Guns. Well the poster did not say which state he/she will be traveling in.

AZ is OK as anyone can carry concealed.

Utah has strict gun laws, especially near urban areas.

New Mexico allows open carry but only honors permits from some other states.

TX has complex laws.

California has very restrictive laws.

Generally unless you are staying in AZ, I would be careful about carrying. If you intend to do so, check current laws for the states you intend to traverse. New Mexico just changed their permit law and I am not sure how it has been implemented.

Border Patrol: You may be stopped at a roadblock. They will ask you if you are a US citizen. Don't give them any grief. It is a rotten job. If you are "driving while brown". you may get asked some confusing questions. They are trying to see how nervous you are. You will also get the the funny questions if you are very white and driving a rental car. Folks from the north frequently drive to the border areas to get contraband. No tan means you are probably not local. They are looking for bad guys, you are not one of them.

Relax, you will get used to it. I live 30 miles from the Mexican border, in a very remote area. There is a war going on here. But somehow it dances around us and we seldom see it. We find backpacks with very good night vision glasses hidden under brush. There are used car batteries on mountain tops left over from clandestine radio networks.

All that and more. But you will probably not see any of this. The first time folks encounter the Border Patrol Checkpoints they sometimes consider it an intrusion. "What?? Stopping me?? I got my rights!!!" I hear it all the time. Consider the checkpoint a small window on reality. Be nice to the Border Patrol Folks.


Small crawley things...
Lots to learn about them. Mostly, don't sit on the ground. Don't lean against trees. Don't walk through underbrush. That is one of the reasons I suggest staying with the vehicle.

If you need to sit someplace, find a rock. Carefully check around it. Check it again. Look for small holes and cracks. If possible cover it with a tarp or something. Get your feet off the ground. Biting ants can cover your feet in seconds.

It is one thing to be in a wilderness you know. Quite another to be in a wilderness you do not know. I am from Maine. Being in the desert is realllllly enjoyable, but one has to learn the deserts ways. They are not the Maine ways.

Best advice I can give is to check your vehicle yourself. Especially the tires. Don't run low on fuel. There are many places where fuel stations are a hundred miles or more apart. Stay on main roads. You will cruise along in comfort (the roads are mostly very good) and wonder what all the fuss is about. Until you pull into a rest area and get out of the air conditioned car.

Enjoy your trip. The desert is HUGE with lots of exotic stuff to experience.

Nomad