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Iditarod day eight: into Koyuk!

Monday,  03/16/15  02:51 PM

The #Iditarod 2015 leaders have reached Koyuk!  At the top of the Bering Sea ... meaning from now on it is overland about 130 miles to Nome.  The finish should take place late tonight!!  No silly of course not, it will be tomorrow morning;  I forgot everyone has to take an 8-hour break at White Mountain...

Dallas Seavey was the first in, after catching Aaron Burmeister just outside the checkpoint; he came in about 10 minutes later.  Both teams will rest a while here, probably allowing Aliy Zirkle to catch up to them; she is presently about 10 miles away still out on the ice.  Jess Royer has almost caught her (!), for fourth, and Mitch Seavey is about five miles further back in fifth.

Aaron Burmeister and team second into KoyukAaron has been running longer slower runs and Dallas shorter faster runs.  Most observers think Dallas has the edge, now that he's caught up to Aaron.  Aliy is still in it and so is Jess, as her team seems to be moving really well. 

It isn't over 'till its over, you may remember last year Jeff King was about to win before he had to scratch, and Dallas won while thinking he was finishing second (and Aliy finished second while thinking she was racing for third).  So anything can happen ... stay tuned!

[All 2015 Iditarod posts]

 

Iditarod: Jesse Royer and Dallas Seavey mushing videos

Monday,  03/16/15  03:07 PM

#Iditarod 2015 superblogger Sebastian Schnuelle gave GoPro cameras to Jessie Royer and Dallas Seavey as they mushed across the Bering Sea from Shaktoolit to Koyuk, and here's the amazing result (click to play):

Jessie is flying right along, in fourth, catching Aliy Zirkle.

Dallas is in second grinding down Aaron Burmeister for the lead.

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Monday,  03/16/15  09:32 PM

Some non-Iditarod related things ... as the Ole filter makes a pass ...

Excellent: how to make a smartphone microscope.  This is a huge opportunity, the current state-of-the-art for remote microscopy involves expensive complicated devices costing tens of thousands of dollars.  An inexpensive solution would hugely expand the market. 

Glenn Reynolds links 100 skills every man should have, and comments "I don't see why writing snarky pithy blog posts was omitted from the list."  Me either :) 

Powerline: the Obama administration's attack on the constitution, part 1: Immigration.  "It is hard to imagine anything more flagrantly unconstitutional than Obama’s planned issuance of millions of work permits to illegal aliens who are prohibited from employment by the federal statutes." And part 2: Environmental Protection Agency.  "What the EPA is doing, in attempting to refashion the nation’s electric power production system with no authorization from Congress, is both illegal and unconstitutional."  And finally, White House exempts itself from Freedom of Information Act.  That last link is to BoingBoing, hardly a bastion of anti-liberalism. 

 

 

Iditarod day eight, cont: into the Nome stretch

Monday,  03/16/15  10:07 PM

The leading teams in the 2015 #Iditarod are now mushing away from Koyuk toward Nome, with the checkpoints at Elim, White Mountain, and Safety in between.  (And a manditory 8-hour break at White Mountain.)  Dallas Seavey was the first to leave and is in command; his team are moving about 1-2mph faster than Aaron Burmeister and his father Mitch, who are battling for second.  A bit further back Jesse Royer and Aliy Zirkle are fighting for fourth as well as being the first woman to finish.  It is tempting to conclude that this race is over, until you remember what happened last year.  Still that was with much worse weather; this year the forecast has nothing that disruptive coming up.

Some views along the trail:

Scott Janssen and team, outside of Unalakleet

DeeDee Jonrowe and team enter Unalakleet (with fifteen dogs, most left in the race!)

Michelle Phillips and team leave Unalakleet

Ray Redington, Jr and team, outside of Unalakleet

Here are the current positions as shown by the GPS Tracker: Dallas is #46, well out in front, with Aaron #63 chasing along with Mitch #18.  Further back you can see Jessie #3 and Aliy #32.  That's your top five.

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