Posts from — February 2015

The Yukon Quest 300 ended at 10:03AM CST when Alexandra Rochat collected the Red Lantern, arriving 4 minutes after Peter Reuter. While the odd year version of the 300 is normally the easy course, the extremely cold temperatures on the trail made this year’s version brutal.

The Final Standings are:

1 Michelle Phillips (54)
2 Aliy Zirkle (55)
3 Alex Serdjukov (68)
4 Martine Le Levier (53)
5 Claudia Wickert (60)
6 Timofei Gynuntegin (51)
7 Kim Franklin (59)
8 Peter Reuter (65)
9 Alexandra Rochat (62) Φ

The tracker is showing Brent has a 20 mile lead over Allen and Hugh at about the 400-mile marker. The current temperature in Dawson is -40° which is the same for Fahrenheit or Centigrade with a warming trend forecast.

Update at 4:14PM CST: The tracker seems to show Jeff King headed back to Pelly Crossing, which would indicate he intends to scratch. He spent a lot of time at the rest stop, and may have concerns about his team and the long run to Dawson.

Update: Jeff did scratch. Jason Campeau (24)^R will have to spend an extra 8 hours in Dawson as a penalty for replacing a busted sled. The Quest has a one sled rule.

The Current Standings at 11:40PM CST (9:40PM PST):

At Dawson
1 Brent Sass (2)
2 Allen Moore (1)
Beyond Pelly Crossing
3 Hugh Neff (26)
4 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (18)
5 Cody Strathe (4)
6 Ray Redington Jr (19)^R
7 Ed Hopkins (20)
8 Lance Mackey (8)
9 Rolland Trowbridge (13)^R
10 Normand Casavant (3)
[Read more →]

Michelle never gave up her lead, having the faster team this year, and arrived about two hours ahead of Aliy.

The extreme cold is having an effect on teams and mushers. I did Arctic survival at -45°F and the world just gets strange. Things, like tires, that normally bounce, shatter. Human hair will break. Things just get strange and the dogs definitely don’t like it.

Two teams are now not being reported on, Olaf Thurau (56) and Gaetan Pierrard (64), with no indication as to what happened to them. I assume they scratched, but no one has officially said so.

The last two teams on the course are moving together back towards Pelly Crossing.

The Current Standings at 9:00PM CST (7:00PM PST):

Finished
1 Michelle Phillips (54)
2 Aliy Zirkle (55)
3 Alex Serdjukov (68)
4 Martine Le Levier (53)
5 Claudia Wickert (60)
6 Timofei Gynuntegin (51)
7 Kim Franklin (59)
Beyond Pelly Crossing
8 Alexandra Rochat (62)
9 Peter Reuter (65)

The BBC reports on Crazy Uncle Roy’s latest ‘crusade’:

Judges in Alabama have been ordered not to issue marriage licences to gay couples, on the day a ban on same-sex weddings was due to be lifted.

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore sent an order telling judges they were not bound by a federal court ruling that declared Alabama’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional.

His critics have accused him trying to advance his “personal beliefs”.

But at least one county has already begun issuing licences to gay couples.

Ol’ Roy was the Chief Justice of Alabama when he had a stone monument incised with one of the multiple versions of the Ten Commandments, put it in the Alabama Supreme Court building, and defied orders to remove it. This resulted in his impeachment. Well, he ran again and won again as the voters in Alabama enjoy circuses more than the law.

It will end up the same way it did the last time he defied an order from the Federal courts – large legal bills and a special election after he is thrown off the court. He thinks his opinions are the only law in Alabama.

The BBC reports on the latest invasion of privacy – Not in front of the telly: Warning over ‘listening’ TV.

The so-called ‘Smart televisions’ are bugging devices. Samsung only talks about the TVs where the voice command system is turned on, but if it can do it for anything, it can do it for everything, even without the appearance of an icon.

Today was a ‘massacre’ in the 300. Simi Morrison ((58), Dave King (57), and Jake Berkowitz (61) scratched at Carmacks. Jim Bruton (69) was withdrawn, probably for failing to make progress. The stunner was a rookie mistake by Marcelle Fressineau (63) that got her disqualified. She didn’t get the mandatory vet check at Braeburn.

Michelle has a lead over Aliy as they once again vie for the win with 50 miles to go.

The Current Standings at 4:00PM CST (2:00PM PST):

Beyond Pelly Crossing
1 Michelle Phillips (54)
2 Aliy Zirkle (55)
Beyond Carmacks
3 Alex Serdjukov (68)
4 Martine Le Levier (53)
5 Timofei Gynuntegin (51)
6 Olaf Thurau (56)
7 Claudia Wickert (60)
8 Gaetan Pierrard (64)
9 Kim Franklin (59)
10 Alexandra Rochat (62)
11 Peter Reuter (65)

The race on with the ‘usual suspects’ at the front: Allen, Hugh, and Brent. The Pelly Crossing checkpoint marks the first quarter of the race – only 750 miles to go.

Update: Scott Smith (15) and Tamra Reynolds (6)^R have scratched at Carmacks ‘for the good of the teams’ – the puppies weren’t happy. With the extreme temperatures, many sled dogs are smarter than their musher about survival and won’t run, preferring to lay down in a tight circle with their tails over their faces.

Tony Angelo (10)^R and Matt Hall (25) have also scratched

The Current Standings at 10:00PM CST (8:00PM PST):

Beyond Pelly Crossing
1 Brent Sass (2)
2 Hugh Neff (26)
3 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (18)
4 Jeff King (9)
5 Allen Moore (1)
6 Cody Strathe (4)
7 Ray Redington Jr (19)^R
8 Ed Hopkins (20)
9 Lance Mackey (8)
10 Rolland Trowbridge (13)^R
11 Normand Casavant (3)
12 Torsten Kohnert (14)
[Read more →]

According to the ABC the vote on Tony Abbott continued leadership of Australia’s government ended with a 61 to 39 vote to keep him.

While this is good news for him, after a challenge like this the current government is significantly weakened. Most of the conservative parties are experiencing ‘leadership problems’ as a result of their flawed economic policies.

It’s time to stock up on the popcorn for watching them come apart.

Alyssa Quale scratched at Braeburn, possibly because of the extreme cold on the trail coupled with wind chill.

The 300 data isn’t updated very often.

The Current Standings at 7:00PM CST (5:00PM PST):

At Carmacks
1 Michelle Phillips (54)
2 Aliy Zirkle (55)
Beyond Braeburn
3 Marcelle Fressineau (63)
4 Timofei Gynuntegin (51)
5 Martine Le Levier (53)
6 Alex Serdjukov (68)
7 Gaetan Pierrard (64)
8 Claudia Wickert (60)
9 Kim Franklin (59)
10 Alexandra Rochat (62)
11 Jake Berkowitz (61)
12 Simi Morrison ((58)
13 Olaf Thurau (56)
14 Peter Reuter (65)
15 Dave King (57)
Beyond Whitehorse
16 Jim Bruton (69)

Lots of changes this morning as the people who are taking the 6-hour stop in Carmacks blew through Braeburn. The real order will be obvious after Carmacks.

The Current Standings at 10:00PM CST (8:00PM PST):

Beyond Carmacks
1 Hugh Neff (26)
2 Jeff King (9)
3 Joar Leifseth Ulsom (18)
4 Allen Moore (1)
5 Brent Sass (2)
At Carmacks
6 Matt Hall (25)
7 Cody Strathe (4)
8 Scott Smith (15)
9 Ray Redington Jr (19)^R
10 Ed Hopkins (20)
11 Lance Mackey (8)
12 Dave Dalton (11)
13 Torsten Kohnert (14)
14 Brian Wilmshurst (17)
15 Nicholas Vanier (5)^R
16 Mike Ellis (22)
[Read more →]

At the end of the first day the only change from the start positions is Jeff King’s arrival in Braeburn. The tracking shows a lot of change, but those changes won’t be reflected until the teams arrive at the checkpoint.

The Current Standings at 11:00PM CST (9:00PM PST):

At Braeburn
1 Jeff King (9)
Beyond Whitehorse
2 Allen Moore (1)
3 Brent Sass (2)
4 Normand Casavant (3)
5 Cody Strathe (4)
6 Nicholas Vanier (5)^R
7 Tamra Reynolds (6)^R
8 Damon Alexander Tedford (7)^R
9 Lance Mackey (8)
10 Tony Angelo (10)^R
[Read more →]

The YQ 300 also started today in Whitehorse, at 3PM PST [5PM CST]. This race only goes to Pelly Crossing with a finishing 50 mile loop.

Starting grid:

1 Timofei Gynuntegin (51)
2 Alyssa Quaile (52)
3 Martine Le Levier (53)
4 Michelle Phillips (54)
5 Aliy Zirkle (55)
6 Olaf Thurau (56)
7 Dave King (57)
8 Simi Morrison ((58)
9 Kim Franklin (59)
10 Claudia Wickert (60)
11 Jake Berkowitz (61)
12 Alexandra Rochat (62)
13 Marcelle Fressineau (63)
14 Gaetan Pierrard (64)
15 Peter Reuter (65)
16 Alex Serdjukov (68)
17 Jim Bruton (69)

Melissa Schenke (66) & Jacob Heigers (67) scratched in Whitehorse.

The Start is at 1:00PM CST (11:00AM PST) in Whitehorse, Yukon. The teams leave at 3 minute intervals, which is adjusted at the first mandatory stop. This means that the current positions aren’t meaningful until the last team finishes that stop.

The starting grid:

1 Allen Moore (1)
2 Brent Sass (2)
3 Normand Casavant (3)
4 Cody Strathe (4)
5 Nicholas Vanier (5)^R
6 Tamra Reynolds (6)^R
7 Damon Alexander Tedford (7)^R
8 Lance Mackey (8)
9 Jeff King (9)
10 Tony Angelo (10)^R
[Read more →]

Breakfast in Bed

Finally…

[Editor: My neighbor has arranged food dishes so that Ms Underhouse doesn’t have to leave the heated cat pad to eat.]

The Friday Ark for lots of animal pictures.