We had been warned it was going to be hot this weekend. But, I really couldn’t imagine it being this hot.
Our first afternoon here we had to find somewhere to go because the a/c in the 5th wheel just could not keep the house cool enough. It was 109* outside, and the temp was 89* inside when we left for few hours. We ate an early dinner at In-n-Out (this is the location we experienced In-n-Out for the first time two years ago), did a bit of shopping at Target (I’ve been wanting to try a Brita pitcher), and picked up a few groceries.
Yesterday’s temps soared even higher (our truck thermometer read 113* at one point). Mike and I got up early and did some food cooking before the temperature became unbearable (grilled burgers & chicken, boiled eggs, and made granola). I also visited the Farmers’ Market about 8:00am and purchased a bunch of fruits and veggies before they (and I) began to wilt. By late afternoon, we had to get out of the house, but didn’t really care to go “shopping.” Luckily, downtown Chico boasts a Yo-Yo Museum. It’s at the back of a store that carries all sorts of games and oddball things. It had air conditioning, so we spent some time browsing.
Next door was an ice cream store. That sure sounded good to us—unfortunately I couldn’t stomach the cost of a single scoop at this particular parlor. So, we changed locations. The Safeway grocery store had single serving ice cream cups (complete with a mini wooden spoon) and indoor tables with chairs. For the cost of one serving at the parlor, we all had our choice of ice cream at Safeway. Plus, the store was air-conditioned.
Even after lingering at these two places, we knew it was still too hot to return to the trailer. We decided to catch a movie - Ironman 3. This was the first big screen movie of its kind that Miranda has experienced (lots of action, special effects, larger than life characters, etc). Although the movie had a few odd moments, we enjoyed the 2 1/2 hours spent in the theater’s a/c.
Today the temperature is bearable. In fact, Mike and I sat outdoors under the awning for several hours this morning. The 5th wheel’s a/c unit is keeping the place a cool 75*, while the temp is 91* outdoors (and climbing).
We just returned from a tour of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (we scheduled this yesterday in anticipation of another warm day). The tour was actually quite interesting and used all 5 senses. Our tour guide, Brett, was very informative (hearing). We looked into working “vessels” and at other equipment (seeing). We handled barley kernels and hops (touch). We sniffed the barley kernels, hops, and general air in the factory (smelling). We tasted barley kernels, wort (the sugary syrup made from the barley) and beer. Several types of beer.
Mike and I discovered a couple of things while sampling the beers. Firstly, we prefer the flavors of the beers that have a lower IBU (this measures bitterness). Secondly, Mike really is “allergic” to IPAs. The final 3 samples were classified as IPAs. Upon his first sip, Mike’s nose began to tickle. A sip of the second IPA caused a hay fever type feeling in his nasal passages. And a sip of the third IPA resulted in a sneeze (and snuffling). We learned during the tour that IPAs just have a higher concentration of added hops. So, apparently Mike has a hops-level threshold. Looks like we’ll have do a bit of research related to the IBUs of other beers that Mike has liked in the past but found he couldn’t drink anymore due to the allergic response.
Out of the four of us who took the tour, 3 of us actually participated and enjoyed it. Of the two of us who sampled beers (the kids weren’t even allowed to smell the beer samples, let alone taste them), 2 of us enjoyed the experience.
Tomorrow’s forecast is low 80*s. Much more tolerable. I’m guessing we’ll be able to stay here at the trailer all day long. This should really help Mike stay focused on work and give me a chance for some much needed house cleaning.
Despite the heat, it’s been another great visit Chico.
Most Chicoans beat the heat by swimming in the creek downtown!
Bend will be much milder, I assure you. I hope you float the river here! We live within a block of the take-out. :)
Maybe Les and the girls can do that with us..:)
What did you guys think of Ironman 3?
Hey Joel -
Keep in mind we aren’t comic book readers so don’t have expectations about the characters with regard to their print counterparts.
The Good: Relatively few swear words, no inappropriate “adult themes”, and it held my interest for most of the movie. We liked the length because it meant we were getting more AC for our dollar..;)
The Bad: Predictable plot. There were few points where I thought “boy didn’t see that coming”. Action scenes were just confusing.
MsBoyink and I saw the first one and I think we liked that better. We didn’t see #2.
Well I’m not a comic book reader either, so we’re in the same boat there.
Well that’s good.
Hmm, not so good. Action scenes are supposed to be exciting, but I guess it’s hard to be excited when you can’t tell what’s happening.
Well that makes sense. The first one is always the best right? Except for maybe Star Wars, that one is more of an opinion thing.
So I guess what I’m wondering is, if money where no object, would you see it again?
Sure, I’d see it again if someone else paid. Especially if it was 113 degrees outside again…;)
Haha! And I’d probably join you. Thanks for the review!
Why don’t you pick up camp and head for cooler ground? We’ve been in Yellowstone the last week and it snowed on us 4 of the 6 days we were there!
It’s not always that easy.
We couldn’t drive out of the high temps in one day and our next stop is Oregon (so a long stretch of uphill driving).
I didn’t want to do that stretch towing in 110+ temps as it puts tires and transmissions in jeopardy. Plus I needed downtime to work.
The forecast was just 2 days of warm temps so all in all it was just easier to hunker down and wait it out.