I am not entirely sure where you all went, but clearly you were in rim country. While it's possible that there is some geo-thermal activity (there are some hot springs both above and below the rim), it's more likely that it's basic physics for you. Prescott can often be colder than other locations of similar latitude and elevation because of the rim's existence. The big south and west facing cliffs spend all day in the sunlight collecting heat. Heat of course rises and creates suction, which then draws in a lot of cold air down from the mountains and out of the shadowed canyons. Being sort of in a bowl, all of the coldest air drawn in by the days updrafts causes Payson to be particularly cold at night as the cold air settles lower than warmer thermal zones. It's the same thermal cycle that makes flying over the rim at anything less than 15,000 feet such a damned bumpy ride. Depending on exactly where you were, 2:00 am is still early enough on a warm day like yesterday for radiant heat from the cliffs to be rising up to your elevation.

As for the rest of you, I am not hearing about any death or dismemberment so that's good! Wish I was with and not here working, but hopefully tomorrow I will pass emissions so maybe it was worth it to stay. $250 later I have a new cat, a not (that I can tell anyway) leaking EGR pipe, hopefully a new PCV valve in the morning before the test, and already I think I am getting slightly better gas mileage even if one tank isn't enough to mark a trend. I'll let you all know...

Oh, and pictures or it didn't happen! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Here's one of the three photos I took



HARD COAR!!! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

And.. um... there's a stump on fire I guess.

And the last photo is vanity wankery, of the new limo in all its bald tired glory

Awesome trip! Highlights of the trip were the Giant tent, shotgun incendiary rounds, John learning how to put his ford into 4wd, deep Fryday, learning that Marks $100 gun is armor piercing, The snore competition between ClayTK, Pa_jero and Mark and the priceless sight of a grown man throwing a fit over a self inflicted winch cable incident. I know you're still pissed but you should be happy and feel lucky that it happened how and when it did.




Quote taken from Billavista

How come I didn't hear about the winch incident? What happened, and to whom?

And please note, I am NOT the John who didn't know to lock his front hubs.

John B.

I too did not hear of the winch incident but if an incident occurred, then I'm glad nobody's dead or injured.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

One of us "saddled a dead horse" and the winch line unraveled then slid out of the drum clamp. Luckily it was during the initial unspooling otherwise someone probably would have lost their truck down the hill backwards.

Temperature inversion possibly.