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mouth.lips

lip therapy

hiking water bottles dry or cracked lips

With the dry climate out west, you can be assured a few things - decent weather, warm temps & low humidity. The lack of moisture in the air will fry your lips, no matter how manly you think you are. Ignoring your skin for 2 full days can lead to disaster. Uncomfotable dryness can be hard to re-hydrate after the fact. Keep that kissable mouth in shape by using a lip balm with suncreen. And fellas, your girlfriend's lip gloss can be used as an emergency substitute, in an emergency situation of course.

California Deserts can be harsh

sunburned lips

If you don't have any lip balm with suncreen in it, then for peets sake get some SFP lotion & use it all over your face, including your lips. There is nothing like the pain of wind burned, dehydrated sunburned lips. Prevention is the best!

water on hips

Drink plenty of water!
Yeah, yeah you've heard this a million times. But it is the best way to keep your entire body hydrated from the inside out. Being outdoors in the sun for more than one day will rip you body of the majority of it's water. Plus doing almost any kind of recreation, you may be sweating more than your normal day (duh.. sitting behind the desk indoors). If you feel like you might hafta pee within the next hour, then you are properly hydrated.

See our Water Packs, Bottles & Containers for easy transport of your H20.

no shimmer simmery cocoa pop lipsticks... all natural lip balms, organic lips baby

Total Escape Autumn in California





ONLINE

30 years


Total Escape is California, off the beaten path



Battery Backups
batteries
Compass
compasses
Wind Meters
altimeters
Monoculars
binoculars


Total Escape website is turning 30 and we're happy you are still here! Gasoline was under $2 a gallon when this outdoor travel site began. Three decades ago Dana created this website, promoting the best seclusion inside California. Well before the vanlife craze and the selfie suicides, Total Escape started selling hiking and off-roading maps online, way before the National Parks and State Parks even had their websites online. Phrases like 'influencer' and 'content creator' weren't even a twinkle yet; real high speed internet and smartphones were still a decade away.

Total Escape is celebrating 30 years online this year, while the web has changed in every way, we survive in the rural reaches of the golden state.

all local: updated monthly

ancient: 30 years online!

We're still here, thousands of pages and decades later. Way outside the city limits, beyond the county line. No wifi, no smart meters, no gaming addictions, no traffic lights, no city noise. Rural living in California still exist. Hike on the weekends, bike to work, boating mid-week, we have you covered for destinations. Find a new boulder garden, a big waterfall, trailhead or an ancient lava cave. Total Escape - Two whole decades online. Not quite obsolete.

Craving the Wild? Before the tweets, the constant memes and paralysis of our current culture, DanaMite started this travel web site way back in 1996. Catchy phrases like, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) did not yet exist.


Total Escape features abundant real photos of real places. Secluded destinations, camping and lodging, examining the best back roads, side routes, the topo maps (to get you out there). Locals-only travel tips, gear reviews, festivals and events. This unique travel site is updated every month, for more than the past 2 decades!

Juicy content specific only to California. Focusing on outdoor destinations, small towns and budget-minded travel since 1996, we've recreated the weekend getaway - without the crowds. Escape the matrix, the city life, the traffic jams and learn how to avoid the tourist traps. Drive on past the factory outlet malls and the water slides, we've got much more to show you. Way out there, on the back roads, and in the backcountry.

Wilderness in California - more nature, less people.

hike. bike. camp. kayak.


Site Founder

camp diva DanaMite

Who is DanaMite?
About

archives, online history

Archives
Local Road Trips

guided camping tours

Guided Trips
California A-Z

small towns, rural calif

Small Towns

Explore the Site


California Hotels

Lodging

historic inns, lodges, indie motels

California Camping

Recreation

outdoor activities, leisure, tours

California Scenic Drives

Journey

travel tips, scenic drives, weather, roads

Rural California

Destinations

back roads, small towns, wilderness


California Gear

Gear Shop

outdoor equipment, tools, survival

Outdoor Maps California

Map Store

state atlas, camping maps topographic

Social Media Pages

Social Links

find us on social media, on occasion

California Wilderness

Outside

blog articles, outdoors in california



Deer Creek Daisies



city deserts mountains city country National Parks National Forests California State Parks camp hiking back roads stargazing California Lakes boat rentals snow areas horseback rides RV motorhomes ski resorts bike rentals California Camping


California RSS California Road Trips Instagram Total Escape Total Escape Blog Pinterest Total Escape Twitter DanaMite California Facebook



Total Escape has been an Amazon Associate for over 20 years! Earnings from your purchases keeps this site alive.




Customized Search


© Copyright 1996–2026 Total Escape. All rights reserved.

California Travels

desert campingvaseline for all

A small tube of Vaseline can help keep you lubed up all over. Your poor nose could use some to prevent dryness. Your lips can benefit from a smudge every now & then, if you forgot the lip balm. Plain old Vaseline can even stand in for body lotion when you are desperate (dry elbows, sore feets, chapped hands).

lipstick lip color

"What the heck are you wearing lipstick for, we are camping?" No woman needs to hear this crap from any man. Keep it to yourself bud! If a chick wants to look good while enjoying nature, let her! At least she is enjoying 'the great outdoors' with YOU....right? Or at least trying to.

If you are a girly girl that needs a little color on your face, we recommend:
Lipfinity by Max Factor - literally last all day! No re-application needed, no kidding.

DUDES: ask for lip balm, not lip gloss, or you may end up with pink cosmetics on your face. It's Cover Girl, not cover boy.

lip balms

This small 'must have' item can make or break your second day outside - enjoying your trip. With low humidity in the Western US, your lips will be crying for moisture as soon as you start to have real fun. This essential small product is usually up at the front counter at most convenient stores, but pickin's will be slim & vareity limited. Cheap, small & inexpensive. Keep a lip balm in all the best places - your overnight case, purse, the car console, bike pouch, backpack, waterpack or daypack.

The better choices will be available at your local drug store chain, or online here at Total Escape for organic lip balms & more natural products. But most small town markets will only have a coupla brands So get prepared, pack well & bring a few favorites with you.

wind burn lips

While many claim that "the more you use lip balm the more dependent on it you become".... the average persons body chemistry will not even start to adapt to a new climate for months. So you may as well be comfortable if you are only outside on a part time basis. No sense spoiling your vacation with painful, cracked lips.

lips

Blistex

Burt's Bees

Kiss My Face

Neutrogena Lips



Total Escape Autumn in California





ONLINE

30 years


Total Escape is California, off the beaten path



Battery Backups
batteries
Compass
compasses
Wind Meters
altimeters
Monoculars
binoculars


Total Escape website is turning 30 and we're happy you are still here! Gasoline was under $2 a gallon when this outdoor travel site began. Three decades ago Dana created this website, promoting the best seclusion inside California. Well before the vanlife craze and the selfie suicides, Total Escape started selling hiking and off-roading maps online, way before the National Parks and State Parks even had their websites online. Phrases like 'influencer' and 'content creator' weren't even a twinkle yet; real high speed internet and smartphones were still a decade away.

Total Escape is celebrating 30 years online this year, while the web has changed in every way, we survive in the rural reaches of the golden state.

all local: updated monthly

ancient: 30 years online!

We're still here, thousands of pages and decades later. Way outside the city limits, beyond the county line. No wifi, no smart meters, no gaming addictions, no traffic lights, no city noise. Rural living in California still exist. Hike on the weekends, bike to work, boating mid-week, we have you covered for destinations. Find a new boulder garden, a big waterfall, trailhead or an ancient lava cave. Total Escape - Two whole decades online. Not quite obsolete.

Craving the Wild? Before the tweets, the constant memes and paralysis of our current culture, DanaMite started this travel web site way back in 1996. Catchy phrases like, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) did not yet exist.


Total Escape features abundant real photos of real places. Secluded destinations, camping and lodging, examining the best back roads, side routes, the topo maps (to get you out there). Locals-only travel tips, gear reviews, festivals and events. This unique travel site is updated every month, for more than the past 2 decades!

Juicy content specific only to California. Focusing on outdoor destinations, small towns and budget-minded travel since 1996, we've recreated the weekend getaway - without the crowds. Escape the matrix, the city life, the traffic jams and learn how to avoid the tourist traps. Drive on past the factory outlet malls and the water slides, we've got much more to show you. Way out there, on the back roads, and in the backcountry.

Wilderness in California - more nature, less people.

hike. bike. camp. kayak.


Site Founder

camp diva DanaMite

Who is DanaMite?
About

archives, online history

Archives
Local Road Trips

guided camping tours

Guided Trips
California A-Z

small towns, rural calif

Small Towns

Explore the Site


California Hotels

Lodging

historic inns, lodges, indie motels

California Camping

Recreation

outdoor activities, leisure, tours

California Scenic Drives

Journey

travel tips, scenic drives, weather, roads

Rural California

Destinations

back roads, small towns, wilderness


California Gear

Gear Shop

outdoor equipment, tools, survival

Outdoor Maps California

Map Store

state atlas, camping maps topographic

Social Media Pages

Social Links

find us on social media, on occasion

California Wilderness

Outside

blog articles, outdoors in california



Deer Creek Daisies



city deserts mountains city country National Parks National Forests California State Parks camp hiking back roads stargazing California Lakes boat rentals snow areas horseback rides RV motorhomes ski resorts bike rentals California Camping


California RSS California Road Trips Instagram Total Escape Total Escape Blog Pinterest Total Escape Twitter DanaMite California Facebook



Total Escape has been an Amazon Associate for over 20 years! Earnings from your purchases keeps this site alive.




Customized Search


© Copyright 1996–2026 Total Escape. All rights reserved.

California Travels

Total Escape California Camping

Advertisement





California Weekends


Total Escape has been an AmazonAssociate for 20 years!
Earnings from purchases keeps this site alive.


Copyright © 1996-2026 Total Escape, totalescape.com / All Rights Reserved.

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