I've been reading the first timers threads and thanks for the info. This is my first time other than high centering a snowbank just after getting it.. Any recommendations? I'm going (hopefully) early tomorrow (Sunday). I don't plan on airing down and have pretty much the (less than) basics. My wife is going and I plan on being a "good" boy. (Still too many payments left). I just want to have a nice ride through the wood. Is that possible there? Thanks in advance.

 

even if it is just a dirt road that you are going to be driving airing down will give such a better ride you and your wife will appreciate the little extra effort.

 

Then my question is, if I air down and I don't have a compressor and I'm driving over an hour from the boonies, what do I do about "airing up" to travel home?

 

Surely there must be a gas station near it. Air down with a gauge to 25 if not station near by and keep your speed lower on the highways going back, no 80 MPH stuff!

Use a gauge to air down at the site. Depending on the terrain it is usually best to have a buddy system going unless your doing the hanky panky. Otherwise let someone know when to expect you back.

 

This is exactly what I did. I just drove back at a slower than normal rate and found no problems. When I got home I aired it back up.

 

Well I went and got part way and chickened out at a spot (On the easy trail) that I didn't know how to handle and tried to back out and hit a rut and broke my mirror and rubbed a tree on the passenger (top of the door) and totally freaked my wife. She won't be coming back. Doesn't understand what the draw is and why I would want to wreck a $30,000 vehicle. Misunderstanding as I thought she would want to go the first time and she said she really didn't. The thing that bugs me is doing damage chickening out. My wife was out of it before that, the mirror just cemented it. My son got yelled at for thinking it was the coolest thing he ever did. I had to have a heart to heart on women (like his mom) and when to speak up on such things. Jeep ladies, YOU understand.

 

sorry to hear that. on a good note your son liked it, so maybe this can be a thing you two can do together. the wife not wanting to come along is not always a bad thing. I always wanted to bring my wife along for so many trips, while my friends never did, now I understand. you end up not fighting and actually having a good time.

 

Sorry to hear that! My wife always makes me "test out" a trail first and report back before she want to come along works for me as she is currently about 4 months pregnant and don't really want to "discover" too much with her along.

 

Sorry for your bum luck. Not much I can say other than I am sure you are not the only person in that boat. My wife is not an outdoorsy type of person either so I make sure I never to take her anywhere but maybe the mall. I guess we all have a cross to bear. I hate shopping.

 

I knew most of you would understand. My wife admitted she was never "afraid", she worried about the Jeep the whole time. Her comment was that if I wanted to do this, I should buy one of those "beat up" Jeeps we saw. (I did not at this time argue with her that the "beat up" Jeeps I saw had more into them than I had in mine.) There were some monsters there. The problem was, I thought she wanted to do this as she was the one who looked up the parks and was saying when. After 20+ years of marriage, you would think I would know better. There are so few "us" things that I am fired up to do, I was just hoping she would get into it. I admit I should have "practiced" more but being so close to Chicago, the places to have fun are few and far between.