia because of the far superior bandwidth and stream quality. Check out the smooth rock bed that leads to a upstream crossing at the end... best little stretch of anywhere I've been. Just beautiful and neat. I didn't go any further because there were signs saying "end of public road" and after the neat stream bed I started seeing personal belongings very near to the road(nice grill and cornhole things) so I decided not to disrespect them. https://justjunk001.wistia.com/medias/4ovu5iqu5g Enjoy! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited August 19, 2017 by onespiritbrain 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citron Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 Nice video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted December 30, 2017 Author Share Posted December 30, 2017 (edited) This Nissan proved itself today. We went to Sheep Wallow in Dawsonville GA and we were faced with more than we expected. We pulled in with a Jeep behind us and when we got to the trail head he called for us to ask where the “big mud hole” was. His buddy drove into the same mud hole that murdered my engine earlier this year! So I agreed to lead him down there.. So there are two paths to the 4ft deep mud hole and I accidentally chose the wrong one because I was nervous. The path I chose was only wrong because I do not have a solid front axel and the divots were HUGE! I had at least one wheel off the ground the entire time down that path!!! It was way more than I’ve ever done. Once we all got to the stuck red Jeep, the black Jeep winched him out. His engine survived because the intake is on the passenger side. Check out how deep this thing is; that water is up to his butt and would’ve been even worse but he caught himself before sinking into the rut. His Jeep is centered on the ridge. Next things got down right scary. We literally feared for our lives and the two guys riding with me jumped out to save theirs as we were sliding. I stayed with the vehicle because it looked to be dry(er) just before the cliff. We came around a curve on to the power line trail and to our right was a giant deep hole and we began to slide into it. Just before it was too late I let off the brakes and began to head straight for the literal cliff. You can see where I was sliding toward the hole here. And here are what you can see of the slide marks toward the cliff and then the cliff itself. I was trembling after it finally stopped and my tongue stuck to the top of my mouth. I was SCARED. Everything was fine after that though I did get stuck in some deep thick mud and winched out. On the way out I had to go back up that slippery hill from before.. I rode the edge of the cliff where it was dry to avoid filling my tread with mud and then once I was lined up I gunned the crap out of it and made it back up! Here are a couple pics of the scenery and us. I am very proud of my vehicle. It did a great job today. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited December 30, 2017 by onespiritbrain 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted February 11, 2018 Author Share Posted February 11, 2018 Wildcat Creek Dicks Creek Great day Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilca Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Many years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, we used to race Motocross at a park named Wildcat Creek. Is there a track still around there? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted February 14, 2018 Author Share Posted February 14, 2018 (edited) Many years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, we used to race Motocross at a park named Wildcat Creek. Is there a track still around there?I’m only just becoming familiar with the area up there. It’s in Clayton GA right beside Lake Burton. There very well may have been a track up there! There is a race track under Lake Lanier in Gainesville and when the Lake is very low the concrete bleachers are exposed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited February 14, 2018 by onespiritbrain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onespiritbrain Posted December 29, 2019 Author Share Posted December 29, 2019 I got some time to myself today and decided to visit Echo Lake again. I haven’t been back down there since we found that stolen Jeep, fearing serious criminals frequented the area. About 300 yards into the trail I was greeted by a flipped truck that had burned to the ground! When I finally made it down to the lake there was a group of teenagers smoking some very good smelling weed which I passed on. They had screwed a lazyboy way up in a tree and one of them was sitting in it. I asked about a homeless man I had met down there previously and they knew him. They told me the reason he is homeless is because his son died on a dirtbike and that they went to school with him. Now there is a congregation of homeless people that have makeshift shelters set up in the woods all along the trail. I didn’t take pictures of anything while I was down there because I felt like I shouldn’t. If I go back with some of my friends then I’ll take some pics of the shelters and that lazyboy. On the way out I barely nudged a tree and it handed my bumper it’s arse. This is after I beat on it with a hammer: It’s lined up better than it’s been since that idiot who offered me a fish sandwich at 8am crashed into me: Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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