The best things in life are free; watching the sun rise and set, counting stars and exploring constellations from their deck, hiking and finding adventures in out-of-the-way locations both near and far. Simple things are a joy. However, if you have someone in your family who loves the simple pleasures, you know how hard it can be to buy them something they’ll actually use. Outdoors men, while flexible in many areas, can be very particular about things like their equipment. They want to explore the outdoors on their terms, and that means bringing along with them only the objects that they see fit.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the nature lover in your family is necessarily picky about what’s on their phone. That’s why an app for the outdoors man in your family can be such a great gift; not only will it help them to explore the outdoors in their own particular way, but it can make their lives a lot easier and make you look like the loving, thoughtful family member that you are. Here are 4 apps we suggest for the outdoors man you most adore:
1. iBird
Many people are lovers of nature because they become aware of the amazing variety of songbirds, and so begin bird-watching first. Not only do they start learning about the birds they can see from their house, but they start researching the birds they could see if they went outdoors. iBird is an app that allows the outdoors men in your life to pursue their avian interest and find birds like the beautiful Meadowlark. They can learn the range of the eastern meadowlark and the gradually changing habitat heading westward, as the western meadowlark, the state bird of North Dakota, becomes more plentiful. . This is a great app to get kids interested in the habitats around them as well.
2. Go Sky Watch
If the ND skies are filled with birds in the daylight, they are equally stunning at night, without the light pollution so conjoined with more populated areas of the country. So if the budding astronomer, or just a mesmerized viewer, in your family is more of a nocturnal creature who loves stargazing, this is the app they need to have. Essentially, it’s like a pocket map of the night sky that allows you to point up at the stars and learn about what you’re looking at. This means the app is also a great gift for a stargazer in your family that doesn’t necessarily like the outdoors all that much. But if the outdoors men in your family want a great way to pass the time while near a campfire, this is it.
3. Google Earth
This free app is something that you can get the wandering adventurer in your life just because you want them to have it – and you should want them to have it. It is, after all, Google Earth. It’s one of the most comprehensive map resources in the entire world, and it’s such an invaluable tool that it’s surprising that you can even download this app for free. Easily forgotten in this world of new apps every day, but it’s usefulness for terrain, road maps, even trees and ground cover make it indispensable for use in almost every situation.
4. Accuweather
Of course, none of this stuff matters for the outdoor enthusiast if the weather isn’t right, which is why you’ll want to equip the outdoors men in your family with a weather app that accomplishes a few things. First, it accurately forecasts the weather. Second, it gives you comprehensive information about said forecasts, explaining it all in great detail and helping the user to understand what’s changing in the sky around them.
Your fugitives from the modern world just may find that they enjoy just a ‘little’ bit of technology as they forge new trails of personal experience.
Paul Moore works with Bakken Residence Suites in North Dakota, a full service residential housing complex designed for companies to supply their employees with comfort on the job. See the quality of the accommodations at their site.
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