All posts by richardhoeg@gmail.com

2016 American Birkebeiner (video)

February 21, 2016Year 3richardhoeg@gmail.com

Medical staff to me, do you need help sir? Other than I felt like I wanted to throw up, and my body hurt big time after skiing 35 miles (56 kilometers), the answer was no. Erik, Molly and Katie quickly took all my gear, and another American Birkebeiner was history. Molly and Erik skied well (Katie was not skiing this race), but it was slow and slushy for everyone. Freezing rain during the race makes it hard to see through one’s glasses! The jaunt through the woods of central Wisconsin along with 10,000+ fellow skiers took me just over six hours (in faster conditions, I have skied the same race in 4 hours and 49 minutes).

Yours Truly Finishing the 2016 Birkie (on left) … Main Street on Hayward
Americian-Birkebeiner-2016-Rich-Hoeg

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Video from James Netz Photography … 2016 Birkie Highlights

2016 start and finish highlight from James Netz Photography LLC on Vimeo.

Bohemian Waxwing Video

February 19, 2016Year 3MN North: McQuade Harborrichardhoeg@gmail.com

I managed to take this short video of the Bohemian Waxwings just before the rain started around noon today. Skiing the American Birkebeiner tomorrow will be ugly. Quite frankly, this weather is for the birds!!!

You may wish to adjust the video’s YouTube settings to view in HD, or even watch in slow motion! I like setting the video to 1/2 speed. It’s easier to watch the Bohemian Waxwings, and you can still understand my brilliant commentary! 🙂

Nemesis, You are now MINE! Bohemian Waxwings

February 18, 2016Year 3MN North: McQuade Harborrichardhoeg@gmail.com

Meet Nemesis, the Bohemian Waxwings.

All winter long I have been checking every crab apple and mountain ash tree near Duluth. I always found pine grosbeaks (nice bird), but never the Cedar Waxwing’s big brother from way up north Canada Way, the Bohemian Waxwing. It always seemed the Bohemians had moved on just before my arrival. These birds think the Duluth area is a nice warm place to spend the winter before returning to Canada. This is actually the third time this week I’ve found Bohemian Waxwings, but the first time I really got to watch and photograph them for an extended period of time.

My thanks to Mike who saw these birds outside his place of work, and then passed the word on to me via his Dad.

Nemesis … the Bohemian Waxwings of McQuade Harbor