18 November

Learned all the basics of a Ruger .30-06 bolt-action rifle, this morning.  Cold, windy, and snowing on us, for almost four hours, as we learned to half load and sight, then to aim and shoot at the targets in three positions.  Not surprisingly, it was agreed that the prone position wouldn't be the first choice.  Of the three, I like the kneeling position best.  My right shoulder IS going to be sore for a few days.
The shooting range was up on top of a mountain, overlooking the airport.  WAY up.  We actually drove right by the Seed Vault on the way. 

They don't recommend using the safety, since during a campsite attack a couple years ago one of the men thought the safety was all the way off and kept trying to fire.  One killed and four mauled.  So, half loading is a much smarter way to do it.  I was surprised that the sighting came back to me so easily.  The last time I fired a rifle was in the 1960's, but still hit the target without any problem.  We also tried the flare gun, since that's the first thing you should try.

I had actually just turned my head to the side to avoid getting bits and pieces in my face.  I was told this was my Dirty Harry look :)  Make my day Polar Bears.

Also learned that the polar bear is the world's largest land predator.  His main goal is to eat you.  He may just look curious but you should keep in mind that he's mostly curious about whether you're edible or not.  They've been known to eat snowmachine seats.

Aiming directly at the head is also not recommended, since the skull is very thick. 

I'm ready for some wabbit hunting :)   Polar bear, not so much.

We were too late to catch the Hagglund ride up to KHO so I've spent the afternoon catching up on some things and, mainly, warming back up.  Tomorrow morning, we'll head back up to KHO.

Met at Svalbar again tonight.  It's obviously the place to go.  For the music, if nothing else.  We went from Sonny&Cher to some song about Alaska to King of the Road. 

Seriously?