How to Be Cool Without AC

 July 26, 2023

   What do you do with your dog when the cabin you are renting has no AC and it's 90 degrees—inside? You drive to the nearest lake and let your dog jump in to cool off.

Uno Owns Woods Canyon Lake

   Woods Canyon Lake is about 12 miles east of Christopher Creek and, more importantly, it's up on the rim, which is another 850 foot advantage in the coolness department. Add to that the slight breeze coming off the lake and it was a mighty cool balm. We lounged around the lake for over an hour.

Uno The Lounger

   Unfortunately, we still had to go back to our cabin where it remained in the 90-zone for most of the afternoon, so we took advantage of the creek in front of the cabin and tried to stay cool.

Uno Creek Jumpin' In Front of our cabin (#5)

 Unfortunately, it was still in the high eighties by sundown which is downright depressing and makes you think, "How did our pioneer ancestors survive this heat?" About nine at night it finally cooled down to the high seventies and with a fan blowing right on the bed we finally got some sleep.

   In spite of the heat, the boy did not want to leave this morning.

"Do we really have to go?"

One Hot Booking

   We booked the cabin for five days but as the temperatures climbed, Kathy begged off. She hates being hot. But since we paid a grand for the cabin in advance, over a year ago, I thought I needed to at least go up there and try and salvage some of the value. And I did. I read my Jesse James books and even sketched a bit on the porch. And Uno and I did a lot walking in the shade, of course.

   When we left this morning at 6:30 it was a very nice 67 degrees and by the time we got to Payson it had climbed to 80 and when we passed Rye it had passed 90. Then we saw the smoke.

Forest Fire near Sunflower on SR87

    Made it by the fire without a stop and all the way down the Beeline Highway and got home at nine, and it was already 101 degrees at our house, but with one big difference. It really, really, really makes me appreciate this guy.

  On July 17, 1902, Willis Haviland Carrier designed the first modern air-conditioning system, launching an industry that would fundamentally improve the way we live, work and play.

"Being uncool is being pretty much the coolest you can be."

—Rufus Wainwright