Vet Check and Happy Trails Kennel

Hey, I see my postings DID come here. OK, that's s relief. Wireless here is expensive and elusive, so I'll do my best. I have some free time today to explore around downtown Anchorage. Might take in some Fur Rhondy exhibits and hoopla, some shops, maybe the Bear and Raven Theatre or the Museum.

BUT yesterday Vet Check was incredible. I am going to run out of descriptive words. Lance was ALL THAT AND MORE. He is so incredibly real and a bundle of enthusiastic energy, truly an 'energizer bunny'. He is eating up this attention with the media and fans, but in a humble way. He got a cell phone call while talking to the press, answered it casually, and did some quick directions to whomever it was, and grinned and said, "Gotta run, here, I'm busy doing this RockStar bit", hung up and was right back to interviews, personal conversations with fans, picture taking, and autograph signing, while not skipping a beat of grabbing the dogs out of their boxes, nuzzling them and gently lowering them to tie them for the vets to check. His eye contact and ability to make each person feel like he is talking right to them is amazing. His dogs look great, and all got a total bill of health for the Iditarod, even one that Lance had some doubts about because of cut/split in a foot pad. His foot is healing perfectly.

Some other mushers I saw were Lachlan Clark, Eric Rogers, the Frekkings, Zoya Denure, Cindy Gallea, and Ed Striela(sp?). It was fun watching the detail and quickness of the volunteer vets, and how much they were enjoying their job.

Martin Buser, of course, also impressed me, when we visited his kennel yesterday afternoon. He has a grand sense of humor. I asked him if that sense of humor left him when he was in sleep deprived and exhausting situations on the trail and he belly laughed, "Oh, that's when the sense of humor revs up on high, it has to." He gave us some strategies he and Rohn were planning, but I don't believe a word of it. He clearly keeps his real plans close to the chest.

Add an evening of fresh Halibut, stuffed with King Crab, encrusted in macadamia nuts and a couple of drinks with my new Iditarod Buddies, and Heaven can't get any better than this!

By the way, Frozen C, are you in Anchorage? Better show your face if you are!

Mush on,
JeanieB

Surviving the wireless drought

Hi guys, I am here and wrote the most awsome blog yesterday, only to have it disappear into internet oblivion. Service is very spotty, so I'm only going to do shorter blogs until I am sure it's posting correctly. My first full day here was beyond a dream! My roommates are awesome and we feel like we have know each other for years. After a good night's sleep on Tuesday, we were full tilt into Iditarod preliminaries on Wednesday, attending Vet Check, spending time with Zoya DeNure, and a Lot of time with Yukon Quest and Iditarod Champion Lance Mackey. I am still floating from that! More about that later. From their we had lunch with 7 of the Iditasupport folks in Wasilla, and then went out to Happy Trails Kennel for a whole afternoon there with Martin and Rohn Buser and their dogs and family. The dogs are amazing, and as everyone has often reported, the mushers so real and approachable. We had such a great conversation about race strategy with Martin before the rest of a tour group arrived.

Right now, I have to be off to a meeting with my tour group. Jon and the BSSD kids are supposed to be here with Gatekeeper and I at the Snow City Cafe any minute. I hope they get here before I have to leave for my meeting. It's like Gatekeeper and I are sisters, our parallels are amazing. I'll stop now to finish my breakfast, but will be back with more about yesterday's adventure.

For you who haven't been here yet, it is much more than I could ever dream of, and I haven't even seen the start of the race yet! On to the meeting.

Mush on,
JeanieB

I'm Finally in Alaska!

Here are Jeanie B (VA), Karen F (WA), Kim B. (WA), and Mary C. (NJ) enjoying my first day at the Millenium, Iditarod Headquarters. The 'dropped dog yard' is outside the window, in the background.

Sometimes we have a dream, and the dream is enough. Sometimes you have to live it. I am sure some of the mushers may say that about competing in and completing the Iditarod, but for me it is just to be here and suck up the enthusiasm. I left Virginia this morning at 6:30 am EST and it is now 8 pm Alaska time (4 hour time difference), so my brain is partially fried, but Oh, it has been an amazing day.

The skies were clear over Montana, so I got my 'fix' of those magnificent Rockies. Landing in Seattle, Mt. Ranier and Mt. St. Helens loomed snow covered in the distant. Flying up to Anchorage from there was mostly cloudy, but the skies opened for a view of the Kenai Penninsula, and the mountains, fjords, and glaciers from the air, a terrific invite. All connections worked like clockwork, and my bags arrived in one piece. And, yes, the little suitcase COULD contain all the gear I will need to keep warm on my adventures. I had to toss my polypropaline long underwear, but I have a lot of layers besides that.

My friends at home seem to think my extreme interest a bit odd, but by the time I got on the plane at Cincinnati, I met a number of other East coast travelers with their Iditarod logo prominent, and had conversations from that point on about who was moving up in the mushing world, and 'are you going to Nome' and 'How many years have you volunteered?' and 'Thirteen years! That's terrific!' I met two of my roommates at the airport in Anchorage, and we have had about 5 hours now to bond, but it only took about 10 minutes. I ran into Rudy in Cincinnati, and have seen him already four or five times, and Kime, who e-mailed me last week about how to get to Rainy Pass, she ended up eating dinner with us. This mushing family is a tight knit group, and I am in my Heaven! Every conversation is about huskies, or Alaska, or the next event, or the chances of various mushers.

Did I say this place is beautiful?! The snow covered Chugach Mountains rim around the city. I've only been from the airport to the Millenium so far, and the views were great. Right now I am so tired I can't hold my eyes open. Karen, Mary, Kim, and I had a great meal and a few beers in the Fancy Moose Bar downstairs at the hotel. The lobby is full of stuffed animals of Alaska, and everyone is talking race. Pam will be here in the middle of the night, so I need to catch a few winks. I did get a chance to pick my top ten picks for the race, so I'll post them tomorrow. If some of this doesn't make sense, or spelling is awry, but my eyes are partially closed. I'll be up bright and early in the morning, but it's crash time now!

Mush on!
JeanieB

On My Way

Alright, JeanieB (and we are soon to have a discussion about where this moniker came from, it is so far away from your real name) here I am. sitting in the Eugene airport, waiting for the first leg of my flight to Anchorage. Saying good-bye to my little Sibe was the hardest thing I ever did (My husband KNOWS I'll be back). she smiled and wagged her tail, doesn't know what all this extra attention is for, but gee, it's terrific!
I am so excited! This is not my first trip, but I will be volunteering with the ITC for the first time, looking forward to meeting a bunch of people that I only know from their internet postings, and I am terribly excited! I will also get to to to Nome and see the finish.
There are so many people on their way to Anchorage this week. Just check the postings at the various sites. It seems we all are on our own journey, our trails wind together and apart. For me, I marvel at the dogs, their ability and athleticism, and the people who love them enough to care for them and share their lives.
GK

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS!

Two weeks until the Last Great Race begins! Note that today Lance Mackey, defending Iditarod and Yukon Quest champion, leads the Yukon Quest more than halfway through that great 1000+ mile race from Fairbanks to Whitehorse. It is a CLOSE race this year, with Ken Anderson right up there with him. To follow the 2nd half of the Yukon Quest, go to their new, beautifully updated site, http://www.yukonquest.com/ and click on race updates.

This is when I start to decide who I am going to select for my TTP's (top ten picks) for the Iditarod. I am for sure at a loss this year, as there are too many I want to root for to pick just 10. Lance was amazing last year, but can he do it again? Is his breeding program, or dog relationship, truly a cut above? I'm thinking, yeah. Some others on my list, Jeff King, Paul Gephart, Robert Sorlie, John Baker, Ed Iten, Mitch Seavey, Jessica Royer, Aaron Burmeister, Zach Steer, Ken Anderson, Martin Buser, DeeDee Jonrowe, and Ali Zirkle. I might have missed a few. When I decide, I'll post my TTP over at the BSSD site on the forum, where the winner wins an Iditarod Hat! I'll narrow my list after consulting my 'intuitive self'.

WEBSITES THAT FOLLOW THE IDITAROD

There are certainly others, but here are some websites to check out to educate yourself about the Iditarod, and follow the race. Remember, the Ceremonial Start in in Anchorage on March 1st this year, and the actual start will be on March 2nd in Willow. Two weeks from today!

THE OFFICIAL IDITAROD WEBSITE: http://www.iditarod.com/
RACE UPDATES AND AUDIO CLIPS: http://www.dogsled.com/
ALASKA PUBLIC RADIO REPORTS FROM THE TRAIL: www.iditarod.aprn.org/
FREE UPDATES, INTERVIEWS, VIDEOS: www.iditarodpodcast.com
WONDERFUL SITE BY THE BERING STRAIT SCHOOL DISTRICT, WITH STUDENTS DOING UPDATES, INTERVIEW, AND GREAT CHAT ROOM: http://mushing.bssd.org/index
JEFF KING'S WEBSITE INCLUDING HIS JOURNAL: http://www.huskyhomestead.com

Books to Whet Your Appetite for Alaska

For years I have admired the mushing community from afar. Some of the best books I have read, ones that took me there in my Alaskan Fantasy adventures were the following:

1. WINTERDANCE by Gary Paulsen - The ultimate in Iditarod reading. He gives us the joy and agony, and you will laugh yourself silly reading it. Still my favorite!


2. WOODSONG by Gary Paulsen - The young adult version of his dog-sledding adventures.


3. BACKSTAGE IDITAROD by June Price - Great introduction if you are new to the sport, or adjunct to all you know already if you are a "Fan"atic, or preparing to attend.


4. RUNNING WITH CHAMPIONS: A MIDLIFE JOURNEY ON THE IDITAROD TRAIL by Lisa Fredrick - Wonderful story or her journey from Jeff King's dog handler, to running the race herself.


5. ONE SECOND TO GLORY: THE ALASKAN ADVENTURES OF IDITAROD CHAMPION DICK MACKEY by Lew Freedman - Talk about someone with TALL tales, it's hard to tell fact from stretching the truth, but it doesn't matter. This is a fun story, and gives an idea of where current Iditarod and Yukon Quest champion, Lance Mackey gets his gift of gab.


6. MY LEAD DOG WAS A LESBIAN by Brian Patrick O'Donoghue - Another fun read that takes you on the trail, a way back from the lead pack.


7. IDITAROD DREAMS by Lew Freedman and DeeDee Jonrowe - DeeDee's story of one year in her Iditarod training and racing. DeeDee has been and will continue to be a great musher and incredible woman.


8. RACE ACROSS ALASKA by Libby Riddles and Tim Jones - The first woman to win the Iditarod tells the story that started the saying "Alaska, where men are men and women win the Iditarod".


9. IDITAROD CLASSICS: TALES OF THE TRAIL by Lew Freedman and Jon VanZyle - Jon has painted the scene for each of the Iditarod posters for years, and this book captures the stories and pictures of the Last Great Race.


10. NO END IN SIGHT: MY LIFE AS A BLIND IDITAROD RACER by Rachael Scdoris and Rick Steber - Rachael has started the race 3 years, and completed the race last year, the first legally blind musher to do so. I have not read this yet, but it's on my list.


11. ALASKA by James Michener - a bit dated, but intricately researched and brilliantly written to weave a fiction story through the history of Alaska.


12. ORDINARY WOLVES by Seth Kantner - not about the Iditarod, or mushing, but the most amazing fiction story I have read that chronicles growing up in the bush in the Brooks Range, and the clash of modern culture on the native northern population. Dog teams here were for survival, not pleasure.


13. NUNAGA: TEN YEARS AMONG THE ESKIMOS by Duncan Pryde - True story of a man who went north to fur trade, and chose to live among the Eskimos. Not in Alaska, but in the Actic. A truly great read.


14. TWO OLD WOMEN by Velma Wallis - Not about mushing or Alaska, exactly, but a short story and must read legend of native women. Great to read after the previous two books.


15. MURDER ON THE IDITAROD TRAIL by Sue Henry - Fiction, mystery, and pretty ridiculous story of intrigue that follows the race as mushers are murdered. Read only if you can't find any of the others.

There are so many others, but I only wanted to list books I have read or know about. I know I have read many more, so I will update this list occasionally.