It's been several months since I started listening to Josh and Chuck on Stuff You Should Know, and while most of their podcasts aren't exactly about camping and the outdoors, their episode on the tick, "Why Ticks Suck," is rather relevant for the coming months. For most of us, spring means camping, and of course, camping can mean ticks. Tuck your pants into your socks and go here to listen for free. It's #74 on the list.
PANCAKE ICE
Pancake Ice is formed when temperatures hover right around zero degrees with at least moderate wave activity. The sections themselves can range from a few inches to several feet in diameter, with fairly even depth and slightly raised rims. The rim is built up with each compression of wave, being drawn together in each trough. Conditions in which pancake ice occur most are when there is a thin film of slush on the top of agitated water (sometimes called grease ice) that freezes into larger sections, or when a more solid base of ice breaks up into pieces. In high school we'd all pack into my rusted out '95 Neon to go check out the ice on Lake Michigan. It almost always ended in very irresponsibly running across these churning pancakes just off shore. And more than once somebody rode home with a frozen pant-leg.
The Miller Planisphere
Ever used a Miller Planisphere? Probably. If you haven't, do us all a favor and buy one already. Lord.Just dial the date and time and you'll see what's happening up there in the sky, then rotate the time dial to simulate sky motion. No math-heavy introductory astronomy college course required. Make sure you order the model number that corresponds with your latitude. Comes in a pocket size too.MP3: Iris Dement - Leaning On The Everlasting Arms