living in the Desert

[1977dodge]

I recently have been looking at land in desert areas in Nevada, Utah, and Arizona
apart from the obvious like not much greenery ie trees and such the lack of readily available water unless carried on board vehicle and the possibly wild variations in temperature.
what other drawbacks has anyone found that made them think it was a mistake to try living in the desert
I am a keen DX radio operator so that would account for some of my time and taking care of my proposed solar system for power generation would also occupy me .
Thanks
Roy

 

[Sameer]

In my experience living in the Desert...the only drawback I can think of is being overwhelmed with it's remarkable beauty and wonderful Sunsets.

 

[Sameer]

Seriously...Shade from the Sun that will resist the desert winds. Dealing with cold mornings. It is never a mistake to live in the desert. The desert will nourish your ancestral soul.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Dodge, I realize this is totally none of my business, but if you don't mind my asking, why would anyone with a live-in vehicle buy desert land to park on, when there is so much of it available to boondock on for free?

Regards
John

 

[1977dodge]

Dodge, I realize this is totally none of my business, but if you don't mind my asking, why would anyone with a live-in vehicle buy desert land to park on, when there is so much of it available to boondock on for free?

Regards
John

Through out my life i have travelled extensivly and have always found it soothes me to return to an area that is familiar no matter what it is costal.city,jungle or just plain room with friends I am now 64 and would like to have a familiar base /place that i could travel out from and return to when i dont need to travel for a while I have also lived a short period in my camper off grid and still enjoyed staying in a cheap questionable Motel for an evening its about what your self needs to keep the whole person happy probably makes no sense but thats who i am .
I appreciate the question as its more input for me to consider .

 

[akrvbob]

I understand the urge to buy land, especially in the post-911 world where without some roots we are looked on with great suspicion. So I bought a piece of land that is half way between the desert and forest. At 6000 feet it's still dry but their are Junipers so it is also green. It'll get real winter and snow, but not much and it will get hot, but not extreme. I could live their year around and when I'm too old to travel I may.

It's 20 miles south of the Grand Canyon and 50 miles north of Flagstaff, AZ. I paid $2500 for an acre.

But I've found a spot on BLM desert land where I can sit for 5 months at a time and never see a ranger and yet I'm 3 miles from a Flying J and 6 miles from an Albertsons grocery store. Getting free water and dumping trash is very easy. Local showers are $6. Nearest Walmart s 40 miles away

I spend most of my winter pretty close to there also spending some time in Quartzsite (17 miles away) and Yuma (95 miles away). I have friends that sit there all winter, never moving.
Bob

 

[compassrose]

I loathe the desert. The wind hits almost hurricane strength several times a week. Our old table top grill is still going strong and it's 4 years old. Due to the wind we rarely use it. We normally wear out a grill in 1 year. DUST, DUST, DUST! Talcum powder fine dust gets everywhere. I am allergic to the pollen in the lousy dust and have to take an allergy pill (or two) daily. I've had "Desert Fever" three times.

We will be buying land to homebase on in either FL or AL (where it's green). Later we will buy a second spot to base on in TN. We have our reasons and it's nobody's damned business either. Just like it's nobody's business as to why you want to have a piece of land to homebase on.

 

[LeeRevell]

I do want to visit the Desert Southwest in time, but "home" will always be green forests with seacoast nearby. I drove through the desert a few times in my Navy Daze and was interesting, but had no time to stop between assignments. That was thirty years ago.

 

[highdesertranger]

like bob said, I would look in the transition zone. between the lower elevations and the higher elevations. in the mixed juniper, pinion forest. it's a good compromise between the two extremes of hot and cold. btw I never let the wind stop my bbq I use a wind break if it is to strong, but most of the time the wind in the summer has a nice cooling effect. I can also handle the dry desert heat a lot better than the humid heat. highdesertranger

 

[GotSmart]

HMMMM>>>>>>>>

Do I want to be able to breath, or do I want to stay warm? BOTH!

One day I will find the base to work out of. I may have one in N~California. I found a place I like.

BUT~~ I will definitely visit the desert to remind myself what heat is.

 

[LeeRevell]

I drove I-10 across Texas, Aridzona and New Mexico in the dead of winter, with I-10 iced over (which my '75 Firebird did NOT like!). Yes, the desert can be COLD........ wind chill was 19F. below zero. The next day in southern California I had my windows down, I was wearing a T-shirt and rocking out to the Beach Boys on Cassette. Weird.......

 

[TucsonAZ]

I live here, I love it, I second the energy, it's absolutely AMAZING in that respect and the sunsets are not beatable! It isn't for everybody though, the sun is oppressive, the wind and low humidity will dry the wettest of wells, it's an exchange, one I'm personally willing to make.

I would look in areas like Patagonia, north of Tucson, shoot for at least 4,000 feet if you can be near a city, 6,000 would be better. Finding land, even far out with a well would also be high on the list, plant trees the day you buy the land. You need to learn how to live in the desert for sure.

 

[1977dodge]

i also wanted to ask you desert dwellers how much water do you normally carry on board if your not constantly moving i know it varies a lot but a rough guess would be helpfull
Thanks
Roy

 

[Sameer]

I carry 15 gallons when I am going out to camp in Ehrenberg and just 10 when camping in Quartzite. 5 gallons only when traveling to Yuma or running around the Imperial Valley. There are may cheap water dispensers in Quartzite. In Ehrenberg there is a great source for water at the Country Story across the freeway towards Ehrenberg. $1.00 for 5 gallons.

 

[highdesertranger]

30 gallons will last my prospecting partner, my dog, and me 2 weeks. so just over 2 gallons/day. but we are real careful. if we find a spring in the area we can extend that time. a lot of times we buy water from local water companies any town that has a water system has a water company they vary in price I have paid as much as .05/gal to a low of .028/gal. highdesertranger

 

[Seraphim]

To each their own. We've been through the desert, and it's beautiful, but it doesn't reach us. The dry, dusty environment is extremely rough on DWs skin allergies. More than a couple of days becomes torture for her. We prefer mountains, and mountain streams, trees, lakes, and rocky seashores. Cold weather is preferable to hot, for us. But if we were all the same, it would be a boring world.

 

[66788]

I carry 15 gallons when I am going out to camp in Ehrenberg and just 10 when camping in Quartzite. 5 gallons only when traveling to Yuma or running around the Imperial Valley. There are may cheap water dispensers in Quartzite. In Ehrenberg there is a great source for water at the Country Story across the freeway towards Ehrenberg. $1.00 for 5 gallons.

I am assuming that for 20 cents per gallon it is filtered water and not tap water.

Since I have the Berky water filter, tap water suits me just fine, and it's a lot cheaper or free.

 

[Sameer]

66788...I am sure your water filter works great. I spent 4 months in Quartzite and Ehrenberg last year and here water is a commodity. It is filtered water Also spent 6 weeks at The Slabs last year and they had Water Sellers too. That was tap water. I did find free water in Blythe at the park when I shopped for supplies.

 

[1977dodge]

ok have a good take on how much water i may need so next is how much of a probelm is the things that can harm you ie snakes,scorpions,millipedes etc
obviously i know to be sensible and not go looking for trouble just interested to hear how many of you have had unexpected encounters.
Thanks
Roy

 

[freenez2]

Roy, The only wild life problem I've had in the Arizona desert since coming here full time a few years ago is a bee sting on the face. An Africanized honey bee stung me a few weeks ago. They're a lot more aggressive than a typical honey bee. In regards to others observations about water, as it's readily available there's not much need to carry a lot of it. I can carry a max of 26 gallons, but rarely take more than 10. On the other hand if one wants to dry camp a long time and not use gasoline more is better. Being able to camp a month and not have to move is nice.