When the Beach Seems Like a Good Idea...

...everyone else will be there too.  Much of the continent is baking today, with even some of the Cree towns around James and Hudson Bay reporting in 80+ degree weather.  Some areas in Kansas and Oklahoma are calling in 108 degrees, which is actually the same temperature that Death Valley is reporting!  The map below illustrates how hot we are getting, and it also shows where some of the natural features of the continent (well, the United States anyway) are fighting back against the sweltering mess.

As we can see, the mountain ranges are somewhat effective at walling off the heat, or at least keeping it off of themselves.  The Great Lakes are dulling the northward push a little bit, at least by a few degrees, and much further where the deep cool waters of Traverse Bay are knocking things down into the seventies.  Florida is not suffering too much either, as the hot and humid waters surrounding it seem to be effective enough in holding off both the extremes of hot and cold alike.  The northwestern states, as usual, are blessed by being blocked in both by highly prominent mountain ranges and a cold northern Pacific Ocean which carries the California Current past its shores, which also benefits immediate coastal areas as far south as Tijuana.

That in mind, I would love to be here right now:

That would be South Laguna Beach, where the sea is a cool 65 degrees and the air is holding at about 72, and yet sunshine and palm trees still hold dominion.  Like I said, though, most of the Los Angeles metro area is probably thinking the same thing.  Southern California, at least on the coast, is a dream destination for those seeking summer moderation.  The beaches are wonderful, usually completely natural, and have fun things like the tide pools and sea caves that protrude from the land at the top of the picture.

In case you were wondering, those are Mexican Fan Palms (Washingtonia Robusta) towering over the parking lot, and yes, they are exotic to the area, but not entirely alien, as they naturally grow within a couple of hundred miles to the south of here in canyons of Baja California.  The municipal authorities in the region have plans to not replant these things (which have naturalized anyway) in order to create more a more native, shady landscaping "theme".  While I do think this is mostly a good idea, the palms take up so little space and use relatively little water.  They handle the salt spray pretty well, and let's face it, a palm tree on a beach or in the region's lovely sunsets is just a pleasant thing.

Anyway, find some friends, form up a car pool ride or take some mass transit, and hit the beach or some place close to a large body of water or a higher elevation and have a new appreciation for such places.