So you are Headed to Fort Irwin

So, you found out you are headed to Fort Irwin... that sucks! Just kidding! Fort Irwin DEFINITELY has its down falls, more than you will care to count, and by the time you leave, you will (most likely) hate this place. HOWEVER, it has its upsides too! And I will share the good, the bad and the ugly with you!

When my husband was considering reenlisting, we were given a few options of places to go, and my first question was "are these places worth going to" so let me start out by saying, if you have the option of going anywhere else, go some where else... but we aren't all that lucky, and home is where the army sends you, so time to make the most of it!

Location:I am constantly torn between feeling like this is the worst location ever (being 23 miles away from the nearest highway) and the best location ever (being 2.5 hours away from Las Vegas and LA).

With us being so secluded, simple trips like going to Target (over an hour away) just doesn't happen, even going to the movie theater is a bit tricky (actually we have a theater on post, but they show 1 movie on like Friday and Saturdays, so if you aren't wanting to see THAT movie, you have to go off post).

While You're Here: 
Because there is NO competition for businesses, the customer service here sucks, So get use to calling Pizza hut 50+ times, just to get someone to answer the phone, and then expect the delivery time to be over an hour! patients is a virtue when you live here! 

eating on the patio at Sam Adams.

There is one sit down restaurant (Sam Adams) and one bar place (Shock Wave)  neither have great food, both have terrible service, but its nice to eat out every so often, just make sure you have 2 or more hours (especially at Sam Adams) to sit and wait for food! There are also your standard fast food restaurants pizza hut, subway, BK, Popeye's, etc (no wonder army wives are stereotyped as fat! there are like NO healthy choices) !

The PX I always joke is like Kmart and Walgreen's had a baby, with a love for designer products?? its strange, its small, but it has everything you need.  However, its not really a place to just walk around in, at least you don't have to drive all the way to Walmart (about 45 minutes away) just to pick up a new shirt!

The commissary is fairly similar, although it seems like they are trying to bring in a wider variety of foods! Its pretty small, at least compared to what I'm use to, and things like organic fruits and veggies, have an even smaller selection! But the fresh food is fresh, and the prices are good.  Its also sometimes nice to NOT have a million different things to choose from, They also have started to bring in more "naturally raised" meats, which is awesome, however they still don't (to my knowledge) have any organic meat, which I would love.

B and E at the splash pad

There are some things to do with kids during the day (especially the summer) there is a pool, and a splash park.  There is also a skate park, and the movie theater, like I mentioned, also a bowling alley, and a Golf course (which is my husband and Is little secret place, its a small, maybe 5 hole golf course, BUT there is GRASS, and no one is ever there, so we like to lay out and have a picnic there!!) .  There is also a great mommy and me work out class, and there use to be play groups, however they cancelled them.

B and E hanging out at the pool 

There are also two gyms, and 1 day care center.  I use to work at the daycare center, and I personally would not put my child there (that is why I quit, I don't think its OK to give infants someone else breast milk and keep it a secret from their parents, or for preschoolers to somehow be left out on the playground or get out into the parking lot, and management seems to think that is totally OK.) however, its halfway decent if you need to work, and they do have hourly care, which can be a real life saver if you need to be childless for an hour or two!  The gyms are decent, they have classes (some are free, some are not).  There is NO childcare available at the gym, (they are pretty small).  the gyms do have a basketball court, and racquet ball courts!

The CYS and Teen Center have some great programs, I have worked at both of them, and actually quite a few kids/teens actually take advantage of these after school and weekend programs!



Living On or Off Post: 

This is a view from our "back yard' this is what our neighborhood looks like, each building has 4 houses in each one. the top floors have no back yard, the bottom ones have VERY small fenced in yards. 

I would say most  people live on post, because the nearest town (barstow) is about 45 minutes away, and Barstow is not a great city (its actually a pretty scary city) I would say the only city I would be willing to live in, is Apple Valley or Hesperia, and that's well over an hour of a drive (each way, Plus traffic) so, I don't know, I'm not willing to give up that much time with my husband.  I know some people also choose to live in Yuma, which again, I wouldn't, but the housing is much much cheaper there, so if you are into a commute, you could probably save some money (not sure after paying for gas and car maintenance though)

Housing is very much either great (although the people who live there will complain anyways) and terrible... there is "new housing" and "old housing" and very little in between.  we were super lucky, and go the super old housing (sarcasm) which was fine when it was just my husband and I, but after having my son, we are now BUSTING out of this house! That being said, we have never had a problem with like things breaking, or anything like that, they are built solid, they are just a million years old.  I hear the "new housing" is bigger, but they were built less solid, so things break, and such, Im not positive on that, but I suppose there are positives and Negatives no matter where you live.

One great thing about living on post is that, a lot of families, are one vehicle families! My husband works at the hospital, and its just maybe a 15 minute walk for him, although he usually drives or bikes, its no big deal to get just about anywhere without a car, I have even walked to the commissary (although don't get anything that is perishable because its HOT, ALWAYS).


Getting Away: 
Now that the day to day sort of...sucks.. there are some positives, like all the different places that are relatively  near by... we found that since there is so little to do during the week, we actually save a lot of money, and can use it to splurge on weekend trips!

Barstow is the closest "town" its kind of janky, they have radio commercials reminding people not to put their needles in the garbage, and its where Erin Brockovich was made (water anyone??) However it does have a halfway decent outlet mall, which is nice since the next closest mall is another half hour away, it also has a Chipotle, and a Chilis, they just put in a Panera, and a walmart.  Barstow also has a pretty awesome drive in theater, which can be awesome (especially with kids, because they can just fall asleep, and mom and dad can enjoy the next movie)

Our first trip up to Big Bear

 My husband and I love to go to Big Bear, its a small little mountain town on a beautiful lake, there is like a main street with little shops and restaurants (even a wine tasting place that is wonderful!) and in the winter they have like snowboarding, skiing! Its about an hourish drive, and its even worth it just for a day trip on a Saturday or Sunday! the weather there is significantly different, so make sure you check the weather before you head up the mountain in shorts and a tank top, and find yourself a foot deep in snow!

Las Vegas is an obvious choice- this is a very very very common weekend get away, we even had our military ball in Vegas one year! This is also the Easiest place to fly in and out of! (Ill cover that later) Check out priceline negotiator, or Hotel Tonight for great deals on hotel rooms! and don't be afraid to try old town, or stay off the strip (its just a block walk and it can save huge $$)

LA- is also close (mile wise its actually closer than Vegas, just that traffic can get in the way) and obviously there is a million things to do around there!

San Diego- about a 4 hour drive, and well worth it!

A very typically Summer day, I have seen it go even higher, although I rarely see it go below 100 from about March onward

Weather:  It is just about always hot here, even if you are a summer person, you will grow to hate 110 degrees! Since its the desert, it obviously doesn't rain very often, but when it does it usually floods (even just a 5 minute rain can make things flood) and we have wind/dust storms fairly regularly.  The wind use to make the power go out (for over 24 hours at a time) but they seemed to have fixed what ever that problem was!  The end of fall/winter is usually pretty nice! Just remember with the heat that your puppies should NOT go for walks, if the ground is too hot for your hand, its too hot for their paws, I didn't realize this at first, and my poor puppy ended up with blisters like crazy all over her paws, it took weeks for her to walk normally again! 

Wild Life: Considering the fact that nothing should survive, because there is no water, and no living plants really, I do love seeing the animals on post! There are wild coyotes, which if you have small pets, could be a danger, however my 25 lbs dog has never had an issue, and they are so weak and sick looking, I don't think it can chase anything.  There are also DONKEYS, can you believe that? wild Donkeys, just hanging out on the street and such!  I have heard we have spiders and snakes and such, but I have honestly seen 1 snake, and the spiders I have seen are like your standard house spiders, although I am sure there are more! There are also plenty of lizards (probably my dogs favorite part about living here) if she gets out, she will chase lizards all day long! 

In all this place is 100% what you make it, get INVOLVED, and MEET people (although its hard here) get off post, and try to enjoy your time here, as best as you can, for the most part, you wont get deployed here, so sit back and enjoy this time as a family! 

Am I missing anything? Feel free to leave questions!