It must be hell in Saguaro country. Guffaw reports 114o yesterday, and I suspect that’s gonna hold for a while. If I didn’t have people down there I like I’d indulge in a moment of schadenfreude, for this is where they pay for all those pleasant winters we shiver through in the high dez. But I do, so I don’t. Much. 😉
I once visited Phoenix in summer. I remember driving around the city and not seeing a soul on the street. Even car traffic was sparse. I asked someone, “How can you live in a place that’s so damned hot?” The guy looked at me like I was stupid. “Air conditioning,” he said, as if … well, duh. They just don’t go outside more than necessary, I guess.
Before T and I arrived at the city we stopped for a can break. T had recently (and temporarily, it turns out) had the Jeep’s airco fixed, so the heat hit me like a brick when I opened the door. I sat on a bench outside a Taco Bell, trying to remember where I’d been this hot before. The sensation was familiar, it really was. But…Ah! I remembered! A truck park in the desert, outside Jeddah. Saudi Arabia. Near the banks of the Red Sea. They use snowplows to keep the sand dunes off the road outside Jeddah. The second most god-forsaken place I’ve ever been. First-most, if you discount Detroit.
I’m a desert person. I don’t mind venom in my wildlife and spikes on my plants and sand in my shoes. But that’s just too damned hot.
I have to concur. The only time I visited Phoenix was on a trip to the east coast with my girlfriend, back in 1976. My car was an old (English) Ford Cortina, a car designed for a climate where 80 degrees F is considered “hot”. The only way we could keep the engine from overheating was by turning the heater on full blast as we were driving in the middle of summer through Death Valley and over into Phoenix. We compensated by constantly spraying each other from water bottles. Anyway it appeared everyone had AC and swimming pools, which is where we spent our time visiting her friend there. I thought the whole city was nuts.
Too true! You just run (if you can) between your a/c car and your a/c home or business. Assuming you HAVE a/c! If I could afford it, i could move elsewhere. But then I’d have the cold winters with which to contend. I’ll stick with shirtsleeve Christmases – thank you very much!
Thanks for mentioning me.
gfa
Its always fun watching a northern learn their first summer here to trade in the dark vehicle with black vinyl interior or leather seats. I have watched a few neighbors learn this painful lesson.
I’m not sure what’s worse- extreme weather or becoming acclimatized to it and then experiencing a swing in temp.
I do pretty well in the heat, until I have to go to 60/70 degree temps. That’s pretty stinking cold, if you’re used to the heat.
Had a home care patient for a while who lived on the shore of the Salton Sea. This was long before the nice homes were built out there, and most who lived there were poor. The weather out there was nice in February, not too bad in March, and warming nicely by the middle of April… but by the first part of May it was getting hot. I don’t remember the date of my last visit, but I was sooooo glad I wouldn’t have to come back. I got to her house at 8 AM, and it was already 110 degrees in the shade. Only there wasn’t any shade… trees don’t grow much out there. The humidity was terrible too, and we did our thing sweating like race horses. Then I drove back to the office stewed in my own juices. She didn’t have any air conditioning in the house, and I didn’t have any in the car.
I don’t even want to think about Phoenix. 🙂 Been there twice, both times in early summer. I have no desire ever to return, A/C or not.
I lived in Phoenix for two years. It hit 123º one day while I was working under a shed roof with several diesel genesis running……157º on the diesel pad.
I got used to it fairly quickly. I acclimatize fairly well that way. I went from there to 8k feet in Colorado. I got there in mid August, it was about 90º in early September there was a freak storm that dumped 4 feet of snow and the temps hit about -5º and I was NNNOOOOOTTTTTTT ready for that weather.
But, I got used to that as well.
Now I just returned from Manila where it was hot and shitty…….I lived inside and read about 17 books. I’m getting very soft in my old age.
By the way, it’s been about 70º all day here, it’s a balmy 64º currently. Get’s any colder and I’ll let the malamute up on the bed…..one dog night. LOl.
I’ve never been to Phoenix, but DH and I went once to Tucson to visit a dying friend of his. We had our 2 dogs with us and the only pet friendly motel room was non smoking. I was out on the balcony smoking at 2 am and it was 102*. If our part of central Colorado gets over about 75* I’m miserable with the heat. I’m thankful for all of you desert rats who live with the heat so I don’t have to. 😉
I grew up east of Phoenix in Apache Jucntion AZ. The heat never really bothered me much. I spent a lot of time outside during the summers, Dad would not let me sit idle in the house. I did learn not to walk outside barefoot, the blisters were embarassing. I live in the high desert near Bisbee now. 103 today. Truck does not have functioning A/C. Windows work though and I can replace the fluids faster than I can sweat them out. Worst part about the heat is the whining sounds from all the people complaining about it.