Declaring war on Interstate summer heat gain

[LB_3]

Originally Posted by Troutboy

Note to self: never live in Houston!

Houston is the opposite of the Left Coast; it’s a terrible place to visit, but a great place to live.

Luckily Houston is hot, humid, flat, and ugly. Otherwise everyone would want to live here and we’re too crowded as it is. Jobs are plentiful, it’s extremely friendly to business owners, and has a low cost of living making this a very low stress place to live. We also have the most diverse population in America. That doesn’t make us a liberal utopia but it does make for some of the best food anywhere. The most popular food truck at sells Vietnamese tacos and quesadias. Yum!!

On second thought, Houston sucks! STAY AWAY!

[Troutboy]

Originally Posted by LB_3

Houston is the opposite of the Left Coast; it’s a terrible place to visit, but a great place to live.

Luckily Houston is hot, humid, flat, and ugly. Otherwise everyone would want to live here and we’re too crowded as it is. Jobs are plentiful, it’s extremely friendly to business owners, and has a low cost of living making this a very low stress place to live. We also have the most diverse population in America. That doesn’t make us a liberal utopia but it does make for some of the best food anywhere. The most popular food truck at sells Vietnamese tacos and quesadias. Yum!!

On second thought, Houston sucks! STAY AWAY!

I’ll make you a deal, you stay away from Colorado, I’ll stay away from Texas! We are getting way too many peeps out here now.

[InterBlog]

As John Prine once said, "Fifty million Elvis Presley fans can't be all wrong". But apparently Elvis himself had said that previously, in the form of an album cover.

"The metro area's 2016 population of 6.77 million ranks fifth among U.S. metropolitan statistical areas. The Houston MSA covers 9,444 square miles, an area larger than five states, including New Hampshire, New Jersey and Connecticut."

[Pahaska]

Sorry, Houston. I'll take my wooded hilltop in the Texas Hill Country a few miles south of Austin.

My acre and a half is always a few degrees cooler than Austin on these hot days and 10 minutes gets me to edge of the city. Traffic is Austin is bad, but nothing like Houston.

Austin is known for food of every ethnic group and is also the live-music capitol of Texas (and probably the nation). We enjoy top level music for a $6 cover (if any) and a $5 tip several times a week.

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

As John Prine once said, "Fifty million Elvis Presley fans can't be all wrong". But apparently Elvis himself had said that previously, in the form of an album cover.

"The metro area's 2016 population of 6.77 million ranks fifth among U.S. metropolitan statistical areas. The Houston MSA covers 9,444 square miles, an area larger than five states, including New Hampshire, New Jersey and Connecticut."

And FWIW, saw this slogan printed on a TShirt while in AK

“Let’s divide Alaska in two and make Texas the third largest state”

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Tincampers

“Let’s divide Alaska in two and make Texas the third largest state”

Good one. We do have a sense of humor in Texas. Knowing we're the best state makes it easy to laugh at ourselves.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

Sorry, Houston. I'll take my wooded hilltop in the Texas Hill Country a few miles south of Austin.

My acre and a half is always a few degrees cooler than Austin on these hot days and 10 minutes gets me to edge of the city. Traffic is Austin is bad, but nothing like Houston.

Austin is known for food of every ethnic group and is also the live-music capitol of Texas (and probably the nation). We enjoy top level music for a $6 cover (if any) and a $5 tip several times a week.

I lived in Austin 1999-2002. I have mixed feelings about it. It's nice in many respects, but there's a lot about the politics and sociology that I didn't like. The wealth stratification and voluntary segregation is unlike anything else I've encountered in Texas. To this day, the area where I lived is still 99.4% white and Asian only. And it's not like it's a tiny area. It's most of the west side of Travis County.

Most cities show these sorting effects, but Austin takes it to an extreme (Texas Monthly did a piece a few years ago titled "What nobody says about Austin"). Greater Houston is the most cosmopolitan metro in the nation, and I prefer to live in a great melting pot like this. Except when it's late July and we are REALLY melting.


But that's off thread topic, so I will cease.

[andyherman]

I lived in Sachse (Dallas burb) from 2006 - 2012. No offense but I couldn't wait to get out. As I recall, the summer of 2011 we had 104 days of over 100 degrees - more than I could take. Fortunately, I worked from home 99% of the time so I only occasionally had to deal with the traffic.
I've always enjoyed cutting my grass (virtually no one else in my neighborhood cut their own grass - usually hired help) but not so much in Dallas. I used to go out at 7:00 AM to beat the heat (not really) and would always come in completely soaked.
I used to think I was more or less a city guy, but now I dread going into any city. I'm in far northeast Washington state now where they still have grizzlies and pretty much only summer tourists!
Heading "south" to Oregon in the fall . . .

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

I won't complain about our 97 degree high for today.

Wichita Falls, TX will have the nation's high temperature today at 112.

ROWIEBOWIE - yes, count your blessings. I can only wish your temps are mine. But good news is when AI is parked and A/C is crankin', I can get it down to below 70 if it is maintaining from the start at sunrise and the fridge maintains at 35-40.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Alex AVI

ROWIEBOWIE - yes, count your blessings. I can only wish your temps are mine. But good news is when AI is parked and A/C is crankin', I can get it down to below 70 if it is maintaining from the start at sunrise and the fridge maintains at 35-40.

You're AI inside temps are definitely stellar. You're also doing it right by "maintaining" your temperatures instead of trying to chill down from the heat of late morning or mid day. I can only hope to do as well in our relatively cooler temps.

We're taking our granddaughter out in the Avenue tomorrow for a day trip to Port Aransas, Rockport, and a drive through Goose Island S.P. as well as Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Predicted high is 95 & Sunny. About average for this time of year, but it will be the hottest we've been out since getting our van last October.

While I don't need the fridge, I've plugged in, turned it on tonight, and will stock it about half full with already cold drinks and water from our home fridge in the morning. Just a test to see how well it does (I've got the thermometers with high/low memory that I plan to "zero" out when we leave). Will see how it does.

Likewise, my grand daughter will test the dash a/c's ability to keep the rear cool. I have a fan if needed to push air back there, plus I can run the rear a/c off the generator (which I will do when we're out of the van & parked), but I hope she does ok from dash air when driving.

PS - This trip was the Wife's idea. She was cool to the idea an RV when I first started shopping last year. But she's completely embraced it now. Yeah!

[Troutboy]

Why it’s not wise to grow corn in Texas...... this is what happens....

[InterBlog]

I need a T-shirt that says "I stayed at Goose Island before Harvey destroyed it".

The website says that all the bay front campsites and the fishing pier are still closed, having been destroyed. Those are the features that made that park unique.

[Tincampers]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

I need a T-shirt that says "I stayed at Goose Island before Harvey destroyed it".

The website says that all the bay front campsites and the fishing pier are still closed, having been destroyed. Those are the features that made that park unique.

https://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/...d-of-oahu.html

This event happened about an hour after we left the waterfall and hiked back out. We most likely saw the people who died that sad day as they hiked back to the falls. There was a vendor in the parking selling T-shirt’s that read: I survived Sacred Falls Trail. Unfortunately, we did not buy any.

[Pahaska]

I stayed at Goose Island once and was eaten alive by mosquitoes. The sites along the shore were full and I was parked in the woods. Once was enough for me.

BTW, I checked the AI this morning in storage and found that a 105-degree day, even in the shade, will release the Command Strips supporting things in the bathroom. Everything was piled up on the teak floor with no breakage. It was 102 at home at 3:30 PM, but it hit 105 on the storage site 10-miles west.

Fridge was still at 36 this morning at 92 outside.

[InterBlog]

Final factoid on greater Houston, because I can't resist:

Houstonians collectively drive 163 million miles every day. Wrap your head around that. I can't even scale that statistic for perspective, for example put it in terms of number-equivalent of trips to the Moon and back every day, because it's just too mind-boggling no matter how it is presented. Suffice it to say that there's a lot of people here, and they are doing a lot of different things on our roads, LOL.

I'm reading high-level government-issued air quality planning documents for a couple of work projects, where they can be counted on to start throwing around these kinds of numbers.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

I stayed at Goose Island once and was eaten alive by mosquitoes. The sites along the shore were full and I was parked in the woods. Once was enough for me.

BTW, I checked the AI this morning in storage and found that a 105-degree day, even in the shade, will release the Command Strips supporting things in the bathroom. Everything was piled up on the teak floor with no breakage. It was 102 at home at 3:30 PM, but it hit 105 on the storage site 10-miles west.

Fridge was still at 36 this morning at 92 outside.

Took a day trip to Goose Island today with our grand daughter. Lantana Loop sites are now open. The mosquitoes weren't bad (at least today) but I saw what you mean about the camp sites being "in the woods". Some sites are cleared between the spots and for 20-30 feet behind, but others are literally tucked into the brush with just enough room for a picnic table. I can understand these (especially) would be a mosquito hell much of the year. Really don't understand it.

The beach sites are still closed to overnight camping, but not closed to day visitors. The park ranger said they are working to have structures and power restored in about 4-6 months. Their time-table looks doable.

Yours and AlexAVI's fridges are really working great. Chilled our's down the night before the trip and kept about 42 degrees all day driving with temps in the mid 90's. We accessed it about half a dozen times and it was only lightly stocked, but still, would have liked the temp to have gotten a few degrees cooler.

The cab a/c kept the rear comfortable, if not cold, for our grand daughter. Of course, the Avenue is smaller and shorter than the AI's so less volume of air to cool.

My wife also road in the rear with her part of the time and said it was just a bit "stuffy" a couple of times but never felt hot (I sometimes forgot to turn the blower on high when she'd move to the back). I could have turned on a fan to move air to the rear, but she never asked for it.

I had the rear window reflectix coverings off so my grand daughter could see out. When we travel, we cover them and I think it would have made a positive contribution. But today's trip was about sightseeing, and we had a good time.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Took a day trip to Goose Island today with our grand daughter.

The beach sites are still closed to overnight camping, but not closed to day visitors. The park ranger said they are working to have structures and power restored in about 4-6 months. Their time-table looks doable.

Yours and AlexAVI's fridges are really working great. Chilled our's down the night before the trip and kept about 42 degrees all day driving with temps in the mid 90's.

The cab a/c kept the rear comfortable, if not cold, for our grand daughter. Of course, the Avenue is smaller and shorter than the AI's so less volume of air to cool.

My wife also road in the rear with her part of the time and said it was just a bit "stuffy" a couple of times but never felt hot (I sometimes forgot to turn the blower on high when she'd move to the back). I could have turned on a fan to move air to the rear, but she never asked for it.

But today's trip was about sightseeing, and we had a good time.

ROWIEBOWIE - I have found out in such a short time that it is always great to travel with the family (especially my grandson) in the rv. In spite of rv problems past & present & no doubt some future ones, the family time was all worth it. My only regret is we should've done this sooner We just got back from the beach also, Huntington Beach in So. Cal. It was also in the 90's there. Cool by Vegas standards


I have found out that with our summers the way it is (pic of today's midday temp), I have to have a head start on house A/C and then maintain it the entire time either while plugged in or gen, in order for my fridge to stay below 40. It took a good 12 hrs. to bring down fridge from 50°f (4pm yesterday) to 33°f (4am) this morning, as A/C was also bringing interior temps 100°f to 70°f. If I don't, fridge would be between 40-50°f. I just have to accept that it's the only way to keep fridge acceptable in 112 degree weather


I also need to buy a strong fan to put midway by galley in order to move cold air back to rear. Otherwise, it does get stuffy back there.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Alex AVI

I also need to buy a strong fan to put midway by galley in order to move cold air back to rear. Otherwise, it does get stuffy back there.

To avoid using the inverter, I have a 12v fan for the rear bed at night when camping. Very small and light. Not very powerful, but enough for night use.

Yesterday, since it was just a day trip, I took my Ryobi 18v fan with the intent to place it on the floor midway and blow air to the back. It's pretty powerful and I really wanted to test it see how it'd do.

Every time I asked my grand daughter if she was cool she said yes. The times my wife rode back there with her, she always replied she was "fine". It wasn't until we got home she told me she felt "stuffy" a few times. So I missed the opportunity to test the floor fan.

We were never out of the van for more than 15 minute intervals, so that helped keep it from getting too hot inside. Also, it just worked out that we were in 93 degrees just 50-60 miles from home where they say we hit 102 for a high yesterday.

Our official temperature location moved inland from the bayfront to the airport about 50 years ago. Just far enough to get a brief afternoon spike that is often 2-5 degrees higher than at my house (about 5 miles from the coast). Makes it look worse than it is sometimes.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

.... Also, it just worked out that we were in 93 degrees just 50-60 miles from home where they say we hit 102 for a high yesterday.
....

We experienced a 'cold pocket' briefly where the temp fell to around 93 yesterday afternoon. After what we had just been through these past several days, people were tweeting, "Wow, it's nice outside."

[Alex AVI]

Tonight, we dip below 100° at 11pm and by midnight, we will be down to 96°