I’m out of time every day. I noticed the death of the head of my favorite gas brand, Hugo Chavez, but he became what he hated in the end, a dictator, which means no one is really in control of Venezuela. Most commentators mention his anti-US attitude without noting that the 2003 attempt to overthrow his government was obviously tied to the White House. Coup d’état attempts generally sour relations between governments, so I wouldn’t hold that against him. My gripe is that he decided that everyone who hated the US was a friend, forgetting that the enemy of your enemy may not be your friend.

Of import to me personally is the death of a great blues/rock guitarist, Alvin Lee. The man could definitely play the instrument.

In addition to checking on the Iditarod during the day, and updating when I can, I am still fixing things at that house. The latest problem is a result of a code change for gas water heaters. It is a major PITA, but I figured out how to do it, while still getting access to the equipment when necessary.

Because I’m ‘retired’ a neighbor called me at 11:30PM for a ride home from a hospital emergency room about 15 miles away. He couldn’t drive and didn’t have enough cash for a taxi. I went and got him, but Walton County certainly doesn’t ‘waste’ any money on large reflectorized signs, and the hospital doesn’t waste money on a lighted sign or street lights. I’m getting too old for this stuff.

The majority of the field is settling in at Takotna and McGrath for their 24-hour stops, but Lance is continuing to Iditarod, which is a long run for the Iditarod.

Currently Martin Buser, Matt Failor, David Sawatzky, and Gerald Sousa have all finished their 24-hours and will be moving through the ranks towards the top while the competition rests.

Weather becomes really important after Ophir, as a strong wind coming up can make the trail impassable and extremely dangerous. A two-hour lead can become a two-day lead if you are ahead of the wind.

Lance is already down to 13 puppies on his team. He still hasn’t found a team to replace the group that retired after carrying him to 4 Iditarod and 4 Quest wins. Martin still has all 16 dogs in harness, and they have shown themselves to be very fast indeed. Jake Berkowitz still has his entire team in harness and he got to Ophir more that 4 hours before Lance.

At this point Martin Buser’s strategy is looking good as he has at least 8 hours on everyone at Takotna. If the weather holds for him, he may be the second 5 time winner, but there is a lot of trail between him and Nome.

Update: The Alaska Dispatch reports that the weather is going to get nasty. A warm front is moving in from the South and will bring high winds, higher temperatures, and rain or snow to the trail. Those who can’t stay ahead of the front can’t be competitive. At best there will be whiteout conditions, at worse the snow will turn to slush, which is terrible for the dogs [and not a lot of fun for the mushers.]

Beyond Ophir
1 Lance Mackey (5)
2 Sonny Lindner (67)
3 Jeff King (18)
At Ophir
4 Jake Berkowitz (44)
5 Nicolas Petit (16)
6 Jim Lanier (59)
7 Jason Mackey (12)
8 Martin Buser (2)
9 Jodi Bailey (4)
At Takotna
10 Aaron Burmeister (24) [Read more →]