We were flying into Austin and they were having a rare snowstorm that had us waiting on the tarmac for 45 minutes so they could get a plow to clear a path to the gate.
Btw, we just left Paris on Monday for the Southern Black Forest where it's only getting to 75 today. Tomorrow 85, but it's a "dry" 85 at 3000 ft.
I'm sorry about your uncomfortable conditions! I arrived in Paris after a heat wave in 2012. My parents, who had been there for it, said that many residents stayed out in the streets late into the night because it was so much cooler than inside their apartments.
The hottest I have experienced was while in Luxor, Egypt as a backpacker in my 20s. My girlfriends and I would blow our daily budget by purchasing lunch at a fancy hotel just to enjoy a few hours of air conditioning (we would really linger). We would then return to our miserable hostel for another sleepless night.
Chris it may not qualify as a vacation spot, but I have worked in two temperature extremes. When I worked in the petroleum industry, I worked I worked on manmade island off the coast of northern Alaska. I would fly into Deadhorse, AK. and chopper to the island; in the wintertime it was 55 degrees below zero F and dark all day. I volunteer to do the devil fish count in Death Valley, California two years ago it was 115 degrees F, so I have lived and seen a 170-degree F temperature differential. The cold was not bad it was the male polar bears that would roam the island looking for food that you had to watch out for. All the building that opened to the outside were plastic endcaps so you could do a 360-degree view to make sure bears were not waiting for a meal
1986 family camping trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons via Badlands National Park. Set up the tent (10x10), saw approaching storm clouds. Wind kept getting stronger, unsecured tents tumbling across the campground. We tied our tent to the concrete picnic table. Park Rangers came around and said they couldn’t force us to leave but suggested it anyway. Added an extra tiedown to the concrete structure and crawled inside to wait it out. Wind got stronger but no rain. I stood up and held on to the aluminum frame for several hours before we evacuated the tent and made it to the car. My daughter, then 3, still recalls the image of me standing there in my red union suit long underwear at midnight, hanging on. Awakening from a fitful night of non-sleeping in the car, the campsite was back to normal except that our tent frame had deformed somewhat, but we were able to use that tent for another 30+ years.
Visiting Boston in winter we saw the liberty bell then rented a horse drawn carriage bundled in a horse blanket, it was so cold.
Returning from Truckee, CA, in a blizzard joking with my blind skiers that I should put one on each fender with their canes to guide me down the mountain. Hopes this cools your engine.
--early AUG 1966, we left KS on the Sat that LBJ's younger day Lucy was married--Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, N Rim Grand C, Zion--in our 1964 Buick LeSabre w/ no AC. Approaching Las Vegas for an hour+, we were in 113 F at 80 mph. Motel had a pool, and we went that late afternoon to Hoover dam & down into its workings. Dad always bought new cars; all had AC after that.
Some years ago I was with a group hiking the Milford Track in New Zealand. The rain poured down non-stop. At one point we had to wait a couple of hours for the tide (Tasman Sea) to go out as it was delaying the river's outflow to the sea. As we went on the rain got heavier and finally we were evacuated by helicopter in groups of 4 to a nearby hut on higher ground because the trail had been washed out. While we waited for the helicopter to return each time, we watched the water slowly rising toward us. Great to get up to the hut and drink lots of hot tea. All's well that end's well.
I have traveled to all 7 continents over many years. I have lived in some for work. I look back at all of my travels weather was never an issue. When I did the Antarctica crossing of the Drake Passage it was perfect with a relatively calm ocean for that part of the world and no “Drake Shake”. I guess I was lucky because I can not recall any weather related stresses. The only travel experience I had was flying from New York to Paris and on to Edinburgh. We were in flying over the mid Atlantic Ocean when I flight changed course from flying east to flying south. There was smoke in the cockpit so the flight made a landing in the Azores. The near 250 passengers and crew bedded down in a tiny departure lounge at 4:00am. At around 6:30am the aroma of coffee and oranges woke us up. The villagers made breakfast for all of us. At 9;00am a customs officer told us if we wanted to see some of this far out island he would stamp our passports Later in the day a replacement aircraft came in from New York and at 5:00pm we boarded that aircraft and flew into Paris. The only stress on this unexpected diversion was that I saw in my mind sitting in rubber raft with my wife in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of the night.
My mother and I were visiting Vienna in early June when a heat wave struck. We had prepared for temperatures in the 60s during the day, 40s at night. Instead, the thermometer soared toward 90F. We each had one outfit that was suitable for hot weather, and wore it several days in a row. While the hotel had A/C, it was not yet turned on, nor was it on in concert halls or museums. We took cold baths, ran cold water on our wrists, and cut back on our schedule. I arranged to borrow a minivan for our second week, and we took several day trips just to enjoy the cool air.
Vienna can get really hot, although it's very rare. I remember a few summers where we were burning up. Then it went straight back to winter, which it usually is in Wien.
Oppressive heat wave in Europe while traveling in August, 2003. German rivers were so low that ships couldn't travel on them. Of course, no air anywhere except our vehicle, which we were lucky to have for sure. Spent two nights in a lovely castle on the Rhine, which should have been a great experience, except at night there was NO air-movement at all. Couldn't sleep!!!
We made a trip to the Swiss alps(Wengen) in July of 2019 as Europe was having a heatwave. Our chalet hotel was located at the base of one of the mountains with a view overlooking a beautiful valley below. 90+ degrees during the day, moderating slightly at night. Even a day trip to the Jungfrau peak at 12,000 feet was short sleeved attire. And a down comforter on our bed at night was comical.
I’m sure everyone’s little story, hot or cold, will end with, Welcome to Climate Change! JC.H
This was the first Elliott podcast that I’ve heard. I was disappointed. The sound quality wasn’t great, especially from the fellow going to grad school in Florida. Not enough discussion of Paris. Lastly, I’ve been to Paris more than thirty times and have studied French for years. Often, where I say ‘bonjour’ with my Chicago accent, they answer in English. For many French, I believe they think their English is much better than our French. So, their choice of English is the path of least resistance. For some, they speak English because they want to practice. I’ve had conversations in which I speak French and they answer in English. That is fun.
Most extreme weather was at DFW Airport. On a plane getting ready to leave when a tornado warning hit. Off the plane NOW. Leave everything behind. Took shelter in the restrooms while hail came down on the terminal. Airplane had to visually checked for damage before we could leave.
We were flying into Austin and they were having a rare snowstorm that had us waiting on the tarmac for 45 minutes so they could get a plow to clear a path to the gate.
Btw, we just left Paris on Monday for the Southern Black Forest where it's only getting to 75 today. Tomorrow 85, but it's a "dry" 85 at 3000 ft.
Happy to be here. Stay cool!
I'm sorry about your uncomfortable conditions! I arrived in Paris after a heat wave in 2012. My parents, who had been there for it, said that many residents stayed out in the streets late into the night because it was so much cooler than inside their apartments.
The hottest I have experienced was while in Luxor, Egypt as a backpacker in my 20s. My girlfriends and I would blow our daily budget by purchasing lunch at a fancy hotel just to enjoy a few hours of air conditioning (we would really linger). We would then return to our miserable hostel for another sleepless night.
Chris it may not qualify as a vacation spot, but I have worked in two temperature extremes. When I worked in the petroleum industry, I worked I worked on manmade island off the coast of northern Alaska. I would fly into Deadhorse, AK. and chopper to the island; in the wintertime it was 55 degrees below zero F and dark all day. I volunteer to do the devil fish count in Death Valley, California two years ago it was 115 degrees F, so I have lived and seen a 170-degree F temperature differential. The cold was not bad it was the male polar bears that would roam the island looking for food that you had to watch out for. All the building that opened to the outside were plastic endcaps so you could do a 360-degree view to make sure bears were not waiting for a meal
1986 family camping trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons via Badlands National Park. Set up the tent (10x10), saw approaching storm clouds. Wind kept getting stronger, unsecured tents tumbling across the campground. We tied our tent to the concrete picnic table. Park Rangers came around and said they couldn’t force us to leave but suggested it anyway. Added an extra tiedown to the concrete structure and crawled inside to wait it out. Wind got stronger but no rain. I stood up and held on to the aluminum frame for several hours before we evacuated the tent and made it to the car. My daughter, then 3, still recalls the image of me standing there in my red union suit long underwear at midnight, hanging on. Awakening from a fitful night of non-sleeping in the car, the campsite was back to normal except that our tent frame had deformed somewhat, but we were able to use that tent for another 30+ years.
Visiting Boston in winter we saw the liberty bell then rented a horse drawn carriage bundled in a horse blanket, it was so cold.
Returning from Truckee, CA, in a blizzard joking with my blind skiers that I should put one on each fender with their canes to guide me down the mountain. Hopes this cools your engine.
Plenty of people are trying to survive a heat wave in this country, too. We can't afford Paris unless it's the one in Illinois.
I think there's one in Texas, too.
--early AUG 1966, we left KS on the Sat that LBJ's younger day Lucy was married--Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, N Rim Grand C, Zion--in our 1964 Buick LeSabre w/ no AC. Approaching Las Vegas for an hour+, we were in 113 F at 80 mph. Motel had a pool, and we went that late afternoon to Hoover dam & down into its workings. Dad always bought new cars; all had AC after that.
Some years ago I was with a group hiking the Milford Track in New Zealand. The rain poured down non-stop. At one point we had to wait a couple of hours for the tide (Tasman Sea) to go out as it was delaying the river's outflow to the sea. As we went on the rain got heavier and finally we were evacuated by helicopter in groups of 4 to a nearby hut on higher ground because the trail had been washed out. While we waited for the helicopter to return each time, we watched the water slowly rising toward us. Great to get up to the hut and drink lots of hot tea. All's well that end's well.
I have traveled to all 7 continents over many years. I have lived in some for work. I look back at all of my travels weather was never an issue. When I did the Antarctica crossing of the Drake Passage it was perfect with a relatively calm ocean for that part of the world and no “Drake Shake”. I guess I was lucky because I can not recall any weather related stresses. The only travel experience I had was flying from New York to Paris and on to Edinburgh. We were in flying over the mid Atlantic Ocean when I flight changed course from flying east to flying south. There was smoke in the cockpit so the flight made a landing in the Azores. The near 250 passengers and crew bedded down in a tiny departure lounge at 4:00am. At around 6:30am the aroma of coffee and oranges woke us up. The villagers made breakfast for all of us. At 9;00am a customs officer told us if we wanted to see some of this far out island he would stamp our passports Later in the day a replacement aircraft came in from New York and at 5:00pm we boarded that aircraft and flew into Paris. The only stress on this unexpected diversion was that I saw in my mind sitting in rubber raft with my wife in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of the night.
My mother and I were visiting Vienna in early June when a heat wave struck. We had prepared for temperatures in the 60s during the day, 40s at night. Instead, the thermometer soared toward 90F. We each had one outfit that was suitable for hot weather, and wore it several days in a row. While the hotel had A/C, it was not yet turned on, nor was it on in concert halls or museums. We took cold baths, ran cold water on our wrists, and cut back on our schedule. I arranged to borrow a minivan for our second week, and we took several day trips just to enjoy the cool air.
Vienna can get really hot, although it's very rare. I remember a few summers where we were burning up. Then it went straight back to winter, which it usually is in Wien.
Oppressive heat wave in Europe while traveling in August, 2003. German rivers were so low that ships couldn't travel on them. Of course, no air anywhere except our vehicle, which we were lucky to have for sure. Spent two nights in a lovely castle on the Rhine, which should have been a great experience, except at night there was NO air-movement at all. Couldn't sleep!!!
Yep, I know what that's like. We're having trouble sleeping, too.
We made a trip to the Swiss alps(Wengen) in July of 2019 as Europe was having a heatwave. Our chalet hotel was located at the base of one of the mountains with a view overlooking a beautiful valley below. 90+ degrees during the day, moderating slightly at night. Even a day trip to the Jungfrau peak at 12,000 feet was short sleeved attire. And a down comforter on our bed at night was comical.
I’m sure everyone’s little story, hot or cold, will end with, Welcome to Climate Change! JC.H
Congratulations!
LBJ's daughter, sorry
This was the first Elliott podcast that I’ve heard. I was disappointed. The sound quality wasn’t great, especially from the fellow going to grad school in Florida. Not enough discussion of Paris. Lastly, I’ve been to Paris more than thirty times and have studied French for years. Often, where I say ‘bonjour’ with my Chicago accent, they answer in English. For many French, I believe they think their English is much better than our French. So, their choice of English is the path of least resistance. For some, they speak English because they want to practice. I’ve had conversations in which I speak French and they answer in English. That is fun.
I'm sorry about the audio quality. We're working on improving it. We'll have more discussion of Paris in our next podcast.
Terrific. I will tune in then! Thanks. BTW, I love the work that you do along with your team.
Most extreme weather was at DFW Airport. On a plane getting ready to leave when a tornado warning hit. Off the plane NOW. Leave everything behind. Took shelter in the restrooms while hail came down on the terminal. Airplane had to visually checked for damage before we could leave.
Oh wow! Close one.