With little snow and record highs, Wisconsin winter tourism industry finds ways to adapt

Weirdest winter weather ever.

By Danielle Kaeding | Wisconsin Public Radio At the trailhead for the American Birkebeiner Ski Race in northern Wisconsin, it almost looked like winter. As the sun shone overhead on Feb. 24, blinding white snow blanketed the course, and the chill in the air was characteristic of the season. Hundreds of skiers and spectators watched as some of the world’s best athletes prepared for the starting…

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2023 Chequamegon MTB Festival Recap

One of the most popular mountain bike events in the country, the Chequamegon 40 MTB race, celebrated its 40th anniversary last weekend in Wisconsin. Bikeflights’ own Michael Potter and Kerry Werner were there to work the expo, race their bikes and experience just why so many folks come back to participate year after year.

Photo by Paul Phillips.

The Chequamegon 40 features the beloved and picturesque American Birkebeiner Ski Trail. It travels over a 40-mile point-to-point course, starting in Hayward, Wisconsin and finishing at the Great Hall in the town of Cable. Originally conceived in 1983, the event has grown into one of the premier mountain biking races in the Midwest and attracts top pro and amateur riders from all over the US.

The race challenges riders with a mix of singletrack, grassy doubletrack and gravel roads in the north woods of the Chequamegon National Forest. It happens each year just as the leaves are starting to change into their autumn colors.

Upon arrival, Michael and Kerry’s first stop was Riverbrook Bike & Ski to pick up Kerry’s bike, which he had shipped – using Bikeflights, of course! – from Virginia. The shop had kindly received and held his bike shipment until Kerry could come pick it up and put it together. Then it was time for a pre-ride of some of the early miles of the course.

At expo and packet pickup the next day Michael and Kerry welcomed riders, a majority of whom had attended many times before and others who were riding it for the first time. They connected with riders who have already enjoyed using Bikeflights bike shipping service as well as those who were interested in trying it for the first time.

After a full day of work, it was time to prepare for their races, including fueling themselves with pizza at the nearby Rivers Eatery.

On race day, everyone enjoyed perfect weather and great course conditions. Amateurs started on courses of various lengths throughout the morning while the pros got underway at noon. This schedule allows many amateurs to finish up in time to be able to also cheer on the pros.

In the elite men’s race, Bikeflights Ambassador Alexey Vermeulen from Boulder, Colorado earned the victory in a massive 14-rider sprint finish, something that rarely happens in a mountain bike race. He crossed the line with a time of 2:03.43 and was immediately followed by Keegan Swenson, Cole Paton, Payson McElveen and Logan Owen. Kerry would roll into the finish line just a few minutes later with a time of 2:08:47.

"I had a goal at the beginning of the year to win a Life Time Grand Prix race,” said Alexey. “I wanted, like everyone, to win Unbound or Leadville, but Chequamegon feels fitting. It feels like home."

Photo by Paul Phillips.

In the elite women's race, Ruth Edwards of Nederland, Colorado took the top spot in a two-up sprint against Alexis Skarda of Grand Junction, Colorado. They finished in 2:24:34, ahead of Sofia Gomez Villafane, Gabriella Guerra and Bikeflights Ambassador Haley Smith.

Photo by Joshua Strong.

Michael rode in the amateur single-speed race and finished strong with an impressive time of just over three hours.

What Michael and Kerry enjoyed most about the event was all the support it received from the local community. The volunteers were incredible – helping riders fuel at the aid stations that were frequently located every few miles. The well-marked course was easy to follow, but not too easy to ride. Several challenging climbs and fast and fun descents made it super fun to race.

Photo by John Vargus.

After experiencing the Chequamegon 40 firsthand, both Michael and Kerry are already looking forward to future editions.

Nice work, Wisconsin. We’ll be back!

Events 6.15

763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history. 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II. 923 – Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and King Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy. 1184 – The naval Battle of Fimreite is won by the Birkebeiner pretender Sverre Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson takes the Norwegian throne and King Magnus V of Norway is killed. 1215 – King John of England puts his seal to Magna Carta. 1219 – Northern Crusades: Danish victory at the Battle of Lindanise (modern-day Tallinn) establishes the Danish Duchy of Estonia. 1246 – With the death of Frederick II, Duke of Austria, the Babenberg dynasty ends in Austria. 1300 – The city of Bilbao is founded. 1312 – At the Battle of Rozgony, King Charles I of Hungary wins a decisive victory over the family of Palatine Amade Aba. 1389 – Battle of Kosovo: The Ottoman Empire defeats Serbs and Bosnians. 1410 – In a decisive battle at Onon River, the Mongol forces of Oljei Temur were decimated by the Chinese armies of the Yongle Emperor. 1410 – Ottoman Interregnum: Süleyman Çelebi defeats his brother Musa Çelebi outside the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. 1502 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Martinique on his fourth voyage. 1520 – Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther in Exsurge Domine. 1607 – Virginia Colonists finished building James's Fort, to defend against Spanish and Indian attacks. 1648 – Margaret Jones is hanged in Boston for witchcraft in the first such execution for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 1667 – The first human blood transfusion is administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys. 1670 – The first stone of Fort Ricasoli is laid down in Malta. 1752 – Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity (traditional date, the exact date is unknown). 1776 – Delaware Separation Day: Delaware votes to suspend government under the British Crown and separate officially from Pennsylvania. 1800 – The Provisional Army of the United States is dissolved. 1804 – New Hampshire approves the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratifying the document. 1808 – Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain. 1836 – Arkansas is admitted as the 25th U.S. state. 1844 – Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber. 1846 – The Oregon Treaty extends the border between the United States and British North America, established by the Treaty of 1818, westward to the Pacific Ocean. 1859 – Ambiguity in the Oregon Treaty leads to the "Northwestern Boundary Dispute" between American and British/Canadian settlers. 1864 – American Civil War: The Second Battle of Petersburg begins. 1864 – Arlington National Cemetery is established when 200 acres (0.81 km2) of the Arlington estate (formerly owned by the family of Confederate General Robert E. Lee) are officially set aside as a military cemetery by U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. 1877 – Henry Ossian Flipper becomes the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy. 1878 – Eadweard Muybridge takes a series of photographs to prove that all four feet of a horse leave the ground when it runs; the study becomes the basis of motion pictures. 1888 – Crown Prince Wilhelm becomes Kaiser Wilhelm II; he will be the last Emperor of the German Empire. Due to the death of his predecessors Wilhelm I and Frederick III, 1888 is the Year of the Three Emperors. 1896 – One of the deadliest tsunamis in Japan's history kills more than 22,000 people. 1901–present 1904 – A fire aboard the steamboat SS General Slocum in New York City's East River kills 1,000. 1916 – United States President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America, making them the only American youth organization with a federal charter. 1919 – John Alcock and Arthur Brown complete the first nonstop transatlantic flight when they reach Clifden, County Galway, Ireland. 1920 – Following the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites, Northern Schleswig is transferred from Germany to Denmark. 1921 – Bessie Coleman earns her pilot's license, becoming the first female pilot of African-American descent. 1934 – The United States Great Smoky Mountains National Park is founded. 1936 – First flight of the Vickers Wellington bomber. 1937 – A German expedition led by Karl Wien loses sixteen members in an avalanche on Nanga Parbat. It is the worst single disaster to occur on an 8000m peak. 1940 – World War II: Operation Aerial begins: Allied troops start to evacuate France, following Germany's takeover of Paris and most of the nation. 1944 – World War II: The United States invades Saipan, capital of Japan's South Seas Mandate. 1944 – In the Saskatchewan general election, the CCF, led by Tommy Douglas, is elected and forms the first socialist government in North America. 1970 – Charles Manson goes on trial for the Sharon Tate murders. 1972 – Red Army Faction co-founder Ulrike Meinhof is captured by police in Langenhagen. 1972 – Cathay Pacific Flight 700Z is destroyed by a bomb over Pleiku, Vietnam (then South Vietnam) kills 81 people. 1977 – After the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, the first democratic elections took place in Spain. 1978 – King Hussein of Jordan marries American Lisa Halaby, who takes the name Queen Noor. 1985 – Rembrandt's painting Danaë is attacked by a man (later judged insane) who throws sulfuric acid on the canvas and cuts it twice with a knife. 1991 – In the Philippines, Mount Pinatubo erupts in the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, killing over 800 people. 1992 – The United States Supreme Court rules in United States v. Álvarez-Machaín that it is permissible for the United States to forcibly extradite suspects in foreign countries and bring them to the United States for trial, without approval from those other countries. 1996 – The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonates a powerful truck bomb in the middle of Manchester, England, devastating the city centre and injuring 200 people. 2001 – Leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. 2007 – The Nokkakivi Amusement Park is opened in Lievestuore, Laukaa, Finland. 2012 – Nik Wallenda becomes the first person to successfully tightrope walk directly over Niagara Falls. 2013 – A bomb explodes on a bus in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 25 people and wounding 22 others. 2022 – Microsoft retires its ubiquitous Internet Explorer after 26 years in favor of its new browser, Microsoft Edge.

The American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race#American #Birkebeiner #crosscountry #ski #race

The American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race – CBS News Watch CBS News Since it was first held 50 years ago, the American Birkebeiner, a trek of more than 30 miles through the Northwoods of Wisconsin, modeled after a fabled bit of Norwegian history, has become the largest cross-country ski race in the U.S. Correspondent Conor Knighton reports on how enthusiasm for the festival of events…

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𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿⁣ ⁣ As in previous seven instances, the Birkie Fever got me to travel, stay, cook, eat, ski, hangout, reconnect with friends and make new ones along the way. The immaculately groomed 53 kilometer trail - the greatest show on snow in our country - was plenty long (and then some) to put the lessons learned into practice. ⁣ ⁣ My goal was to race at a sustainably hard effort and do so with correct form, terrain-appropriate technique, situation-appropriate strategy, ease and peace. Doing so for a vast majority of those 53 kilometers resulted in 4:25:21 for a finish time - good for 595/1701 overall, 497/1283 in gender and 68/127 in my age group.⁣ ⁣ Grateful for friends, mentors and coaches who’ve been helping me get better. If completing Birkie earns us letters ala varsity sports and if the letters we are earning make up the word NORWEGIAN (owing to historical origins), the 2023 edition took me from a NO to a NOR.⁣ ⁣ The link to a complete recap of the Birkie weekend is in below, if interested.⁣ ⁣ https://sgowtham.com/journal/2023-american-birkebeiner/ (at American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpNe8vwuwbiXW16cxvujhDK-r1hs55_3Q3Ix5U0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

In tandem, joy & solidarity with the American Birkebeiner this weekend I delve in crosscountry & backcountry beauty. What a gift winter is to us all, the favorite of my experience of four seasons with it’s stunning beauty & interior meditation lean in & support. Fresh. Crisp. Strong. Brisk. Brusk. Stunning. Beautiful. Sisu. #AmericanBirkebeiner #birkebeiner #birkebeinerløpet #backcountry #crosscountry #skiing #skiingislife #winter #winterart #fourseasons #minnesotawinter #northernlife #winterwonderland #wintervibes #motherearth #winterjoy #sisu #nordic #nordicskiing #inlovewithlife (at American Birkebeiner Trail) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpIYeBhLTio/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

This Winter embrace all of Mother Nature’s gifts!

This Winter embrace all of Mother Nature’s gifts!

I know you’ve been waiting for the perfect winter sports season. The one where the weather cooperates and the snow falls thick and fast. That’s exactly what we got this year! Mother Nature has blessed us with a great deal of snowfall and temperatures that I haven’t seen in a long time. We are excited about all of these things but most importantly we are looking forward to the American Birkebeiner…

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World-renowned American Birkebeiner ski race Feb. 22, 2015. Cable to Hayward, WI The world-class cross country ski race, American Birkebeiner, is Saturday, February 22 from Cable to Hayward, WI. Other activities start on Thursday, February 20. Check out events scheduled for the weekend.

HOW COLD IS IT?

                  HOW COLD IS IT?              An annotated thermometer

Fahrenheit / Celsius

+50 / +10  * New York tenants turn on the heat  * Minnesotans plant gardens

+40 / +4  * Californians shiver uncontrollably  * Minnesotans sunbathe

+35 / +2  * Italian cars don't start

+32 / 0  * Distilled water freezes

+30 / -1  * You can see your breath  * You plan a vacation in Florida  * Politicians begin to worry about the homeless  * Minnesotans eat ice cream

+25 / -4  * Boston water freezes  * Californians weep pitiably  * Cat insists on sleeping on your bed with you

+20 / -7  * Cleveland water freezes  * San Franciscans start thinking favorably of LA  * Green Bay Packers fans put on T-shirts

+15 / -10  * You plan a vacation in Acapulco  * Cat insists on sleeping in your bed with you  * Minnesotans go swimming

+10 / -12  * Politicians begin to talk about the homeless  * Too cold to snow  * You need jumper cables to get the car going

0 / -18  * New York landlords turn on the heat  * Sheboygan brats grilled on the patio, yum!

-5 / -21  * You can hear your breath  * You plan a vacation in Hawaii

-10 / -23  * American cars don't start  * Too cold to skate

-15 / -26  * You can cut your breath and use it to build an igloo  * Miamians cease to exist  * Minnesotans lick flagpoles

-20 / -29  * Cat insists on sleeping in your pajamas with you  * Politicians actually do something about the homeless  * People in LaCrosse think about taking down screens

-25 / -32  * Too cold to kiss  * You need jumper cables to get the driver going  * Japanese cars don't start  * Milwaukee Brewers head for spring training

-30 / -34  * You plan a two-week hot bath  * Pilsener freezes  * Bock beer production begins  * Minnesotans shovel snow off roof

-38 / -39  * Mercury freezes  * Too cold to think  * Minnesotans button top button

-40 / -40  * Californians disappear  * Car insists on sleeping in your bed with you  * Minnesotans put on sweaters

-50 / -46  * Congressional hot air freezes  * Alaskans close the bathroom window  * Green Bay Packers practice indoors

-60 / -51  * Walruses abandon Aleutians  * Sign on Mount St. Helens: "Closed for the Season"  * Minnesotans put gloves away, take out mittens  * Boy Scouts in Eau Claire start Klondike Derby

-70 / -57  * Glaciers in Central Park  * Hudson residents replace diving boards with hockey nets  * Green Bay snowmobilers organize trans-lake race to Sault Ste. Marie

-80 / -62  * Polar bears abandon Baffin Island  * Rhinelander Birkebeiner  * Girl Scouts in Eau Claire start Klondike Derby

-90 / -68  * Edge of Antarctica reaches Rio de Janeiro  * Lawyers chase ambulances for no more than 10 miles  * Wisconsinites migrate to Minnesota thinking it MUST be warmer

-100 / -73  * Santa Claus abandons North Pole  * Minnesotans pull down earflaps

-173 / -114  * Ethyl alcohol freezes  * Only Door County cherries usable in brandy Manhattans

-297 / -183  * Oxygen precipitates out of atmosphere  * Microbial life survives only on dairy products

-445 / -265  * Superconductivity

-452 / -269  * Helium becomes a liquid

-454 / -270  * Hell freezes over

-456 / -271  * Illinois drivers drop below 85 MPH on I-90

-458 / -272  * Incumbent politician renounces a campaign contribution

-460 / -273 (Absolute Zero)  * All atomic motion ceases  * Minnesotans allow as to how it's getting a mite nippy

Page Author:

Rob Rubin

 Email:

<[email protected]>

Last Updated:

Friday, March 22, 1996

(C) 1996 Panther Free Press, All Rights Reserved

Beer of the night

I’m not one to pick favorite things. Song, car, child, book, pizza, bicycle, cigarettes, washer and dryer. With so many flavors and varieties of things I could never settle one one in particular.

Let me back up. I don’t smoke so I hate all tobacco. And I do have a favorite meal - Thanksgiving. My wedding dinner was the full Thanksgiving spread. We were married in March.

This beer though. Wow. If I had to pick just one it would be Surly’s Todd The Axe Man IPA. Surly makes several beers that are in my top 10. The flavor is terrific. The label, which is one of my key beer selection criteria, is interesting.

Todd The Axe Man is twice the cost of other Surly beers so I don’t buy it often. I like beer but money in my pocket is delicious too. But if you see this Minnesota beer in your local store it is definitely worth it.try it.

@jessilloo texted me that other picture. She spotted that vehicle at the the American Birkebeiner cross country ski race. Of all people I should have known LL Bean had a Bean Bootmobile. Now I have to find out how I can drive it.

Chequamegon MTB Recap

The Chequamegon MTB Festival wrapped up its 39th edition this past Saturday, but it was BikeFlights’ very first time at the popular off-road event in the big woods of northwestern Wisconsin. Our Delivery Manager Kent Sanchez and Vice President Sue George were among the more than 2,500 riders who made the trip to the small town of Cable, which is also known for hosting the famous American Birkebeiner cross country ski race every winter since 1973.

The days leading up to event, which served as the penultimate event in the Life Time Grand Prix Series, were warm and dry, and we enjoyed the chance to sample some super fun, local singletrack built by the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA).

On one loop, we made it up to the area’s High Point, where we ran into a customer, Libby, who kindly took this photo of us.

We especially enjoyed some of the trail names: FlowMama, Dirt Candy and Danky Dank Trails to name a few!

Then it was time to set up our booth ahead of what would be a full day of expo. It was fun to get to speak in person with existing customers and meet lots of new potential customers. As race newbies, we also appreciated all the advice from race veterans, some of whom had done the event 5, 10, 15 and even  20+ times before.

Race day dawned overcast and humid, but the course started out fast and dry. As first-timers, we were assigned a start position in the seventh and very last corral, toward the back of the 1,272 racers for the 40-mile course. Needless to say, they spent the rest of the day catching and passing many riders who started a bit further up.

“Everyone was flying along, then around 12 miles in, it started to thunderstorm,” said Sue. “I’ve raced a lot of muddy mountain bike races over the years, but I’ve never seen a course go from so dry to so muddy in such a short period of time.”

For the rest of the day, the muddy conditions would persist, and everyone battled rim-deep and sometimes nearly hub-deep mud. Fortunately, the very sandy soil helped make it a relatively grippy kind of mud, so traction was better than it looked.

The sudden change in weather may have negatively affected the course conditions, but most riders still had a blast.

“Great event, great people and a great experience!” said a smiling and very muddy Kent after finishing.

Perhaps the hardest part of the race was waiting in a very long line after the event to get bikes and bodies cleaned up. Then it was time for a bit more expo before wrapping up the end of a very successful weekend.

Savilia Blunk earned the pro women’s win ahead of BikeFlights Ambassador Rose Grant and Kelsey Urban while Bradyn Lange surprised many to take the pro men’s win ahead of Riley Amos and BikeFlights Ambassador Alexey Vermeulen.

Sue rode her way onto the fifth and final spot of the amateur women’s 40-49 podium while Kent finished a solid 124th in the amateur men’s 30-39 category.

Events 6.15

763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history. 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II. 923 – Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and King Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy. 1184 – The naval Battle of Fimreite is won by the Birkebeiner pretender Sverre Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson takes the Norwegian throne and King Magnus V of Norway is killed. 1215 – King John of England puts his seal to Magna Carta. 1219 – Northern Crusades: Danish victory at the Battle of Lindanise (modern-day Tallinn) establishes the Danish Duchy of Estonia. 1246 – With the death of Frederick II, Duke of Austria, the Babenberg dynasty ends in Austria. 1300 – The city of Bilbao is founded. 1312 – At the Battle of Rozgony, King Charles I of Hungary wins a decisive victory over the family of Palatine Amade Aba. 1389 – Battle of Kosovo: The Ottoman Empire defeats Serbs and Bosnians. 1410 – In a decisive battle at Onon River, the Mongol forces of Oljei Temur were decimated by the Chinese armies of the Yongle Emperor. 1410 – Ottoman Interregnum: Süleyman Çelebi defeats his brother Musa Çelebi outside the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. 1502 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Martinique on his fourth voyage. 1520 – Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther in Exsurge Domine. 1607 – Colonists finished building James's Fort, to defend against Spanish and Indian attacks. 1648 – Margaret Jones is hanged in Boston for witchcraft in the first such execution for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 1667 – The first human blood transfusion is administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys. 1670 – The first stone of Fort Ricasoli is laid down in Malta. 1752 – Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity (traditional date, the exact date is unknown). 1776 – Delaware Separation Day: Delaware votes to suspend government under the British Crown and separate officially from Pennsylvania. 1800 – The Provisional Army of the United States is dissolved. 1804 – New Hampshire approves the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratifying the document. 1808 – Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain. 1836 – Arkansas is admitted as the 25th U.S. state. 1844 – Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber. 1846 – The Oregon Treaty extends the border between the United States and British North America, established by the Treaty of 1818, westward to the Pacific Ocean. 1859 – Ambiguity in the Oregon Treaty leads to the "Northwestern Boundary Dispute" between American and British/Canadian settlers. 1864 – American Civil War: The Second Battle of Petersburg begins. 1864 – Arlington National Cemetery is established when 200 acres (0.81 km2) of the Arlington estate (formerly owned by Confederate General Robert E. Lee) are officially set aside as a military cemetery by U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. 1877 – Henry Ossian Flipper becomes the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy. 1878 – Eadweard Muybridge takes a series of photographs to prove that all four feet of a horse leave the ground when it runs; the study becomes the basis of motion pictures. 1888 – Crown Prince Wilhelm becomes Kaiser Wilhelm II; he will be the last Emperor of the German Empire. Due to the death of his predecessors Wilhelm I and Frederick III, 1888 is the Year of the Three Emperors. 1896 – The deadliest tsunami in Japan's history kills more than 22,000 people. 1904 – A fire aboard the steamboat SS General Slocum in New York City's East River kills 1,000. 1916 – United States President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America, making them the only American youth organization with a federal charter. 1919 – John Alcock and Arthur Brown complete the first nonstop transatlantic flight when they reach Clifden, County Galway, Ireland. 1920 – Following the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites, Northern Schleswig is transferred from Germany to Denmark. 1921 – Bessie Coleman earns her pilot's license, becoming the first female pilot of African-American descent. 1934 – The United States Great Smoky Mountains National Park is founded. 1936 – First flight of the Vickers Wellington bomber. 1937 – A German expedition led by Karl Wien loses sixteen members in an avalanche on Nanga Parbat. It is the worst single disaster to occur on an 8000m peak. 1940 – World War II: Operation Aerial begins: Allied troops start to evacuate France, following Germany's takeover of Paris and most of the nation. 1944 – World War II: The United States invades Saipan, capital of Japan's South Seas Mandate. 1944 – In the Saskatchewan general election, the CCF, led by Tommy Douglas, is elected and forms the first socialist government in North America. 1970 – Charles Manson goes on trial for the Sharon Tate murders. 1972 – Red Army Faction co-founder Ulrike Meinhof is captured by police in Langenhagen. 1972 – Cathay Pacific Flight 700Z is destroyed by a bomb over Pleiku, Vietnam (then South Vietnam) kills 81 people. 1977 – After the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, the first democratic elections took place in Spain. 1978 – King Hussein of Jordan marries American Lisa Halaby, who takes the name Queen Noor. 1985 – Rembrandt's painting Danaë is attacked by a man (later judged insane) who throws sulfuric acid on the canvas and cuts it twice with a knife. 1991 – In the Philippines, Mount Pinatubo erupts in the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, killing over 800 people. 1992 – The United States Supreme Court rules in United States v. Álvarez-Machaín that it is permissible for the United States to forcibly extradite suspects in foreign countries and bring them to the United States for trial, without approval from those other countries. 1994 – Israel and Vatican City establish full diplomatic relations. 1996 – The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonates a powerful truck bomb in the middle of Manchester, England, devastating the city centre and injuring 200 people. 2001 – Leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. 2007 – The Nokkakivi Amusement Park was opened in Lievestuore, Laukaa, Finland. 2012 – Nik Wallenda becomes the first person to successfully tightrope walk directly over Niagara Falls. 2013 – A bomb explodes on a bus in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 25 people and wounding 22 others.

It was a “meet known friends and make new ones” (not all of them are pictured) kinda Turkey Birkie weekend with CXC/USSA clinics, some skiing and several shared meals! (at American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation) https://www.instagram.com/p/CluWJHNOu-m/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Birkie Week

aka one of the most stressful weeks of my year.

(Birkie = American Birkebeiner, a cross-country ski race and for me, a family tradition)

Sometimes I honestly don’t know if it’s worth it - and I have skipped it before due to overwhelm. But I’ve gotta help my mom watch the Bear Cub while his parents are out skiing, so that’s not really an option this year.

I’m sure I’ll share Birkie stories at some point. There’s been lots of good over the years, despite some bad. But right now I just need to write out what’s going on in my head at the moment.

So I got a few good rest days in last week, but I was kind of counting on some this week as well, and it’s looking like that’s not going to happen. 

Friday-Saturday-Sunday, I was up at my brother and sister-in-law’s place with my parents. Asked dad if he’d take a look at my car when we got back, as it seemed to be leaking fuel. Plus it’s been shaking when I drive, needs new brakes, and an oil change. 

So that’s Sunday night staying over at my parents’ place, and Monday, today, hanging out there while my dad does what he can to fix my car. He fixed the fuel leak, but it needs new front tires, so I can’t drive it yet.

Tomorrow, we’ve got a whole complicated system worked out with people dropping me off and switching cars and such in order for me to go to my “job” helping Grandma and taking her to the hairdresser. And once I’m done there, I’ll likely have to take my car to get new tires and who-knows-what-else.

Basically, probably not getting home tomorrow either. I do have to get there at some point on Wednesday so I can pack my stuff for the coming weekend (since I only packed enough stuff for one weekend away, not two weekends and the week in between). 

But then I have to be back at my parents’ place by Wednesday night, because we’re leaving early Thursday morning for the big Birkie weekend. And won’t be back until Saturday night or sometime Sunday, depending on whether we’re staying up there Saturday night or not.

And hopefully my car will be all fixed before we leave on Thursday, because if it’s not, I’ll have to spend even more time here, instead of going home and getting back into my routine and hiding to recover from all the people-ing.

I’ll get through it. I’ll handle it, because I have to. That’s just the way I work, despite what my last therapist seemed to think. Going on about how the reason I can’t do things is because I tell myself I can’t - no, in fact, I know damn well that I can handle a LOT, I can survive a lot, and will continue to tell myself I’m fine and can take just a little bit more, up to and past the point where I am suicidal. I literally don’t know when to quit, and THAT’S why I end up going to the other extreme and end up not doing anything. I’m not afraid that I can’t do it, I’m afraid that I’ll push myself to the breaking point and that this time I won’t survive it! 

(Wow, did not intend to go that direction, but I obviously need to write about this. I think I’m going to wrap up this post and start another one for that.)

Honestly, I will make it through this week, it’ll be a rough one, but I will push through it because I have to, and then I’ll take as much time as I need to recover afterwards. Lots of hiding and storycaving and watching Supernatural.

[~Live Stream~] 2020 American Birkebeiner Birkie Watch Online

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Date : 22-Feb-2020 Time : Et

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<b>Event</b> Changes Announced for the Birkie

HAYWARD, Wis. – With the unseasonably warm temperatures, the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) has announced that Birkie Week ... from Google Alert - event http://ift.tt/2m5Zeou