A Blog...

Many requests have come for the updated version of Iditarod 2008...I was awaiting the "Red Lantern" to finish this but it appears the trailing sled is still making their way to the coast...could be another three days or so before we see her cross the finish line. We now have 43 musher's in Nome, ending their run in the 2008 Iditarod. William Kleedehn was the first Rookie to cross under the Burl Arches...with Nome's own Melissa Owens soon after. These two finished the race with in the top forty...good job to both of them. Melissa is the daughter of Mike Owens, an Iditarod competitor finishing 37th in 1987, and 23rd in 1990. Racing is in her blood, being raised in Nome with sled dogs all her life...will she go on to be the next generation of famous female mushers? Martin Buser's son, Rohn, also made is debut in the 2008 Iditarod...finishing the race in 37th place and the fourth rookie to make that final leg up Front Street. A race he started with his father but finished on his own...could we see a Buser take the titles from a Mackey some day in the future? I have always been fond of the Iditarod. This year I was obsessed with it. Even if some of the musher's had NOT been carrying GPS...just having the "official" web site to keep up with was fun...the map on my fridge has brought the musher's though the check points and into Nome... What ever will I do with my time until Iditarod 2009? hmmm...maybe volunteer...hmmm...father think about the options here...hmmm.... I did notice one thing while researching this Great Race...Alaska does have a "pro sport" we have many teams and many great people that come from all over the world. Dog mushing is so much more than a means of transportation, and the history of this Great sport is commiserated in the next 400 mile, race from Nome to Candle and back to Nome... The All Alaskan Sweepstakes, was started in 1908. As the winters get long up North the people had to find something to occupy their time in the winter...spring would arrive slowly but even 6 hours of daylight was better than 2. As spring began to appear it was still to frozen to return to the gold mines, hunters and trappers were taking advantage of the still frozen tundra and racing their wares into town, and the ice was breaking in the Berring sea, a time when the boats would return. Messages and supplies were relayed between the various gold mines and towns via dog teams. Musher's began competing...village to village for speed. These miners realized the potential of a dog breed by picking the parents at this time and began "breeding"...the Nome Kennel Club** was established, as well as the base linage of many of the dogs we see mushing that trail today. As time progressed dogs were breed to work by job....some for pulling loads...others for the speed. This race faded in and out of history for years. Resurrected from the history books the Nome Kennel Club once again is sponsoring this race of speed...fastest team gets the purse... A race that has gone unnoticed by many, with only 16 teams registered at the moment...it is for the best of the best...will the Mackey/King rivalry continue for the last race of the season? **Lance Mackey and Martin Buser both own linage from these dogs, acquired through Joe Reddington. Susan Butchers Kennel has a base line from here also...those are just to name a few. (could not find much on Jeff Kings dog linage. ) You can meet his team at that site though...father may note that he names his litters after movies...two of the dogs running the Iditarod are named from characters of the "Lonsome Dove" series. His daughters must help him name the litters as he also has a "Friends" litter.