A road trip is about much more than a destination. It’s about the overall journey – where you go, what you experience, and how you get there. Toyota recently hosted me on a couple of incredible road trips where I got to experience fly fishing, off-roading, trap shooting and the longest zip line canopy tour in the WORLD! Better yet, I was provided with a 2017 Toyota Tacoma XSP to make the trips.
Zip Lining
Guinness World Records has certified the Screaming Eagle canopy tour in Historic Banning Mills, Georgia as the world’s longest zip line canopy tour. With nearly 10 miles of zip lines and sky bridges, the course was a great way to get in touch with my inner adrenaline junkie. It may well have been the most fun I’ve ever had with my clothes on:)
Here’s a GoPro video I shot while on two of the course’s longest and fastest zip lines (the Falcon, and the Screaming Eagle) and a sped-up video of me crossing one of the sky bridges. ..and for the record, I did not wet my pants.
Fly Fishing
Fly fishing, trap shooting, and off-roading all took place at Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville, Georgia. This was my first experience at fly fishing and I learned that I’m not very good at it. Even though I didn’t catch anything, I’m not giving up and I will keep fly fishing on my Bucket List until I actually catch something!
Trapshooting
Trapshooting was an almost new experience for me. I had done it once before when I was a Boy Scout. I don’t remember how the younger Rick flared at the sport, but at the first station, the older Rick nailed 6 of the first 8 skeets and was feeling pretty good (thank you very much). But, after that, I got progressively worse going 4 for 8, then 3 for 8, then 1 for 8. It was a great experience, though it did leave me with a bruised shoulder and a bruised ego.
My wife, Denise, taking aim during our trap shooting adventure.
Off-Roading
Off-roading in a Toyota Tundra XSP was probably the most fun I’ve ever had in a moving vehicle. Driving as fast as I dared over rugged terrain, cutting donuts and turning 180s in a truck that from the inside had all the bells and whistles of a luxury vehicle was exhilarating. I felt like James Bond in a chase scene. It’s definitely something I’d like to try again. Here’s some short GoPro footage from the off-roading adventure.
Off-Roading from MidlifeRoadTrip on Vimeo.
Toyota XSP package
I’ve been a Toyota guy since 1987 – long before I began doing any promotional work for Toyota. In fact, I’ve owned a total of 6 Toyotas since then. After taking one the Tundra XPS on an extended test drive, I’m seriously wanting another one. The XSP package has a badass edginess that seems just right for someone who likes to live on the edge! Here are some of the features included with the XSP package:
- Chrome exhaust tip
- Red front brake caliper covers
- XSP badging
- 2-in-2 LED projector fog lights with LED DRTL
- Predator Pro running boards
- Black emblem overlays with tailgate insert
- Black laser-cut aluminum grille
- Colored eye pocket fender flares with rivets
- 17” Beadlock style gun metal gray and black wheels with Nitto Terra Grappler G2 tires
- Built-in GoPro mount
Follow the #ToyotaXSP hashtag on Twitter and Instagram to see some of my real-time posts from these trips.
What kind of adventures do you look for on a road trip?
Trackbacks/Pingbacks