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Andy29847

Andy29847

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First Name
Andy
Joined
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Location
South Carolina
Vehicle(s)
2004 Wrangler Rubicon, 2020 Gladiator Rubicon
Occupation
Retired
Back home in South Carolina, I took a short trip to the nearby mountains to get my tires wet. I've been exploring the dirt and gravel roads of the GA/TN/NC mountains since 2003. In 20012, I developed a route of mostly dirt roads called the Smokey Mountains 500 (mis-spelling intentional).

(1) Smokey Mountains 500 | Facebook

I shared the route on motorcycle forums and then later with a Facebook group. The project turned out much more successful than I visualized. Hundreds of riders have navigated their way around the 3-state route. Best of all (for me), they report back with photos and their stories. When I started Wheeling, I shared the route for that group too. I still go and ride the route when I can to keep up with road conditions and explore for ways to make it better. In SEP 2021, I went to the Smokys with some friends to have a little fun.

Charlie's Creek Rd is the most photographed section on the SM500, especially this spot where the route crossed the Talulah River.
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Some shots from the trail.
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Me friends
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Favorite stops.
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More to come!
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Andy29847

Andy29847

Well-Known Member
First Name
Andy
Joined
Oct 25, 2020
Threads
10
Messages
360
Reaction score
670
Location
South Carolina
Vehicle(s)
2004 Wrangler Rubicon, 2020 Gladiator Rubicon
Occupation
Retired
You have seen 2021. Here comes 2022. It's not a spectacular as 2021. But is has been fun. My wife and I take turns picking destinations for our trips. I like the mountains; she likes the beach. 2022 started with a return to South Padre Island, TX, this time for a month.

South Padre Island has a significant winter colony. Most of them seem to be from Minnesota. :) We planned to rest, eat seafood, exercise, and fish. A Mahai-Mahai sandwich and a Shrimp Basket the first day was a good start. The Alligator Fries made a bonus.

Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-GK2fPKt-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-2PpdM9h-X3


We were traveling with a new pup, Peppy. Our other dogs ere 14 and 15 years old. The new pup livened thing up.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-DQ2GHRj-X3


We went out on the beach to fish. It's hard to live like this.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-RKZ5bBD-X3


My wife is the better fisherperson.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-25KcR7d-X3


We'd starve if it was up to me to catch supper.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-bQ8S6T7-X3


More beach photos.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-JVMMBmm-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-X3pN3fZ-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-qzPZ9ZM-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-zLsR7jS-X3


Starlink did not launch anything while we were there. The had some stuff lined up though. The dildo rocket goes on the top of the cylinders to make their out-of-this-world lauch vehicle.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-HvHN5W7-X3


Big Boy launch tower.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-Z9XwMJw-X3


This is the worker village at Starlink.
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Wildlife.
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Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-p42vvgv-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-bG2K8K4-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-H6VLtN7-X3


Sunrise and Sunset photos from South Padre Beach.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-LcWvB2b-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-ZPr4Cxd-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-gfHFP76-X3


You should have been there! More to come.
 
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Andy29847

Andy29847

Well-Known Member
First Name
Andy
Joined
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Threads
10
Messages
360
Reaction score
670
Location
South Carolina
Vehicle(s)
2004 Wrangler Rubicon, 2020 Gladiator Rubicon
Occupation
Retired
In May, we headed for the northeast part of the country. This was strictly a vacation kind of trip, no Wheeling was planned. We intended to stop at Gettysburg, PA, Gloscester, MA, East Point, ME, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. Fuel prices made us change our plans.

This is a sign from Death Valley. Fuel wasn't this expensive in the Northeast, but it would make me cry when I filled up the 100-gallon tank on the camper. :)

Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-NpPkG9K-X3


We stopped at Natural Bridge, VA on the way to Gettysburg. The KOA there has some new premium sites.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-hzztLFc-X3


If you are in Natural Bridge, you should eat at the Pink Cadillac.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-6gWXrKt-X3


Andy then there is the Natural Bridge. it was my first time here. The geology is kool, but the thing that grabbed me was that George Washington, when he was surveying this area, carved his initials in the wall under the bridge.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-3kNd3TN-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-qRhbvGw-X3


I had not been to Gettysburg before. It was comforting to find a friend the first day there. He seems to less excited about it than I am.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-MLD2JBQ-X3


We bought a CD (with a guide book) and did an auto tour of the battlefield. I was very glad we had come here. The Gettysburg battlefield, more so than anywhere else I have been, gives you a chance to understand what happened here. Theis is mostly because you can stand on Little Round Top and see everything at a glance.

The Devil's Den
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-HrZFgW6-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-QZss5fK-X3


Home state monument.
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Robert E. Lee on Traveler
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-L2RFcx9-X3


This is taken form one of the Union Positions. The white spot in the background is the Robert E Lee Monument. The Confederates came out of the trees, walked and ran across those fields to attack the Union Army. It was a one mile walk through hell.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-HKN25w2-X3


We had to look hard for the 20th Maine monument. The 20th Maine anchored the end of the line on Little Round Top. Their part in the battle was made famous by books and movies. Lawrence Chamberlin, a school teacher, was their commander. late in the day, when they were out of ammunition and Alabama troops were attacking from below, he gave the order to "fix bayonets" and his men charged down the hill. The unexpected charge stopped the attack and held the line. Chamberlin was later the Governor of Maine, and he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1893.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-NKHQj5F-X3


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Some of the fortification built by the 20th Maine still exist.
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More to come.
 
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Andy29847

Andy29847

Well-Known Member
First Name
Andy
Joined
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Threads
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Messages
360
Reaction score
670
Location
South Carolina
Vehicle(s)
2004 Wrangler Rubicon, 2020 Gladiator Rubicon
Occupation
Retired
It's my turn to pick the vacation location. I always go west. :) We went to Moab and then Colorado. I'm just going to share Gladiator photos because I'm sure youse guys do not want to see the photos I took of the hippies at the nude hot springs.

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One interesting non-Gladiator thing. There had been a flood in Moab the week before we arrived. It got really bad out on the road to Hurrah Pass. You could still see some of the carnage.

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I lied. I'm going to share some landscape photos too. Sorry.
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That's all for a while. Thanks for following along.
 
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Andy29847

Andy29847

Well-Known Member
First Name
Andy
Joined
Oct 25, 2020
Threads
10
Messages
360
Reaction score
670
Location
South Carolina
Vehicle(s)
2004 Wrangler Rubicon, 2020 Gladiator Rubicon
Occupation
Retired
I went to North Georgia for some woods therapy. The trip was spiced up a little, first by Hurricane Nicole, and then by some cold weather. Nicole turned out to be a non-event in Dillard, Ga. The heavy rain was at night, and the winds were never threatening. The morning after, the surf was up on Charlie's Creek and the water was coffee colored. We went back one day later, and everything was back to normal.

Veronica's is the place to go for Breakfast or Lunch in Dillard, GA. it was Ummmmm good.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-dHgWmjG-X3


Friday afternoon and the hurricane is all but gone.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-jfJDzXq-X3


The Talulah River was running high Friday afternoon.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-bZ4xF4m-X3


We are going in deep!
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The trail was in good condition.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-sSQtSP6-X3


More water.
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-ZjHDhm9-X3


Saturday, I went Wheeling with friends. Gladiators lead the way!
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-CW5KbXS-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-QRHwHm2-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-RCdhWMz-X3


Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-zMQ9KGB-X3


Long shot!
Jeep Gladiator Go, Go, Gladiator! i-nQQCqVb-X3


Crossing Charlie's Creek.
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Crossing the river one more time. Here you can really see that the water has cleared up.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-rFtGnnC/0/92f3aba8/1280/i-rFtGnnC-1280.mp4

You should have been there!
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