Chilly Chili Maaaaadness (said in over dramatic commentator voice)

The rickety ole ship sailed on over to Bush Lake in the fine municipality of Bloomington, MN for some always interesting ice racing action. Previous years of ice racing have brought us (in no particular order):

• below zero temperatures
• multiple shazzy lake to land transitions
• mud
• inches of slush
• tight and twisty iciness

As the maroon schooner pulled into dry dock it was obvious that the orange and green army was in for something different. The weather was actually halfways decent (wind was cool I guess, but mid twenties is a blessing in Feb). The on-ice sections were less twisty and less snowy than usual, but fishermen had left the course rutted out with waves of ice that would prove to crash against the bow quite lovingly. The normal hill climb was still there and in perfect shape. The off-season of penguining and a little spinning made climbing the hill seem as easy as trying to make off with a scurvy wench (which I hear is easy, but I have no experience with... so it might not be an apt comparison).

Onto the downhill. Which was shazzy... no... make that SHAZZY. The lead in was 8-12 inches of crusty snow that made getting to the hill a bit crazy... then you get to the top of the hill... and ... lap one left Blackbeard wondering what to do. Someone was on the ground sliding down the hill so he stopped. And then let 4-5 people through so they wouldn't have to try and avoid hitting him. What a doof.

Lap 2 produced this:

Yes... that is the "I'm about to go down and maybe hit some trees but I'm not going to wuss out again" look. With luck the hill wasn't that bad.

Lap 3:Whoops. Guess making it once doesn't mean it's any easier.

Not sure of the finishing place, but top ten for SPH is pretty decent. Not too many SSers finished ahead of the black ship (though not too many were around anyways).

Super Dave represented big time in the A race. He was no match for the SS serenity that is Ezra, but a solid #4 showing and some major style points in making it down the hill every time made the day a complete success.

Thanks to the Asian Express for making the voyage even though his bike was in pieces. Watching a kid almost get taken out by a flying death bike made the trip worth while for sure.