How is life in the High Desert of California? Some of you might ask. We moved here without knowing what to expect, except the fact that up here there’s less noise and pollution as opposed to life in bigger cities.
Well, we’ve only been here a month and the heat is exhausting (keep in mind that I am almost a month away from bringing my first child into the World). I have gone days at a time without stepping outside for fear of fainting or something. Other than the inconveniences cited above, the High Desert is quite a beautiful place to live. We’ve been blessed with high winds (though it feel more like a curse when they are gusty) to compensate for the heat waves and extremely high temperatures.
Adjusting
In just a few days of being here, I found myself drinking a lot more water than ever before to fight dehydration and tiredness. Drinking water has so many benefits amongst which healthy skin, healthy heart, weight loss, help with digestive problems and so much more. Click here for more information.
Within the first few weeks you will experience some degree of dryness, especially of the heel (cracked heels/heel fissures). One thing you could do to help prevent this is to constantly moisturize and wear socks. Click here to learn about some Home Remedies to help you deal with this problem.
High Desert People
The first time we drove here to view the house, we were greeted by a neighbor across the street who wished us good luck in getting the house. Once we finally settled in, a next door neighbor came over with a large basket of food and fruits. A few days later, another neighbor across the street stopped by to offer some gardening tools to get us started on weeding (things we didn’t have to worry about in our apartment). It was all overwhelming to say the least. High Desert people are welcoming and friendly.
Nature/Environment
We are home to Weeds and lots of them; they are faithful, they do not discriminate and they give a dirty appearance to the area (thanks to the wind, which carries the seeds from one location to another). Due to the amount of weeds, most homeowners tend to choose gravel over grass for their landscape design and drought resistant, low maintenance plants are prominent as they cut down on water costs. Keep in mind that regardless of your choice of landscape, weeds will always make their presence known. The bottom line is that you will constantly have to work at it to keep your yard looking beautiful.
The Air is fresh and pollution is kept to a minimum. We have some of the most stunning Sunrises and Sunsets. The view of the Mountains are a delight to wake up every morning. We also get snow here at least once a year every year which is an experience on its own. Our home area is close to the path of the Santa Ana winds, which cool you down in the summer and keep us cold in the winter.
Destinations/Attractions
Roy Rogers’ Apple Valley Inn
Victor Valley Museum & Art Gallery (Discover your own backyard through programs and exhibits about the cultural and natural heritage of the High Desert).
Concrete Dinosaurs, a 1970 mini-golf park featuring concrete Dinosaurs now deteriorating.
All Saints Lunatic Asylum– Haunted Attraction
Blackbird Airpark Museum
Cal-Earth Inc., The California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture.
Amargosa Opera House and Hotel
Scandia Family Fun Center
Chuck E Cheese’s Fun Center
Route 66 and California Route 66 Museum.
Old Town Victorville
Lake Arrowhead, a scenic mountain resort in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary, a non-profit, educational organization, founded in 1980 to save and protect the wolf in the wild and in captivity.
For more Destinations and Attractions in the High Desert of California, please visit the High Desert Insider, a guide and directory to High Desert Entertainment, Events, and Recreation.
By JM Perez
