Why We Love the Desert
One of the amazing sunsets we feel blessed to watch. Palm Canyon, Fall 2022
Choosing to stay in the western United States this winter with the goal of avoiding the cold and snow can only mean one thing, head to Arizona.
This week we share some of the reasons we have found that made us realize we love the desert!
Weather
While not nearly as warm as south Florida, it is very comfortable. Most the days are in the 60’s for highs, while cooling to the 40’s for comfortable sleeping at night. The dry climate allows us to not worry about moisture in the Queen unlike last year. Instead of using a de-humidifier to dry out our home, we find ourselves using diffusers to add moisture and lots of lotion to hydrate our skin.
The temperature swings are also more rhythmic to the change of seasons we were accustomed to. Cool mornings and nights allow us to wear our flannels, sweatpants, and hoodies and while reminding us it is winter and the holiday season! Spending last year in perpetual summer, wearing shorts and flip flops all year was a blessing, but it threw off our body’s rhythms. Forgetting what day of the week it is happens, but there were several instances last year where we forgot what season we were in 😊
Sunrises, Sunsets and Night Skies
We have been mesmerized by the vibrancy and shades of oranges, pinks, purples, and blues that greet us each morning while sending us to the campfire in the evening. The wide-open spaces allow us to enjoy the process of each for much longer than we were accustomed to. With plenty of mountains to camp near, it adds to the mystique of the desert by watching the day start and end over opposing mountain ranges.
The night skies appear with little urban light pollution distorting their beauty. Sitting outside with a blanket, a beverage, and looking up at meteor showers, planets, and full moons, reminds us of just how small we are in this universe.
Wide open spaces allow us to “lose” and “find” ourselves by listening to the silence of it all
Solitude
The open spaces and abundance of free camping opportunities, allows you to lose and find yourself. The vastness of the desert is a perfect place to focus on us and provides us the focus on our inner work, get creative, and thanks to Star Link, creating undistracted time for our businesses. Our long desert walks have helped us create plans for our future, find new ideas to maximize our todays, and slow down enough to realize joy is abundant all around us.
Wildlife
It takes a keen eye, patience, and a desire to see beauty that may not be noticeable to the casual observer. The many species of cacti that take decades to mature and grow, while living in an environment that seems so hostile to them are worthy of our awe. We love seeing the woodpeckers creating their nest high in the cacti, while the hummingbirds buzz around and roadrunners and quail scurrying along the ground. Seeing the true balance of how all these species of plants and animals work together for survival is a great reminder to us to work in unison with Mother Nature and the environment around us.
Hopefully as winter cedes way to spring, we will be lucky enough to catch the desert bloom!
Hidden Gem!
You won’t find this place in many people’s must see travel destinations but you will find it in this quarter’s newsletter as one of our hidden gems!
Newsletter Subscription
Be sure to join our insider community to get more detailed information on our specific favorite camping spots, meet ups, and more.
Our quarterly newsletter goes out next week and will include specifics on two of our favorite camping spots in Arizona.
We hope to see you all down the road, maybe even this winter in Arizona!