The snow storm was saved for the first day of Spring and the last day of the race, just as a reminder of what things can be like, and usually are, for the Iditarod.

Ellen has given the Lantern to Heather by leaving a couple of minutes before her, and they came off the mountain last night to run the last of the race into the blowing snow. The windchill is 15°, which is not extreme, as long as the team will run into the wind. They should be in around lunch time.

Update: They are beyond Safety and Heather returned the Lantern to Ellen with a 4 minute lead. They are not going to break Celeste Davis’s Red Lantern record.

Update: No one else seems to be interested, but it would appear that Ellen and Heather are setting up a race in Nome. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a photo finish to resolve the Red Lantern. Both are now down to 9 puppies, and I assume they have left everything but survival supplies at Safety for the final run. Heather arrived 14 minutes before Ellen, but they both spent an hour at Safety, and left a couple of minutes apart. They are having their own private race within the race.

Update: Heather is in after 13 days 19:24:13 and Ellen receives an unwanted second Red Lantern after 13 days 19:45:49.

At Nome

40 Matt Giblin (60)
41 Tom Thurston (25)
42 Scott Janssen (32)^R
43 Angie Taggart (19)^R
44 Kirk Barnum (47)
45 G.B. Jones (40)
46 Heather Siirtola (50)
47 Ellen Halverson (26) Φ [Read more →]

It’s that time of year. Spring arrives at 6:21PM CDT this evening. You can watch it come at Archæoastronomy.

The air is already filled with pollen and the live oaks are starting to drop last year’s leaves. The azaleas are going nuts as the camellias begin their decline.

I would note that locally we have had 12 hours or more of daylight since St. Patrick’s Day, and usually do.