Dry Branch "road" - Kentucky (OR - I love Garmin)
02-02-2008, 03:53 PM
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Dry Branch "road" - Kentucky (OR - I love Garmin)
So today I was out driving around South-East of Lexington, using my GPS to go exploring.
I ended up in an area called Endenton (will have to verify soon) which is not a town as it appears on the GPS unit, but simply a small collection of farm houses out in a very very very rolling hill area.. its a bit west of Richmond.
Anyway, I decide it's time to head back and tell the GPS to point me to Winchester so I could see where it'd take me.
Well, I guess I've got some seriously outdated maps because it took me on a road called "Dry Branch Road."
Now let me reiterate that the term "road" is highly incorrect.
So would be the term "gravel road"
And in some cases.. "trail" would not even fit. I have no idea when this place used to be a "road" but it was years and YEARS ago.
So I turned onto this thing and it did start off immediately as gravel. No big deal, gravel roads are relatively common in Kentucky. I head down (and literally doooown.. little did I know I was heading down towards a part of the river) and pass a couple of guys with a pickup collecting firewood.
They wave and give me an odd look, I just wave back and keep going.
About half a mile later the road suddenly "stops" as any term of a "road"
It becomes a rocky, overgrown trail of "holy shit!" In fact, the only reason I kept going was simply because I had to. I was completely alone and getting worried that I had gotten myself into the shit.
Anyways, continuing down and down and down through mud, rocks, branches, and a couple of streams. I keep staring at the GPS wondering when this trail would end.
I see on the GPS a U-bend in the road that is on its way.. I roll up to it and BAM!
River... about 55 feet across.
What? The? HELL? I'm looking at the GPS thinking why the hell would Garmin ever think of putting this as a road to get back to a highway.. absolutely NO WAY any regular and even 4WD trucks could make it.
I'm staring at the river wondering if I had the boys to push my 28,000 dollar Jeep through it. I could see where the water was breaking over some of the rocks in the stream and could tell it wasn't TOO deep, but the last 20 feet I couldnt tell. The water was flowing much smoother.
Anyways, I knew I couldnt turn around and go back up (taking the road from the other direction will be something I will take some friends on in the future) so I hit the water.. all was well.. last 20 feet... deep! The water was up to almost my window on the door, splashing up over the hood. I start freaking out thinking I'd hydrolock my engine, all terrible thoughts.. kept on the gas.. I could feel the tires gripping the bottom of the river bed and out I came.
Drove a bit longer, turned up a hill and the sun was dead in my eyes. So bad I had to drive about 1 mph to make sure I didn't run into something. Unbelievable Garmin! (and thank you!)
Finally I get to Hwy 39. Steam is rolling out from my hood.. I'm worried. I get out, pop the hood and its just water rapidly evaporating off everything. Look at my fluids, all in check.
Climb under the Jeep and pull out gobs of branches and twigs and one branch that had jammed onto something near the front axle.
Kicked her back into 2WD and off I went.
Triumphant on the unknown "road" called "Dry Branch"
This road is completely public by the way, but I do not recommend doing it solo AT ALL! I made it through mostly by luck and the JK being such a sweet stock off-roader.
If you are in the area, go hunt down this road/trail on google maps and try it.
BUT TAKE A FRIEND and make sure the water wont be high when you get to the bottom, because there is no turning around.
Thanks Garmin, for the adventure!
UPDATE - Dry Branch road crosses Paint-Lick Creek (this was the "river" [very wide]) I forded. The road changes to name to "Hustide Branch"
I ended up in an area called Endenton (will have to verify soon) which is not a town as it appears on the GPS unit, but simply a small collection of farm houses out in a very very very rolling hill area.. its a bit west of Richmond.
Anyway, I decide it's time to head back and tell the GPS to point me to Winchester so I could see where it'd take me.
Well, I guess I've got some seriously outdated maps because it took me on a road called "Dry Branch Road."
Now let me reiterate that the term "road" is highly incorrect.
So would be the term "gravel road"
And in some cases.. "trail" would not even fit. I have no idea when this place used to be a "road" but it was years and YEARS ago.
So I turned onto this thing and it did start off immediately as gravel. No big deal, gravel roads are relatively common in Kentucky. I head down (and literally doooown.. little did I know I was heading down towards a part of the river) and pass a couple of guys with a pickup collecting firewood.
They wave and give me an odd look, I just wave back and keep going.
About half a mile later the road suddenly "stops" as any term of a "road"
It becomes a rocky, overgrown trail of "holy shit!" In fact, the only reason I kept going was simply because I had to. I was completely alone and getting worried that I had gotten myself into the shit.
Anyways, continuing down and down and down through mud, rocks, branches, and a couple of streams. I keep staring at the GPS wondering when this trail would end.
I see on the GPS a U-bend in the road that is on its way.. I roll up to it and BAM!
River... about 55 feet across.
What? The? HELL? I'm looking at the GPS thinking why the hell would Garmin ever think of putting this as a road to get back to a highway.. absolutely NO WAY any regular and even 4WD trucks could make it.
I'm staring at the river wondering if I had the boys to push my 28,000 dollar Jeep through it. I could see where the water was breaking over some of the rocks in the stream and could tell it wasn't TOO deep, but the last 20 feet I couldnt tell. The water was flowing much smoother.
Anyways, I knew I couldnt turn around and go back up (taking the road from the other direction will be something I will take some friends on in the future) so I hit the water.. all was well.. last 20 feet... deep! The water was up to almost my window on the door, splashing up over the hood. I start freaking out thinking I'd hydrolock my engine, all terrible thoughts.. kept on the gas.. I could feel the tires gripping the bottom of the river bed and out I came.
Drove a bit longer, turned up a hill and the sun was dead in my eyes. So bad I had to drive about 1 mph to make sure I didn't run into something. Unbelievable Garmin! (and thank you!)
Finally I get to Hwy 39. Steam is rolling out from my hood.. I'm worried. I get out, pop the hood and its just water rapidly evaporating off everything. Look at my fluids, all in check.
Climb under the Jeep and pull out gobs of branches and twigs and one branch that had jammed onto something near the front axle.
Kicked her back into 2WD and off I went.
Triumphant on the unknown "road" called "Dry Branch"
This road is completely public by the way, but I do not recommend doing it solo AT ALL! I made it through mostly by luck and the JK being such a sweet stock off-roader.
If you are in the area, go hunt down this road/trail on google maps and try it.
BUT TAKE A FRIEND and make sure the water wont be high when you get to the bottom, because there is no turning around.
Thanks Garmin, for the adventure!
UPDATE - Dry Branch road crosses Paint-Lick Creek (this was the "river" [very wide]) I forded. The road changes to name to "Hustide Branch"
Last edited by Laughingstok; 02-02-2008 at 04:34 PM.
02-02-2008, 03:59 PM
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now thats an adventure. Scary ,especially by your lonesomes
with no help.glad ya made it through alright. damn GPS peeps what were they thinking. Those garmin people sitting in their high rise offices saying hmm says it's a road it must be.
too bad you didn't get any pics.
My grandma and grandpa used to live in paintsville ,ky i stayed with them in the summers when school was on break. total sticks,now thats some country livin there.
with no help.glad ya made it through alright. damn GPS peeps what were they thinking. Those garmin people sitting in their high rise offices saying hmm says it's a road it must be. too bad you didn't get any pics.
My grandma and grandpa used to live in paintsville ,ky i stayed with them in the summers when school was on break. total sticks,now thats some country livin there.
Last edited by fish; 02-02-2008 at 04:12 PM.
02-02-2008, 06:47 PM
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Being from the same area I can attest to the idea of "into the shit". There are some areas here in Kentucky that you drive down an old unused road and you start seeing things that remind you of Deliverance.
My fav time was when wheelin' around Stanton and coming across a group that had the guy that got kicked out of ZZ Top. Of course as we pulled up he unclipped his sidearm which was a rather large revolver. Luckily they were very friendly, just cautious. Of course my buddy says, "That's okay, I had my gun ready." I'm thinking, "That's just wonderful. I was parked between the two of you gun happy sons-a-b**ches!"
My fav time was when wheelin' around Stanton and coming across a group that had the guy that got kicked out of ZZ Top. Of course as we pulled up he unclipped his sidearm which was a rather large revolver. Luckily they were very friendly, just cautious. Of course my buddy says, "That's okay, I had my gun ready." I'm thinking, "That's just wonderful. I was parked between the two of you gun happy sons-a-b**ches!"
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02-03-2008, 07:57 AM
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A little water splashed inside. Got mud splattered inside too along the window frame.
At the time I wasnt thinking about photos or how lucky I was to have actually found a road like it.
It was juat pure worry that I was going to get stranded and lose the Jeep and have to hike out alone.
It wasn't til after I got out and the adrenaline rush subsided that I realized what the Jeep had just made it through
At the time I wasnt thinking about photos or how lucky I was to have actually found a road like it.
It was juat pure worry that I was going to get stranded and lose the Jeep and have to hike out alone.
It wasn't til after I got out and the adrenaline rush subsided that I realized what the Jeep had just made it through
02-03-2008, 08:09 AM
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gps coordinates?
Do you still have the GPS coordinates for the trail and river stored in your Garmin? Would be neat to plug it into google earth and take a look at it from above.
02-03-2008, 08:25 AM
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I did save the coordinates.
But you can also search for "Dry Branch Road, Richmond"
It will show you a dry branch road, but not the one Garmiin did. Zoom in, and look at the road just north of it (where it crosses Paint-Lick will be the U-bend I was talking about)
It is also called Dry Branch, and thats the one. I took it east to west. I'm guessing the one just south, (the one google shows by defaullt) may be the new one. I will have to investigate when I go back.
But you can also search for "Dry Branch Road, Richmond"
It will show you a dry branch road, but not the one Garmiin did. Zoom in, and look at the road just north of it (where it crosses Paint-Lick will be the U-bend I was talking about)
It is also called Dry Branch, and thats the one. I took it east to west. I'm guessing the one just south, (the one google shows by defaullt) may be the new one. I will have to investigate when I go back.