The southern Utah local made the drive last month and found himself in the company of dozens of other park visitors hoping to get a picture alongside a thermometer listing one of the hottest recorded temperatures on Earth.
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I don't give a fuck how dry it is, once the temps get above 105 degrees, it's like sticking your head in an oven any time you step out into the sun.
I rode through Death Valley right after my birthday in late August 45 years ago. Yup - just a tad warm, even for a Georgia boy.
ReplyDeleteMaybe its my age, but the suns rays actually have a 'sting' to them. Standing in full sunlight in the open, its actually a bit painful. Under cover but still out, much more comfortable. The hottest local temperatures I've been in was 118 and it really felt it. I agree with Ken - 105 and up is not a happy place to be.
ReplyDeletewe've actually cleaned the sky too well. since 1970 efforts to reduce smog has resulted in clear sky and allows the sun rays into the atmosphere unabated. add to that the lack of flights/contrails due to covid, you have very intense ir/uv light hitting the skin. used to spend all day in the sun, now get burned in 15 minutes.
DeleteIn my opinion, the dry heat is far more dangerous. With humid heat, it's like getting kicked in the balls and the stomach at the same time as soon as you open the door and you say "fuck doing anything in this heat"! With dry heat, you say, "damn it's hot out here" and keep doing what your doing until it's too late.
ReplyDeleteDry heat? I understand that's what John McCain told Ruth Ginsburg upon her arrival.
ReplyDeleteI spent a deployment in Kuwait. It was regularly above 120 degrees. Plus is was humid since we were right up against the Arabian gulf. And there was so much dust in the air you could only see a few stars at night.
ReplyDeleteDeath Valley can't hold a candle to Iraq. For almost two weeks when I was deployed, the average temp was 147 F. Even at an average, that's some hot shit.
ReplyDeleteSummer of 2004? :) I remember well. - Because God loves the Infantry!
DeleteI shot at the Grand American a few years ago for a week in 105 degree conditions. No trees, no shade, no breeze, high humidity. Hats don't help, wet neckbands don't help, Under Armor shirts don't help. It's just miserable hot.
ReplyDeleteThe call it death valley for a reason
ReplyDeleteI have spent some times in the CA desert and the dry heat burns my lungs with every breath. Now home in South Texas we have a humid heat. This summer we saw several days at 105 and 90% humidity. If you have to work in it, you will be wringing wet within an hour, but you aren't cooking your lungs with every breath. And if you stop and stand in the shade the almost everlasting breeze will cool you down right quick. That doesn't happen in the desert.
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