Day seven started out hot, continued to get hotter, and stayed hot. Carson City was already starting to make me sweat while I got the plane ready at 9:00. I took off towards the southeast as my state-storming tour of the west continued. I was surprised by the Cherokee's performance as it easily out-climbed the terrain of the mountainous desert. I settled in at 9500 feet to start my way back home. This altitude would be a compromise for me today. I needed to stay up higher to stay out of the heat of the desert the best I could, but not so high that I am running low on oxygen. 9500 would be ok for the hour or two hop into California. I cruised down the Nevada/California border until I got to Beatty, and took a right turn into Hell. No, not Hell, MI where it routinely freezes over, but the infamous Death Valley. The ridgeline to the east where I was coming from was about five or six thousand feet, and of course the valley floor where I was landing was over 200 feet below sea level. I pulled the power once I was clear of the ridge and glided into a downwind entry for runway 33. I could feel the temperature get hotter and hotter as I descended, and when I opened the door of the plane it was like a blast furnace. I got out of the plane and noticed the ramp area was a bit spongy. I poked it with my finger, and yes it was soft. Why? It was 115 degrees and it was only 11:30 am. I strolled over to the small utility building that has a phone to call the truck for the resort there (Yes, there's a hotel of sorts there!) and what I was looking for, the rest rooms. I did what I needed to do, and when I turned on the cold water to wash my hands, it was as hot or hotter than the temperature I take my showers at! Needless to say I didn't stay long. I climbed out of Death Valley and pushed towards Lake Havasu, Arizona. There's not much in that entire stretch from Lake Tahoe area to Lake Havasu. There's a couple strip mines, a few dirt roads, some salt ponds, a soda lake or two, and rock and dirt. Other than a munitions storage at Walker Lake, that's pretty much it except for a couple towns that I have no idea why they even exist. Knowing this is the worst place that something could go wrong with my plane, I did what I could to keep the engine cool(ish) and flew a beeline for civilization. Lake Havasu, wasn't much better as the temperature hit 121 degrees in Lake Havasu shortly after I landed. But I was met by a pilot named Michael who I met while in Arkansas a couple weeks back. Michael and his girlfriend were great hosts, and treated me to lunch. We got me checked in at a Hampton Inn, and I showed them the pictures of my trip so far on the laptop. (At this point I have over 560 photos) After that we headed back out and grabbed a movie, which I didn't have a chance to pay for. After some good laughs and conversation, and certainly enough of the heat, I settled in for the night. Total flight time today: 4 gallons of sweat.