Polar Bear Plunge

The Polar Bear Plunge is an annual event in Milwaukee, it takes place at Bradford Beach, with the main Plunge at around 12:00 Noon.

None of my friends wanted to participate or be support crew, so Miho and I decided to take the dogs and check it out, just to do something a little different on New Years.     There was a least 1000 people there, and we got there right before noon and had to park almost 2 miles away.



It was around 20 degrees and with a pretty stiff wind.    This first photo just shows that even 20 degree weather doesn't stop Wisconsin people from enjoying their sports.

A couple girls enjoying the day on the beach....Hey why does that guy have a drysuit on?

Ah the whole scene....its Jan 1, 2014 in Milwaukee!   There are thousands of people partaking in the Polar Bear Plunge! 

   You have to be freakin' kidding me!

Here is a great sequence showing a family going for the full on Plunge!   Launching from Ice!

 Hana says hey that water looks great, I can handle it!

We didn't let the dogs go in....our car was 2 miles away, it was so packed for this event.  It was easier to park at the Banzai Pipeline Triple Crown of Surfing, no joke.     They would have been frozen dog hair!

 

Keep in mind, its 20 deg F!!!!

This is one of the fire rescue guys in drysuit, he came up to us to talk about German Shepherds

Every one was super friendly and everyone loved the Shepherds

  Uh, the plunge is over ....oh wait, maybe they are just getting ready, no wet hair!

  Oh ya, make sure to check those text messages while you are in your swim suit at the beach, in January! LOL

 Plunge time!

All the rules fly out the book....open fires, open alcohol, dogs not just allowed but respected on the beach.....

Its like a different universe, the laws of physics and heat no longer apply!  

 Uh, is being totally red a good thing, I mean it is not exactly like a tan, lol

 This guy is just wacky, he plunged 10 minutes ago and is still walking around like this

OH shite, this wasn't as much fun as they said it would be.....lol, this is the only person I saw who appeared not to enjoy the hell out of the plunge.

No problemo, that sand is only 20 deg F i'll just run around

Water ph metals from ENENEWS comment

Daisy207

February 25, 2014 at 7:24 pm · Reply

It depends on the source. I sample water – that's what I do – and I drill wells (at least supervise), I map contamination and design water treatment systems. I have one area where the geology just stinks but there is no public water supply and everyone is on wells.  The main problems (beside a gasoline spill that i deal with separately), are the metals in the water and the low pH.  Now one of the biggest problems is iron – up to 30 parts per million (ppm or 30 mg/l). Its not particularly toxic but its awful – makes sinks and other bath fixtures red and stained and it discolors clothes. It tastes awful in the water so we treat it and remove as much as we can.  The other two problems are not as easily addressed – arsenic and copper. You see, there is gold in this formation, and you always get an association of arsenic and copper – while the iron is annoying, the arsenic and copper are in the range of 1-0.05 mg/l range.  Copper is regulated at 1.0 mg/l and arsenic at 0.01 micrograms per liter. You can't taste them, smell them nor do they stain fixtures or effect the taste of coffee – but they are highly toxic – especially the arsenic for people and the copper for fish and pets – but also certain people that get depression. It I raise the pH too high to get rid of the iron, I can mobilize the arsenic and copper because they behave more amphoteric than the iron. (amphoteric means they can easily go into solution at both a low pH and a high ph) –  The point is that they are all metals – you treat them about the same to get rid of them but not all metals behave in the same way – some are annoying and some are toxic even at low concentrations.  All the heavy metals that are radioactive emitters as well as metals – are toxic just because of their metal behavior and their molecular weight – add in radiation – and you have a super toxic soup.  That being said – the ones dissolved in water that are oxides, chlorides, or other salts can somewhat be removed and precipitated into a highly toxic sludge by simple pH adjustment and CaCO3 or KMg3 filters (not all by any means)-however tritium (H3) (heavy hydrogen) cannot.  Hydrogen is a metal – even though we think of it as a gas – its to the left on the periodic table. Its a really bad one in that it can be easily incorporated into almost all life forms killing cells along the way. The problem with the treatment is that you create a waste that is just as toxic – or more so – than you started with because its more concentrated – now what do you do with it. Its not refined metal – so it can't reach critical mass – but its still hot as hell and you need a disposal site. We just should not be creating this stuff in the first place.

3 Vegetables for Winter Gardening

http://www.offthegridnews.com/2014/02/19/3-vegetables-you-can-grow-all-winter-even-without-a-garden/

More Ski pix

 Low tech, kayak anchor line adapted to Skijourning

 Ban hunting a rabbit

 At the Sports Corner in Dheinsville, they have a special lunch everyday and it is good and cheap, 16 chicken wings for $4 (not shown), and 16 flavors of wings to choose from.

 Ban and Hana can both pull even if the skier doesnt do a thing.

 Its a good workout!

 At the Homestead Hollow Park.  

 Warm day, shirt only

 Holy Shite!  I am a sled dog!

SkiJourning Mushing with German Shepherds

Cold beer on a warm deck

 

 

Ya, das ess gute

Cooling off after a long pull

 

 

Nice day

 

 

Hana, ZERO focus on the second day, already basking too much in her previous sucess 

 

Jeep is finally clean! 

 

 

 Eh Banchan, I won't run over you (again) just kidding.