How to Survive in the desert.....the girly girl guide.

Okay.....so the desert offers up some challenges to us girls.

The heat, the dry air, the beating sun and the dust....there is a lot of dust.

Here are some of the things I have learned to help you survive this seemingly inhospitable dustbath.

1-

do NOT leave your house, car, motel, what have you without your hat on.

Even if you think you are only stopping for 5 minutes. there is so much to see and it is easy to let 30 minutes go by in full sun and then........HOT HEAD is no fun.

"You can leave your hat on"

2-

leave the polyester at home....you want cotton, cotton and more cotton. nough said?

3-

the dust is your friend.

I know this may seem an odd thing to say but really, when staying for one or two nights in motels, baths and hot showers can be hard to come by ( or at least any with water pressure enough to remove the desert).

Embrace the dust on your body....spray a little bug spray and this will sort of shellac your dust onto your body and give you a really good tan without even trying :)

4- don't let them see you sweat

when the locals tell you TERRIBLE rattle snake/scorpion etc etc stories, keep a cool head

I know you will want to run screaming from the room, but just chill.

I have it on good authority those noisy snakes are more afraid of us than we are of them...at least that is what the girl who hung the dead rattle snake over the sign post after someone else killed it, told me.

Oh and if you hear a rattling noise....believe it and move away. They really are out there.

5-

WATER...HYDRATE....WATER.....MORE PLEASE.

Pack your water everywhere..just like your hat and drink it.

If you are really lucky you will have a good friend who cleans up a cooler for you to use so you can keep cold water handy in the back seat, and your peanut butter granola bars will not melt into putridness.

Thanks Rebecca :)

6- Moisturizer.

The moisturizer you use at home will not be enough.....get a heavy cream, and use it often...the air sucks the moisture right out of you. Especially your feet, and in reference to tip #3...just mix it in to the soup already happening with the dust and the bug spray...its the desert..it's all good.

and finally....

7-Cool ranch chips taste different in the desert. I don't know why..maybe all the dust in your mouth......but they are different.

In all seriousness though.....the desert is freakin' amazing and you really should tromp around in it to really understand just how great it is, However you need to give it respect and never leave for a road trip/day trip etc, without your hat, water and comfy shoes.

Happy trails.