It’s a good thing I got so much writing done on my new Big Lake book the last few days, because yesterday I was pretty much worthless.
A lifetime ago I got a serious case of heat stroke when I was overseas, to the point that I had to be airlifted out of the field and woke up in a bathtub covered with ice water. Ever since, I don’t do well in heat. So I have been doing my best to stay indoors as much as possible the last few days. But apparently, I still soaked up enough that it caught up with me and whipped my butt yesterday.
We had some errands to run, and I wasn’t feeling too good when we left the campground. By the time we got back home I was really feeling crappy. I recognized the symptoms – stomach cramps, headache, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea. I downed some water and spent much of the afternoon just laying on the couch letting the air conditioner blow on me. A couple of times I tried to get some work done, but I couldn’t concentrate and finally gave up. Hopefully today I’ll get back to normal.
Terry and I are planning to leave Elkhart Campground a week from today to head for Massachusetts, where we have a month booked in two week increments at Outdoor World campgrounds near Cape Cod and then Sturbridge. Hopefully by then this nasty heat wave will have moved on, because we can’t see any sense in driving that far if all we’re going to do is stay inside just to be comfortable. The long range forecasts are predicting temperatures in the low 80s, which would be tolerable.
Meanwhile, we have two more days with forecasts of 100+ degrees here in northern Indiana. So I guess I’ll be living inside under the AC vents as much as possible.
And that’s about all I have to report today. I’m sorry, but I just don’t have it in me to write any more. Tomorrow I’ll try to post something more substantial.
Thought For The Day – The best feeling in the world is realizing that you’re perfectly happy without the things you thought you needed.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Please be very careful in the heat Nick. Your past experience makes you extra susceptible to heat illness episodes. My first husband got heat stroke while working on the flightline at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson when he was 19. After that he frequently exhibited the same symptoms you described when he got overheated. At age 40 he was helping his sister paint her house on a very hot summer day and started to get sick. I told him to go inside and cool down but he wanted to finish one last section. A few minutes later he collapsed. We called 911 and he was rushed to the hospital but he died in the ER. Drink lots of fluids, water or Gatorade or Propel, wear a floppy hat and STAY INSIDE as much as possible until this blistering heat wave passes.
It sounds as tho you’re being prudent Nick. Heat can really knock you down.
We’re loooking at snow outside our coach here in Whittier, AK! Somewhere there must be a happy medium.
Do take care…
Nick,
Please take care of yourself. We are addicted Gypsy Journal followers and we don’t want anything bad to happen to you.
Lay low and keep cool.
Sure hope Miss Terry doesn’t get tired of waving those palm leaves over you.
George & Sandy Stoltz
Sorry to hear about your heat situation. DO take it easy…
Two suggestions – I bought a set of phase change material neck coolers that work VERY well… you need two packs to keep it going, but they are essential when I’m overheating. The material changes from solid to liquid around 55-65 degrees depending on the chemistry selected. I can “melt” one in about 2 hrs, and go to the freezer and swap it out. Here’s one source: http://texascoolvest.com/cvcc.htm
Second, as your friend Greg has been experimenting, the answer to your coach overheating was in yesterday’s blog… look at your picture of the vintage RV and look at the windshield. To keep the RV cool, you have to block the sun *outside* of the coach. Greg did it with Home Depot sun shade material on a clothesline. You can also do it with custom shades. But internal curtains and screens do not stop the heat from entering the living space. My coach, if facing south, can gain 20-25 degrees F on a mild winter day. Add the shades and the coach is darn cold. The same applies for the summer. If hot, the next step after parking and plugging in, is putting the shades on the windows in the sun.
Good luck and please be careful.
Yep, yesterdays high of 106 in the Plainwell (north of Kalamazoo) area was a real butt kicker. I still can’t believe I’m experiencing this in Michigan!!!
Do take great care. Those neck coolers mentioned above work well. Additionally, I take a small cooler with ice and a couple of dish cloths and occasionally wipe my face.
We don’t do well in heat either. We have learned that we can count on being cool in the summer in four places in the U.S.: the northern Rocky Mountains, northern Maine, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest coast. Consequently, you will always find us in one of those places in the summer, unless we are cooling off somewhere in Canada.
Current temp in Newport OR at 12:24 PM Pacific time is 65 degrees on a bright sunny day.