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Associated Press photographer Chris Carlson is no stranger to heat. He grew up just outside Palm Springs, Calif. On Friday, he returned to his ...
AP Photographer Describes 128-Degree Heat
Associated Press photographer Chris Carlson is no stranger to heat. He grew up just outside Palm Springs, Calif. On Friday, he returned to his desert roots, leaving his home near Los Angeles and driving to the hottest place on earth on one of the hottest days of the year. Below, he describes what it is like to be in triple digit heat in Death Valley:
By 9 a.m., the two bags of ice I loaded in the cooler are gone and the floor of my rental car looks like a storage bin at a recycling plant. Hydration is essential.
I know what to expect in Death Valley: Unrelenting heat so bad it makes my eyes hurt, as if someone is blowing a hair dryer in my face. I don't leave CDs or electronics in the car because they could melt or warp. I always carry bottles of water.
But I still make mistakes. I forgot my oven mitts, the desert driving trick I learned as a teenager after burning my hands too many times on the steering wheel. And my rental car is black, adding several degrees to the outside temperature of 127. When the digital thermometer at the Furnace Creek visitor center ticks up to 128, a few people jump out of their cars to take a picture. The record temperature for the region — and the world — is 134 degrees, reached a century ago.
I try to work in flip-flops, but the sun sears the tops of my feet and I am forced to put shoes on. My cell phone, pulled from my shirt pocket, is so hot that it burns my ear when I try to take a call from my wife.
One of my first stops is at the Furnace Creek Golf Course, a place I've played in the past. The guy in the pro shop tells me they've only had two players all morning. Both were employees.
I don't stay long. The camera around my neck gets so hot it stops working. An error message flashes a warning at me.
I'm surprised to find out that hotels are packed with visitors. This is Death Valley's busy time of year. Tourists, mostly from Europe, come to experience extreme heat, or they just didn't know what they were getting into. Death Valley is between the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, and many people add it to their itinerary.
Tourists are out today, but they rarely emerge from their cars. They drive through the brown, cracked landscape, peering out at the vast desert and occasionally rolling down the windows, but only briefly.
Those who do attempt to get out of their cars park in sparse shade, sprint to local landmarks, snap a few photos, and then jump back in their cars. Most were out at daybreak. By midday, few people can be seen.
AP Photographer Describes 128-Degree Heat
The last time I was in 117 degrees in Palm Springs within the last 5 years I was at least 60 years old but had to buy some gas. So, just getting out of my car was a lot like stepping into a furnace while I kept the air conditioning going in my car while filling up the gas tank. When I was young I worked for several days in around 120 degrees Fahrenheit in June in Arizona about 50 to 75 miles from the nearest hotel or motel. So, I slept in the back of my pickup truck while working in Gila Bend then. But as soon as I could get back to California or just air conditioning I did because working in 120 degrees has to be experienced to be believed. He describes it like having a hot blow dryer on your eyeballs. This is true. In the dry of the desert I tried to keep washing out my eyes to keep them moist and as cool as possible. But the biggest problem isn't your eyes. It is thinking straight and making decisions during the heat of the day. When it is 120 degrees during the day even the coolest part of the day likely won't go below 100 degrees around 5 or 6 AM.
Also these days, electronics like phones, ipads etc. often don't work above about 90 or 100 degrees depending upon the device. It isn't good to leave them in a closed up car much above 100 degrees if you want them to work again also.
Also, when my son lived in the Palm Springs area going to two different colleges there he made sure he had an insulated cloth cover for his steering wheel. Like he says you cannot even touch a plastic or wood steering wheel much above 115 Degrees out if the windows have been closed and the car locked. So, a good idea is to stand outside while the car warms up with the air conditioner on full blast before you get in while either wearing kitchen mits for hot things or having a cloth or fabric wrapped steering wheel with insulation.
One other trick if you are in the desert where it often gets above 120 degrees. never completely close your windows if you don't want usually a back window to explode while you are gone. A window just opened a crack or usually 2 or 4 windows opened a crack can drop the interior temperatures from 150 to 175 or more down to nearer the outside temperature which might be 115 degrees to 125 degrees in the desert if the car is in the sun. Also, reflectors for the front window to cover and reflect the heat will keep the sun from damaging your dash board and all on board electronics so much too.
The last time I was in 117 degrees in Palm Springs within the last 5 years I was at least 60 years old but had to buy some gas. So, just getting out of my car was a lot like stepping into a furnace while I kept the air conditioning going in my car while filling up the gas tank. When I was young I worked for several days in around 120 degrees Fahrenheit in June in Arizona about 50 to 75 miles from the nearest hotel or motel. So, I slept in the back of my pickup truck while working in Gila Bend then. But as soon as I could get back to California or just air conditioning I did because working in 120 degrees has to be experienced to be believed. He describes it like having a hot blow dryer on your eyeballs. This is true. In the dry of the desert I tried to keep washing out my eyes to keep them moist and as cool as possible. But the biggest problem isn't your eyes. It is thinking straight and making decisions during the heat of the day. When it is 120 degrees during the day even the coolest part of the day likely won't go below 100 degrees around 5 or 6 AM.
Also these days, electronics like phones, ipads etc. often don't work above about 90 or 100 degrees depending upon the device. It isn't good to leave them in a closed up car much above 100 degrees if you want them to work again also.
Also, when my son lived in the Palm Springs area going to two different colleges there he made sure he had an insulated cloth cover for his steering wheel. Like he says you cannot even touch a plastic or wood steering wheel much above 115 Degrees out if the windows have been closed and the car locked. So, a good idea is to stand outside while the car warms up with the air conditioner on full blast before you get in while either wearing kitchen mits for hot things or having a cloth or fabric wrapped steering wheel with insulation.
One other trick if you are in the desert where it often gets above 120 degrees. never completely close your windows if you don't want usually a back window to explode while you are gone. A window just opened a crack or usually 2 or 4 windows opened a crack can drop the interior temperatures from 150 to 175 or more down to nearer the outside temperature which might be 115 degrees to 125 degrees in the desert if the car is in the sun. Also, reflectors for the front window to cover and reflect the heat will keep the sun from damaging your dash board and all on board electronics so much too.
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