Frequently Asked Questions

How do I join the club?  Joining the club is easy! Simply download a membership application by clicking the application icon on the right (downloading requires that you have the free Adobe Acrobat reader installed on your PC). Print it out, fill it out and then either mail it (along with a check for $25) to the club's PO Box listed below or bring it with you to the next event (you can also pay for a membership through PayPal on the Calendar of Events page).

What is Desert Adventures? Desert Adventures was founded in March of 1980 by a group of people who got together one night for dinner and found themselves discussing the need for an alternative and better way to meet people and socialize, other than the bars.  From that meeting arose Desert Adventures, an organization designed primarily to provide camping, hiking and other outdoor activities for members of our community.  Since then, Desert Adventures has expanded its activities to include other recreational activities as well such as tubing, cycling, pool parties, hot air ballooning, 4 wheeling, IMAX theater, plays, trips to zoos, museums, botanical gardens and many other activities.

Click Calendar of Events to see the list of upcoming adventures (check back here often, the schedule is updated regularly).

How do I get information about the activities? You can get all the information from our Calendar of Events page. If you have additional questions you can contact the activity leader for the event or you can join us at a social meeting.  In this meeting the activity leaders present their activity to the group (along with printed flyers).  You have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have at that time.  This meeting is always open to non-members.  It gives you the opportunity to meet some of our members and to see if Desert Adventures is the right club for you.

How do I know when and where the next social meeting will be held? You can get all the information from our Calendar of Events page.

What if I can't attend the next social meeting? You're don't have to attend the social meetings to participate in Desert Adventures.  Your newsletter (or the web site) has all the information you need to participate in activities. You can pay the activity fees by sending a check or money order to our Post Office box.

For some events (such as a pool party) it's not necessary to pay ahead of time, you can pay when you arrive but we ask that you contact the activity leader and let them know you plan to attend (or RSVP on the Web) so that they can be sure to have enough food and drink available.  The web site (or the flyer) will usually let you know if it's OK to attend an event without prepaying.  If you have any questions just contact the activity leader.

Do you need to contact us or pay for an activity via mail?
Here's our mailing address...

Do you have to be a member of the club to participate in an "adventure"?  No, all our activities are open to the community.  Guests (non-members) pay slightly higher activity fees. The next question explains our "test drive" policy.

So why would I want to become a member if it's not required? Besides being able to attend activities at the "members price" you also receive a monthly newsletter which describes all the upcoming activities, three free quarterly members' parties and a heavily discounted holiday party.  We have a rebate policy which allows you to "test drive us" completely risk free!  If you join Desert Adventures within 30 days of attending an event we will apply the difference between the guest price and member price to the cost of your membership.

Are the dues expensive?  No, we only charge $25 a year.  Even if your work schedule keeps you from attending some DA events, the monthly newsletter and the three free members' parties alone make the $25 annual membership fee worth it!

How do you decide on what type of "adventures" to include? Traditionally, the club started out as a camping and hiking club and we continue that tradition by holding at least one campout a month.  Campouts are a great way to relax and make new friends!  Everything else is entirely up to club members.  Each adventure is led by a volunteer from the group and they choose what the activity will be.  All they have to do is bring their idea to the club's activities chair and they will help them with the details of arranging the activity and promoting it during our social meetings, in the newsletter and on our web site.  This is a great way to share a favorite activity with the group or sometimes a member will lead an activity that they've always wanted to do but didn't want to do alone (a trip to the Phoenix Botanical Gardens, for example).

It looks like most events are held on weekends, is that true?  Yes, while we do hold some activities during the week the bulk of our activities are held on the weekends.  Campouts are usually scheduled for Friday through Sunday (some campouts are extended to 4 or 5 days).  You are not required to attend all three days of a campout.  Some of our members join us late on Friday night (after work) or wait until Saturday morning to arrive.  Some of our members occasionally work weekends but they still find that they "get their money's worth" even though they only attend a few activities a year.  If our membership shows an interest in more mid-week activities we can certainly add them.

Is Desert Adventures a sex club... I've heard rumors...  No, Desert Adventures is not a dating service.  The club consists of both singles and committed couples.  We all know how difficult it is to start up a conversation with someone at a bar and not have them think it's a pick up line.  It's not like that when you're sitting around a campfire or on a hike and that's the point of the club, to make new friends in a comfortable environment.  Does sex happen on DA events?  Probably, but it's really none of our business what may or may not be happening between consenting adults in a closed tent.

What kinds of people join Desert Adventures? As everyone has noticed when the DA members gather for an event, we are a varied group!  We are all unique members of a family that we choose to belong to called Desert Adventures. Our DA family has historically been a family of more brothers than sisters but don't let anyone tell you that DA is a boys club. We live mostly in the Phoenix central valley area but can be found throughout Arizona (some of our members live in other states, they join us on activities when they are in the area).  We are ageless!  Although there’s a 50 year span between our youngest and oldest members, the decade with the biggest percentage is held by the members in their 30’s.  Based on the question, “How did you find out about Desert Adventures” from our membership applications, almost half of the new members said that other DA members told them about the club.  We do our own best advertising!

We gather for fun and to explore the beauty of the great southwest.  That’s our main objective.  We enjoy each other’s company, we welcome new members and we support each other in many ways.  Here’s looking forward to the next 30 years!!!

How did we come to choose the "Father Sky Yei" for the Desert Adventures logo?  It all started when we decided to have some T-shirts made up to promote the club and the club had no logo.  No one had any ideas, so I decided to go to the public library on Central Avenue.  Since we wanted a logo with a Southwestern flavor, I went to the Arizona Room to look through all the books and magazines that had something to do with Arizona's culture.  While going through some old magazines, I came upon an old photograph that showed a Navajo Shaman and a traditional sand painting that he had been working on.  In the next picture, a Navajo woman was sitting in the middle of the sand painting, and the Shaman was reciting some sort of incantation.  Apparently, by sitting on the sand painting and by saying the right words, a person could be protected from all diseases.  I felt that this was so apropos to our community and lifestyle that I decided to find out just which "yei" the Shaman had painted in the sand.  It turned out to be the "yei" called "Father Sky."

"Father Sky Yei" symbolizes health and protection from diseases.  The black bars are called "The Bars of Happiness" and symbolize happiness and good times.  Beige T-shirts were used to represent the down-to-earth color of the sand that the "Yei's" are normally painted on.

Brian Evitch, Founder of Desert Adventures
(The name DESERT ADVENTURES, INC. and the logo, "Father Sky yei", are copyright and trademark protected)