Backstage Iditarod

Idita-Crostics

2011-12-06T01:20:00.000-09:00

Idita-crostics

If you're not familiar with how this sort of poem works, it's fairly simple. You begin by coming up with a word or phrase that you're write vertically down your paper. Then you create a meaningful line to go with each initial letter. Here are some samples everyone came up with one year. These are fun to do and can be slanted easily to fit the time of year or occasion, such as Training, Rondy, Raising Puppies, a musher name, etc. I'm pretty sure the first one here is mine tho', alas, other author/poets' names have been lost in the cobwebs of my mind.

I had a dream....
Dancing with dogs
Ice crystals sparkling as we pass
Trail well worn, a passage thru time
Aurora above me
Remembrance of heroes of old
Onward, ever onward
Dashing to a far distant place
....IDITAROD

1.The Finishers Idit-acrostic

Dedicated to those who finished and to those who will follow their dream and race the Iditarod in the future.

I did the Iditarod Trail
Down the trail from Anchorage to Nome
In and out of checkpoints speeding along
The 16 dogs that raced with me
Alone with my team I followed my dream
Rugged mountains and bad weather were a few of my challenges
Onward I pushed to the finish line in Nome.
Did. I did. I did the Iditarod Trail.

2.
I spy headlamps stealing 'round the bend
Did someone cry "Musher In"?
I smell pies baking on the river
Too cold out - Makes me shiver
Are the meals made? Places to rest?
Ready crew? You are the best
Only a river left, covered in hay
Darn! Mushers gone - T'was only a day

3.
Best in 2002!
Under the arch, became a U.S. citizen
Swiss-born
Eagle Pack, a primary sponsor
Rohn and Nikolai, his two sons

4. Iditarod Checkpoints acrostic

In the beginning we start in Wasilla
Down the trail to Knik
Iditarod
Takotna
Anvik
Rohn
Ophir
Down the chute to the finish line in Nome!

5.
I - Independence
D - Dreams
I - Integrity
T - Toughness
A - Ability
R - Romance
O - Odyssy
D - Determination

6.
Mackey, Lance
US. citizen, Buser, Martin(!)
Sagoonick, Palmer
Horstmann, Rick
Ettyne, Nikolai
Redington, Ray, Jr.
Smyth, Ramey

6.
I did the Iditarod Trail
Dogs pulling hard
In 1049 miles I was in Nome
Teachers and students followed online
Afterward I ate and slept like there was no tomorrow
Rainy Pass, Rohn and Ruby were a blur
On to the Gold Coast in a hurry
Dropped a few dogs but the rest made it to Nome.

7.
Imaginations, running wild, eyes closed
Dreaming of their favorite mushers and their teams
Idita-Supporters searching their computers endlessly
Trails steep, rugged mountains, rivers, remote checkpoints
Alaska, "The Last Wild Frontier"
Reading e-mails, websites, postings and status reports
Overwhelmed, excited, exhausted
Dreaming they too are on the Iditarod Trail to Nome!

8. Iditarod Awards acrostic
Improved the most is easy to understand
Dodge Truck to the first to Nome
Inspirational Award to the musher who inspired us the most
The Rookie of the Year for the first rookie in
A feast goes to the First to the Yukon River
Red Lantern goes to the last to finish
Outfitter Award will keep you the warmest
Dogs are awarded the Golden Harness.

9. A Mushers Nightmare
Into tree branches
Dragged behind sled
Into icy waters
Temperatures intolerable
Attacked by Moose
Running after sled
Off trail over steep incline
Dropped dogs left behind :>(

10.
In the snow
Drive my huskies
In to the night
Trotting down the Iditarod trail
Around 19 mph
Race to Nome
Over the finish line!
Day 8.00.00. record time, dream on!

11.
Into the night
Dogs runnng as one
Icy trails
Tracing the old trail
Aurora overhead
One thought, to finish
Down the street to the arch

Kid's Division

K1.

Iditarod
Dogs
Indomitable
Trail
Alaska
Race
Ophir
DeeDee is number 1!

K2.I Love the Iditarod acrostic
By David, age 9

I like to follow the Iditarod
Dogs are the best part of the race
I like Charlie Boulding and Jeff King
The trail is long
And the weather is cold
Reading the stories is a lot of fun
Of course, getting mail from my musher is the best
Don't like it when the race is done!

K3. My Race Idit-acrostic
By Jason, age 11

I did the Iditarod Trail
Dogs of mine were running fast
In Nikolai, I had to drop 2 dogs
That dogteam of mine would not give up
Anchorage to Anvik went by in a flash
Rough terrain and cutting wind makes it hard to go on
Often I'd think I would have to give up
Down the trail I made it to Nome.

K4. So you think you'd like to run the Iditarod?
A silly little bit of info to think about if you ever think you'd like to run the race
By Anonymous

I hate running the Iditarod with
Dogs with diarrhea
It hits me in the face when
The other dogs run thru it
Although finding a spot to pee isn't hard
Really freezing cold weather makes it hard to pull down my Carthalls
Or take off my mittens so I can wipe
Don't like it at all when I forget the toilet paper.

An Iditarod 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-04T18:27:00.000-09:00

Way back when, or if you prefer, the good ol' days, the email group I maintain for Iditarod fans -- Idita-Support was feeling creative. Several folks wrote an Idita-version of the Twelve Days of Christmas, given their songs a doggie twist. Alas, unless someone remembers which was theirs, I no longer can put names to each and I'm not telling which one was mine. Ha

So, without further ado....

An Iditarod 12 Days of Christmas

1. On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

12 years in Alaska

11 gross of dog booties

10 acre dog lot

9 huskies dancing

8 tons of dog food

7 swing huskies

6 months of training

5 time champion lead dog

4 kennel helpers

3 perfect sleds

2 qualifying races

AND...one Iditarod entry fee.

2. On the 12th day of Iditarod, my best dog gave to me

Twelve hundred booties,

Eleven dogs in heat for,

Ten hundred forty,

Nine endless miles,

Eight Quick Change Runners,

Seven double ganglines,

Six command leaders,

Five hours of sleep!

Four frozen fish,

Three straw bales,

Two pairs of gloves,

And a snow hook in a pine tree.

3. On the 12th day of Christmas, my musher gave to me…

12 huskies panting,

11 mushers grinning,

10 fairies wishing,

9 moose a sleeping,

8 teams a resting,

7 birds a singing,

6 dogs a running,

5 bells ringing,

4 bags of trail mix,

3 tails a wagging,

2 racing sleds,

And an excited team in Nome.

4. On the twelfth day of Iditarod my fur face gave to me…

…twelve huskies pulling

…eleven mushers hawing

…ten northern lights

…nine "Supporters" e-mailing

…an eight hour layover

…seven planes a flyin'

…six pizzas for Zuma

…five golden harness awards

…four cordura dog booties

…three pounds of dog food

…two mukluks

…and a Burled Arch in Nome!

5. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…

Twelve million dollars

Eleven snowy mountains,

Ten pounds of gold,

Nine vets a workin',

Eight rivers freezin',

Seven sleds a racin',

Six rabid wolves,

Five icy lakes,

Four small rabbits,

Three moose a snortin',

Two dogs a matin',

And a sled dog in a pine tree.

6. 12 huskies prancing,

11 vets treating,

10 mushers eating,

9 days a racing,

8 trophies a shining,

7 rivers a flowing,

6 moose a lying,

5 excited dogs,

4 wagging tails,

3 tired mushers,

2 busted sleds,

And a winner entering Nome.

7. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

12 dozen dog booties

11 cachets,

10 extra harnesses,

9 yards of tow line,

8 hours of uninterrupted sleep,

7 handlers in the "chute" at Nome,

6 dozen pounds of dogfood for the checkpoints,

5 dogs so I can finish,

4 snowshoes,

3 mandatory stops,

2 sleds,

and 1 bib waiting for me in Safety.

8. On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

12 eager huskies

11 minute lead

10 doggie booties

9 pounds of dog food

8 good trail maps

7 good wishes

6 vets at checkpoints

5 hours in the lead

4 walkie talkies

3 broken towlines

2 lead dogs

And a free ticket to Iditarod

9. On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

A 12 hour layover

11 dogs a pantin'

10 champion racers

9 hours of northern lights

8 booties per dog

7 packs of fish

6 bales of hay

5 hundred Idita-supporters

4 hours of sleep

A 3 hour lead

2 red huskies

1 checkpoint to go!

10. On the twelfth day of Christmas,

my musher gave to me…

12 huskies prancing,

11 vets treating,

10 mushers eating,

9 days a racing,

8 trophies a shining,

7 rivers a flowing,

6 moose a lying,

5 wagging tails,

4 Rainy Passes,

3 tired mushers,

2 beavers splashing,

And a shining first place trophy.

11. On the first day of Iditarod my true dogs gave to me, one full healthy team.

On the second day of Iditarod my true dogs gave to me two runs through overflow,

On the third day of Iditarod my true dogs gave to me, three blinding curves,

On the fourth day of Iditarod my true dogs gave to me four frozen fingers

On the fifth day of Iditarod my true dogs gave to me five females in heat!

On the sixth day of Iditarod my true dogs gave to me six loping males,

On the seventh day of Iditarod my true dogs gave to me seven lords a leaping out of bushes at me

On the eighth day of Iditarod my true dogs gave to me eight hours of rest!

On the ninth day of Iditarod my true dogs gave to me nine hours to go

On the tenth day of Iditarod my true dogs gave to me ten friends in Nome to meet me,

nine hours running over,

many more than eight hours of resting,

no more lords a leaping at me,

six hopeful males,

five secluded females,

four thawing fingers,

no more curves to blind me,

two dry boots

and ONE FULL HEALTHY TEAM!

12. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

12 sled dogs running,

11 muscles cramping,

10 fairies blessing,

9 racers feasting,

8 dogs need loving,

7 boots a dancing,

6 huskies lying,

5 golden nuggets,

4 malamutes,

3 sleeping bags,

2 white dogs,

And a Siberian mix-breed.

13. On the 12th day of Idita-mas, my true love gave to me...

12 crisp nights of silence

11 dreams of glory

10 puppies wigglin'

9 hallucinations

8 mushing lessons

7 sibes a howlin'

6 red siberians

5 Aurora Nights!

4 tangled teams

3 lost trails

2 sleepless nights

and a book about the I-dit-a-rod!

14. On the 1st day of Xmas my Kick sled gave to me, miles & miles of snowy trails to lead.

On the 2nd day of Xmas my Two gloves gave to me, snuggly hands for praying.

On the 3rd day of Xmas my Cabelas jacket gave to me, warm buns and other warm things.

On the 4th day of Xmas Mother Nature gave to me, 2 ft. of snow for mushing.

On the 5th day of Xmas my spirit gave to me, stars to see the other sled -dies

On the 6th day of Xmas my Chocolate gave to me, wake-up and energy.

On the 7th day of Xmas Mother Nature gave 2ft. to me again, mush on!

On the 8th day of Xmas my Instinct gave to me, keep going musher & follow D.Swingley.

On the 9th day of Xmas my Eyes could not believe, I passed D.S. in the stretch-y

On the 10th day of Xmas The Aurora gave to me, a glancer and prancer.

On the 11th day of Xmas D.Swingley gave to me the chance to win the race for once-e.

On the 12th day of Xmas My Twelve Days gave to me, Nome and the finish line-e.

15. On the 12th day of the Iditarod, My True Love gave to me:

12 Sibes in harness

11 bags of dog treats

10 wicking undies

9 tons of dog food

8 gross of booties

7 shiny headlamps

6 cachets a ridin'

5 generous sponsors

4 dozen dog coats

3 racing sleds

2 qualifying races

and an entry to the last great race.

...................Hike!

16. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my lead dog gave to me…

12 feet of snowy mountains,

11 shotgun shells,

10 fairies casting,

9 trophies given,

8 frozen feet,

7 warm booties,

6 people cheering,

5 pounds of gold,

4 pounds of food,

3 dogs a runnin',

2 different trails,

And a big feast in Iditarod.

17. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my lead dog gave to me…

12 great, big mountains

11 entry fees

10 first place prizes,

9 great, big trophies,

8 freezing huskies,

7 sleeping bags,

6 different checkpoints,

5 different trails,

4 freezing booties,

3 heavy blankets,

2 pine trees,

And a big, fat moose to eat.

18. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

12 entry fees

11 flowing rivers,

10 warm checkpoints,

9 sleeping bags,

8 bags of dog food,

7 Knik fairies,

6 sleds a racing,

5 huge huskies

4 large bears,

3 first place prizes,

2 freezing huskies,

And an especially long trail.

19. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my musher gave to me…

12 booties shining,

11 fish swimming,

10 dogs running,

9 toys a squeaking,

8 moose a passing,

7 wolves a running,

6 caribou a sleeping,

5 broken bones,

4 huge blankets,

3 kibble nuggets,

2 doghouses,

And a harness with a sled.

20. On the 12th day of Idita-mas, my true love sent to me

12 loyal sponsors

11 dozen booties

10 eager huskies

9 pups in training

8 snug warm kennels

7 new sled runners

6 gallons of Blazo

5 feet of snow

4 tons of dogfood

3 moose repellers

2 nice warm parkas

and a lead dog running strong

21. On the 12th day of Christmas, my musher gave to me…

Twelve puppies whining,

Eleven huskies training,

Ten judges judging,

Nine rocks a falling,

Eight fans a waving,

Seven mushers a racing,

Six salmon a freezing,

Five thousand dollars,

Four icy trails,

Three trips to Nome,

Two wool blankets,

And a collar with a tag, just for me!

22. On the 12th day of Christmas, my musher gave to me…

Twelve huskies running,

Eleven hours of sleeping,

Ten pairs of booties,

Nine handlers' harnessing,

Eight doggie bones,

Seven fans a jumping,

Six ganglines a dangling,

Five freezing nights,

Four warm blankets,

Three extra collars,

Two golden trophies,

And one trip to Alaska.

23. On the 12th day of Iditarod, my musher gave to me…

Twelve doggie booties,

Eleven pounds of dog food,

Ten juicy bones,

Nine dogs a running,

Eight mountains a rising,

Seven vets a checking,

Six judges a judging,

Five nice treats,

Four bowls of water,

Three purple blankets,

Two hours of sleep

And a golden trophy for me!

24. On the 12th day on the trail my wolf dog gave to me

11 polar bears dancing

10 wolves a-howling

9 puppies in the snow!

8 fat ptarmigans

7 dog teams passing

6 eskimos waving

5 pairs of mukluks

4 walrus whiskers

3 frozen fish sticks, too

2 mushers yodeling

and a checkpoint rookie in the spruce tree!!

25. On the twelfth day of racing, my family sent to me…

12 real poinsettias,

11 candied chestnuts,

10 pairs of booties,

9 paths a trailing,

8 dogs a training,

7 planes a leading,

6 Inuits a watching,

5 gardens of peas,

4 sets of collars,

3 Northern Lights,

2 bags of food,

And a pleasing redwood tree.

26. On the twevtth day of March, my best dog gave to me

Twelve hundred pounds of,

Eleven frozen meat types,

ten hundred forty,

Nine good snow miles,

Eight hot cheeseburgers,

Seven bowls of chili,

Six hours run/rest,

Five Northern Lights!

Four hours of sleep,

Three spare bulbs,

Two warm dry gloves,

And a wet kiss out on Front Street..

New Book on Joe Redington Sr.

2011-07-30T15:46:00.000-08:00

Poster for the newest book on Joe Redington Sr. By Katie Mangelsdorf, it's titled Champion of Alaskan Huskies: Joe Redington Sr., Father of the Iditarod

Here's part of the blurb on the back cover: "Joe Redington Sr. was an ordinary man with extraordinary dreeams--and buckets of determination! His vision was as vast as the majestic Alaska landscape he loved to explore. This firsthand account is of the man whose love for the Alaskan husky and the Iditarod Trail evolved into the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Joe's adventurous spirit, fierce perseverance, and creative heart burned strong within his character and enabled the impossible to become a reality. His spell-binding stories and genuine love of Alaska drew people into his dreams. This is the story of those unique feats that defined Joe's life, and built the foundation for the most demanding and famous sled dog race in the world."

Author Katie Mangelsdorf was at Iditarod Headquarters on Th. evening to sign books. The book should be available via the ITC website's store and/or Amazon.com soon. 318 pages, $19.95, paperback

The Redington Family was on hand to support Katie. Raymie and Barb Redington signing books for Helen Hegener, right.

Barb, Raymie, Katie, Ray Jr., then Ray's children Isaac and Ellen(front) beside the statue erected at Iditarod Headquarters in memory of Joe Sr.

Katie (who's a retired teacher, too, I might note) with Joe Sr.

Volunteer/Musher Sign-Up Picnic

2011-06-25T15:55:00.042-08:00

Captions will be brief or non-existent for a bit, sorry.

Replica of Rohn cabin.

Candy Gibson

?? and Lilian at the volunteer sign-in table

Lilian, who came to visit from Switzerland, and Candy

Inside the meeting room

Joanne Potts chats with Pat Moon

Ken Anderson doing sign-up paperwork.

Lunch line, where mushers and fans share the line

Peg Stout and daugher DeeDee

Hugh Neff

Karin

Fan and musher spouse Maureen Morgan. I fell in love with her blouse.

Hmm, Jeff King? Yep, Jeff's back. Seen here chatting with head vet Stu Nelson.

Jeff and John Baker share a laugh

John being hooked up to do some announcements.

Aliy

Kevin Neher, who'll be an Idita-2012 rookie.

Ken and John

John was learning the writers cramp may be part and parcel of being champ as he signed endless autographs and was signing bibs here for the ITC's auction.

Jeff King signing up after a one-year absense.

Jeff Schultz chats with musher Jodi Bailey

Jodi

Dallas Seavey, ?, ?, Jeff King

Did you doubt for a moment that I didn't take time for some puppy visiting?

I love reading license plates anyway, some are so funny, but bet you can figure out which family owns the dog truck this one's on.

Brief "checkpoint" stop at the Millennium Hotel

2011-03-10T20:12:00.011-09:00

Iditarod Headquarters in Anchorage during the race, the Millennium Hotel from outside. And, of course, you'll notice the sign for Fancy Moose Lounge, a very popular hang-out for one and all.

One one of the posts inside the Fancy Moose.

June Shelley working in the phone room.

One can never have enough stuffed huskies.

This was as close to dogs as we got today. A plane was due in but hadn't arrived, so we just sat in the Moose and enjoyed the view.

I don't normally get in photos with folks, but figured, hey, these are the parents of one of my favorite mushers, Aliy Zirkle, so why not. It also let me show the haircut. Ha

They did fly in a sled while we were there, albeit in pieces. The people front left have the runners while the rest of it followed.

Pat Schue and GG Goss

Iditarod Restart, 2011, Willow, Alaska

2011-03-09T12:07:00.013-09:00

All photos here courtesy of Pat Schue. Thanks, Pat!

Pat sent a lot of really nice pix of "backstage restart", but this has to be my favorite. Kinda says it all, doesn't it....and it's on the back of Lance and Newton's truck.

Newton posing with fans.

Inside the Willow Community Center, artist Jon VanZyle signs Pat's poster.

The crowd is gathering near the restart banner on Willow Lake.

Sebastian going through his last sled check before he hits the trail.

Seavey dogs are ready to go!

Hurry up and wait, hurry up and wait, let's get this show on the road. Seavey dogs.

Hmm, I've got to remember this for next year. A lounge chair on a sled that was pulled out onto the lake by a snow machine for an older fan to be able to see the restart. Someone actually brought Col. Vaughan out onto the lake in his wheelchair this way one year.

Dallas Seavey, Yukon Quest 2011 Champion

Catching a few rays before the start.
Bonnie Foster, left, making sure Sab gets himself packed and ready to go on time.

This tag sorta speaks for itself, I'd say.

Bored?

Hey, can you see Russia from here?

Hans Gatt laying out his gang line.

Ed Stielstra tending to last minute details.

Dawson Dolly even sang to the tv guys!

Martin Buser already had on his serious game face.

Lance Mackey....anywhere Lance was, you knew cameras, media and fans couldn't be far behind.

Something tells me Kristy Berington's "bad hair day" hasn't improved since hitting the trail.

Keith trying to get one of those pesky ID tags on one of Sven's dogs. The metal links are hard to get on under the best of circumstances, even worse with cold hands and in a rush.

#17, some musher named Mackey, looks ready to rock'n'roll.

Sometimes you've got to wonder how Lance finds time to get ready (Yeah, I know a great team behind him) with all the media demands put on him.

Newton's also in great demand with the tv guys. Mush, mon!

Bonnie, Helen, and Mike waiting for the restart.

Iditarod mushers really know how to throw a tail-gate party.

Sven Haltmann

Wonder how many gazillion photos this banner featured in over the day?

Sebastian making one last adjustment as the time draws near.

The dogs are ready!

The Berington Twins

Okay, let's get this show on the road!!! Mush! Mush, mon!!!

More Iditarod Start Pix, part 1

2011-03-08T13:51:00.030-09:00

No captions, so have a list of bib numbers handy. I got most of the mushers but if your personal favorite is missing, they may still be on some of the video I took. So, check back periodically as I'll be adding pix and eventually video over the next few days.

More Iditarod Start Pix, part 2

2011-03-08T12:17:00.027-09:00

No captions, sorry, so have a list of musher bib numbers handy. All but one or two clearly show bib numbers.

More Iditarod Start Pix, part 3

2011-03-07T23:40:00.026-09:00

No captions yet, so have a list handy with musher bib numbers.

And finally, the view on the drive back home to Wasilla.

Quick sampling of Start, Iditarod 2011

2011-03-05T17:35:00.028-09:00

It's about the dogs.... These are neither in order nor even close to how many pix I took, but for now will have to hold you will I go swill some head cold medicine. Sigh.

Eric Rogers and Rod Perry running an ol' fashioned get-up in recognition of the Historic Iditarod Trail, so to speak.

Aliy Zirkle

Synchonized mushing?

Cain Carter

Dallas Seavey, 2011 Yukon Quest Champion

Ed Stielstra

Ed's dogs taking the corner right in front of me.

GB Jones

Hans Gatt takes that sharp left turn at Goose Lake Park.

Hugh Neff's dogs were sporting tie-dyed doggie coats, not to mention Cat-in-the-Hat in the sled.

Hugh's cape...Cat in the Hat rules.

Dan Kaduce, last year's Rookie of the Year, rides Jodi Bailey's tag sled this year.

Umm, did anyone tell Jodi's Idita-rider that moose are not a musher's friend?

Included this pix to show the sign the mushers had to get themselves and their tag sled riders past safetly.

Ken Anderson, whose dog were sporting Redpaw doggie coats.

Lance Mackey

Wow, Lance can drive his sled backwards, too!

Mitch Seavey

Oops, how embarrassing!

Mike Santos

Rick Swenson

Wattie McDonald in his kilt

Mike Williams Jr.

Iditarod Open House, Bonnie and Jim Foster's

2011-03-04T20:16:00.017-09:00

Our host for the evening, Jim Foster
And the hostess with the mostest, Bonnie Foster, right.

"You want me to do what?!!"

Tang

Hey, why are we out here when all that food is in there?

Speaking of food, and this was taken very early, before the tables really got crowded.

View out the kitchen window.

Wow, what a surprise. Pat's found a dog to love on.

Love those eyes.

Ed Stielstra wasn't able to stay long, alas.

Sab's cake

My favorite, the chocolate fountain!!!

I can't spell Lynn's last name, but she was checking in via Skype.

Next to check in via Skype was Kathy Mattes, from LA, California

I love this face!

I have a few gazillion of Skunk, but how can you not love this tough sled dog? She led Sab over the summit, btw.

Sab cutting the cake.

Skunk was kind enough to share her couch with Sebastian. How cute is that pose? Hers, not Sab's. Ha

See, Skunk knows who the star attraction really is.

Jake Berkowitz and Claudia Nowak

Eric Vercammen (gotta learn how to spell your last name, Eric) flew all the way over from Belgium for the race. He was getting down on the doggie level here for pix.

Did I mention that there was food, lots and lots of food?

Alex Stein, producer of the movie "Mush!" that premiered at the Anchorage Film Festival, who flew up from LA.

Jake's lap obviously meets with Skunk's approval.

Boots at the door, lots and lots of boots. My Lobbens are in the mix somewhere.

Eric was out practicing earlier for his adventure tomorrow but made it to the open house.

Jessie Royer and Paige, whose last name escapes me. She was there interviewing folks for the media. Scott Sloan was there, too, but somehow didn't get a pix of him, bad me.

Okay, y'all already know we Alaskans are tough, or maybe a bit crazy. Barefoot on the snow, Gail Somerville followed a bunch of us out to get that one more picture.

Hans was part of the bunch. He went to see the sled Rod Perry will be using tomorrow, but I went to see this, the board that Eric Rogers is somehow supposed to ride all the way from the starting line out to Campbell Airstrip tomorrow. My foot would not even quite fit on the "runners", so you can figure size. Not very big at all.

Helen had moved around to get a pix of Rod, so I took that opportunity to grab a shot of her standing beside the sled for size-comparison. I got some great video of Rod talking about the "good ol' days" with Hans Gatt but, alas, that will have to wait until post start/restart.

Hans Gatt and Rod Perry

More Vet Check Pix, Courtesy of Pat Schue

2011-03-02T18:10:00.016-09:00

Hey, let me out! I could be a big, tough sled dog! Well, tough at least.

Cain Carter

Finney, the first teacher on the trail.

Hey, look, Helen! We're on candid camera!

Jodi and Dan's sleds.

Mystery musher! Can you guess? How about if I tell you the initials are JB and she's a rookie?

I'm pretty sure this is the Lanier/Nic Petit team being checked over.

Oh, the indignity of it all.

Sebastian shopping with me in the background in the red parka.

Sebastian's Saffron

Sven

Not a sled dog. Ha

Iditarod Vet Check, 2011, ITC HQ

2011-03-02T15:27:00.031-09:00

Cain Carter with the Comeback Kennel Dog Truck.

Dan Kaduce waiting on Jodi to finish paperwork inside. Dan was last year's Rookie of the Year.

One of Jodi's dogs soaking up the sunshine.

Or maybe it was checking the time with Dan, whose boots are to the rear, asking how much longer it'd take.

Cain Carter

Cain boxing a dog, which they seemed to be calling "Big Dog", after the vets were finished with it.

Jodi and Dan's truck

Hey, Tasha, I didn't even have to go looking for Ed. He just wandered past, tho' where he had the dog truck remains a mystery to me.

That sign is a favorite spot for photos of all kinds.

I was asked to take a shot that shows the shelter cabin in better perspective to its location. I'm standing sorta in the middle of the road right in front of the front sidewalk, looking back toward the road at the entrance and just a bit left. See the paper box? That's just in front of the little driveway that staff members take to park behind HQ itself.

Turning left, this is the view from my spot in the middle of the road, this time looking at HQ itself.

Inside HQ, Jodi is doing paperwork while Dan waits. Sorry for the fuzzy focus but just enough light that the flash didn't go off and Dan moved.

And while I was in scenic mode, the replica of Rohn Cabin, which is left of HQ as you stand in front of it. The kennel and dog houses are for Raymie Redington's dogs while he's giving summer cart rides.

Just a shot down the parking lot. The wind was really whipping around by then, so the crowd, which was pretty sparse this year anyway, had thinned.

Ken Anderson's dog trailer

I always find at least one dog I'd like to take home with me and in this case, this was the one. I think it may have been one of Sven's dogs.

Sven Haltmann

Not even close to being the best shot of the day, but this was my favorite shot of the day anyway. I think this one very nicely encapsulates the event, at least as far as the dogs are concerned, anyway.

But I don't WANT to get back in my box.

Sebastian out for a stroll with Saffron, I think. Please note, no hat, no coat, no gloves.

Taking it all in.

The vets are busy.

Cold foot?

Hmm, maybe Sab wasn't as tough as I thought. He was in the gift shop buying a jacket. Note, jacket, not coat. If I wasn't feeling like enough of a wuss to begin with, seriously, hanging with the mushers makes me feel even more the wimp than ever cos I was layered, using hand warmers, and still whining about the wind. BTW, that's Eric V. taking a shot of me taking a shot of Sab.

Gwen, I only got Karin to slow down long enough for a good shot by bossing her around and saying, "Stand still! Your mom wants me to get a picture!"

Karin talking to chief vet Stu Nelson

GB Jones arrived just as I was leaving, so didn't talk to him at all.

Dedicated soul that I am, at least from the warmth of my car, I did snap this one Team Baker as they turned off Parks onto KGB for John's vet check appointment, however.

More Rondy, Day 2 -- Down Cordova Hill

2011-02-27T18:54:00.020-09:00

All photos in this entry courtesy of Pat Schue.

Arleigh Reynolds

Blayne "Buddy" Streepter

Egil Ellis

Ken Chezik

Aaron Burmeister

John Erhart

Ed Wood

Luke Sampson

Will Kornmuller

Jake Berkowitz

Nils Hahn

Brent Beck

Jason Dunlap

Ricky Taylor

Nathan Sterling

Jack Berry

Don Cousins

More Rondy -- UP Cordova Hill

2011-02-27T18:33:00.015-09:00

All photos courtesy of Pat Schue and not really in any kind of order.

Ed "Rockstar" Wood coming up Cordova Hill.

Arleigh

Buddy

Egil

John Erhart

Bill K.

Nils

The rest are unknown as notes weren't being taken and the bib numbers weren't visible. If you can ID one of these "unknowns", let me know and I'll happily add the name.

Rondy, Day 2, a few shots

2011-02-26T18:18:00.013-09:00

All photos in this entry courtesy of Gail Somerville.

This is the view from Cordova Hill. See, we told you it was steep!

I'm so in love with her coat/kuspuk. Beautiful

Rondy, Day 1, part 1, on 4th Avenue

2011-02-25T20:03:00.032-09:00

I was just hanging out and never set foot on the street, but some random shots from the sidewalk alongside 4th Avenue today. The trucks on my side were the odd numbered bibs, hence the over-rep of them. Only a few captions right now. Will try to caption more later.

When I grow up, I want a dog truck to stand on to take pictures, too!

Please note the generator on top of the truck cab.

I was focused on Egil's truck at the time but the gal in the black coat turned out to be Libby Riddles, pictured below in a better shot.

What the heck was going through Ed Wood's mind at this moment?

Photo reproduced on the side of a building along the street.

Libby Riddles and Bonnie Foster stop to chat.

Rondy, Day 1, part 2, Goose Lake Park

2011-02-25T19:28:00.048-09:00

Didn't get out here until the first mushers had gone (just got the back of Nils Hahn), so this is only of musher bib numbers 15-21. No captions yet, but tried to make sure a bib number shows.

"Call of the Wild"

2011-02-21T21:27:00.001-09:00

http://www.johnhartstudios.com/ckennel/2011/02/monday-february-21-2011.php
Love this comic strip and especially love the reference to "Call of the Wild".

A few more Willow-Tug 300 race pix

2011-02-04T20:15:00.011-09:00

Courtesy of Pat Schue

The view from the front of a team waiting to take off.

Eric Rogers making final preparations to take off.

Looking out across Willow Lake in the direction they'll go.

Hurry up, will you?

Eric is running a team for Dallas Seavey's Kennel.

What sweet, sweet faces....

And, Eric's off....

Willow-Tug 300, camera 1 shots

2011-02-04T17:04:00.029-09:00

Let's go, let's go, let's go!!!!

And they're off....

Karin waits patiently for her turn to start.

Check out that vertical leap of the rear dog!

See the snow machine? This is the sled DeeDee sorta tackled to stop a wannabe runaway team. Mike Jonrowe brought up the snow machine to tie off the sled since no way they were going to be able to back up those dogs to tie them off to the truck again.

Mike Jonrowe on his trusty snow machine.

Bud Smythe, with what served as the start flag, checking things out to make sure everyone/thing is okay.

DeeDee watching the action elsewhere.

Had to laugh cos I spent the longest time looking for DeeDee in her now trademark pink, only to discover she wasn't in pink today since she wasn't racing.

This shot doesn't show the dogs, but it's one of the wannabe runaway sleds that made it further out on the lake than the Jonrowe team did. Still not sure who it was, but maybe someone can enlighten me?

The problem for the musher in the photo above is that his team was beyond hyped and it took lots of folks to keep them in place while several other teams passed. The front team is passing.

Fuzzy focas, but a view of the dogs crossing toward where they'll turn right to head off the lake.

Bill Cotter

Martin Buser wasn't racing, but was handling for a couple of his handlers today and would be heading out on the trail to provide support and share his expertise with all the teams on the trail. More than a dozen of the teams that started today are using it as a race to qualify for the Iditarod. Not necessarily rookie mushers, but not many would turn down a chance to hear Martin's words of wisdom, I'm sure.

Martin hanging out with Magnus' leaders.

I just love the expression on DeeDee's face, made all the more emphatic by her sign language. Ha

Baby, we were born to run....

Donna, was this you shooting pix? Couldn't tell from where I was.

Just to make my day even more lovely, Denali was out as I headed home.

Willow-Tug 300, camera 2 shots

2011-02-04T15:57:00.027-09:00

The temp on the lake, courtesy of the thermometer on Eric Rogers sit-down sled, which I was trying out. I mean, someone had to hold the sled down right, nevermind there weren't any dogs hooked up at that point.
A pretty day at Willow Lake

I have no clue what Karin Hendrickson is so happy about, but she sure doesn't looked stressed. Ha

Kevin Neher preps

I think it's a safe bet to say that Anjanette Steer plans on camping out awhile.

Ray Redington

Bud Smythe explaining "how it's all supposed to work" to Eric Rogers pre-race. He was making a point to speak to all the mushers on the lake and I lucked out and timed it right to get to hear his comments.

Eric Rogers, front, getting his sled ready with the help of rookie handler, Pat Schue. You go, Pat!

Lance is in Wyoming, but Braxton was there with a Mackey team.

The view from (almost on) Karin's sled as the team is being hooked up.

Took a whole series of these dogs getting hyped to run.

I remain pretty clueless as to who was who cos I wasn't taking notes, but this was the first team out, Alexander Beebee-Guidice. I was very impressed with the handler nearest the front of the team cos they were doing a darn good job of keeping up with the team....which they needed to unhook a lead from.

No clue who this is, maybe Kevin Neher, but the teams started from their parked trucks, sorta went down the lake a bit, then had to "gee" and head out across the lake to get to the trails.

Mushing is obviously a very serious business.

Find that spot of blue/purple about waist high from the front guy on the right. That's DeeDee, who'd just "tackled" a runaway sled to keep the dogs from heading to Skwentna without their musher. Happened in the blink of an eye, but her reactions was instantaneous. You rock, DD.

Check out that dogs leaping ability!

This was probably my fav pix of the day, Martin, who was only handling, loving on his dogs as they waited to head out with Magnus Kaltenborn.

DeeDee, front, in blue

Willow-Tug 300 Vet Check, a few photos

2011-02-02T17:46:00.011-09:00

All photos courtesy of Pat Schue

So, gee, what was your first hint that these might have been taken at a dog event?

Eric Rogers, who'll be running a puppy team for Dallas Seavey

Seavey dogs

They start mushers young here in Alaska....

Eric at the vet check

Vet checking over the dogs.

Lois Harter: A Celebration of Life

2011-01-09T13:43:00.013-09:00

I attended the Celebration of Life service yesterday for Lois Harter. Lois was not only my friend, but one who changed my life in ways I doubt she ever recognized. I took a few shots in an around the service, but first a few of my favorite memories of Lois as revealed by my photo stash.

Lois with not only Susan Butcher, but Zuma, who Lois brought to life as the Iditarod's Canine Reporter on the organization's website. This was taken after one of the winter teacher conference sessions.

Lois was also one of the forces behind the Iditarod's Teacher on the Trail program. She's shown here at one of their early summer workshops for teachers, with DeeDee Jonrowe, who was one of the speakers that year. DeeDee was filling out her paperwork for her entry in the next years race at the next day's musher sign-up.

I only realized how few photos I have of me with Lois when I started looking for them. I'm not even sure who took this one, but it's from an Iditarod Summer Picnic. Lois had just drafted me to enter musher names into the computer in front of me (that's me with my arms up, adjusting my hat) as they fulfilled notary needs. This might have been '04 as we all appear to be mostly dressed for warm weather and it was very warm that year!

I rode to the Celebration of Life for Lois with another longtime friend of hers, Barb Redington, who was there both as a friend and to represent the Redington Family. Barb is shown left, taking a photo of the old cache that stands outside the VFW in Eagle River that once served as Checkpoint #1 for the Iditarod. The sign, right, commemorates this fact.

Another Iditarod connected piece of scenery, a historic trails sign outside the VFW Building.

Somehow, as we entered, it seemed very appropriate to turn and see a dog truck pulling into the parking lot for the service. Eric Rogers, pulling in.

Lois loved wolves and I couldn't help but think she was smiling as I noticed the wolf standing guard above the stage the service was conducted from.

Peg Stout, aka DeeDee's mom, spoke about Lois' dedication to and efforts on behalf of the Iditarod's teacher program.

Flowers were laid in honor of Lois.

Part of the display.

One of the things mentioned in Lois' obituary was her role in helping create the saying "Alaska: Where Men Are Men and Women Win the Iditarod," so it seemed a must to catch a photo of the t-shirt Barb Redington chose to wear to the service. We all miss you, Lois.

Book covers

2010-12-05T19:59:00.005-09:00

2010 Mushing History Conference

2010-10-09T23:17:00.001-08:00

http://sunhusky.blogspot.com/2010/09/musher-history-conference-quick-peek.html for a sampling of my photos and http://www.northernlightmedia.com/2848/2010-mushing-history-conference/ for Helen's recap (with some of my photos)

Found an Iditarod Wordsearch

2010-09-15T22:15:00.001-08:00

Click on it to enlarge it to about 6x8" and print.

Iditarod Volunteer Picnic and Musher Sign-up for 2011

2010-06-26T18:31:00.041-08:00

As you can see from my first look down the parking lot, things were a looking kinda gray early on but the rain held off.

I don't know which Seavey was driving this, but will guess maybe Dallas and Jen. Posted with a nod and thanks to Rod Udd for his support of the race and mushing in general.

A picture of Barb Redington taking a picture.

Sign-up table. Julie Busch, right, is media contact for us media types during the race but does whatever she's asked to put her hand to.

A new piece of paper greeted mushers at the table, a request that they submit recipes for an Iditarod recipe book.

Melissa Owens

Deby Trosper, right, helps set up the wine bottles for sale. One bottle per customer, btw, and no drinking it on the premises.

Mushers from last year are all pictured on bottles for purchase by fans.

Okay, okay, not a musher, but the flower bed was looking good.

I got there sorta early, so was able to watch banners being hung and tables and chairs being set out.

Rob Johnson, a virtual friend until today when we finally "officially" met. I know I've met scads of folks in passing but it doesn't always take, so always nice to have an "official" meeting.

Hey, why isn't' my book on the same shelf as Lance's? Yeah, I know. Dumb question.

It was a little short on star-power early on, but Dick Mackey's appearance remedied that fast.

Theresa Daily multi-tasking, showing off her duct tape/blue tarp name tag while playing desk for Dick to sign an autograph for a fan.

Lance was "The Man in Black" for the day.

Tonya, in pink, paying Newton's entry fee.

Lance doing his best imitation of Newton, complete with "Yo, mon", as he turns in Newton's paperwork.

Grandma Tonya

One of the new things the ITC did this year was set up tables for the mushers to sit at and sign autographs, a good idea in my book. Here's Lance before the rush.

GB Jones is back

Karin Hendrickson

Karin's leg was sporting an unwanted attachment.

Bonnie Foster has hosted Sebastian at her home for the last few years during Iditarod days as well as the occasional jaunt that takes him through the area.

KTUU does a film interview with Sebastian while Chas looks on.

Theresa's duct tape/blue tarp name tag was not only original, it sported Dude Dog!

Dallas and Jen Seavey having lunch. What made Jen's presence all the more impressive is that today was her due date for their first baby! No, no labor pains while the picnic was going on, so they're still waiting.

Not sure what Chas was watching, but moment of inactivity at the sign-up table.

Chief Vet Stu Nelson

Volunteer Picnic Coordinator Candy Gibson, Mitch Seavey, Kelly Williams, and Rick Swenson.

Hugh Neff, who drove 13 hours to make the picnic.

Grandpa Lance

Bonnie Foster with Iditarod 2011 rookie Jodi Bailey, who I also met for the first time in person today! Yipee, made lots of in-person connections today!

Candy with only a portion of the goodies donated, in this case by John Cooper's Kipmik, for prizes.

Not quite sure when DeeDee got there, but only snagged this one shot of her with Theresa and Chas.

By that time, a few of us were beginning to drag. Hey, Mystery Sleeper, I didn't give away your ID, tho' your wife might. Ha And, inspired by this, I went home and wound up taking a long nap to end a fun but busy day.

Mushing the Iditarod Trail board game rules

2010-06-20T20:26:00.002-08:00

(Click for a larger version) Unless you need the rules, too, most of you can just ignore this post. Now that I've got the game out, tho', I may inflict it on anyone unwise enough to venture over to my house on Saturday after the Iditarod sign-up picnic. Ha

Seavey's Wild Ride Show, Anchorage

2010-06-19T12:05:00.048-08:00

Since Rosemary Dunn wasn't able to come out and have her birthday lunch the day the rest of us met for mine, Pat Schue and I went into the big city to meet her and check out the dinner and show at Seavey's Wild Ride in Anchorage. http://www.ididaride.com/tours/anchorage/wildride.htm

After a delicious dinner, we started by cuddling puppies.

Pat's puppy was a kisser.

Eric Rogers is part of the show and one of his pre-show jobs is to wrangle puppies. Gee, what a tough job, Eric!

I eventually wound up with this puppy, but it was pretty entertaning upfront, too, playing with buddies and a chew rope of sorts.

Meet Buddy, a HUGE Malamute who is a star of the show.

Dallas Seavey does the intro for the show and introduces Eric, who'll be its MC.

Here comes Eric!

Dressed for the part.

Buddy makes his entrance.

Buddy quickly shows off his mushing skills, on the runners, not in front of the sled.

The running gag of the show is a competition between a female and male musher, hence this sign.

Here's the woman musher representative, Kay Burge, a Jr. Iditarod musher who has been mushing since she was five. She's now sixteen.

And for the men, Dallas Seavey.

Look carefully and you'll see the dogs are passing each other as the race in opposite directions. One of the things that impressed me was that they were really flying around the course, too, not just trotting or loping. And, yes, some of these dogs are off Dallas' Iditarod team, plus some future members he has there socializing and getting used to the idea that just about anything can happen while in harness and to take it in stride.

The sleds pass each other.

As you can see, Dallas was working it, not just going through the motions. That impressed me.

They were even running and kicking.

I was impressed, too, that tho' the show was educational -- remember, many of the show guests are tourists and this may be their first exposure to the concept of mushing -- it was humorous, too. Hey, Mitch, you not only raised a darn good musher and one time wannabe-wrestler, you raised a comedian in Dallas! Kay and Dallas sharing a humorous moment here.

Here they've incorporated booties (and eventually a dog coat) into the competition.

And, of course we know who the real stars of the show were.

Look at the intensity in not just Kay's eyes, but the right dog's eyes. Yes, they were running, not trotting.

See Dallas kick. Kick, Dallas, kick.

A quick demo of just how much weight one sled dog can easily move alone. I cut her off, but that's Kay on the left putting the dog through its paces. As many times as I've seen these dogs in action, you'd think their power would be ho-hum to me by now, but it never fails to impress me.

"Bubba" and Daisy, who turned out to be "a Duke".

Daisy-Duke patiently waits while Eric fixes the various pieces of mushing regalia that "Bubba" has mistakenly placed on wrong parts of the dog. In the process, you see various parts of the dogs' gear and Eric is describing what it is used for.

Hugo, who starred in "Snow Buddies" is part of the show and used to demo how obedience training is done and incorporated into dog handling.

I think Eric said the command for this stunt was "pawing". The dog puts its paws atop something and walks along the item.

Barrels were set up in a course and using "gee" and "haw", the mushers worked their teams through them using nothing but the verbal commands.

Since many of the guests have never seen a 16-dog team, one of the things they do is hook one up in front of their eyes and then ask the dog to pull the dog truck out of the arena. It's amazing how quickly they get that truck (it's the one Mitch won in '04, btw) with a dog box on it moving and here you see Dallas making a running leap into the cab so he can apply the brake once they're out the gate.

Buddy is back. His calmness is amazing. It's obvious he's happy with the concept of not only having his own team of Alaskan Huskies, but seems to think it's the way it should be.

They exit at a full bore run, btw, and caught a glimpse of Dallas helping snag them as they hit the staging area.

Speaking of the staging area, we hit it again after the show for some more puppy cuddling. Man, if only I could fall asleep this easily in any number of odd positions.

Buddy, resting up from his sled ride.

This picture in no way conveys what a big guy Buddy really is. He's impressive, even for a Mal. I swear, if I fold down the tips of my fingers, his paws are about the size of my hands!

Oh, yeah, the woman's team (Kay) won. Eric gave Pat the bootie after Kay took the first race heat, then everyone gets the appropriate sticker, pink or blue, at the end of the show, depending on which team wins. Bottom line, a fun show and I highly recommend it.

"The Lance Mackey Story"

2010-04-20T20:04:00.001-08:00

http://www.amazon.com/Lance-Mackey-Story/dp/0615354718/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271822666&sr=1-1

My review of The Lance Mackey Story, Lance's book, can be found at this link, as can information on ordering a copy.

The return of the sleds

2010-03-26T15:44:00.005-08:00

Many people just assume that once the last musher crosses under the Burled Arch in Nome, the race is over. While it's true that the racing is over, the mushers are far from being able to simply turn their thoughts to home, kick back and relax. For instance, did you ever wonder what happens to all the sleds and gear that was sent out along the trail? How does it get home to the mushers from Nome? Bonnie Foster happened on the return of a bunch of sleds to Iditarod Headquarters here in Wasilla the other day. The sleds are flown "home" to Wasilla, where it becomes the mushers' responsibility to collect them or arrange for further shipment home. It's obviously more complicated for those who don't live nearby, but I've seen several dog trucks headed in that general direction over the last few days, so bet most of these sleds are home now. In the meantime, some areas of Iditarod Headquarters temporarily took on the look of a "used-sled yard".

Random Shots from Nome, Alaska, at Iditarod Time

2010-03-22T20:40:00.019-08:00

All photos from Nome courtesy of Bonnie Foster.

Jim Lanier

Mike Williams and Andy Anderson, a race judge.

Newman catches some zzzzz' in the sunshine.

Newton finishes!

Tonya Mackey in the crowd.

Animal Control, Nome Style

2010-03-22T20:28:00.005-08:00

Look closely at the "officers" in the Animal Control vehicle.

All photos courtesy of Bonnie Foster.

"So, what do you think? Should we put out an APB on some cats or something?"

Nome's streets are surely safe with this fine duo on patrol.

Make sure you get that license number!

Photos from Nome -- Finishers' Banquet-- courtesy of Bonnie Foster

2010-03-22T19:54:00.049-08:00

All photos this entry courtesy of Bonnie Foster

Knik Musher Museum and Historic Trail video

2010-03-10T19:53:00.002-09:00

Hobo Jim, Musher Banquet, pre-bib drawing

2010-03-09T15:49:00.002-09:00

Kathy says to forgive the shaky camera. She had just gotten there and was making her way up toward Hobo Jim as he started, but figure y'all will recognize this tune. :p

Ceremonial Start, Kirk Barnum clip

2010-03-09T15:45:00.003-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Hans Gatt video

2010-03-09T15:34:00.002-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Dave DeCaro clip

2010-03-09T15:27:00.002-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Dallas Seavey clip

2010-03-09T15:20:00.003-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Allen Moore video clip

2010-03-09T15:12:00.002-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Blake Freking video

2010-03-08T08:12:00.002-09:00

Ceremonial start, Wattie McDonald, then Zoya Denure video

2010-03-07T13:49:00.002-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Aliy Zirkle video

2010-03-07T13:35:00.002-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Karin Hendrickson video

2010-03-07T13:29:00.002-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Pat Moon video

2010-03-07T12:47:00.002-09:00

Pat is running dogs out of Ed and Tasha Stielstra's Nature's Kennel. Again, thanks to Kathy Mattes for the videos.

Ceremonial Start, Lance Mackey video

2010-03-07T12:31:00.003-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Sven Haltmann video

2010-03-07T12:14:00.002-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Karen Ramstead video

2010-03-07T12:08:00.002-09:00

Taken at Goose Lake Park, just as the mushers cross over the pedestrian bridge over Northern Lights Blvd. All videos courtesy of Kathy Mattes, btw. I was doing still photos.

Ceremonial Start, Video DeeDee Jonrowe

2010-03-07T11:51:00.002-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Video Sebastian Schnuelle

2010-03-07T11:43:00.002-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Video: Jeff King and Newton Marshall

2010-03-07T11:26:00.003-09:00

That's Buddy Streeper on Jeff's tag sled and I think Braxton on Newton's tag sled.

Ceremonial Start, Iditarod 2010, part 1A

2010-03-06T23:53:00.023-09:00

I took bunches and bunches of photos so can't upload everything, but here is a representative sampling. I actually tried to focus on the dogs as much as on the mushers this year, too, so lots of doggie faces to enjoy! Captions "whenever," but did try to include a bib number wherever I could. There are four different installments (tho' I'm sure I've probably double loaded some pix, so be sure to scroll!)

Ceremonial Start, Iditarod 2010, part 1B

2010-03-06T23:37:00.031-09:00

Ceremonial Start, Iditarod 2010, part 2

2010-03-06T23:16:00.038-09:00