planning trips around 100+-degree heat

[Wabbit]

Awright, dag-nab it  .  After nearly dying from heatstroke on the way back from Colorado Springs (the Amarillo to San Antonio leg of the trip), I'd have to say it's way past time for me to tap the collective wisdom of this august assembly and find out how the pros would have done it.

First, River (Janice) and I are ok...  Had to make an emergency stop in San Angelo around 1600 on July 3rd.  Couldn't have gone another mile if the devil himself were chasing us.  The constant 20+mph wind out of the south (cost us at *least* 5 mpg) and the triple-digit temperatures simply cooked us, even with 20-minute hydration stops every 60 miles.  Checked into a hotel, grabbed a shower, collapsed into a bed immediately thereafter, and didn't open our eyes until 0730 the next day.  Couldn't have eaten anything even if we had wanted to.  Weird sensation to have an obviously elevated core temperature with cold extremities.

Lemme backtrack a bit.  Knew we were in for some serious heat on this trip (temperature in Amarillo on June 24th hit an all-time high of 113), so I settled for a long-sleeve tee shirt (to keep the sun off), leather vest, jeans, cowboy boots, helmet, and lightweight gloves for my riding attire.  Made sense to avoid the heat of the day by getting an early start, so we left San Antonio around 0200 on the 25th.  Damn near got taken out by several incarnations of Bambi along I-10 east of Junction, as well as even more of the cursed deer along U.S. 83 between Junction and Eden.  Two *extremely* close calls...  The suicidal doe on I-10 came out of the median and actually reared back as River went by close enough to have been able to kick her.  Along U.S. 83, I was in the lead and saw a doe in the left lane soon enough to be warning River about it when I noticed another doe within four feet of my bike on my right: I threaded the needle between the two deer as River barely missed hitting the second one -- she successfully passed by it on the right.  Wish we had a video record: definitely needed to shake out the drawers afterward.  About the time we hit Eden, the sun was starting to rise so the deer were no longer a factor (thank G-d).  Made the long trek up U.S 87 to Amarillo.  Official high that day was 111.  Digital bike thermometer (sensor on a windshield support bracket) reported 116 on I-27 between Lubbock and Amarillo, rising to over 120 when the bikes weren't moving.  Hit Amarillo in pretty good shape, and enjoyed a wonderful meal over at The Big Texan (72-ounce steak).  Next day rode to Colorado Springs by way of the Oklahoma panhandle and U.S. 50 (to Pueblo): couldn't go through Raton, NM because Raton Pass was closed due to the NM wildfires.  Enjoyed a wonderful week in CO, and will cover that in a separate post  .

Having learned a hard lesson about night riding, the plan for the return trip was basically to get an early morning (twilight) start on day 1 (July 2nd), and stop around Lubbock so we wouldn't have such a long ride ahead of us on day 2 (the 3rd).  The stiff "breeze" (the 20+mph winds mentioned earlier) out of the south, together with temperatures in the high 90's, pretty much rendered that plan worthless from the git-go: we were ready to stop when we hit Amarillo, and did so.  Got an early start on the 3rd, and made the unplanned overnight stop in San Angelo.

Not sure what lessons we learned...  If our choices are death by collision with deer and death by heatstroke, the choices suck...  *hard*.  I suppose a third choice is to limit ourselves to whatever mileage can be covered between sunrise and, say, 1400, but a trip between San Antonio and Colorado Springs shouldn't take more than two days.  Have seen GW and other "hard core" touring types wearing what I assume are "active cooling" suits (look kinda like the Michilen man in orange), but I've gotta believe such things are beyond expensive, and I doubt the electrical systems on my VTX1300C and River's VN750 could handle the load.

Anyway...  Thoughts, opinions, criticisms?  Frankly, we're happy to have survived the trip.  Just looking for pointers on how to make summer trips less of an ordeal going forward.

[hubcapsc]

a long-sleeve tee shirt (to keep the sun off), leather vest, jeans, cowboy boots, helmet, and lightweight gloves for my riding attire.

Sounds like you were on the right track, I'd expect to cook-out faster in just a t-shirt...

I wear my Joe Rocket mesh jacket and full face helmet and stuff in the summer here... yeah, it is hot.

Keep acclimated, by riding some with some regularity in those conditions probably would help too... there's
lots of Texas motocross tracks, and those guys are wearing all that stuff all the time... but they ride a lot,
and they work out in the heat and all kinds of stuff so that when the 100 degree 40 minute (how long do they run them these days?)
moto comes along, they can do it without collapsing...

I posted this picture as a joke the other day, I wasn't really riding like this...



Then I came across this picture I had forgotten about... 



-Mike "yep, that's my father..."

[Valker]

I wear a mesh jacket with a thick, winter-weight turtleneck under it. Every time I stop (about every hour or two) I wet it down in a restroom sink, slightly wring it out, and put it back on. Especially in the dry heat, it will keep me cool for about two hours of riding. Used to wear a long sleeved t-shirt, but they dry out too fast.
I also wear an oversize bandanna (27") with ice laid diagonally in it, rolled up, and wrapped around my neck.

[Daniel Meyer]

I ride extensively in the heat.

Some tips:

You MUST start hydrating well *before* the run in the heat. You cannot replenish the water as fast as you can lose it.

If you are not peeing at every stop (100 miles or so) you haven't hydrated enough. Include some gator-aide and/or salty snacks here and there (look up water toxicity).

Heavy denim shirt and a full face helmet will go a long way toward extending your time in the heat. The heavy denim allows the sweat to hang around long enough to do something useful, keeps the sun off, and as importantly, insulates you from the heat from the winds. A little water on the denim now and again works wonders too.

The helmet is insulating your head from the hot winds, very important. If it's properly vented, the sweat/liner/vents will help...keep that visor mostly closed.

Denim works better at this than anything else, even the specialty "tech" fabrics.
 
In the west Texas summer slog (I've always found between Amarillo and Wichita Falls to be the worst stretch) a liter of water every 100 miles is not excessive. Add a liter of gator-aide or the like as well every couple stops *in addition* to the water.

I occasionally toss the full-face in the ice-freezer if handy at a fuel stop.

Once you quit needing to pee* every 100 miles or so, you are done...you just don't know it yet. You may have a couple hours yet before being in danger of heat stroke or exhaustion, but be wary of pushing it (I don't always practice what I preach)

Be aware at that point some rest and getting cool and re hydrated are mandatory, and that your judgment will begin to suffer (extreme cold will do it too)

*needing to pee is not implying urgent bladder-busting fullness, but the ability to do at least a little. If none, you are done.

[john]

                           " wet it down "         
       

[SideCar]

The three things I use when I'm going long distance in the heat are

• camelback with ice and drink in it (the mouthpiece rests in my mouth and fits inside my full face helmet)
• water absorbing neck wrap (the crystals that absorb water and release it over time/evaporation)
• same kind of water absorbing vest over a long sleeve t-shirt and under a mesh or vented jacket

With this setup, I am rarely bothered by the heat and have used it for thousands of miles in the hottest weather.  Out of the three, the best thing is the camelback that allows me to sip on fluids during the ride and the ice helps me stay cool. I refill it with ice and diluted lemonade or other drink at gas stops.   

[Mr.BubblesVRCCDS0008]

Last year riding from Corpus Christi to Lockhart I just about vapor locked my self. We had to pull over and just sit in the shade at a gas station. I'd been drinking water and sodas and ice tea but was still filling the heat. It was so hot you couldn't not put your hand on the gas tank. Denise when a bought me a quart of gatorade and after sipping on it for about 30 minutes I recovered enough to continue our trip. So now a days I keep drinking the gatorade to keep myself in good shape.

[Gear Jammer]

I use one of these systems which I made except for the shirt which I purchased.  Used a 19qt cooler, tubing with quick disconnects and 12 volt submersible pumps running through relays triggered by handlebar switches for separate control of the two person system.  Just add ice to cooler when you fuel.  Not cheap, but neither is a hospital stay for heat stroke or the crash you might have when you suffer one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cool-Shirt-12-24-Qt-System-Hans-Device-Compatible-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem1e4aa0e407QQitemZ130101076999QQptZRaceQ5fCarQ5fParts#ht_1280wt_849

[SideCar]

cool set up.

[us385south]

I am a pretty big desert rider... I say kudos to everything i have heard here.  let me add that knowing WHEN to ride is important too.  I like to be on the bike heading out just as the pre-dawn sky starts to take on that greenish tinge.  Waiting till 8AM to leave the room and then sitting down to breakfast as you leave town burns up the absolute best riding time.  Light meals are key!  I have a drink holder that holds a 1 qt bottle... I keep it full and drink two or three at almost every stop.  I'm a half helmet guy... so having a face Schampa is critical.  I wear a mesh tourmaster.  (I like the idea of the turleneck) Gloves are also critical.

By the time it gets to be about 1 or 2 in the afternoon.  I find a room.  Set the AC on FREEZE... scoot out for a Subway sandwich or something similar... come back to the room and hunker down till twilight.

Next day... repeat as necessary...

[mario]

great info guys.  gearjammer, that shirt is really nifty!   

[Wabbit]

I commend the group for not even mentioning "deer whistles."  Based on what I've been able to find out on-line, they're pretty much a no-op except for one guy who recorded the barking of his neighbor's huge dogs and played it back through a high-power amplifier while riding down the road.  Early test results were encouraging, but he had to stop testing because he was at risk of being shot by his southern Arkansas neighbors  .

To be fair, one commenter suggested deer whistles *might* have been somewhat effective when they first came out.  Trouble is, critters adapt, and whatever noise the whistles make has become common enough that the deer treat it no differently than any other road noise.

Great advice on mitigating heat.  Not exactly intuitive that lighter fabrics are more of a liability in some situations, but it makes sense where we're talkin' low humidity and wind.  I've *got* a cool vest I can wear under my mesh jacket: gonna have to be better about using it where it makes sense to do so, i.e., West Texas == "yes",  Houston == "no".

[RainMaker]

I commend the group for not even mentioning "deer whistles."  Based on what I've been able to find out on-line, they're pretty much a no-op except for one guy who recorded the barking of his neighbor's huge dogs and played it back through a high-power amplifier while riding down the road.  Early test results were encouraging, but he had to stop testing because he was at risk of being shot by his southern Arkansas neighbors  .

To be fair, one commenter suggested deer whistles *might* have been somewhat effective when they first came out.  Trouble is, critters adapt, and whatever noise the whistles make has become common enough that the deer treat it no differently than any other road noise.

Great advice on mitigating heat.  Not exactly intuitive that lighter fabrics are more of a liability in some situations, but it makes sense where we're talkin' low humidity and wind.  I've *got* a cool vest I can wear under my mesh jacket: gonna have to be better about using it where it makes sense to do so, i.e., West Texas == "yes",  Houston == "no".

I don't know where you got your info on the deer whistles.  I tried them and they worked - the deer came every time........

[Lyn-Del]

Rainmaker, please go make some rain in and around Houston .........

[mario]

Rainmaker, please go make some rain in and around Houston .........

first, lyn-del, your color map is awsome!

second-  cmon rainmaker.  make some rain.  and that was funny about the deer whistle. 

[Daniel Meyer]

I don't know where you got your info on the deer whistles.  I tried them and they worked - the deer came every time........

 

[Disco]

Great info in this thread. 

early start
frequent stops - 125 miles, or so
lots of water with a gatorade-type drink perhaps every other stop
salty snacks (Jimmy, you out there???)
light meals to allow plenty of room for liquid
drink when you are not thirsty
if you are in a group and can communicate to each other, prompts to drink a bunch every 15 minutes or so are welcome
along with the "if you're not peeing", if you get thirsty, you're way behind
once you're behind on hydration, you can't catch up while riding - time to stop, at least for a long rest
if you don't have a cool-shirt like Gear Jammer, spill water down your front, hands, arms, and legs if you need to - generate as much evaporative cooling as possible
and, if you have too much wind protection, the gel-type vests can get pretty warm and clammy

Last year, I rode with a Haynes t-shirt under my Olympia jacket (it breathes, but not like a true mesh) and undies under my Olympia pants (much more mesh than the jacket).  It worked well for me if I was sloppy with my water. 

[chauffeur]

Thanks for all the advice, folks. 

I got 902 miles in yesterday.  Over half of it was with the temps hovering around 100.

Stopped every 100 to 150 miles.  Drank 32 oz of water at each stop. 

Wore a light motorcycle jacket and sweated alot.  Left the Velcro wrist openings wide open.  When I felt the need for cooling, I repositioned my hands to let the air blow up my arms and inflate the jacket.  Instant air conditioning.  Instant relief.

About 3:00 pm, I started to sense the heat getting to me and found some relief in a roadside casino.  They seem to keep the the temps low in these buildings and offer complimentary soft drinks.  It worked.   A couple hours later, I was back on the road, fully refreshed.  The really good news is that the casino owners were kind enough to graciously pay my fuel costs for the trip !! 

[hubcapsc]

Left the Velcro wrist openings wide open.

I do that - I get a little line of sunburn on the top of my wrists 

Maybe Daniel will show us the sunburn he gets through the pin-holes on his gloves...

-Mike

[rodeo1]

i am leaving grand junction sat morning at 5 AM, headed first for las vegas, a nice sleep in the 80 degree heat in my kwik kamp, then up at 4 AM and head south through baker to barstow, then west through bakersfield and on out to morro bay,

now thos of you that have done that in july (i do it 3 to 5 times a year) or august will need no explanation of the heat out there.

rule #1 STOP DRINKING THAT DAMN ICED TEA AND POP !! caffein is a diaretic and will dehydrate you like crazy. never drink anything but water in hot country.

i wear jeans, tennis shoes, and a long sleeved WHITE t-shirt. i carry plenty of water with me and a plastic spray bottle filled with water to spray myself down with as needed.

as i write this it is headed to 112 at baker. don't dally around that country, there aint nothing to see, get moving and head for cooler country.

gone rodeoin

[Gear Jammer]

i wear jeans, tennis shoes, and a long sleeved WHITE t-shirt. i carry plenty of water with me and a plastic spray bottle filled with water to spray myself down with as needed.

Unless you're spraying ice water, down here the only difference water makes, is you get wetter 

[bigguy]

From the blog, "Hot as H E double hockey sticks



While one of our group was seeking enlightenment, another was seeking
relief from the heat. When it's right at 100˚ a car wash wand set on rinse
makes a pretty fair mister.


Hallelujah! Praise the Lord and pass more quarters! Truley a revival from the heat.