Being a trip leader, I have seen it all. Mud sink holes, quick sand, big rock faces & tip overs.
Once we had a brand new Ford Escape take out their oil pan on a rocky road ridge line, in the Anza Borrego Desert. Stuck in the sand Jeep - or the muddy stream crossing that 'did not look that deep' in Baja. An air born Isuzu that lost control coming down a rock cliff in Moab UT. Another SUV found a box of nails, with his 2 back tires in the Mojave boulders area. Multiple break downs, broken axles, popped tires & bent tie rods.
And yes, I have even been rescued by park rangers in a swampy quick sand wash.
Driving off road is not as easy as you would imagine. While there are no stop signs or billboard to watch, your full undivided attention is needed more than ever on the back roads.
With the influx of SUV vehicles on the main stream market in the last decade, it's about time someone came out with instructional videos on how to use these machines. The average person watches the commercial on TV, then goes to buy their beast, & thinks he knows how to drive the back roads. Graded dirt roads are one thing, off-road trails are another. Tread Lightly & Jeep now have a series of off-roading videos on YouTube, found on the link above.
