901
Oak Ridge Turnpike
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
(865) 482-6912
"Still
Plays With Jeeps" Since 1978
April 5, 2008
Parade through Downtown Murphy, NC
Helen of Tellico Cabin Rentals writes: "We (off-roaders) will meet
at save-a-lot parking area by 10:00 a.m. Parade through town then a day
of wheelin. I plan on making "Welcome back Tellico Trail Riders"
signs have supporting business' put them in their windows, etc... plus
banners." Come show the town of Murphy how much they are giving up
by not fighting the SELC-forced closure of Tellico OHV Area and how much
we can mean to the businesses of Murphy. Click here
for a google maps view of the Save-A-Lot location.
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RESCUE TELLICO
December 18 : The Forest Service has issued their decision for Tellico trail closures:
Read all »»
Donations
accepted by credit card, PayPal and check!
Rescue Tellico Fund:
We now accept donations by check, credit cards, and PayPal.
We intend to use the Rescue Tellico Fund for legal expenses and trail maintenance expenses. We are currently working on an initial legal defense budget and estimating future trail maintenance costs. We expect to continue our trail maintenance work at an accelerated pace during the next few months.
BUY STUFF to help support the legal battle to keep the Tellico OHV Area open. Click here for T-Shirts, mugs, bags and other stuff which helps in the legal fight.
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In the Moday, July 11 Issue of The Oak Ridger Newspaper
Four
Wheeling - Windrock Style
Local Enthusiasts Take Sports Editor on Intial Trail Run
By:
Tank Johnson | Oak Ridger Staff
tank.johnson@oakridger.com
I will
be the first to admit, I am not much of an outdoors man.
Despite growing up with and always being surrounded by a circle of friends
who were avid fisherman, hunters, campers and fun people in general, I
shunned their attempts to have me join them.
There were a myriad of excuses I had. From my extreme fluffiness that
caused me to break out in a sweat when the temperature skyrocketed to
68 degrees or beyond, to my 'busy' schedule, I always had a reason to
never join in all the outdoor games. The truth be known, I have a bit
of 'sissyitis' that has prevented me from living life the way it was intended
to be lived - for fun.
One friend, Bosk Murphy, finally had me talked into joining him in his hobby of four wheeling. He introduced me to a man named Jim Tunnell, who owns and operates Jim's Off Road Center. Jim has been in business for 27 years, which makes him an expert of four wheeling in my book. In his shop at 901 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Tunnell has been a driving force in the off road scene.
That scene revolves around a true gem to the area, Windrock. A mere 15-minute drive from Oak Ridge, Windrock is one of the country's premier four-wheeling venues. Tunnell was kind enough to gather asome people and get me involved in my first four-wheeling adventure. Yes, it was hot and I was going to sweat, but what the heck.
Tunnell
put together quite a group yesterday and we were ready to hit the trail.
Jeff Brock, Roane County resident and owner of Affordable Heating and
Air, got the unlucky draw of toting me around. After telling me about
himself, Brock started telling me about his machine. It was a hybrid of
sorts, an 85 Chevy Blazer K-5, with a S-10 cab that Brock had proudly
built himself. He started rambling off numbers and specs that sounded
very impressive and I didn't have the heart to tell him I had no clue
what he was saying. My vehicle knowledge extends as far as changing the
oil.
Everyone on the ride was proud of what they were driving and they had every right to be. A lot of work and money go into their rides - this is truly an expensive hobby.
Others in our group included the twins, Kori and Kaci Higgins along for the ride. They are both seniors at ORHS and members of the band. Their mother, Susan was also on the trails with us, piling up in Tunnell's Jeep as he blazed a path through trail No. 15, better known as the stairsteps.
Matt
Daniel, Nate Gordan and the ever-friendly Charlie Cumbie were present
as well. D.A Young of Blount County had Gordan riding with him, while
Mitch McKenzie and Lee Knight rode together. McKenzie owns M-C.O.R Products,
which manufactures frames for off-road vehicles. According to everyone
on the ride, he has an incredibly sturdy product. If you are in the market
for a frame, check out his website at mcorpro.com
My pal Murphy had Miranda Mann in his rig and that set the lineup.
Most, if not all, on the ride are members and/or officers or area four-wheeling
clubs such as Atomic City Four Wheelers and Plum Crazed. There was no
doubt it was an experienced and talented group of riders.
We rambled up the staircase and things got hairy quick. We had a jeep turnover, a steering thingy break and one truck that simply had to go around and meet us. But that's part of the fun! After tipping the jeep back on all fours and getting the steering thingie fixed, we were off again. Rattlerock and Little Rattlerock rattled us a bit. It was just a run of bad luck, with Murphy punching a hole in his gas tank, Brock breaking a rear axle and a small fire in Daniel's jeep, it was apparent the rescue missions would be plentiful.
But
the rescues are so interesting. 
There
is such a bond between these riders that a gleam enters the eyes of everyone
on the trails when someone is in trouble. After brainstorming occurs,
wench details are set in place, people are pulled out of sticky situations
quickly - sometimes. One
of the main creedos of people riding the trails is never leaving anyone
behind. It was great fun figuring out how to get the final buggy out of
the woods. After close to two hours a large crowd had gathered to watch
the extraction.
Once completed, we limped down the mountain and called it a day.
Economic Impact
The number of people that use Windrock is quite astonishing. Beginning Wednesday, you can see local hotels begin filling up with ATV users, preparing for a big weekend. A lot of folks camp at the base of the trails as well.
Oak Ridge restaurants, lodging facilities and other businessess get quite a boost for the nation-wide success of Windrock. As the crowd gathered toward the end, I started mingling with the them. I talked to one man from Buffalo, N.Y. who had flown down with his wife for the weekend. He had told me about discovering Windrock on the internet. He has been down several times and his daughter is now looking for a college in Tennessee.
People come from all over. In my one day there, I spoke with four-wheeler enthusiast from Kentucky, Ohio, New York, North Carolina and West Virginia.
Keep up with the latest land-use news and information on the Southern
Four Wheel Drive Association website!!