Remembering Tellico

Circa 96, Dixie run, photo by Rick Pewe for whatever magazine he worked for then.


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98-99, lower 2

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Many more on real photos...


Tellico is where I fell in love with wheeling, along with private trails around Monteagle TN at the Rosser Roundup.


Flame suit on, but, as much as I enjoyed my wheeling there, I really don't feel like the difficulty/technicality of the obstacles would compare to the progression that our rigs, buggies, and trail systems have seen in the last 20 years. I would still go and enjoy it immensely, but imho it wouldn't hold a candle to golden mountain, Harlan, windrock, or mountain city, and many more. But, good times were had, and were it still available, many more would continue.

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From about 02 to about 07 I was at Tellico every summer with NAXJA.
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Meet some of you for the first time up there. Never forget Greg and his wife coming through Fain's Ford. She yelling "Move out of the way engine is about to go!" Or something like that.....
 
I loved that place and wish it was still open

Here is a picture of Ian's first time wheeling for his show and myself and @Black Bear


few more from that trip


Jessi learning how to drive a stick
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@zubz
Awesome pics.....inquiring minds wanna know if she has a decent personality and is as hot in person!?!
 
I was fortunate to go there many times from the late 90's until the weekend just before the "Seasonal Closure". Defiantly a special place to wheel, especially at night.

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Fish man. It's all for the good of the fish.
The fisherman were way more harmful than us wheelers were. At least we weren't yanking the fish out of their natural habitats with hooks. Then putting batter on them and dropping them in hot oil and eating them. But somehow us wheelers were the bad guys. :shaking:
 
There are two things I will never forget about Tellico.

1. Dude in a old Range Rover with a rear roll bar, rolling on Slickrock. He didn't have a seat belt on and the truck just rolled off of him and left him laying on the rocks. It just kept going. Not hurt one bit. Of course, the trail was then littered with empty beer cans. lol
Honestly, @Jody Treadway , I think Lisa was there and she filmed it. Daniel had the tape. I'll have to try to get a hold of it.

2. Aaron Bishop, @hcore4x4 burnt the clutch out of the willy on Slickrock. I drug his ass all the way up the hillclimb afterwards with a strap hauling ass in my CJ7. Never thought we would make it. Still had stock motor mounts and noticed oil pouring out at the top. Busted the oil filter when the mount broke. Then , I think Scott that used to run High Country 4x4, had to drag us both back to camp with his CJ7. What a bitch. Killed my optima that day.

I have pics of that rollover (not digital) as well as Daniel's video (on vhs). I'll try to post later.

And I remember @hcore4x4 breaking a steering part on the Willy on Slickrock, we winched him out of they way and then he had to drain and remove the radiator to get to the broken part on the crossmember underneath.
 
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@mcutler Pretty sure Pewe was with Peterson's back then

I have no clue how many times I went to Tellico. Dixie runs, Great smokey Mnt venture, CTB club rides, and many many more. Thinking back I can remember how a lot of the trails changed over the years. I remember the first time on School Bus, was coming down. The ledges and big rocks, still covered with dirt, not yet to be seen. The high red clay walls closer to the bottom, were barely 6" deep when first I rolled on them. I first had nothing but a stock Jeep with 32" BFG's. But, I drove it up Gaurdrail, Vauns Ford, Lower 2, winched twice. Too many memories for this old brain. Camping was the norm, in a tent that is. Hanging Dog, Rough Water crossing, Spivey Cove, All over the state line area, Crawfords, Just to name a few. Tellico is where and when I figured out it would be better to have a tow rig, than to drive up, wheel and drive home. Too many times I had to borrow parts just to get home.

Those were the days! I agree with @mcutler by today's standards, it didn't have the degree of difficulty that we see today, but like URE, the closer you were to stock the more fun it was.
 
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... mostly jones'd rides for the 7 or 8 times I went, but managed to drive a commando on a couple trips!

DR2004 Coming off Schoolbus on to ??... before the big pinch rock
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One of my all time favs...
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The rest of DR2004

RQs' DR2004 Pics



Hooked up with a gang from NC4x4 for DR2006... @upnover , @greg slade & brother Garth, @4x4 girl & Kenneth, and an older Toyota guy... Larry?

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What I think was the original "Upnover"?
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The rest of DR2006
 
That my yellow ranger behind Tony at the creek crossing and at the bottom of the hill while he is on his side. That was my second trip to Tellico. If anyone has some more pictures of my truck I would love to see them (mostly have videos and printed pictures of everyone else). I will see what I can find of everyone else's rides to post up.

Only got there 2x, Dixie Run 1995 with CTB and a trip with Triad 4WDA 2004.
Here's all the pics I can dig up right now, from 2004. The 1995 pics are actual photographic prints from film, stashed somewhere in a box or album.
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... mostly jones'd rides for the 7 or 8 times I went, but managed to drive a commando on a couple trips!

DR2004 Coming off Schoolbus on to ??... before the big pinch rock
View attachment 261378

One of my all time favs...
View attachment 261379
The rest of DR2004

RQs' DR2004 Pics



Hooked up with a gang from NC4x4 for DR2006... @upnover , @greg slade & brother Garth, @4x4 girl & Kenneth, and an older Toyota guy... Larry?

View attachment 261380

H][/QUOTE
Yep, that would have been Larry Smith
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... mostly jones'd rides for the 7 or 8 times I went, but managed to drive a commando on a couple trips!

DR2004 Coming off Schoolbus on to ??... before the big pinch rock
View attachment 261378

One of my all time favs...
View attachment 261379
The rest of DR2004

RQs' DR2004 Pics



Hooked up with a gang from NC4x4 for DR2006... @upnover , @greg slade & brother Garth, @4x4 girl & Kenneth, and an older Toyota guy... Larry?

View attachment 261380

What I think was the original "Upnover"?
View attachment 261381

The rest of DR2006

That would have been Larry Smith

The pic with Crystal Stephens hold her broke axle, has a story. She was wheeling her Bronco, broke the axle going up Helicopter pad. Anther group rolled up on us made a comment about us "standing around and a woman working on a broke rig" About 5 of us at once said back to him "She broke it" LOL

Moss and Toad, remember them well
 
Awesome pics.....inquiring minds wanna know if she has a decent personality and is as hot in person!?!
She was cool back when I first met her. Over the years when I worked with Ian and her she had gotten a big head. But all in all she is alright

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The mudpit at Crawford's circa 2003

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Fain's Ford circa 2003

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random shitbox on Slickrock

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Pigs at the Pay Station

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@Lee ill post up a bunch from that trip when I get on my laptop

Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures from the night we went to the bar in Tellico Plains and that rednecky dude with the tumor on his neck tried to proposition me....
 
There are two things I will never forget about Tellico.

1. Dude in a old Range Rover with a rear roll bar, rolling on Slickrock. He didn't have a seat belt on and the truck just rolled off of him and left him laying on the rocks. It just kept going. Not hurt one bit. Of course, the trail was then littered with empty beer cans. lol
Honestly, @Jody Treadway , I think Lisa was there and she filmed it. Daniel had the tape. I'll have to try to get a hold of it.

2. Aaron Bishop, @hcore4x4 burnt the clutch out of the willy on Slickrock. I drug his ass all the way up the hillclimb afterwards with a strap hauling ass in my CJ7. Never thought we would make it. Still had stock motor mounts and noticed oil pouring out at the top. Busted the oil filter when the mount broke. Then , I think Scott that used to run High Country 4x4, had to drag us both back to camp with his CJ7. What a bitch. Killed my optima that day.
I have that Rover roll on video I think
 
@Lee ill post up a bunch from that trip when I get on my laptop

Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures from the night we went to the bar in Tellico Plains and that rednecky dude with the tumor on his neck tried to proposition me....
Isn't that the same night you and Josh went swimming in the tellico river?

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