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James P Bennett

@akjpb.bsky.social

An ordinary old guy trying not to have an ordinary life. Non-motorized outdoor things. Mediocre writer. Locavore. Alaska. Grandfather. πŸš΅β€β™‚οΈπŸ₯Ύβ›·οΈβ›°οΈπŸ•οΈπŸŒŠ A Few Choice Words https://substack.com/@akjpb

1,036 Followers  |  950 Following  |  812 Posts  |  Joined: 05.12.2023
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Posts by James P Bennett (@akjpb.bsky.social)


Iditarod Trail Invitational 2026 live tracking app by trackleaders.com Embeddable tracking application, live tracking event map for Iditarod Trail Invitational 2026, leaderboard coverage, including links to individual track history pages

If you’re curious, maybe the toughest human-powered endurance race on the planet, the Iditarod Trail Invitational, is taking place in wilderness Alaska. Temps at the moment are -45Β°. Fatbikers, skiers and runners are participating & there are 3 distance choices, the longest is 1000 miles.

27.02.2026 19:50 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

My eldest is 45 today. I think acknowledging how old my kids are is tougher than accepting how old I am.

25.02.2026 15:12 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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A Family Adventure in Medical Tourism (Published 2017)

Thanks! Found it quickly.

www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/t...

24.02.2026 05:08 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Anchorage?

24.02.2026 04:53 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Has anyone had dental care in Mexico, Thailand or ?

If so, please let me know details!

24.02.2026 04:27 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 0
A blast of color on a wall caused by sunlight streaming through a stain-glass like film on a window.

A blast of color on a wall caused by sunlight streaming through a stain-glass like film on a window.

The window film that made the colors

The window film that made the colors

The g’daughters who helped place the window film, basking in the colorful light it made.

The g’daughters who helped place the window film, basking in the colorful light it made.

When one (me) gets to be a certain age (old), sometimes small amusements make for unexpected pleasures. Last week, the g’daughters helped me place leftover stained glass-like film on a south facing window. This morning’s sunlight streaming through made some magic.

22.02.2026 18:34 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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I try to schedule a little fun to counter-balance the horror the US has become.

Hope you’re checking out of the insanity whenever you can.

21.02.2026 06:52 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man’s war.
Steve Earl

21.02.2026 06:46 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

This is messed up. What happened to our sense of justice?

21.02.2026 02:04 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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a man with a mustache is being projected on a screen . ALT: a man with a mustache is being projected on a screen .
20.02.2026 17:39 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Our country has lost its soul. Why is there a need for a bunch of goons in tactical gear to detain/deport a non-violent family (including a 5 yo)? What’s to become of the 18 yo still in jail in ANC?

19.02.2026 19:24 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I read it (thanks) and your synopsis is accurate. Oh, and she’s from Wasilla, like Sarah Palin. That does explain things. Not much that she wrote would stand up to serious debate.

19.02.2026 02:14 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Hope someone gifts this opinion piece to us all.

19.02.2026 01:17 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

It didn’t blow over, but rather tipped over while being moved to the drilling site. It might have come too close to the edge of the narrow road. It’s totaled and now being cut up to recycle.

19.02.2026 01:15 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

That’s the likely outcome of what they are doing, MAGA is a suicide cult (among other awful things)! What else can explain what they are doing?

15.02.2026 02:40 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Mediocre multi-adventure sport participant here, also indulge, but never during a high-risk activity. I like my adrenaline buzz to be pure πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ?

15.02.2026 01:40 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

And to think that the EPA came to life during the Nixon administration. The polluters are using their wealth & their political stooges to eke out more profit before they fade away. What could their endgame be?

15.02.2026 01:15 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I bailed on MS years ago, not that Apple’s Pages is all of that, but I can convert any .doc to any format I please and it’s a β€˜free’ app with my laptop. I can also save anything as a .doc so there’s that. Being old & retired means I have little use for it all, anyway.

14.02.2026 06:49 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image 13.02.2026 15:58 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Getting ready to fatbike over & set up a treat station for Winter Bike To Work Day, here in Anchorage on Chester Creek Trail. It’s 22Β°F with some fresh snow atop a nice base. Sunrise is 08:46, the station will be open from 0700-0900!

13.02.2026 14:51 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Cyclocross in the snow? Totally for it to be in the Winter Olympics. Cyclocross wearing shorts? Summer Olympics.

10.02.2026 17:04 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Not sure if it’s real or a spoof, an ad popped up on a sm feed just now.

Electric cross-country skis!?!? Propelled by paddle-wheel treads.

Up to 20MPH. Get the fresh air without effort.

These are not kick-glide assist. Downhill boots locked into skis. You do no work.

The world has gone mad!

08.02.2026 16:31 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Dunleavy/Dahlstrom already turned over Alaskan voting information to the feds. The tRump regime has our names, addresses, party affiliations, ss #, and the elections we voted in.

06.02.2026 21:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Hope you caught the War and Treaty show at the BearTooth this past Fri/Sat Anchorage. Powerful, soulful performance. Music is about passion. When one is passionate about Justice, Kindness and Decency, the music gets political.

01.02.2026 16:09 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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#PrettiGood reason to ride today for the two Americans murdered by Ice and to call out tRump’s gestapo for their brutal tactics. @ 200 fatbikers rode today in Anchorage, Alaska. Like Alex, I know I would have intervened to help the woman beaten and gassed by ICE. Wouldn’t you? #iceout #fucktrump

01.02.2026 01:02 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
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Bike to the Filmed by Bike screening this Thursday 1/29 as part of Winter Bike Fest and we’ll take care of your bike with free valet parking.

Bonus: the Filmed by Bike Festival organizer is joining us all the way from Portland, OR and will be selling festival t-shirts!

Tix: buff.ly/vRmhWZv

25.01.2026 03:45 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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KΓ­lian Jornet on What We Can Learn From Pushing Our Bodies to Extremes

Kilian & I were rookies at the β€˜15 Mt Marathon race; a mtn running legend & a mediocre outdoor dude. What we both did was push our bodies as hard as our bodies could be pushed. I’m ok with my mediocrity, it doesn’t prevent me from getting out there. We chatted as we picked up bibs. He’s a good guy

18.01.2026 08:45 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Winter Bike Fest is back! This year’s theme: Light Up the Night β„οΈβœ¨

Join our annual celebration of Anchorage’s winter biking community with a movie night, storytelling, commuting treats, and the return of the Big Fat Ride!

Get event info and tickets here: www.bikeanchorage.org/wbf26

16.01.2026 20:01 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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We're kicking off Winter Bike Fest with a bike stoke movie night!

Filmed By Bike: Joyride! is a family-friendly mix of fun short films (who hasn’t had a chase through mountains over their lucky bike shorts?) and inspiring documentaries featuring young people.

Get tickets: buff.ly/F8bDQHO

17.01.2026 18:02 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Nice collar in 6th grade. And what changes we go through in 4 years!

17.01.2026 07:37 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0