New to this...

[GRom]

Thank you ladies!
I didn't think much about touring bikes because they look so much like road bikes and I know for a fact that wouldn't work for me (because of the sand - it is really bad sometimes and it has been the case where it was a no-way-out deal. You have to cross it, there is no turning back)
So you think the cross overs or touring bikes have tires that are thick enough for this?

As far as bike shops go, I've checked 3 of them. One is really close to me, so I would like to buy from them because of the service being so close. However, they do tend to confuse me a lot. Is a men's bike better than a women's ? I've only spoken to men at the bike shops and they tend to agree that there is no point in getting a woman's bike. But then reading online, it makes sense that there would be bikes designed for women's bodies... so which is it?

Can you guys also tell me what specs I should be looking for? Argh... I don't feel I was this confused when I got my first CAR! Lol

[GRom]

Took this picture during a trip. There was 30 miles of this!! Middle of nowhere, sandy path.

[indysteel]

I can't see the picture, so I'd offer that caveat to the rest of my post.

Touring and cyclocross bikes can take some fairly beefy tires, but it would pay to look at the exact specifications of any given bike to determine the max tire width that the bike can accommodate. My Jamis touring bike's tires are wider than my road bikes and I could put even wider tires on the bike if I wanted to. Presumably, your local shops have an understanding of what type of tires are needed to get through the sand. Have you asked them about it?

As for women specific bikes versus unisex/men's. That depends entirely on your body and proportions. Some women need WSD geometry; some don't. Test ride all that you can to get a sense of what works for your body. Apart from geometry, women specific bikes often come with narrower handlebars and short reach shifters/brakes, so if you end up with a unisex frame, you may have to tweak a few things to make it truly fit, but those fixes don't have to be overly expensive.