Skijor Race!

Last weekend Apollo and I competed in our first skijor race. For those unfamiliar, "skijoring" is a sport where a person on specialized cross-country skis is pulled by a dog (or 2-3 dogs). We've been doing this for exercise a couple times a week and we were ready for our first competitive race.


Paula holding back the beast!



After a count-down from the starter we are off and away.

Race: 1-dog, sprint class. ~4miles. We started out downhill really fast - Apollo was sprinting down the hill with me skiing behind with little tension on the line. After that we did a lap around a large field and then wound our way back up the hill through winding trails. Weather was about 5 below and snow.


Downhill finish.


I was exhausted, but he was ready for another lap.

Result: 20:08, 5th place (out of 18). Apollo won a new squeaky toy! We had a great time, everyone was very nice and there was a great positive dog/human atmosphere.

Aurora

We may be in a period of low solar activity, but every so often the aurora kicks up!



The sun is constantly spewing high energy particles and radiation into space. This activity gets stronger and weaker in a cycle that takes about 11 years. We are currently in a low, but should be headed out of it anytime now. If fact, the low period is a bit longer than normal.



Even in the low periods, the sun can still burp, through a "solar flare" or a "coronal mass ejection". These particles interact with the upper atmosphere (like way high ~100+ km) and make the magical displays we all aurora.