You can find anything on the internet...

but I can not figure out how to get the door open...figured this would keep a few people busy while we wait for spring....and they wont leave a mess behind...

More Iditarod facts....

Iditarod, what does it mean? This word comes from many different Alaskan Native Languages but they all have similar meanings that have to do with water and distant travel. Many of the names pertaining to the Iditarod River itself, which is a branch of the Kuskokwim River, the second largest river in Alaska and a mode of transportation from village to village. Looking at the map it appears in this day and age, if one is good at mazes, any river in the interior of the state connects somehow. So lets visit the town of Iditarod...many claim this is now a ghost town, history says other wise…It appears that the town of Iditarod was once a booming town where many congregated to trade their furs and bank their gold. Motels and Cafes allowed a reprieve from dried meet and hard tack while the miners and trappers where in town. Entertainment could be found in the brothels and bars, and supplies could be purchased from one of several mercantile. Nestled into the banks of the Iditarod River this was a gate way to the rest of the world via steam ship. Convenience like electricity and telephones allowed contact with the world out side of the isolated interior of Alaska. A settlement that was well established, established that is until Christmas of 1908, when a gold strike three hundred miles south on Otter Creek diverted the attention from the North to the unexplored mountains and tundras further south. In a mere few months the town of Iditarod was gone, the only remaining signs of the town are a cabin and a partial cement bank vault. The town was lifted, put on boats and moved south to the new boom town of Flat. What of Flats future…well Flat is the one of just a handful of towns in the US Census that contains just four people. Never officially a town, it sits on a mining camp and is considered an illegal town site. Until 2000 a US post office was one of the only remaining buildings in the town of four. So the next check point on the Iditarod trail for Lance is Kaltag...an interesting fact of Kaltag...Kaltag is the home of Virginia Kalland, widow of Edgar Kalland, one of the mushers that attempted to get the diphtheria serum up the Iditarod trail to Nome back in 1925.

Lets Give This Race ITs dues.....

Iditarod? What does it mean? Where did it come from? Most of all why would one chose to spend countless long hours in the freezing cold alone? So lets go on a brief history tour, many believe Balto and a vaccine carried on a sled from Anchorage to Nome is where this race came from, yes my friends Balto did make an amazing run when others failed to save the village from a deadly disease, but the Iditarod trail was established even before Balto. Many people rushed to this country when they heard of the gold being dug from the lands. California raced to Oregon then on the Seattle, where most people abandoned that town for the mine fields of Alaska, where riches were said to be found for everyone. Leaving Seattle on steam boat many arrived here not knowing how much the weather changes between Seattle and Anchorage, let alone Anchorage and Nome. At the time of the gold rush roads and automobiles had not quite made there way this far north, with exception of the a few political and rich people most people moved around by horse and cart or dog team. The Iditarod trail was originally designed in 1910 to move dog sleds in and out of the North in the winter months when steam ships could not get up the many rivers, A route for mail, supplies, and gold miners with big dreams. With the twenties came airplanes and an increase on automobiles and the Iditarod trail began to grow over, fewer people used dog teams as a mode of transportation and for years this trail went extinct. The original Iditarod trail began in Seward wound through the mountains to what is now Girdwood, up Turnagain arm and back into the mountains following what is now a popular hiking trail from Seward to Eagle River. Now the military had staked their lands and the trail did go up the East side of what we now call the Glen Highway until it reached Palmer, where it shot over and joined up where the Willow start is now. With the introduction of automobiles and planes this trail was only used for a few short years before it began to over grow until... The Centienial of 1967 when Dorthy Page resurrected the idea of a race along the original trail to remember the old ways supplies and mail were delivered. She presented her idea to Joe and Vi Reddington Senior and the dream began. Donating an acre of their land they sold it off in square feet to raise the purse for the first race that covered just 72 miles from Anchorage to Iditarod. In 1973 the military backed off the land and the trail was again opened up by the Aurora Dog Club and the birth of the Great Race from Anchorage to Nome began. That first race was won by a new comer from Teller named Isaac Okleasik. This very first full length Iditarod has great importance to todays race as the founders children are now the contestants. Lance Mackeys father Dick was a friend of the Reddingtons he helped put the race together and raced the first five races. After his muzzle to muzzle finish he passed the sled on to his son Rick and eventually Lance. The Reddington name has been a major part of almost every race since this began. With Joe Reddington Sr, on to his son Joe Jr...and now on to another Reddington Jr who currently is running tenth in this race. Many more names and faces have come and gone over the life span of this race, but for me it is knowing that the great names that began it are passing on their heritage and I hope for many years into the future we see the Mackeys, Reddingtons, and Swensons running for Nome.....names this race may someday lose, but will never forget.

Iditarod 2009...

Iditarod 2002 Martin Buser set the record for the fastest run from Wasilla to Nome. Doing this in just 8 days 22hours 46minutes and 2seconds. If Lance can make it into Nome by Sunday at midnight or right around there he will break that record. For now Lance has a full belly from the Five Star chef cooked meal the Millennium gifts to the first musher into Anvic. Mr Macky was well into his nap and half way into his mandatory 8 hour break on the Yukon River when King, Burmeister, and Schnuelle checked in and checked right back out again. Leaving Anvic at 8:12 this evening he was in fourth place. Sometime tonight the others must stop for their mandatory 8 on the River...if Macky follows his past history and this race he will run through the night and make his next lengthy stop White Mountain, putting him at least 8 hours in the lead of the pack. Watching this race for second third and fourth may be where we see the muzzle to muzzle finish, King and Burmeister keep jockeying for third and fourth and Shnuelle seems to be holding steady for second... ok time for bed.....mush on to Nome....

Half Time

Like all sports we have to endure a half time as the teams rest up and plan their next strategic moves. It appears from reading a few blogs coming from reporters in Takotna...that the bulk of the mushers may just be settling in for their mandatory 24 hour break....so on with the show... Racing for his 32 year is 58 year old Rick Swenson, wearing bib number 8. (He did have to withdrawl from one race and scratched in another) Known as the "King of Iditarod" and the "Winningest Musher" I am guessing he wont retire until he has had the chance to once again take on a Mackey at the finish line. Racing his second race in 1978 he showed great sportsmanship when a photo finish showed his six dog team, even though his sled crossed first, actually lost to Dick Mackeys eight dog team by "half a muzzle". A record finish going down in history as the closest race finish. 1983 another close finish but the race title left Swenson's hands as it was once again passed on to a Mackey, Rick Mackey, who proceeded his father in racing after his fathers muzzle famous finish. Lance Mackey and Rick Swenson have been on the trail several times competing against each other over the last few years, Will Rick get that chance to once again go muzzle to muzzle with a Mackey on the Main Street of Nome? This year is would be hard to do, Rick is at least 24 hours behind the leader at the moment and Mackey is just two hours. Rick also left in eighth position and is now in 27th while Mackey left in 47th position and is now in fourth. But Swenson is known for coming up from behind and making his move at the last minute often winning the race by mere minutes...

I think I have gone against my own morals....

boy do i have dog race fever.... Ok so I spent the last six months or so studying. Looking back at my journals and maps I am seeing a few patterns as to how these mushers race against the elements with a team of 13 or more dogs with individual personalities of their own...My journals look like a football coaches white board and here is what I am noticing for this race... Many mushers did not show. The ones racing this year are the "die hard to Nomers" and a few Rookies with teams that have linage of the "old timers dogs"....this means we have 67 dog teams left on the trail and 64 of them are top speed dogs, or come from top speed dog linage...the reason I am finding this race so much more interesting is the mushers this year are secondary to the teams. Most of these teams have made this trip at least once 39 of the teams have made this trip more than once. Three of the teams are from Nome and are heading home...an advantage to the musher as his dogs will smell home and pick up pace at the end of the race. This year trail conditions are snow covered and unkown if you stray from the trail blazers path, which appears as a dog sled this year instead of a snow machine like last year. My theory...After watching all the big names slow down and stop while the Rookies and under dogs passed them made me begin to wonder...were the old timers having a moose meat roast on the trail side? I scrambled for my notes and realized the tactic here...the Rookies were breaking trail...the old timers knew the bad part of the trail and held off till a couple Rookies made it through...was that a bad move on their part? As they fell further behind due to a wreck in the pass. Which explained why all the markers got caught up in the mountain longer than usual on the way from Finger Lake...but a lot of time was made up last night cruising down the river....I am still under the belief that Mackey and King are going to be the high light of this Iditarod again...but Burmeister, Neff and Sebastian Schnuelle are running some top notch dogs....All three have ran before and all three I as sure, have dreams of up seating the "Big Boys" One race I am glad I did not put any money on...

An Amazing Day

A bit of news I have been paying close attention to...What is really going on? Thinking maybe it is gonna get a bit noisy in Anchorage, and I am wondering why I have to travel to a national paper to hear about the "training" going on between Alaska and Korea for the next twelve day? Why does my local paper not report that information so those of us that live here at least know why the increase in air traffic raid sirens...those go off at 3am and do not shut up it makes one feel they are living in Germany in World War II....and I dont have a bomb shelter! Do I need one? Ok so on the the good stuff, I like it better.....Been many years since I have seen this... And despite many hang ups and a few snags we made it to Willow this year on a family outing. Traffic was a bit heavy but not bad and parking was ten bucks but the event is free and the money goes to the prize pot...so I would do it again. Well the adventure began at the out house, after three hours in the car of course everyone needed to go...so we stopped at the first out houses we saw, thinking it was probably one of just a few...so did everyong else...and up the trail were six more and about every 200 feet two or three more....guess that is a hint that only dogs are allowed to pee on the ground? A children park is by the lake and the kids spent most of the day with Eric chaperoning it playing there...he probably had a better view there than Britt and I had down on the race way amongst thousands of eager spectators. Now this picture was taken toward the end of the lake and the people you see are on the wrong side of the marker...that is when Britt and I realized we could get there with just a bit of tracking in the snow...and from there we could get to the fence the mushers were getting ready behind...now common what is better watching them all take off from their trucks....after loading their sleds and being checked by the Judges...man the only thing better would have been to slip through the whole we found and be on their side of the fence....think next year I am going to volunteer for the start...maybe someday I will make it to the finish where front row seating is the best place. Many people made little camps on the lake...fires and BBQS burring...others were pulling sleighs of hot chocolate and candy for the kids...yet others were peddling their wares...and well Girl Scout Cookies would be much more fun to sell off the back of a sleigh, and go well with the free coffee and cocoa....(hint hint hint) This little guy could not wait to tell us all about his previous adventures in this race...he and his buddies were very excited to start and this team was the only team that had to have several people on the sled at the start line to hold them back....yes these dogs could NOT wait to hit that trail and it was most obviouse that they all recognized what they were about to do...a very happy team that greatly love the man that feeds them... Lance Mackey walking to the start line while his kennel people guide the dogs, his sled was ridden to the start by a friend of his from Jamaica...a neat thing and the sled was piled with people to weigh it down...I am serious his dogs were trying to pull the Dodge to Nome they were so excited to go... Lance and Tanya Mackey with a good friend and the man who was riding in the musher spot of the sled to the start line.... So this was an amazing day, there are many reasons I have followed this mans career but the biggest one of all was confirmed to me yesterday...he IS in this sport for the dogs and his love of Alaska. His wife, kids and dogs are his priority and the love you felt near his handlers and team was amazing...he even took the last ten minutes before he began to step away and spend some time with his wife...a family and a man with good morals, plus a team of dogs that are eager to please them and their eyes just light up when they see them...it was an amazing experience to be witnessing...

To Joshy, with lots of love Loulou

Josh I know you may or may not read this....but if enough others do and feel your sisters love hopefully you will too... Melissa misses the boys quite a bit. She talks of them often but has just recently realized where Josh actually is, thanks to public television...they interviewed the men at war on PBS...and show brief clips of fathers saying hello to their children...after watching this she was full of questions that were very tough to answer. Retreating to her room she asked for "time out". I assumed she needed to deal with the emotions and questions in her little head...when she came out she had spent that time writing Josh a "letter", the first time I have seen her put letters to words and words to a sentence. When I told her I could read what she wrote she returned to her room and came back with the above....Now these little guys can connect to the internet and she knows it and asked me to send this to him...after forty minutes of trying to do it we took a picture of it instead. So josh if your out there and have the chance to read this....feel deep in your heart...your sister awaits you there with a lot of love, hope, and dreams for when you come home. We love you lots son....and for those that were never trained in "sound writing" (one of our national school district screw ups several years ago) the above says...."I SEE YOU IN MY HEART"

Update and more...

Grandpa and Grandma, Im buddy, and Im growing vegtables... Daddy built the green house... Im Buddy and I am growing vegtables, enough for everyone... So he said it all....Warren has taken it upon himself to grow food...lots of food. He has tomatoes and onions, lettuce, and carrots, strawberries and grapes, pumpkins, cucumbers and green beans...plus pop corn which is where it all began. The boy has a green thumb and never forgets his "sproots". They are sung to daily, watered as needed and he will even naps with them when they feel "lonley". So I asked him the other day what we were going to do with all these plants.. "We are gonna share em and eat em mama".... "What about when we go camping, who will care for them?" I asked "We will take them grandma, she has a big garden." Was his reply. So with my abundance of "salad" that is being grown in my basement I am thinking that if it is ok with mom and dad....we will plant the garden this year...Warren has plenty for all who want to can tomatoes all fall... So dad...can we pull that garden together? So my little man can take care of his "sproots" all summer too? Now on to my oldest son....Josh was promoted yesterday...he is now a first class petty officer and proud of it...his goal is to be leading his own platoon sometime in the near future...and at this time is considering a life time career in the US Army....