About the heat

Unless you're lucky enough to have been hiding in the Arctic tundra this summer, what's left of you that has not melted into an unsightly puddle is now sitting under the ceiling fan, by the air conditioner, wearing next to nothing, drinking some ice cream. Any normal person in the continental U.S. is doing his best to avoid the lovely outdoors during the hottest part of summer. But we have never been accused of normalcy. We intend to begin our trip smack-dab in the middle of the dog-days of summer: August 16th. Insanity? Consider this:



Statistically speaking, mid-August to mid-September are the months in which a hurricane is likeliest to make landfall in Louisiana and we don't like to be here for hurricanes... Ok, fine... That's just a convenient excuse. But it is true that hurricanes hit here at those times. Honest!


Alright, I'll give a more believable reason. We are heading northwest. Temperatures are already dropping in the northwestern states. Not much, but a lot cooler than the Gulf coast. The girls will have air conditioning, so that is not a concern. However, we motorcyclists do need to take the weather very seriously. How can a biker stay reasonably cool in 100+ degree, 100% humidity? Believe it or not, covering as much of our skin surface as possible, but with breathable materials.


There are many types of outerwear and underwear on the market specifically designed for motorcyclists so I'm not going to bore you with such information here. A quick Google search will take care of any curiosity you may have. I will point out, however, some of the tricks we will be using until the weather begins to cooperate.


We are ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time) riders and, when we layer the appropriate gear, we stay fairly comfortable most of the time. However, when the heat index hits triple digits, we pile on three more items. 



The first is a cooling vest. Basically, the vest is filled with water-absorbing beads (think diaper fillers). We soak the vest and wear under the mesh jacket. As air flows through our mesh jackets, the water evaporates from the vest and lowers our body temperature. The jacket actually feels almost cold against your shirt. I was a bit skeptical - until I tried it. The ones we use even have an inner liner that keeps our shirts dry, too. 

The second item is a home made hollow terrycloth neck band that we can fill with ice (in a snack size baggie or loose) at every gas stop. As the ice melts, it soaks the terrycloth and keeps your neck nice and cool, lowering your body temp by cooling your blood supply as it passes your carotid and jugular. Plus it keeps the sun off your neck and you from getting a killer headache.


The third is not, strictly speaking, a hot weather item. We use this on every ride, regardless of temp. I'm just trying to get on my soapbox. Our magic, all-important item is water. Water, water, and water. We hydrate regularly and religiously. And we alternate plain water with electrolyte-enriched water at each stop. Dehydration is one of our worst enemies so we take preemptive measures. Better to have to stop for the bathroom than for the emergency room!