Posted on 02/16/2014 12:32:05 AM PST by onyx
You know the race starts just down the road from me, weird weather this winter, hardly any snow left, its mostly ice, I expect a record fast run, lots of damaged equipment from trails nearly bare of snow, just sun glazed ice.
The Iditarod may have to be moved to Fairbanks this year due to lack of snow.
I think Georgia has had more snow than we have here. Temps are moderate, maybe 20 degrees higher than normal. was very windy the last couple of days. Again a couple of weeks ago it was warmer here than in Tampa Bay Florida, I even saw three motorcycles out on the highway in Wasilla, temps were in the lower 50’s.
And its possible there may be a lot of people heading to the race cause for the most part you cannot run any sleds around here lately because of lack of snow, its all ice and frozen earth, many people are in a big blue funk, from the snowmachiners to the snow plow operators.
Me I have been rebuilding my 95 Goldwing inside the house this year, was laid off in december, and then wife lost her job cause her place of Obamacare downsizing. Now both of us are on unemployment. There is work available, much better than the lower 48, but I just want to have some time off.
Anyway here is hoping Todd and his crew win and have a safe ride, its gonna be brutal trail conditions, none of that fluffy white snow, its gonna be like on concrete until they get further north, and then colder.
My son is in the AF stationed up there. I wonder if he’ll get bit by the Iron-dog bug. Oh, and thanks for the ping.
Freakin’ Awesome.
It gets pretty expensive to even start at entry level performance snowmachines, I worked on two of them last winter, mucho money invested, and you have to have very unique specialized skills to work on them. You do NOT just start wrenching away at these new machines, very high tech.
And I say that as I have developed into being a motorcycle restoration specialist recently from being a heavy equipment mechanic. MC mechanics get twice the wages if they know their stuff, and seasonally a snowmachine mechanic can earn a good living if they are independent.
Last minute wenching
and smiled.
My delight, sweetness!
Oh gosh. Yeah, 3:00AM start time for you is asking a little too much...even for Todd.
:)
Spartan302! Thank you so much for all the wonderful information! WOW, you’re the Palin’s neighbor, for all intents and purposes!
I’m so sorry about you and your wife’s employment situation, but given that’s you’re OKay with the time off...
I sure hadn’t realized that parts of your beautiful state was also “enjoying” weird weather this winter. I mean temperatures in the lower 50’s in February? WOW!
Again, thank you so much for all your good information.
I hope you will continue to participate a whole lot on these threads.
LOLOLOLOLOL.
Well, thank you so much for a morning laugh.
The GPS Tracking map has an ‘Alaska time’ clock in the lower left hand corner .... very convenient!
Go Todd go!!
bump
Good to see you, Sugar!
I have several errands.
Back later.
So happy you’re here!
GOOD to see you’re here!!!!
Great photos onyx thanks much.
Check out Father/Son Team #54. After crashing outside of Big Lake, they loaded up in Deshka Landing, drove to Anchorage Yamaha / Suzuki Marine for repairs...and are now headed back to the trail. (Just saw them on the GPS Tracker heading out on 5th Ave. out of Anchorage. #nevergiveup
They made it to Puntilla on the 2nd day (15th). With Trail Class, there are no specified layover times, although there is a plan in the rules that they get from the start at Big Lake to Puntilla the first day & the 2nd day they go from Puntilla to McGrath (today they go from McGrath to Ruby). Team 54 really did some driving yesterday and made it to Nikolai so they are now approximately 52 miles behind the field, who did make it to McGrath (some in the wee hours of the morning). Hopefully team 54 can catch up with the rest of the field today! To add to the 'drama', 54a's GPS wasn't pinging yesterday so it looked like 54b was out there all by himself - good to see 54a pinging in Nikolai this morning.
No kidding! Seriously, wouldn't it have been nice to have looked at the First Dude for the past five years rather than the First Moochelle?
Weather (from Iron Dog):
2-16; Skwentna, snow -2 feels like -2, 2 MPH winds, forecast today is light snow 20-50 Chance of snow showers
2-16, Nikolai, haze, -19 feels like -19, 0 winds, forecast high of 3 partly cloudy, low tonight -10
2-16, McGrath, scattered clouds, -8 feels like -8, 1 mph wind, high today 0, low tonight -11
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