Story of the Day

It was hot. Very hot. I was driving a Jeep with no top through Palm Springs, California. Passing through on my way to Phoenix. The sun beat down on me and on the contents of the Jeep. There was nothing exposed that would melt but sometimes I felt like I would. Even at highway speeds the air almost felt unbreathable. I could imagine it searing the delicate tissues of my lungs. I should have at least installed the bikini top. But no. I had been too lazy. So now I had to suffer or stop driving.

I had never been to Palm Springs and knew nothing about the city. I didn't know where any covered parking structures were. So I felt compelled to go on. I had to be in Phoenix the next morning and I wanted to get a good night's sleep so driving at night was out. That meant the heat had to be tolerated. The best part was driving under bridges. Then I could get some shade. I stopped at an AM/PM and bought a Thirsty-Two ouncer. I knew it was important to keep fluidized. And since I was sweating so much I didn't worry about having to piss too often. I just drove.

The wind turbines near Palm Springs did distract me though for a while. I had never seen such a ridiculous collection of mechanical devices in my life. They were worse to my eye than fields of transmission lines. They had no redeeming esthetic value as far as I could see. Of course My attitude was probably somewhat effected by the fact that I was going to Phoenix to work at a nuclear power plant. But not much.

The distraction didn't last long enough though. Beyond Palm Springs Interstate 10 goes down into the Imperial Valley and for the first time in my life I was below sea level in a car. On the surface. Not in a tunnel. As the interstate leaves the valley it rises up a very long grade. This is obviously desert country. It was a good thing the Jeep had an excellent cooling system. But then, I had no air conditioner to turn off.

As I continued east, it got later, darker, and cooler as I got closer to Phoenix. I was glad this trip was almost over. Looking at the skyline as I approached the Valley of the Sun, I tried to guess where 'downtown' was since there seemed to be two centers of tall buildings visible. I found the center with the older buildings a guessed that was the true 'downtown'. Phoenix did hold some residual indication of how hot the day had been. Driving under the overpasses I was bathed in heat as the bridges gave up the warmth they had so easily acquired during the heat of the day. And still having no top on the Jeep, I could not avoid what seemed to me at the time this remarkable effect.

February 6, 1996

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Jack Jackson ( jjack@bearinmind.org )