The "dry heat" thing is a factor. 115* in Barstow was baseball weather. 115* with 60% humidity was HIDE OUT weather. Not even the swamp coolers work in humidity like that. Hiding out in the pool worked until you got out of the pool. Dry in 10 minutes. 5 minutes after that you were wet again, and not in the pool kinda way. I had friends in a lovely little place called Needles on the Colorado River. When they had guests over to play in their pool they went to the ice house and got 300 lbs of ice to put in the pool to make it more comfortable. Got a message from a friend of mine this afternoon in Bridgeport (eastern slope of the Sierra south of Reno). He said he was "dodging lightning bolts like a North American Hispanic at a Mariachi event".
