TransAmerica Trail Father/Son Trip

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GSDforLife

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Hello everyone. Not to long ago, I started a thread in the vehicle build section https://www.overlandbound.com/forums/threads/father-son-tat-trip-2016-t4r-trail-premium.6819/ to document some work we were doing to the 4Runner for an upcoming trip on the TransAmerica trail. I have been very impressed and even more thankful for all of the input I received from fellow OB members. I am brand new to overlanding, but have done plenty of camping and outdoors stuff. That being said, I bought a 4Runner TEP last year with the idea of using it as my daily, but also have it ready for outings. I would like to briefly describe the upcoming trip here, and with posts and pics to follow, we will update the trip related items. Please feel free to check out our build thread for the prep work to the rig that we have done. Thanks in advance for checking out this thread, and thanks in advance for any advice and input you all might have.

The Trip:
My 16 year old son and I will be leaving exactly one week from today to start our adventure on the TransAmerica Trail starting in NC. We don't have much time, but we plan to cover some good ground between July 5th and returning home July 13th. I work a lot and my boy is 16 and we plan to just go and have an awesome week of camping, exploring, and documenting our trip to share with others and something to look back on.

The Plan:
Leave NY July 5 and drive about 830 miles to Hayesville, NC. This will be a long day and we will stay in a hotel this night. Wake up early the next morning and start our adventure in Andrews NC. For the next 5-6 days we will cover about 200 miles per day. Our trip will take us through Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and we will end in Mississippi near the Isle of Capri. From there we will hit the highways home, and make it a two day trip home. During our time on the TAT, we will be camping along the way and cooking all meals.

The prep:
Purchased maps and GPS tracks of the TAT from Sam who is the original TransAmerica Trail guy. There are others out there that you can get tracks from for free which is fine, but I don't mind spending a couple of bucks to support a guy who has actually spent a lot of time on the ground and documented this so precisely for really very little money.

Created our itinerary for each day to include meal planning and where we will camp

Purchased 3 day fishing license for Tennessee and Mississippi for my son and I so we can try catching some dinner, and do it legally

Downloaded the Legal Heat app to check all firearm laws for the states we will travel through because I am not getting jammed up like that.

We will do our best to update as we go through our trip and post some pics so thanks for checking in. Here is a pic of where we sit today.fullsizeoutput_939.jpeg
 

GSDforLife

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So I downloaded the Gaia app this morning after seeing @A10MileHusker post his recent trip on IG. We leave in a little less than 48 hours, so nothing like getting an early jump on trying to figure out a new software app. Truth is, we have been busy preparing the rig for the trip. Really looking forward to finally just saying we are done, now it is time to have fun. Thanks for checking in and we will be sure to post some pics of the new places we find. Have a great 4th.
 
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A10MileHusker

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The Gaia software is awesome. You can do so much more than I did too. I just hit record and let it run. But you can track stops, take pictures and have it geo tagged, so many awesome things. Looking forward to actually using it to its full potential soon and excited to see what you guys get with it!

Safe travels and you guys are definitely living the scout's motto! Love it
 
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GSDforLife

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Hey everyone! Really psyched about heading out in about 12 1/2 hours for our trip. My son and I have made an attempt at making a little walk around video before we leave. I know it is probably not the best quality, but we had some fun and he wanted to rep the Overland Bound shirt and give an appropriate shout out at the end. Check it out and leave him a little vote of confidence to keep trying making these videos. Lord knows I have a face for radio and I can't fill in on camera. Ha! Thanks all.

 

GSDforLife

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Long day today. 830 miles from home to Hayesville, NC. About 30 minutes from Andrews, NC where we will start on the trail in the morning. Staying in a family run motel here (Catuge Mountain Inn) and when we arrived there was a note on the front office door with my name on it with a key to the room. The office was locked and the note said they stepped out for church. I just wanted to pay and go to bed, but we waited till the lady got back from church. I could not even imagine something like this in NY! You can't order a drink at a bar and step out for a phone call without giving up a credit card in case you don't come back. Kind of cool to be at a place like this. Now it is time for bed. Will post up some trail pics as we are able to find wifi along the way. As it sits now for us tomorrow morning. IMG_0285.JPG
 

GSDforLife

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Hey thanks for checking in. Definitely need to spend some time and update this page. Once we got home it has been non-stop. Will post some pics and updates today or tomorrow.
 
I'm glad you got home safely! I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip.

You are located in Hudson Valley, NY...I went to Hudson Valley Community College and lived in Mechanicville, N.Y. before moving to Kentucky and now Virginia.