Surviving a Road Trip Through the Desert

Chismosa 2 here. If you work hard, you need to play hard. So Chismosa 1 and I went on a road trip this summer through the Mojave desert. It was hot! It got over 105°F but we didn't feel the heat. Thank You God for the AC. Haha! But here are some tips for surviving a road trip, especially in the summer heat.

Make sure your car can make it to your destination!

Get a total car check-up. This is so important, especially if you're using your own car. You wouldn't want to have car problems in the road. The car we used just had maintenance done because the battery ran out of juice a few weeks before our trip. Inform your mechanic you're going on a road trip, and ask him/her to check that the car will survive. Read this "Car Maintenance Checklist" article from Woman's Day. These are the things we had checked and/or repaired with our car: engine oil, transmission fluid, coolant, tires (rotated and tread checked), battery, and timing belt (but ours had a chain, so it didn't need to be replaced). Well, that's what we know. Our mechanic actually took out the entire engine and gave it a check. Oh and cleaned it too - looks new!!!

Be aware when using the car's air conditioning system. We kept the air condition on like 99% of the time. When we're driving uphill, we'd turn it off, but we really had nothing to worry about. And for that, we really do thank the Lord. Keeping the AC on the entire time can overheat your car. So be very careful. You've got to know your car's limits.

Long stretches of road up ahead.

Have plenty of water bottles. We had some stored in the trunk under a picnic blanket. It helped keep the water cool to drink. And we had a few inside the car with us. It's important to keep yourself hydrated. But also be aware of the miles between rest stops or places with restrooms.

Stop for gas when your tank is half empty. Just to make sure you won't run out of gas in between cities. You never know where the next gas station is, so it's better safe than sorry.

Get creative. Okay, so we had one teeny tiny car trouble. The car's front tire guard thingy came loose, and while driving on the highways, it would hit the tire. The tire actually burned holes in it! We were more worried about ruining the tire, but what can we do? Well...we used duct tape! We taped whatever was left of the mat onto the windshield wiper fluid container (at least we think that's what the container is). It worked! With no mechanics around, we had to get creative. As long as the temporary solution won't create more problems, go with it.

Use a cooling mat. We loooove the Walgreens Forever Cool Gelmat because it works! We didn't use it much, but we had it handy in case anyone got hot. It does seep the heat out of your body. The downside is if you're really heated up, the cool won't last long. You need to let it cool down again. We kept it in the glove compartment, and it cooled down pretty fast.

Squint and you'll see a rainbow!

Apply and re-apply sunblock. Oh you need to. Just because you're inside a car doesn't mean the sun won't find you. It will, and you better protect your skin unless you want uneven tan lines!

Have a supply of CDs ready. We had a cha-cha compilation CD with us! Too funny since we didn't know who owned it or how it got in the case, but it kept us entertained.

Keep your humor. Being cooped up for hours can test a friendship. So when going on a long road trip, go with close friends! Hahaha! But really. Go with friends you can easily chat with or easily be silent with. And find the positive in everything around you.

With not much else to see,
we looked for odd road signs!

These are Joshua trees, which grow only in the Mojave
desert and nowhere else in the world.