I GREW UP in the suburbs of Washington DC, surrounded by trees and greenery. When I was 16 my father retired from his government job and relocated us to Utah, where he and Mom had grown up and where most of our kin lived.
Utah was not only a cultural shock to me, it was also an environmental one. Beyond the cities and towns where settlers had planted trees and tended lawns and gardens, the place was so… barren. Dirt, rocks, dirt, stunted bushes, dirt, rocks, prickly things, dirt… Yes, there were trees up in the mountains, but even they seemed harsh, off-putting to me. The land seemed to be telling me to stay away. So I did. Friends talked about going into the desert, by choice, for fun, and I concluded they were insane.
After college I fled to Los Angeles. It was one of the hubs of my chosen profession, it was hip, and it seemed so green. The drive there took me through some truly desolate places, but I saw the Mojave Desert as the price of entry into the Promised Land by the Sea. Once I settled in I became ocean focused. Ah! The beach! The water! Paradise! Again, friends talked about going into the desert, by choice, for fun, and, again, I concluded they were insane.
After 20 years in California I needed a change, brought on by the death of my marriage, the death of my father, the death of the company I was working for… So I accepted a job in North Carolina. It was like being back in my lush, green childhood environment, but with grits and NASCAR. Somewhere in the ensuing 18 years — maybe after the third weekend in a row raking leaves — I realized I was living in the wrong place. The eastern half of the country was not for me. It was not my home.
But where was my home? I eventually realized if I lived in a van I could travel all over the continent and maybe discover my true home. To my surprise, I’ve discovered it’s the desert. Why?
Low humidity
I can finally breathe without feeling like I’m drowning. Dryness feels clean to me. Mold, mildew, and rot aren’t problems. Sweat actually evaporates like it was designed to.
The sky is huge.
As The Who sang, I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles. I feel claustrophobic after a few minutes in a forest. Where’s the sky? Where’s the horizon? Where are the stars?
It’s and introvert’s paradise
It’s so easy to get away from crowds, from the annoyances and troubles of civilization.
It’s a lesson in minimalism
The desert demonstrates how little is necessary to sustain life, even to thrive. If mammals like deer, coyotes, rabbits, pumas, peccaries and coatimundi can live here, so can I.
Freedom
Since the desert is sparsely populated, there are fewer people to tell you what to do. That’s why it has long been a haven for eccentrics, visionaries and other nonconformists. You can be yourself and either no one cares, or they salute your oddness. But even if you don’t want to build a sculpture garden of toilets or host naked midnight drum circles, there are so many places you can just plop down and be, undisturbed.
Tell us why you like the desert. And if you don‘t, tell us why not.
I was stationed at MCAS Yuma Arizona for two years and I loved the weather
One of the purposes of great writing is to help people understand what they have never experienced. This article was enlightening.
Excellent points, wife agrees and adds, the varied appearance of flora / fauna in a small area. As a tree hugger I have the rooted feeling that water is life and prefer more private concealment at camp. Utilizing mobility gives a great mix.
No humidity, no crowds, and no hurricanes. Harvey was my last hurricane and I don’t even want to see friends if they live east of the Mississippi river.
Please publish where the potty sculpture is.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/noah-purifoy-s-outdoor-desert-art-museum
I loved your 5 star post. I totally get where your coming from. I have one concern and that is water!
No mosquitoes!!!
That does it, no mosquitoes, I’m going to the desert! Thanks
Well, rarely mosquitoes anyway. But no-see-ums.
No-see-ums are worse than mosquitoes for they easily go thru any barriers you might place. ??
And they itch forever.
Thanks Al. Humidity…reason I won’t go back to Kentucky
I made a trip to Albuquerque in 1984 by plane, to drive to LA. First trip to the Southwest. Finally made the move here in 2000 (Albuquerque. Gateway to the Southwest!). Worked at University of NM and now that I’m retired there is no other ecosystem I’d rather explore. PS: just camped at Goosenecks last week. Sand Island nearby, also fabulous
I was at Sand Island during the spring thaw and the campground was almost flooded. So many trees cruising down the river. Bluff is sort of the gateway to Comb Ridge — at least coming from the south.
Better solar energy !
Hello:
I am a 56 year old female, born & raised in TN. Getting a used camper, 2 years ago, a 16 foot Wolf Pup, then a year ago, upgrading to a Coachman Freedom Express 20SE, I knew several things. First, we took the first one to a camp ground a few times. Did not like it. We have 5 acres of land, we enjoy our view more.
Being disabled & on fixed income, we are not able to really travel the country. However, my husband put my little woman cave on it’s own circuit. He is a lot older than me. We have a to huge double wide. We both are disabled.
He has some serious health issues. I started loving! Feeling a new weirdness, I knew I was born to be a nomad! He told me he bought the camper for me & if he died I may need to sell out an live in it. Out here would be lonely. You see no one!
We have a country lane neighborhood no one visits which I love it.
But I’ve started buying things for my camper, like you would be living in it. Like we both have an unspoken know. He knows I wouldn’t have enough money or physical ability to live here an now I love watching cheaper living.com with Bob Hale. I think, “ wow! I could be a nomad on the desert too, but I have never done a lot of driving, just around town. I would need help getting there. I could learn town to boon dock when the time comes. We both know it’s coming. I wanted a home that no land lord ruled, and my hubby wanted me to also.
I camp here a lot. For me, not just a phase. My husband just bought me a temperpedic mattress quite pricy, so he said I would have a good bed, since I have joint diseases, when time came. I have thought a lot about coming there, to the desert. But I want to know? I also have a nice, small, local camp ground I could live on here? But the desert appeals to me a lot, ecause of my breathing problems and the sweetest, people I meet on videos. But I’ve never lived on a desert?
I just want to know? Wouldn’t there be rattle snakes on it out there, everywhere and would they get in your rig? This is what frightens me so much!
Tamara, you’re living among rattlesnakes now. The timber rattlesnake is all over Tennessee and the rest of the Southeast. In fact, the South has the highest concentration of venomous snakes in the US. Yet you’ve probably never encountered one, never knew they were there. It’s pretty much the same in the desert. Yes, there are rattlers here, but they’re not sneaking into rigs or constantly attacking people. They’re not interested in us except when we disturb them.