"It's a dry heat" I'm often told, and that's supposed to make me feel better about the temperature gauge in the car reading 109 degrees (that's 42.7 degrees Celsius!) Typically when someone says "But it's a dry heat" I think of other dry heat… like my oven, toaster, hair dryer, or the sun… which seems to be effective at what it does despite not being 'wet'.

So the problem is the heat, and the question is "How do you survive the desert?!"

Here's how I survive the desert:

• AC – Air Conditioning.  One of the major reasons I picked to move back to the desert (which I do not love) is because there are laws that state that if you are renting a place you are required to provide air conditioning through the summer.  Where I was at before had no such law and I boiled to death through the summer months.
• Swimming.  In a world without air conditioning, swimming is a wonderful way to survive; it can literally be 110 degrees outside, but in the pool it's only 90+ which isn't quite as bad… and if you find a lake or stream it can be downright cold.
• Get Wet – The other day I took the children to the park.  The car told me it was 106 degrees outside, and normally I'd avoid the park in the summer as I would avoid the surface of the sun…. but because it's a "dry heat" any water that you get on your skin dries as fast as isopropyl alcohol so you actually feel cold.  
• If you go to the park, bring a squirt bottle (or three) full of water, if you keep your skin moist you can survive in near comfort.
• Drink LOTS of water.  In the winter time my little family and I go through water at about four gallons a week, give or take a little… during the summer we go through about 15 gallons a week.
• Escape – When it's too hot in the desert, go to a place that isn't the desert.  There are some caverns near Tucson, and underground is surprisingly cool.  There's also a city named "Summer Haven" which is at the top of a mountain directly above Tucson… when it's 109 in Tucson the temperature up there around 9k  feet is only 74… this is by far my favorite way (next to swimming) to escape the heat.
• Siesta – I think that taking a nap through the hottest part of the day is a gift from above that every human on earth should have a chance to partake of.  If I were president I'd try to establish a daily Siesta for everyone who truly loves freedom.  (My preferred Siesta begins around 9am and ends around 6pm Truth to be told, the best nap I ever had in my life came during the middle of the day in the summer when I found a nice patch of shade.
• In Door Museums – If your air conditioning can't keep up to the heat, try out the air conditioning of some of the better known museums, art galleries, or libraries.
• Whine and Complain – It doesn't honestly work for me, but I figure if I give it enough effort it may eventually pay off.
• Middle of the day bath / shower – My oldest often says "When we get home, I'm going to jump in the shower."  I know t his isn't the most water friendly solution to the desert heat, but I totally know what he's talking about when it's 10am and we just finish dropping off the mail at the post office and are already covered in dried sweat.

How do you try to deal with the desert heat?

SHARE