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It looks like 2007 is shaping up to be a busy one as I’m planning (but not limited to): train for the Olympic nordic ski team, climb Denali, bike tour South America , guide in Italy, race bicycles, bicycle tour to the Arctic, race Idita Sport, build a house, build a canoe, go on a longggg canoe trip…

Last weekend I just skied, and saw 7 more moose. Which is what you’ve gotta do up here in the AK.

The NPR Podcast of my tranny friend is up, my friend doing the interview [yes I know that the link changed at the end of the week. I found the full piece, and the part where my trans-gender friend is interviewed is at the end of the first 1/3.]
An additional driving note: because of everyone using studded tires, when the roads are clear (like right now) there are no lane markers, just a for lane span of blacktop. When there is snow down - well then there are just parallel tire ruts, and it’s just as easy to be straddling two lanes as actually have both tires in one.

Saturday I almost finished installing my final window, but then went skiing at Kincaid, it’s near an airport.

The catch with free ski trails is that they don’t get groomed all that often. After the warm weather, it’s cooled, and now everything is icy, very icy. Of course I grew up skiing at the ultra cheap, immaculately groomed Hardwood Hills. Back then they even had snow.
Though word is that they groomed Saturday night, so I will be back on the hardpack tonight. Thursday I went so hard in my 3km interval that I puked on the ski home. Skiing hard, is well, hard, and it hurts, and is kinda fun. I’m looking forward to getting in some more puke-ervals this week, and a race in a few weekends.

Sunday we’ve suddenly planned a back-country ski which can take between 6 and 12h. I head to REI to rent me some equipment, $15, no deposit, no ID, no credit card imprint, the guy said not to worry if I broke stuff. Don’t try signing this stuff out on my account though, I don’t have one.

At the trail head we find that the other 6 people who were doing the 32km point to point the opposite way (and switching keys with us) have ALL bailed. This is why we’re able to get along so well, they’re just like me. So we just ski up 10km from the ocean to the top of the Indain pass, where after veggie burgers, this happens.

And then this. I had a shit-eating (mom, can I say this?) grin on my fact cannoning between the bushes and trees.

Of course on $15 classic rentals, bombing down a mountain, I did often eat-shit. Yes that little spot in the cup of the valley is the ocean.

Once we got back the tide was out, and fog moving in, which left this vast expanse of black, silty sand with sea ice chunks all over it. Most of them are have been swallowed up by the fog. I was told not to walk out there, because tourists have to be hele-rescued from the quicksand that this becomes. My moose friends are just left to die when they wander out on the tidal flats.

Good times. Check you later.