It was time to see how well Campbell, our stock 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser, handles some more challenging backroads. So we planned a trip to follow the Tennessee section of the TransAmerica Trail (TAT).
Following the trail from west to east is the reverse of the traditional direction. We started in Savannah, Tennessee, and finished in Andrews, North Carolina. That was no problem since we used the GPS tracks to navigate.
Spending the night at inns along our way gave us more time for the trail and to visit some attractions along the route. That worked well since lodging is plentiful along the Tennessee portion and is near attractions.
We made reservations before starting and allowed seven days for the trail. That was enough time to cover most of the TAT, see some attractions, and try a few restaurants along the way. The preplanned overnights helped us plan each day, especially since the road speeds vary a lot.
Campbell is a platform for making photographs of new places where we couldn’t go before. I made the photographs Morning Falls and Rising Fawn along the trail on this trip.
Itinerary
These are the cities where we stayed:
- Savannah, TN
- Lawrenceburg, TN
- Fayetteville, TN
- Jasper, TN
- Dalton, GA
- Blue Ridge, GA
- Tellico Plains, TN
- Andrews, NC
We Learned
From this trip, we learned:
A portable toilet would be useful for backroads.
We need to reduce what we carry into a hotel at night.
Future trips will need a mix of lodging and camping.
Campbell needs no upgrades to its off-road performance for our foreseeable needs.
I hope this helps you prepare if you plan to travel on the TransAmerica Trail. I recommend the Tennessee section, and we enjoyed it thoroughly. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will be glad to help.
