How to Survive Living in Joshua Tree

Pay close attention to flash flood and extreme weather warnings. Take them very seriously.

Emergency water everywhere: the house, car, everywhere, all the time. I have bottles full in the house all the time.

The desert is a volatile, moody, violent environment. It's much bigger than you are. Learn basic survival skills and first aid.

Learn who is poisonous and who is not. Where they like to hide out, who is nocturnal, native animal behavior in general. Do not ever put your hands where you can't see them, i.e. reaching up to climb a rock, reaching behind a woodpile. Even behind a bathroom wastebasket. Scorpions love the bathroom.

Have respect for small-town life. People are, for the most part, simple and straightforward. I've literally had mail delivered in my P.O. Box with nothing but my name and city on it. Small town sh*t can be annoying, but I do not find that so much to be true with the longtime locals who have seen it all. People realize pretty quick that when sh*t gets real, you'll need that neighbor with a tractor to drag the road so's you can drive down to town again after a storm.

Watch your drug and alcohol intake. You're dealing with altitude and extreme weather at any time; they find bodies out here in the desert all the time. You can get lost within 20 feet of your base camp/home/car/whatever. Keep water on your person. Don't get all inspired to go hiking around and wandering or off-roading, chasing f*cking stars at night if you're high.

Do not assume “small town,” longtime locals are stupid. They most definitely are not. These people are pioneers and have much to teach.

Be your own good company. Solitude is good. Reflection is good. Meditation is good. If you can't stand being alone, it's not the place for you. Even if you're with other people, the vastness is incredible and either will empower you and remind you of your place in the universe or make you feel small. You either get it or you don't, which is why desert people are a very special breed.

Support the local libraries, the old timers, the small shops, and for God's sake, put your GPS away for five minutes. It won't work everywhere out here, anyway. Learn to watch from nature, navigate, it will take care of you if YOU care. Don't use it as the place you can just get f*cked up and make a lot of noise and do shit you can't do in the city. It's disturbing, and the entire ecosystem and environment suffer. Go back to #1 and understand the desert as a living, breathing, amazing entity: If you're the kind of person who looks out and sees a whole lot of nothing, wants to throw cans around, shoot at things, etc.,well, there are a million eyes watching you, all the time. If you can't do it at home, don't do it out here. This was at once the bottom of the ocean, it's sacred, not a place to crap up.

There are some pretty crazy people in the wild, and the desert is a good place to “get lost” if you're wanted. Don't be stupid. There isn't much out there in the way of  jobs or economics. Unless you're in Scottsdale, the demographic – well, either people are on welfare, disability, are military dependents or retirees, or are parolees. People can turn into coyotes. There are a lot of ex-cons: a lot – a lot – of people on probation. Tuck all the flowers in your beard you want, but there are predators: in the air, some with four legs, and some with two... stay aware. Listen and watch, kemosabe.