When the bottom falls out

You could say oh well, it's just that time of year--throw another log on the fire, dig out another blanket, warm up your car longer--but this is a little ridiculous to have -40s in mid-November. That hasn't happened here since winter 1969-70.

At least now the temperature inversion has kicked in. On Wednesday and Thursday there was no inversion so it was -35 to -41 in town, and only a few degrees warmer on the hills. Yesterday evening was strange though: in town (at the university, elev 450 ft) it was -34 at about 5 PM; On Birch Hill on the other side of town (elev about 900 ft) it was -29; in between at our house (1,250 ft) the temperature was a balmy -13. With in a couple hours it was -10 at home and at Birch Hill.

The upshot of all this drop in temperature is that the big, I mean BIG, races that the had scheduled for the Tour of Fairbanks have been semi-cancelled. No UAF vs UAA grudge match, no APU testing their early oats, and no clubs or teams from the Anchorage area. Now it's just another Town Race, without even the university on hand. That means it will be 90% high school and younger. I didn't even sign up--too much classic waxing to do--for the Town Race on Saturday (hate huge mass starts on short races, a sure ticket to anaerobia). However, I did sign up for Sunday's 10K freestyle on the "new" course (more overhauled than new). But that's a goner.

Wonder if I'll get $25 entry fee back? Probably not, but you can always hope.