Platy

I see almost unbelievable forecasts for high temps in parts of the U.S. that aren't used to that kind of heat. I assume that since all of us here are cyclists we have a fair idea of how to recognize heat stress and deal with it. Let's keep an eye out for the well-being of other people (and pets) in our life who may not be as knowledgeable or as able to handle the heat.

If you'll be relying on air conditioning, you might briefly consider what you'll do if the power goes down. One little known thing about rolling blackouts (at least in my part of the world) is that the blackouts aren't distributed evenly. Some areas may be deemed essential because they contain hospitals, public safety facilities and so forth. Those parts of town won't be subject to the rolling blackouts. That leaves only a handful of areas that can be blacked out, and what happens is those few eligible areas wind up being blacked out again and again, getting power for only a few hours out of each day. That happened recently in Austin and I assume it's the same elsewhere.

I-Like-To-Bike

I haven't yet figured out why some our LCF comrades insist on associating abstinence from AC (or TV, or other modern conveniences) at home with living car free. Parsimoniousness or poverty or what?

cycleobsidian

I just like going without AC and toughing out the week or two out of the year when it's too hot. Why do I need to explain myself further?

philski

We lived without power for a week in late April after F5's ripped through Alabama. However given the power I'd much prefer my house to be 75 and low humidity than 95 and 100% humidity.
s
I've also lived in the opposite situation, we had a blizzard in Wisconsin in January and were out of power for a week. Thank the Lord for wood-burning stove and fireplace

Artkansas 

Well, I turned on the AC for an hour one day, just to make sure it was running, but other than that, it's been fans only. At the hottest part of the day, a quick cool shower and sitting under the ceiling fan while wet provides that bump needed to make it till sunset. Being unemployed, I'm trying to keep the bills down.

dcrowell

I live with my wife and daughter. They would kill me if I suggested turning off they AC. That's a temporary situation, they're both moving out.

When I lived in Michigan as a kid, we had a huge fan mounted in the ceiling. It would pull air up and out through the attic. It could cool the house down rather quickly. I could (mostly) go without AC if I had one of those in my house... but I'm renting.

I-Like-To-Bike

Indeed; why discuss use/nonuse of AC (or TV's, washing machines,etc.) at all on this list? What is the relevance? Might be a good topic for Foo though.

Perhaps the OP will next ask for discussion of favorite flavor of ice cream for beating the heat.

Roody

I'm not clear why you can't just skip threads that bore you. You could let others have their fun, while lowering your blood pressure at the same time.

BTW, the answer to your question is half caramel-cashew and half espresso express (in a cup). Get a medium size, then complain that the portion is too huge while you enjoy every bite & lick.

dcrowell

I respectfully disagree. Simple flavors: chocolate, vanilla, coffee, are best. In a waffle cone, of course.

Roody

I pretty much like all the flavors. but when it's really hot, I can't handle the meltage in a cone.

Platy

About half the time I pick pistachio almond, the rest of the time I pick the most offbeat flavor available (champagne ice, li hing mui, etc).

XR2

I lived for 6 years w/o AC. Didn't have it at work,that was OK. However going home to an oven (really old house with lousy ventilation) and having difficulty sleeping made for a miserable life. Never again. I can take it all day working and it's no problem to ride when it's hot but not having comfortable sleep is bad for me. Having developed adult onset asthma is making this kinda heat/humidity hard to deal with.

lubes17319

No AC here.








However, the evaporative cooler is working OT.

work4bike

Sherbert ice cream is the best on a hot day.

XR2

Swamp coolers don't work well in humid climates. Wish they did.

Smallwheels

I don't like interior temperatures lower than 78º. It starts to feel chilly to me. That makes the late afternoon hotness of about 85º not so bad. That is the upper limit for comfort indoors. Above that I need to have a fan pointed directly at me.

This year my interior has only reached 85º one time. That was because I didn't open the windows long enough the night before to exhaust the heat buildup and trap the cool air early in the morning. With overnight temperatures in the upper forties or low fifties I can trap the cooler air by closing all the windows at about 5:00 AM. By 9:30 PM the outside temperature is usually dropping below the inside temperature. That is when I open the windows again to restart the process.

wahoonc

I prefer Cheerwine Sherbert.

I have lived in many houses with whole house fans in the past, they do work well at moving air through the house. But when you have 100*/50%+ humidity it is hard to beat regular AC.

Aaron

CarFreeFam4

I like minty ice cream when it's hot. However, I live in western WA and we're still waiting patiently for summer to arrive. Rainy and mid 60's for the most part. We don't have AC because it's completely unnecessary for our climate.

crazybikerchick

We've cracked and started a fire in the woodstove a few times... in July. Seriously you may send any heat waves our way. Summer is yet to arrive on the west coast this year.

Artkansas 

Well, the OP doesn't have to since you brought it up. I have to say that here in Arkansas, there is none. Yarnell's Ice Cream, Arkansas's own Ice Cream for 80 years, and selling the best vanilla in the world closed down operations this month. They will be missed.

gerv 

I never eat ice-cream. But when I do, it's gotta be Blue Bunny Chocolate Explosion. Locally produced too

cycleobsidian

Good topic! yes, I love ice cream, but don't eat it very often. Maybe two or three times a summer. But when I do I prefer loads of chocolate and nuts.

Do you have any comments on my minimal ice cream eating? There's got to be something wrong with me if I don't eat much. Perhaps it's related to my car free living lifestyle.

I-Like-To-Bike

Only comment is that discussing ice cream eating preferences has as much to do with Car free living or bicycling associated issues as any other of Roody's ideas of "having fun" on this list by prompting threads on preferences/rationalizations for spending as little money as possible.

junkyardking

I'd argue that living car free, for some people at least, is a statement about leading a simplistic, alternative, and eco-friendly lifestyle. Common amenities such as AC could be lumped into that lifestyle. So could line drying your clothes instead of an electric drier.

But all that seems irrelevant now that we've starting talking about ice cream. And pistachio is the best. That's the only ice cream in the world as far as I'm concerned.

seafoamer

I don't like A.C. or people who troll the LCF forum.