I'll go this weekend to the apalachians for whitewater rafting, biking, camping, etc... ther is also a nice area with different levels for off-road driving and I want to try at least the level one of them.

I used to live in Colombia in south america, and many of the off-road pictures I've seen in the forum are way easier than many roads I used to drive on my daewoo (dirt, small stones, creeks...) I'll see how far can I go this time

Expect pics the next week.

http://www.tellico4x4.com/murphy/map1.htm

:D

Not quite the off road trails, the rain didn't help at all :( but some of the forest service roads were good enough.

No more words, here are the pics. :P

http://homepage.mac.com/amtoro/.cv/amtoro/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-10-26%2019.08.03%20-0700/Image-9363116727BC11D9.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/amtoro/.cv/amtoro/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-10-26%2019.08.03%20-0700/Image-9363342A27BC11D9.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/amtoro/.cv/amtoro/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-10-26%2019.08.03%20-0700/Image-9363565F27BC11D9.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/amtoro/.cv/amtoro/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-10-26%2019.08.03%20-0700/Image-9363781A27BC11D9.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/amtoro/.cv/amtoro/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-10-26%2019.08.03%20-0700/Image-936388EA27BC11D9.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/amtoro/.cv/amtoro/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-10-26%2019.08.03%20-0700/Image-9363BB8827BC11D9.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/amtoro/.cv/amtoro/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-10-26%2019.08.03%20-0700/Image-9363DD1A27BC11D9.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/amtoro/.cv/amtoro/Sites/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-10-26%2019.08.03%20-0700/Image-9363EDD627BC11D9.jpg-thumb_269_202.jpg

Pictures 3,5 and 6 look like they're right out of a sales brochure...nice work.

looks good

Those are great pics!

I've driven a lot of the roads down in the Smokies/Blue Ridge Mountains in my Miata and often pass by some gravel/dirt roads and say "I'd sure like to check out what's down there". Now I have the Element and that's possible.

This winter I plan to do some road tripping in the Element and want to explore roads down in that area. It's a beautiful area. Going off roading looks like a blast. I'm glad to see that the Element is up to the job.

[quote:217995bf7f=" "]Those are great pics!

I've driven a lot of the roads down in the Smokies/Blue Ridge Mountains in my Miata and often pass by some gravel/dirt roads and say "I'd sure like to check out what's down there". Now I have the Element and that's possible.

This winter I plan to do some road tripping in the Element and want to explore roads down in that area. It's a beautiful area. Going off roading looks like a blast. I'm glad to see that the Element is up to the job.[/quote:217995bf7f]

Thanks! :wink:

In case you want to go there, this is the FS-81, you'll find it driving along the Cherohala Skyway from Robbinsville, NC toward Tennessee; the view is awesome from the top at 5300 ft. the road is very small and joins the Cherohala on the right, one mile before the TN state line (before a big concrete bridge).

About the skyway, it's very nice to feel the road and the E ascending the 9% slopes. The skyway is used mainly by motorcycles and is hard to keep the 45MPH speed limit with all those curves. Drive it, you won't regret it!

[quote:7e1347d2c0=" "]
About the skyway, it's very nice to feel the road and the E ascending the 9% slopes. The skyway is used mainly by motorcycles and is hard to keep the 45MPH speed limit with all those curves. Drive it, you won't regret it![/quote:7e1347d2c0]

The Cherohala Skyway. You're right,.. It's a really nice road. 8)

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/326552/104_0437.JPG

It's hard to keep the 45MPH speed limit with all those curves. I usually do about 75 mph in the Miata. Damn speed limits! :lol:

Here's a nice pic from last fall...

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-8/326552/104_0433.jpg

I don't think the Element could go that fast but I'd love to bring it up just for the view and check out all those gravel roads that I dared not tread in a Miata. 8)

I'm fairly sure I know where the road you're referring to is.

At the end of the Cherohala on the Tennessee side is a wonderful little drive-in restaurant that I often stop at for a snack and milkshake. Then I'll either grab Rte 68 and head for the mountains in North Georgia or take a series of roads and head over to Deals Gap.

I love that area down there. I usually make my annual pilgrimage in the Spring. :)