In the Land of Absurd Heat

Hotel lobby in Williams.

102 degrees. That's the current temperature at ten o'clock at night here in Bullhead City.  When we pulled in, about three o'clock, it was 113.  Tomorrow: high of 116.  I don't think the extra three degrees matter a lot.  It's all in the region of TFH, anyway!

Here are some things that happen when it's that hot:  the air conditioner can't be set below 77 in the room or it freezes up (I didn't know that.)  The pool gate expands to where it can't be opened.  The handle to your motel room door can't be touched, you have to use a towel. It's just stuff you get used to, if you live in Bullhead City.

This motel is a little sketch, but it does have the thing that made me choose it in the first place: a beautiful little pool right on the Colorado River.  That's where we spent the afternoon, hanging out in the 80 degree water and then getting out and sitting in the shade in the river's breeze, feeling almost cool, waiting until we overheated again and getting back in the pool. There were ducks and various other waterbirds to watch, and it was a nice way to spend the late afternoon. We went to dinner around nine, when it had cooled to only 103 or so.  It's expected to drop all the way down to 86, by about three in the morning!

Earlier in the day we drove a section of Route 66, back through Seligman which we'd seen on the way out, and up that hellacious road to Oatman to see the burros and kitsch. Shopped around a little (I bought NOTHING, I tell you), petted some burros, had a lunch so lame I didn't even eat it, and headed on down the road to our date with Bullhead City.

This guy was hanging on the steps of the ice cream shop

in the shade.

He was looking hopefully through the window. A moment

later, the proprietess opened the door and handed

him a waffle cone. Obviously not the first time.

This little guy had a post-it note on his forehead

saying "Please don't feed me ANYTHING."

Yeah, drive around us. We LIVE here.

USPS don't take no shit.

It's so hot that all you can do when you go outside is laugh in disbelief, but we are already modifying our plans for Death Valley in two days.  You can maybe laugh at 113 when you have a pool, but I don't think hiking at 120 would be smart OR fun, even for me.

(This was posted this morning at a Starbuck's outside of Las Vegas, because the WiFi was dismal at Bullhead City.)