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Escape Summer's Dog Days
Finding Cool Relief
(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: JULY/AUGUST 2005)
Come August, sometimes a cold shower doesn’t even work. The heat is everywhere, like a clammy woolen blanket that settles over you. The air sticks to your skin. It can be downright oppressive.
The Romans blamed it on Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Ancient astronomers believed Earth actually received heat from it. And for most of the year, that wasn’t a problem. But during July and August, when Sirius, a.k.a. the "dog star, " rises and sets with the sun—well, most Romans spent the dog days of summer at the baths. These days, the best place to head for a little relief is Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park. With an average August temperature of only 69, the Lake Superior island is downright chilly compared to, say, Springfield, Missouri, with an average high temp near 90. But even if you can’t make it that far north, we’ve got plenty of ways for you to stay cool when the mercury rises.
