Bruce said-
“It sure gets hot and humid here, though this summer seems to have been cooler than most in recent history.”
Thinking of what you say there , Bruce , do you get hard frosts ?
Because a thought just occurred in my tiny mind .
There is a trick used in some countries where they get hot days/cold nights , farmers spread black polythene sheet over their growing areas . During the rapid cooling at night , condensation forms very quickly on the underside , and then freezes . During the daily warm up , the frozen water melts and thus gives local water to the crop (think of water coming from car exhaust on cold mornings for exactly the same reason) .
Another technique based on the principle above is to spread old sump oil onto the surface of desert sand. This forms a crude version of roofing felt----but about a half inch thick . The same thing happens and seedlings get a good start , being planted through holes pushed in the now fairly solid oil layer and getting the water they need . I witnessed this being done in Libya , Morocco and Egypt .
So we have this water freezing .
Is that what happened in my case where the stuff wrinkled and disrupted the track ? Water , as it freezes , expands and is known to split rocks apart ; it is surprisingly powerful .
If anyone doubts this method of getting water from where it doesn’t exist , the technique outlined above is taught on aircrew survival courses . I survived , I’m still here (stop booing there at the back)
Just a thought .
Mike
