Mindless Banter 139: Joe Simonton & the Alien Pancakes

Mindless Banter: Joe Simonton & the Alien Pancakes Episode Description In 1961, a quiet Wisconsin farmer claimed a UFO landed in his yard and its occupants handed him… pancakes. In one of the strangest, most oddly wholesome UFO encounters ever recorded, Joe Simonton described cooking noises, a silent exchange of water, and silver-dollar “space flapjacks” that were later tested by the Air Force. Today we break down the story, the investigation, and the weird theories that have followed it for decades. Episode Breakdown 🛸 Who Was Joe Simonton? 54-year-old farmer and part-time plumber in Eagle River, Wisconsin Known locally as honest and quiet, with no history of hoaxes Became known as “The Pancake Man” after the story spread 🛸 The Encounter (April 18, 1961) Joe hears a loud “whooshing” sound outside Sees a 30-foot chrome-like saucer land in his yard Three short, dark-haired humanoids in tight black clothing Nonverbal communication requesting water One occupant cooking small pancakes on a flameless griddle Craft departs silently after giving Joe several of the pancakes 🥞 The Pancakes Small, grainy, silver-dollar-sized disks Joe ate one: “tasted like cardboard” Air Force/NICAP lab tests showed buckwheat, flour, sugar, grease No unusual elements or radiation detected Some reports say Joe attempted to recreate them using buckwheat flour 📘 Project Blue Book Investigation Air Force interviewed Joe and considered him sincere No signs of mental illness or hoaxing Official conclusion: misinterpretation or hallucination Case remains unusual due to physical evidence (the pancakes) 📰 Media Frenzy & Aftermath National headlines and widespread attention Tourists showed up at Joe’s farm UFO groups highlighted the case as a friendly encounter Joe later regretted the public attention 👽 Theories Literal alien visit “Space Italians” interpretation based on appearance Honest misinterpretation/hallucination Trickster/High Strangeness event Secret military prank (unlikely) “Cosmic IHOP” humorous theory from UFO circles Podcast Sponsors BattlBox The monthly subscription box packed with survival, outdoor, and everyday carry gear. Get 15% off your first box: 👉 https://survive.battlbox.com/casualpreppers LMNT A science-backed electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don’t. Get a FREE sample pack with any purchase: 👉 https://DrinkLMNT.com/CasualPreppers TacPack The only tactical subscription box with professional-grade gear inside. Use code CASUALPREPPERS for a FREE $70 part from Next Level Armament! 👉 https://www.tacpack.com/ #StaySurvived

The Prepper Audit: Are You Actually Ready? 📄 Episode Description It’s easy to call yourself a prepper — it’s harder to prove it. In this episode, Coby and Cam break down the “Prepper Audit”: a brutally honest self-check to find out if you’re actually ready or just feeling ready. We cover the six core areas every prepper should review, the most common weak spots, and simple fixes to get your readiness back on track before an emergency hits. 🧱 Episode Breakdown 🧪 What a Prepper Audit Actually Is Why most people think they’re more prepared than they are. How to check your real readiness instead of your imagined readiness. Why prepping is never “set it and forget it.” 📦 The Six Pillars You Need to Audit Plans — meeting points, comms, routes, contingencies. Gear — functionality, organization, rotation, seasonality. Skills — fire, water, first aid, comms, navigation, drills. Health & Fitness — physical ability, medical needs, mental resilience. Finances — savings, cash, debt, documents, insurance. Mindset — calm under pressure, adaptability, realistic planning. 🛠️ How to Actually Do the Audit Score yourself 1–5 in each category. Document weak spots with notes and photos. Set small improvement goals instead of massive overhauls. Make it a yearly habit. 🚨 Common Weak Spots (Prepare to Feel Attacked) Expired food, dead batteries, untested generators. Plans nobody else in the family knows. Overloaded bug-out bags. Medical gaps and neglected mental readiness. 🔧 Simple Fixes That Make a Huge Difference Work one category per month. Rotate your storage — use what you store. Train for free using community resources. Stay humble and make preparedness a habit, not a hobby. 🎙️ Podcast Sponsors BattlBox Get 15% off your first box of solid outdoor, survival, and EDC gear. 👉 https://Survive.BattlBox.com/CasualPreppers LMNT Electrolytes Get a FREE LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase using our exclusive CPP link. 👉 https://DrinkLMNT.com/CasualPreppers ReadyPlan by M.A.D. Gear The digital emergency planning app that helps you build, organize, and share your preparedness plans. Use code CASUALPREPPERS for a discount. 👉 Available in all app stores — search ReadyPlan by MAD Gear #StaySurvived

Mindless Banter 138 - Q&A It’s another wild Casual Preppers Q&A where we tackle everything from surviving a zombie apocalypse using only what's in our studio… to the fate of This Podcast Is a Secret, the best SHTF event to live through, basic preps people always overlook, and whether you should take the bike path or the highway during an EMP. We hit gear that surprised us, gear that turned out useless, real-life strange things we’ve seen in the Uintah Basin, and why emergency plans beat almost anything in your prep. It’s chaos, it’s practical, and it’s exactly what makes these Q&As fun. Sponsors: BattlBox – 15% off your first box: Survive.BattlBox.com/CasualPreppers LMNT – Free sample pack with any purchase: DrinkLMNT.com/CasualPreppers TacPack – FREE $70 part with code CASUALPREPPERS    

The Suburban Prepper Suburban preppers live in the in-between: not off-grid, not downtown, but right where most emergencies actually hit. In this episode, we break down the real advantages of suburbia—access to supplies, easier home security, and a built-in neighborhood network—along with the challenges of HOAs, low privacy, and relying on fragile city infrastructure. It’s all about prepping quietly, smartly, and using the “middle ground” to your advantage. Sponsors: BattlBox – 15% off your first box: Survive.BattlBox.com/CasualPreppers LMNT – Free sample pack with any purchase: DrinkLMNT.com/CasualPreppers ReadyPlan by MAD Gear – Organize your emergency plans: (Search “ReadyPlan by MAD Gear” in your app store)

Surviving Disasters Past – Mount St. Helens Eruption, 1980 📄 Episode Description In this episode, we look back at the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens — one of the most violent volcanic explosions in U.S. history. We talk through the months of warning signs leading up to the blast, the massive bulge that formed on the north side of the mountain, and the political and personal battles over evacuation orders. We walk through the moment the volcano exploded, the landslide that triggered the lateral blast, and how the eruption flattened forests, buried river valleys, and sent ash across 11 states. We also discuss the people who survived, those who didn’t, and how emergency response unfolded in the chaos that followed. Finally, we break down the major preparedness lessons: understanding local hazards, building a 72-hour kit for dirty air, knowing evacuation routes, protecting your water and engines, and staying adaptable when warnings shift from “someday” to “right now.” 🧱 Episode Breakdown 🌋 The Warnings – Rising earthquakes, steam bursts, and the rapidly growing bulge on the north flank showed the mountain was under extreme pressure, and scientists struggled to communicate the danger to locals and officials. 💥 The May 18 Eruption – A magnitude 5.1 earthquake triggered the largest landslide ever recorded, releasing a sideways blast of ash, gas, and rock that tore through 230 square miles at hundreds of miles per hour and instantly reshaped the mountain. 🌑 Ashfall Across the Northwest – A 15-mile-high ash column darkened the sky, shut down airports, buried roads and farms, clogged engines, and drifted across multiple states, turning day into night. 🌊 Lahars & Destruction – Melted snow and debris produced massive mudflows that destroyed bridges, highways, homes, and entire river valleys, causing long-term disruptions to power, water, and transportation. 🧍 Human Stories & Loss – Fifty-seven people died, including scientists, campers, and residents who chose to stay behind. We discuss the famous last transmission from volcanologist David Johnston and the story of Harry Truman, who refused to evacuate Spirit Lake. 🏚 Aftermath & Recovery – Cleanup went on for months as ash was shoveled like snow, respirators became everyday gear, and the region worked to rebuild roads, utilities, and entire communities while adapting to a transformed landscape. 🧭 Preparedness Lessons – Why early evacuation matters, how respiratory protection can save lives, why engines fail in heavy ash, how long-term outages can follow volcanic events, and why adaptability—not prediction—is a prepper’s best tool. 🎧 Podcast Sponsors BattlBox – 15% off your first box at Survive.Battlbox.com/casualpreppers LMNT – Free sample pack with any purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/CasualPreppers TacPack – Use code CASUALPREPPERS for a free $70 Next Level Armament part #StaySurvived

Surviving Disasters Past – The Great Midwest Flood, 1993 We wrote a book… for kids. How to Survive an Apocalypse. 📄 Episode Description In this episode, we break down the Great Midwest Flood of 1993 — the costliest, longest-lasting flood in U.S. history. We talk about how a brutal winter and an unusually wet spring set the stage for disaster, how months of nonstop rain overwhelmed levees and entire river systems, and how communities fought to survive when the water simply refused to go down. We cover the collapse of infrastructure, the massive evacuations, the contamination and health issues, and what life was like in towns that stayed underwater for months. Finally, we pull out the biggest preparedness lessons from 1993: knowing your real flood risk, protecting drinking water, waterproofing your kits, elevating utilities, planning for early evacuation, and preparing for long-term displacement when a disaster drags on far longer than expected. 🧱 Episode Breakdown 🌧 The Setup & Rise of the Floodwaters – How snowpack, spring saturation, and relentless summer storms combined into one of the worst hydrological events the U.S. has ever seen, and why levees up and down the Mississippi and Missouri were doomed to fail. 🏚 Communities Underwater – Stories of towns completely submerged, residents evacuating by boat and tractor, and the emotional toll of watching neighborhoods disappear and staying displaced for weeks or months. ⚠️ Infrastructure Collapse – What happens when bridges, roads, crops, rail lines, power plants, and water treatment systems all fail at once—and why Des Moines lost its drinking water for nearly two weeks. 🧫 Health & Environmental Hazards – How chemical leaks, sewage contamination, mold, and stagnant water created major public-health crises long after the rain stopped. 💧 Survival Lessons from 1993 – The importance of not relying on levees, understanding your elevation, keeping clean water stored, securing sanitation, using generators safely, and maintaining morale during a long-duration disaster. ⚙️ Modern Prepper Takeaways – Waterproof your 72-hour kit, elevate home utilities, know how to shut off gas and power, keep flood-fighting tools ready, treat cleanup like hazmat, and remember that some disasters build slowly until normal life disappears. 🌊 Anytime Flooding Threatens – Why forecasts matter, why you never drive into floodwater, how to protect valuables and drinking water, how to stay safe post-flood, and what gear is worth keeping if you live in flood-prone regions. 🎧 Podcast Sponsors BattlBox – 15% off your first box at Survive.Battlbox.com/casualpreppers LMNT – Free sample pack with any purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/CasualPreppers MAD Gear ReadyPlan App – Use code CASUALPREPPERS for a discount #StaySurvived

Surviving Disasters Past – The Great Blizzard of 1888 📄 Episode Description In March of 1888, one of the most powerful blizzards in American history slammed the Northeast with no warning. Over three days, hurricane-force winds, towering snowdrifts, and sub-zero temperatures trapped thousands in their homes, stranded trains, and shut down major cities like New York and Boston. More than 400 people died, and the chaos from the storm led to lasting changes in U.S. infrastructure and weather forecasting. In this episode, we talk about what happened, how people managed to survive isolation and freezing cold, and what preppers today can learn about winter readiness, backup heat, and staying mentally sharp when you’re stuck in the dark. 🧱 Episode Breakdown ❄️ What Happened – The 1888 “Great White Hurricane” that buried the Northeast in 50+ inches of snow, shut down the stock exchange, and trapped passengers for days in frozen trains and streetcars. 🔥 Survival Lessons – How staying put, rationing supplies, and neighbor checks made the difference between life and death. ⚙ Modern Prepper Takeaway – How to build a legit 72-hour winter kit, seal in your heat, prep alternate heat sources safely, and keep comms alive when the grid fails. 🌨 Anytime a Winter Storm Hits – What to do before, during, and after the storm: preserving body heat, surviving in your vehicle, and dealing with frostbite, hypothermia, and isolation. 🎧 Podcast Sponsors BattlBox – The monthly subscription box packed with outdoor, survival, and EDC gear — not samples and junk. Get 15% off your first box at Survive.BattlBox.com/CasualPreppers LMNT – A tasty electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don’t. Get your free sample pack with any purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/CasualPreppers TacPack – The only tactical subscription box loaded with professional-grade gear. Use code CASUALPREPPERS and get a FREE $70 machine-made part from Next Level Armament. #StaySurvived

Surviving Disasters Past – The Australian “Black Summer” Bushfires, 2019–2020 📄 Episode Description In the summer of 2019–2020, Australia faced a fire season unlike anything in modern history. Fueled by extreme heat, drought, and high winds, the “Black Summer” bushfires scorched more than 46 million acres, destroyed thousands of homes, and killed or displaced nearly three billion animals. Entire towns were surrounded by walls of flame, skies turned blood red, and thousands were forced to flee to beaches to escape the inferno. In this episode, we look at what happened, how people survived the unstoppable fires, and what preppers today can learn about bugging out, fire awareness, and resilience in a world growing hotter and drier. 🧱 Episode Breakdown 🔥 What Happened – How record heat, drought, and high winds turned scattered bushfires into megafires that burned for 79 days and reshaped the continent. 🚨 Survival Lessons – The hard truths from Black Summer: when to leave, how fast fire can move, and why hesitation kills. ⚙ Modern Prepper Takeaway – Building a “fire-season” go bag, prepping your vehicle, and protecting your home like a firefighter. 🌫 Anytime a Wildfire Threatens – Real-world evacuation and sheltering steps that can save your life when seconds matter. 🎧 Podcast Sponsors Prepper Disk - What happens when the internet goes dark? Prepper Disk keeps knowledge online - even when you’re offline - with Wikipedia, maps, first aid, repair guides, and more. https://www.prepperdisk.com/casualpreppers BattlBox – The monthly subscription box packed with outdoor, survival, and EDC gear — not samples and junk. Get 15% off your first box at Survive.BattlBox.com/CasualPreppers LMNT – A tasty electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don’t. Get your free sample pack with any purchase at DrinkLMNT.com/CasualPreppers M.A.D. Gear – Get the ReadyPlan app, your all-in-one digital emergency planner. Organize communication, gear, and evacuation routes — all in one place. Use code CASUALPREPPERS for a discount. #StaySurvived

Surviving Disasters Past – The Spanish Flu Pandemic, 1918 📄 Episode Description In 1918, as World War I raged across the globe, another deadly enemy began spreading silently through the trenches and cities — the Spanish Flu. Infecting one-third of the world’s population and killing over 50 million people, it became one of the deadliest pandemics in history. With limited medicine, overwhelmed hospitals, and little understanding of viruses, communities were forced to improvise survival strategies. In this episode, we look at how the outbreak spread, how people adapted, and what preppers today can learn from the pandemic that reshaped the modern world. 🧱 Episode Breakdown The Spanish Flu began quietly in a Kansas army camp before sweeping across the world with the movement of troops. As it mutated, the second wave became devastating — killing the young and healthy within hours. Hospitals overflowed, schools and churches closed, and mask mandates became law. Entire cities shut down while communities fought to survive with minimal resources. From misinformation and censorship to simple acts of neighborly care, the lessons from 1918 still matter: act early, isolate when needed, and plan for the long haul. Those who enforced quarantines and stocked early fared far better. The pandemic proved that civilization doesn’t collapse in explosions — sometimes it fades into silence, sickness, and slow breakdowns. Modern preppers can take away vital lessons: stock essential supplies early, plan for extended isolation, and build redundancy in food, hygiene, and power. Mental health and community strength are as important as any piece of gear. 🎒 Podcast Sponsors 🪓 BattlBox Most subscription boxes are full of junk — but not BattlBox. Each month brings real, tested survival and outdoor gear like the Blowfish Cordless Air Inflator and QSP Gannet Folder, all starting at $34.99/month. Get 15% off your first box at 👉 Survive.BattlBox.com/CasualPreppers ⚡ LMNT Electrolyte imbalance can cause headaches, cramps, and fatigue — the last thing you want during a crisis. LMNT is a tasty, no-sugar mix with 1000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, and 60 mg magnesium. Perfect for bug-out bags or everyday hydration. Grab a free sample pack with any purchase at 👉 DrinkLMNT.com/CasualPreppers 🎯 TacPack (Read by Cam) TacPack is the only tactical subscription box filled with useful, professional-grade gear — not filler. Get tools, EDC items, and range-ready components every month. Use code CASUALPREPPERS to get a FREE $70 machine-made part from Next Level Armament! #StaySurvived

Surviving Disasters Past – The Fukushima Nuclear Accident, 2011 📄 Episode Description On March 11, 2011, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck off Japan’s northeast coast, triggering a massive tsunami that devastated communities and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. What began as a natural disaster quickly turned into a man-made crisis — reactor meltdowns, hydrogen explosions, and widespread radioactive contamination. In this episode, we break down how it happened, what survivors went through, and what modern preppers can learn about layered preparedness, redundancy, and planning for the unthinkable. 🧱 Episode Breakdown The 9.0-magnitude quake and ensuing tsunami caused unprecedented destruction across Japan, overwhelming even a nation prepared for disasters. At Fukushima, backup systems failed, reactors overheated, and the “Fukushima 50” stayed behind to contain the damage as radiation spread. Over 150,000 people were evacuated, and the long-term cleanup continues to this day. From cascading failures to invisible dangers, Fukushima proved that disasters rarely come alone — and that preparation must account for chain reactions. Backup power, multiple evacuation routes, and long-term resilience are critical. Knowing your area’s industrial risks, protecting against contamination, and maintaining independent communication can mean the difference between chaos and control. When it comes to nuclear or chemical incidents, get indoors fast, seal your space, avoid outside food and water, and follow official updates before evacuating. Radiation is silent but survivable if you act quickly and stay informed. 🎒 Podcast Sponsors 🪓 BattlBox Most subscription boxes are full of junk — not BattlBox. Each month you’ll get real, tested survival and outdoor gear like the Blowfish Cordless Air Inflator and QSP Gannet Folder, all starting at $34.99/month. Get 15% off your first box at 👉 Survive.BattlBox.com/CasualPreppers ⚡ LMNT Electrolyte deficiency leads to headaches, cramps, and fatigue — the last thing you need when things go sideways. LMNT delivers the perfect balance of sodium, potassium, and magnesium with no sugar. Grab a free sample pack with any purchase at 👉 DrinkLMNT.com/CasualPreppers 📱 ReadyPlan by M.A.D. Gear Digitize your emergency plans, routes, and checklists with ReadyPlan — the ultimate preparedness app built by the makers of the Contingency Planner. Keep your family’s plan synced and secure. Use code CASUALPREPPERS when you download ReadyPlan by M.A.D. Gear. #StaySurvived