Riverside

Yeah, we skated back and forth on the new grooming at Riverside.  Pretty nice

but limited.  Tomorrow we are off to Idaho for some real skiing.  My favorite

for cross country is Teton Ridge Ranch, the private ranch owned by Paul Allen

(or maybe it is his sister); Allen started Microsoft with Bill Gates and he owns

our local (bankrupt) telecom company--Charter Communications.  Anyway TRR is  professionally groomed every day and is wonderful and it is only locals who

know where it is and have permission to ski there.  You upscale people  can stay at the lodge for

about $700 a night (and that includes dinner!).  The other good xc skiing is

at Trail Creek at the base of Teton Pass, which is for members only and their

guests.  Hardly anybody ever skis at either of these places; I happen to know about

them because my brother has a house in Victor.  Also, I want to check

out the new gondola at Teton Village.  

Skiing

We skated on the North Loop today.  It was pretty good, thanks to grooming by Matt Stone.  I did

a couple of loops with Professor of Physics John Harlander  who explained the difference between dark matter and dark energy.  The former brings galaxies together by gravitational force, while the latter makes them go apart.  Apparently the dark energy is stronger with the result that the universe is expanding and will continue to  do so forever resulting in the so-called "heat death" of the universe, that is, it will be cold and dark.  Of course by that time the human species will be long gone, extinct as dodos.  In fact, the earth will be destroyed when the sun turns into a red giant.

Ice Skating on the River

Pat, Al and Me on the River.  A rare event.