Yes, you read that right. My good friend Daniel Palazzolo has a story to tell involving a woman, a desert and a diesel Hilux.
I posted last month about the unbelievable 2012 Adventure Travel Film Festival arriving May 4-6 in our backyard at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, North Carolina.
If you have not bought tickets, you need to...3 day, 1 day and by the film tickets available so no excuses! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see sixteen incredible adventure films, listen to live music, and meet the legendary adventure travellers/filmmakers/writers, Austin Vince (Mondo Enduro, Terra Circa, Roadside USA) and Lois Pryce (Lois on the Loose, Red Tape and White Knuckles) and attend travel and film workshops. Still don't believe me? Look at this list of films playing May 4-6 (link to descriptions here): Above and Beyond Dream (2010) Back of Beyond (1954) Call of the White (2009) First Overland (1958) Grass (1924) Himalayan Adventure (1958) Le Grande Detour (2009) Mazungu (2008) Mondo Enduro (1995) Motosyberia (2007) Paddle to Seattle (2010) Ride the Divide (2009) The Headless Valley (1957) Twice Upon a Caravan (1933) Wakhan (2009) Yenisey River Expedition (2001) And they recently released the film schedule, workshop and presentation specifics so you can plan your visit. Watch the trailer and tell me this doesn't look like a great time: Adventure Travel Film Festival 2012 Trailer for the Southeast USA. I'll be there with Georgia Overland decals, so come find me and demand one! -David And here are a few of the picturesque views waiting for you from the Horsepasture Road area: Thanks for the email, Randall!
-David Great news! The Adventure Travel Film Festival (All Thanks to Austin Vince and Lois Pryce) is coming to the Southeast during May 4th-6th and it is bringing along a bunch of really fantastic films that you are certain to enjoy. It will be held nearby in Bryson City, North Carolina.
A brief introduction from the site: The Adventure Travel Film Festival is the brainchild of film-maker Austin Vince and travel author Lois Pryce. Here’s how it all came about… ‘Over the last ten years or so we have been sent tons of fantastic travel films from all over the world by largely unknown film-makers. They came from all over the globe and covered every form of transport — boats, bicycles, buses, motorcycles, 4x4s and even hitch-hiking and train-hopping. The ‘adventure travel’ shows we saw on TV, although polished and professional, were nothing in comparison to the real-life dramas that were arriving in our letterbox. As time passed we gradually realised that we were accruing a fairly extensive and possibly, definitive, collection of adventure travel films. It occurred to us that this had to be the tip of an iceberg. Once we started searching actively, films came to the surface that were absolutely mind-blowing. We were amazed, and excited, that adventures of this quality, old and new, were essentially unknown by the public. Our mission is to change all that. Film festivals don’t usually have manifestos — so here’s ours! 1.To showcase the best independent adventure travel films ever made 2.To guarantee a platform for future adventure film-makers 3.To bring together the adventure travel community 4.We know that making a good film isn’t difficult — we will show you how 5.To have loads of fun while doing all the above! Film festivals are usually based around cinema screens in cities. In the spirit of the event, the Adventure Travel Film Festival is based around two days of camping and good times in beautiful countryside. We look forward to seeing you there! To learn more, visit the Adventure Travel Film Festival Site. Enjoy, David I met Daniel back in 2010, though I knew of the guy for many years as we have a couple friends in common. It was during the lead-up to his inaugural ATL to the Arctic charity ride to Deadhorse, Alaska that I finally had the opportunity to get to know him. As co-owner of Decatur Garage, Daniel (or Zolo, as some on the forums know him) turns his highly-skilled wrench on every motorized (and at times, non-motorized) vehicle imaginable.
Rolls-Royce to Porsche, Toyota to Ford, pick a make and he has probably worked on it. Seriously. From modifying four wheel drives to building race cars to prepping motorcycles. He even repaired and welded the frame on my ancient Fantic downhill gravity kart. He is a very talented mechanic, fabricator and tinkerer...as well as a great friend, offroad zen master and world traveller. Here are a few photos of his very cool custom trayback Tacoma and KTM 990 Adventure. Enjoy, and look him up if you need an excellent mechanic. I received a link to this last week. Somehow I missed hearing about this, so I owe Nathan a big 'Thank You' for emailing me and letting me know. Anyone interested in traveling on roads in the Chattahoochee National Forest should give this a look and express your interest that roads remain open. This Road Study needs your input by April 13th.
I strongly encourage you to learn more by visiting the main Public Input page here: Forest Service Seeks Your Input The Comment Form may be accessed directly here: Chattahoochee National Forest Public Input The site text is as follows The Forest Service is committed to balancing your needs for access to the Chattahoochee National Forest with our responsibility to sustain a productive, diverse and healthy forest. As part of this commitment, we must address crucial concerns about the future sustainability of the national forest road system. The three Ranger Districts that make up the Chattahoochee National Forest are beginning a study of the road system, and we need your input. This transportation study will help us find a way to use our limited resources to balance the needs for access to the forest with the protection of clean water and a healthy forest. The transportation study is not a proposal or decision, but is intended to help guide us in planning future road management. The number of overdue road maintenance projects continues to grow, while public use of our roads is increasing. Roads that cannot be adequately maintained can be dangerous to visitors and threaten forest health. They can increase sedimentation into rivers and streams, degrading water quality and impacting fish and wildlife. Possible options that may be considered for each road include: Maintaining at the current standard Changing the level of maintenance (ex., from passenger car to high-clearance vehicle) Adding seasonal restrictions Implementing year-long closures Decommissioning We need to hear from you by April 13 We want to learn from you which roads are important to you and why. We will consider your input along with other factors including management access needs, benefits, risks and costs. Before any actions are taken we will provide more opportunities for you to participate in the decision making process. Use our online comment form to view maps and provide your input to us. You may also find hardcopy planning maps and comment forms at the local Ranger District and Forest Supervisor's offices. We will consider all comments received before April 13, after which the official comment period for this first phase of the study will close. Your input is very valuable to us, and we thank you in advance for your time and thoughtful comments. Let's all provide thoughtful, useful comments to the USDA/Forest Service regarding the roads in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Thanks! I heard from our friend Randall again and this time he shares his notes following his exploration of 'Pisgah East'.
As always, I have neither verified the accuracy of the descriptions nor checked for legal vehicle travel, I feel obligated to state the obvious...Use the following information at your own risk. Randall writes: This is FR 477 to FR 1206 starting in Brevard and ending in the North Mills Recreation Area. FR 5000 out of North Mills will take you to Lake Powhatan. I'll try to add this on at some point in time, when I can check it out. FR 477 is about eight miles long, FR 1206 is about 8.5 miles and FR 5000 appears to be about 7-8 miles, so combined that would be about 25 miles of gravel road with a minimum of pavement. From the Hwy 276/64 split in Brevard, take Hwy 276 north into Pisgah Forest. After 2.5 miles turn right on FR 477. This is just after the Ranger Station. There are campsites and stables for about the first two miles. After this, you start to climb up a mountain. Pretty easy going though. This road is pretty smooth and in good shape. It can be done in any type of vehicle. Nice views on top of the mountain. After about eight miles you arrive back on Hwy 276. Turn right, back onto Hwy 276 north. The Cradle of Forestry will be on the right. It opens on April 14th.(Side note, stay on Hwy 276 for four miles to access the Blue Ridge Parkway). After about 1/2 mile, turn right onto FR 1206. There are some nice campsites on this road. Signs indicate first come, first served but you may want to double-check. At the 3.5 mile mark, there are some new gate posts. I'm guessing this road may become open seasonally in the future. Smooth gravel, any vehicle could travel this road. This road goes in between two sets of mountains, and has a good wilderness feel to it. This road goes for about 8.5 miles. You'll come out at the North Mills Recreation Area. Continue east to Interstate 26 or north on FR 5000 to the Lake Powhatan area. I'll add FR 5000 on when I get a chance. Lots of opportunity for hiking and mountain biking in this area. Not sure how the fishing is, may want to research it. And Randall included these pics: Last week I received an email and pics from Larry following his exploration of the Cohutta WMA in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Thanks for sharing the pictures and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on 'The Loop' when you finish it.
Indian Creek RoadOn Thursday, 2/2/12, I received a new trail report from our (quickly becoming!) regular contributor, Randall Warren. Randall explored an area in the Pisgah National Forest, in Southwestern North Carolina, from Balsam Grove to the Fish Hatchery in Brevard. As always, I have neither verified the accuracy of the descriptions nor checked for legal vehicle travel, I feel obligated to state the obvious...Use the following information at your own risk. And now, I give you Randall: From Rosman, North Carolina, take NC 215 ten miles north to the community of Balsam Grove. Less than a mile north out of Balsam Grove, turn right on State Road 1321, also known as Indian Creek Road. This is an easy drive, just gravel and a few pot holes, and could be done in any car. In 2.6 miles you intersect with FR 475 and SR 1327. Turn left on FR 475. This road can also be driven by most cars. In one mile, FR 475 intersects with FR 229 turning left and going 2.75 miles up the mountain to the Deep Gap parking area at the top of the mountain. The road is somewhat rocky and I would recommend good tires, though ground clearance should not be an issue. Good views of the mountains through the trees on the way up. When you come back down the mountain, you can continue straight from FR 229 onto FR 471 (Georgia Overland note: FR 471 is not shown on Google Maps, but is displayed on the Pisgah National Forest map linked below). FR 471 travels southeast for 7.7 miles back to US 64 outside of Brevard, North Carolina. This road can be done by any vehicle. There are many places to fish on this road, though there may be a fee required. If you turn left from FR 229 back onto FR 475, FR 475 will continue on for about 4.5 miles before it turns into pavement right before you get to the Fish Hatchery. If you continue on, it will lead you to US 276 north of Brevard. There are many places to park throughout this area. Most of the roads that are gated can be used for hiking or mountain biking. I recommend the Trails Illustrated map # 780 from National Geographic. It has all of the roads listed and it lists the roads that are hiking only. The roads in this area are well marked so there is little chance of getting lost. The map for the area is found here: 2001 Pisgah National Forest - Pisgah Ranger District (North Carolina)
Thank you, Randall! One of my favorite travel books is First Overland, written by Tim Slessor and published in 1957. It chronicles the 1955 Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition from London to Singapore. One member of the expedition, Antony Barrington-Brown (known as BB), was the expedition's photographer and filmmaker. Last month, both BB and his wife, Althea, were killed in a car accident near their home in Wiltshire, England.
Below is a link to Graeme Aldous' tribute to BB and his wife via his First Overland Newsletter (note, current newsletter content will change so you may need to view his archived newsletters if you read this post late). Graeme created an excellent DVD documentary of the First Overland story. His tribute offers some insight into the lives of BB and Althea. http://www.teeafit.co.uk/firstoverlandnewsletter/ Godspeed BB and Althea. -David |
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