WHERE ON EARTH IS CYNDI???

I am not sure I have updated my plans for the near future. A number of months ago I extended my contract in Alaska from March 30 to August 1. Then I got a call about a job back in Snyder where I used to work...they seemed interested and I was homesick and thought coming home would be a great idea. However, even though I have them the deadline date I would have to give notice I did not get a return e-mail from the CEO or call from the clinic director for over a month-yesterday to be exact. Right now I have no prospects in Abilene, at least in the alleopathic feild and there still seems to be too much fear about money for me to open my alternative practice.

So, that doesn't tell you a thing about where I am now does it? I am in Texas-specifically at the farm in Trent, I will be here 3 weeks. My husband, who hates to clean and likes to have all manner of stuff out where he can see it and find it....bless his heart, he rented a storage and cleaned the house out of stuff that he realizes he doesn't need on a daily basis. He cleaned the house so when I got home the floors were washed, the towels and linens clean (and dried on the clothes line-I am blessed to be home!), the potties were clean and the kitchen was clean-what a wonderful suprise that was!


My Welcome Party at the Airport
My first stop off Air Alaska was in Dallas and I was picked up by this lovely crew! My neices and their children, Staci, big sister and her son Kaydon who is 8 months old. Ashley, baby sister and her daughter, Julianna, age 22 months.
Kaydon is the most laid back baby with a constant huge smile which just really sets off those big blue eyes and dimples! This one is a love bug!
Jules, what to say about the sunshine to misquote someone else. She is so smart-maybe even smarter than Brandon-I am not saying for sure! She already speaks in sentences of 3 or more words (and has a vocabulary that includes Spanish and American Sign Language.!! And she uses proper pronouns. If I "jules do you want to go...." She answers with "I" want to go. Besides being smart she is Miss Personality. She stole the dance by getting on the dance floor with the first note and staying to the last. She danced alone, she lead little boys around the dance floor and she found one ole cowboy that made her day by dancing with her and letting her wear his cowboy hat during the dance. She is all about music.



I got to Trent via Dallas and San Antonio. My beautiful neices and their exhausted babies picked me up at the airport. I spent the evening and night with them and then hauled myself into the car they indicated and headed to San Antonio for the wedding of my nephew, Rusty, and his beautiful bride, Kaeli.




















Kaeli was a beautiful bride and she
organized a beautiful and fun wedding.



Rusty is the big boy. I couldn't find a pic of just him or of him and Kaeli in all 136 pictures I took. Here he is with his big sister, Staci, and his future fishing buddy, Kaydon.


The weekend was a lot of fun. My sister did a great job of organizing the rehearsal dinner in a big town she isn't familiar with....we had Mexican food at a resturant on the River Walk, which was beautiful as always. She had arranged for taxi vans to pick everyone up before and after every event (well, you know, the wedding and the rehearsal dinner). No worry about traffic in a town that has gone crazy with the Sweet Sixteen Playoffs....and no worry if you have a glass of wine or a beer. She's great at organizing things. I saw lots of friends and family....a couple of guys that have been friend's with my brother-in-law since they were in 3rd grade. They were Rusty's fishing buddies when he was younger so he looked up their addresses and invited them and they came!
After the rehearsal dinner we went down to the River Walk to Durty Nelly's-an Irish piano bar. It was lots of fun! It got a little rowdy with all the different schools wanting their school fight song played and someone else upping the dip to get theirs played. However, I think the piano player got rich!
My nephew is very romantic (tongue is firmly in cheek). He had his dad put money in to play the Texas Tech Red Raider song. But, they had to wait until he went out and got her and gathered all the buddies together. But, when it finally happened Rusty was standing up there with Kaeli....and he told the piano player they were getting married so the piano guy played one of the real raunchy songs.
My sister, Debbie, did a great job organizing her part of the deal and I believe it is the easiest wedding we've ever been involved in -maybe because we are the groom's family or maybe because someone was working hard and wondering why we weren't helping? As you can tell, her prefered job at this point in her life is grammie (or as Jules says, Goomie).

Mother met me at the hotel and shared a room (even though I snore-isn't that nice). Then the next part of my trip home from San Antonio to Trent was driving Mom's car is some pretty heavy rain. Home at last at around 5pm Sunday.



Monday I spent some time with little Julsey, who came home with Gommie....visited with my Mom and ran into Abilene to stop in my best friend's new shop. I had helped paint and stuff but was gone before she moved in. Cassy's is just beautiful-I think she's found a perfect place to have her shop and do spirit's work.

Mike worked Monday but is off Tuesday through Saturday. We decided to say we were going on vacation out of town but not go. It's cheaper this way and neither one of us wanted to shop or do the tourist thing-we just want some time together. By saying we are out of town and not answering the phone we hope it will prevent him being called in to work. By the way, my cell phone is dead and I have misplaced the charger so getting a new one that will fit will be an ordeal on this phone. If anyone needs to reach us before Saturday you can call and leave a message on the machine.

Alaska friends, this one is for you. It has been in the mid to upper 70s down to the mid to lower 60s since I got home- today and tomorrow the temps are supposed to be 82 and 75 respectively. It has also been raining-which in this country is a blessing. It is so dry we take any and all rain we can get...but, the spring rain will be especially good for the wildflowers and other stuff. The road from Dallas to San Antonio was green-green fields, green grass, green trees. And lots of blue bonnets and yellow flowers along the road side. Here the mesquite are just now blooming-until they bloom you have to be prepared for another freeze-once the mesquite bloom you are home free (there are exceptions to all rules but this hold 95% of the time.

I haven't gotten a chance to walk up on the top of the property to see if there are any wildflowers here yet. I've promised a picture if they are out.

So, my plans are to spend until Saturday with my hubby. My kids get in from New Zealand on Thursday and the neices will be called into service again to fetch them. That will not be a problem-my son grew up very close to his cousins, they were the sisters and brother he never had....and his wife is the grade school friend of my neices and nephew. I think they are really looking forward to spending some time with them!

Saturday is the baby shower for my daughter-in-law combined with a wedding shower for her best friend.

Over the next two weeks I have promised to take my mom and my sister's mother-in-law t0 a house on Grandbury where my sister is babysitting for two weeks. We'll just spend a day or two in the lap of luxury on the lake!

I also told my friend, Shawna, that I could help her at her wonderful show, Cassy's. I don't know if I will mind the shop while she gets some things done or if I will provide labor for some of the projects-whatever....I'm available.

The last weekend before I fly out on Monday, I am helping at a Wholistic Rodeo. I am helping Shawna and she gave me a really hard job-helping Ted Andrews with his book signing. Yes, as in the REAL Ted Andrews!!!

Then I guess I'll go back to Alaska until August. I will be moving back into Corporate housing-which is nice. I just was going moment by moment there for a while and didn't know what I was going to be doing so I couldn't leave my landlady in that kind of lurch-so, I just gave up my room and will move back to the Condo's (probably).

August I am starting the month off at the Gathering of Circles and then go to New Zealand to meet my new grandbaby of an undetermined sex (except angles told me it was a girl). That is too exciting for words!!!!

So that is my life as it stands today at 8:54am-who knows what the next 2 hours might bring....but, I like to have a plan even if I just KNOW it will be chincked away until it is totally unrecognizable,

WEDDING PICTURES....now they should be there.

REHEARSAL DINNER PICTURES....the wedding pictures did not download so I have to do it again.

I-DID-A-RIDE......

Today Jane and I drove to Sterling for a dog sled ride (click link above for pics). We went to Mitch Seavy's Ididaride Kennels. Mitch and his family are Iditarod mushers, in fact, Mitch won the 2004 Race and placed 9th this year. One of his son's was, and still is, the youngest musher to ever run and finish the Iditarod.
Today there was only James and Kristin on the property along with about 170 dogs (minus Mitch's A team who were still in Nome-actually we met them on the road back when we were on our way home). With everyone else still in Nome it was very quite at the kennel and we had a lot of undivided attention from Kristin, our musher, and James, a dog trainer who is learning to mush.
But first, the trip down. It was about 2 hours to Sterling south down the Seward Highway along the Turnagin arm and onto the Kenai Peninsula, one of the best fishing spots in the whole world (just ask anyone in Alaska). Anyway, the first site to be seen (no trip pictures) was the water at the Turnagin Arm (I think that is the Gulf of Alaska). It was frozen into these huge blocks of black ice that were sticking up out of the frozen water (the effect of freeze and thaw). It looked very surreal! And on the cliff side of the road were these wonderful waterfalls that were frozen into massive greenish-white...well, frozen waterfalls for lack of a better discription. In the fall when I posted pictures from this trip there were Dahl sheep...no sheep this time but there was a huge moose standing on the edge of the cliff high above the highway grazing and watching the cars go by...what a sight he was!!
As we drove onto the Kenai the first thing you saw were dozens and dozens of snow machines being driven everywhere. Forget the wilderness of Alaska....there was hardly a mountain along this entire stretch that didn't have the snow marked with snow machine tracks. Imagine a massive range of mountains with lines drawn in the snow in spiraling and circling patterns. It was beautiful but disturbing.
As for fishing...oh, yes...the temperature may range from -4 to 12 depending on whether you were in a valley or mountain but the fishermen were out. On the way down we saw two people sitting on the ice along side the road....as we got closer we realized they were ice fishing. But the guy that gets the prize was the fly fisherman who had walked out past the ice and was standing thigh deep in the water happily casting in sub zero weather!
On the way back the temperature was up around 20-23 and it was very nice. We saw a few more people fishing. The most interesting place was the side of the road where 3 people were standing on the ground fishing next to a guy who was in the water with waders on and right down a little bit....maybe a hundred yards...on the ice was another guy sitting on a stool on the ice fishing. Something for everyone!
I was very, very excited this trip to see three bald eagles sitting in trees-two were in trees across the Kenai river and very easy to see and the third was sitting in a tree beside the road.
What a treat!
Finally we arrived at the Ididaride Kennels of Mitch Seavy. Everyone was gone (they were in Nome, of course) except for Kristin and James. They live above the work shop, along with another young woman, and work for the kennel. Kristin is an Outward Bound teacher and an expedition musher (I didn't ask what that exactly was) who came for the winter to learn more about racing. James is a dog trainer who is learning to mush. They told us to come at 1 pm since it would take them from 8 until 1 to feed all the dogs and do the other chores.
We got a chance to cuddle the most adorable 6 week old big baby Malamute and then we got a tour of the kennel. They have about 170 dogs (I forgot the exact number)...they feed 150 pounds of kibble a day and (I think I have this right) 30-40 pounds each of meat and fish. That is lots of food!!!! And you know what that produces....lots of poop to scoop!!!
They have 3 or 4 pens with the youngest dogs-they were around 12-16 weeks (we went in one and were accosted by a liter of 16 week old children all wanting attention NOW). Then the pups advance to the yard where they are steaked out to start harness training. Next to that bunch are the retired dogs and then on down are the yearlings (some making up our team). Apparently retired dogs still have jobs-they may be used for breeding or they may baby sit (I did not make that up) the younger dogs in a yard where they are turned out. Some like Pearl, who was our lead dog today, teach the younger dogs how to do their jobs.
There was a section where Mitch's 24 A team dogs were, 16 made the cut and had gone for the Iditarod (one was back, a female who was injured and they hurried her back since she was in heat and they had hoped to get her bred). The ones who didn't make the cut were hanging out...and other dogs that are currently racing dogs were also around the place-I just didn't figure that out among all the dogs.
There was also a couple of pens for females in heat, a breeding pen and a whelping pen with a pregnant mama close to delivery. One of the females in heat was a Lance Makey dog-since he won her life had changed and she would probably be bred! She is a much more valuable woman today then she was a couple of weeks ago!!
James harnessed up the dogs for us while Kristin told us how to ride the whip sled....when you turn right you shift your weight to the left but your body to the right...also when going down a hill you have to use your break or you will run into her (what a trusting soul). I took the first turn on the whip sled. I started out pretty well...I was a little worried about my left knee which has been really painful and pretty unstable the last week. So, I would break with the left so I didn't have to support my weight on it...that's just not intuitive for me though. I want to break with my right...and I did one time...not a good idea. My left knee gave and I turned the sled over and fell onto the trail...falling, of course, on the dad-gum (not the real word I would use but this is a family blog!) knees. HOW EMBARRASSING!!! But, I got back up and mushed on-after all I didn't have to go 1000 miles on a broken leg like that one guy in the Iditarod! I did better after that...actually I pretty much got the hang of it. Of course, we were on straight, flat trails after that and it is pretty easy to get the hang of standing on two boards and holding on to a rail. You would think.....however, after a while (don't know how long but the ride was two hours and I think I did about half on the whip sled) my feet and calves sort of started to cramp up....but, I thought about the guy with the broken leg and went on-besides it was so much FUN!!!! But, I knew I had to call a stop when my legs started to shake like jello!!! One fall off of the sled was enough for this trip.
So, I got in the sled and Jane got the whip sled. Now, I originally thought this was what I wanted to do...just sit and be pulled. However, I have to tell you the most fun spot is not in the sled it is behind the sled!!!
I did get to see the dogs-I couldn't really see them well from the whip sled because Kristin was in front of me (thank goodness). I was able to appreciate the different ways the dogs pulled, see the one who was pulling her weight but really wasn't pulling with the others. Could see Pearl's leadership and how it shaped the team. And notice how dogs that were harnessed together would communicate with each other at times....like one dog slowed down to poop (they do that while running) and the other reached over and sort of nipped him to get him going again. That was real interesting!
We had one little time when Pearl decided she wanted to go one way when Kristen was telling her to go the other. When Kristen couldn't get her to go straight she stopped the sled, dug this metal "anchor" into the snow and told Jane to push on her break with both feet while she got off to correct Pearl. Hummm, I'm sitting there thinking, "ok, if they take off they won't go very fast, Jane can push on the break and that little Kristin is in good shape...she'll run up and jump on the sled...yep, we'll be fine...sure we will." Later I learned Jane was having a similiar conversation with herself. But, all was well....Pearl got the point and Kristin got back on the sled and off we went....with a bunch of tired one year olds who wanted to go HOME.
They gave us a good ride. At the end we petted each one and thanked them-which they actually seemed to enjoy, they really love to be petted. However, I hope they got an extra treat!
As for Jane and I, we went back to Suzie's Cafe and snacked ourselves with some Fruits of the Forrest pie (to die for!) and headed home...tired and smelling like dogs but really satisfied with our experience as mushers. I could learn to enjoy that sport!!!
Oh, I forgot Buddy....I just have to mention Buddy. He is the most beautiful Malamute that is sort of a pet/mascot. Not a sled dog! However, James has taught Buddy to be a musher. He "drives" his own little sled, and sometimes he sits in it so other dogs can pull him!! He is a real lover!!! Sweet, beautiful and smart! BUDDY!!!

WINDING DOWN THE IDITAROD REPORTING....I'll be winding down my reporting on the Iditarod tomorrow. As I was looking over the last of the article that I might want to share with you I came across this report. Beth Bragg is editoralizing her frustration over the lack of reporting of Lance Mackey's victory in the lower 48.

When I lived in El Paso I used to say it was a great place to live if you thought of it as part of New Mexico but a big frustration if you thought of it as part of Texas bacause it was so far away from "Texas." Multiply that by a thousand when you think of Alaska in relation to the United States! Just for example, I was placing an order the other day and the shipping was $4.99 until I put my Alaska address in-then it went up to $22.99-more than the actual cost of the item! If the web site says "free shipping" and you enter an Alaska address you quickly learn that does not apply to Alaska. On-line shopping is not very practical up here. That is just an example. Today's gripe...

By the way, Clint Warnake pulled into Nome in position 34 and Cindy Galena is out of Elim.

The senior Mackey won his sixth Iditarod (wearing bib 13) in a photo finish. He was in another tight race trying to get to Nome for the finish....he didn't make it but the story is an interesting one.
Two more dogs have died for a total of 3 this year.

THE STORY OF ZORRO....This is a picture of Zorro, the dog Mackey had to drop in White Mountain. An article from the ADN talks about how this stud dog built Mackey's kennel. Seven of the eight dogs that finished the race were sired by this dog.
He was breathing harder than the other dogs at the White Mountain checkpoint so the vet took checked him and decided he probably had pneumonia-later confirmed. He is currently being treated and somewhat improved although he is not out of the woods. Good article!

I'm ready to go home to Texas. It is minus 5 this morning and my Southern soul tells me it ought to be Spring. I've had enough cold! One last grand experience. I am going on a dog sled ride this Sunday in Seward!!

LANCE MACKEY, CANCER SURVIVOR:

Not much has been made, or I missed it, until now about Mackey's bout with cancer. In this article it talks about his drive to run the Iditarod in spite of his cancer. I hadn't heard in the past why he scratched that one race....well, it was because he had a feeding tube under his pants and couldn't keep the liquid feeding supplement from freezing!
He reminds me of my friend Pat who showed up late for my neice, Staci's, graduation. When we went back to Mom's for a celebration she called me into the bathroom to show me the chest tube under her dress!!! She was late because she blew a lung and had to go to the hospital-she refused to be admitted and insisted on the chest tube connected to a portable suction device so she could go to the graduation!! She was an inspiration as is Lance Mackey.
Take time to read this article for a little taste of inspiration (and Kaeli, it addresses the issue of sponsers somewhat). There is a slide show at this link also-164 pictures (maybe more of the Iditarod than you want to see and unfortunately in no order at all).

This may be the most excited winner in Iditarod history.....

MACKEY WINS IDITAROD!!!!

At 8:08 pm Alaska time Lance Mackey won the 2007 Iditarod accomplishing a feat thought until now to be impossible: a back to back run (not to mention win) of the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod.

Clint and Cindy are still at place 40 and 41. Clint is out of Unalakleet and Cindy is out of Kaltag.
The last place musher left Ophir at mile 443 (600 miles from the finish line) and didn't make it to Iditarod at mile 533. Trail sweepers found him at a place called Don's Cabin and are taking him to some place a plane can land and take him out-obviously he is scratching. Reports are that there is nothing seriously wrong (hey, I would consider being lost in some of the wildest part of the trail something WAYYY wrong!).

I still plan on writing a blog about the communities from Iditarod to Nome (the last half of the race) and a blog on Susan Butcher. Probably this weekend. For now I am celebrating Lance Mackey's win!

Mackey and his team out of White Mountain

MACKEY HAS A THREE HOUR LEAD OUT OF WHITE MOUNTAIN!!!

He's running with 8 dogs at this point. He had to send his stud dog, the one who helped him build his kennel, back to Anchorage with pneumonia. One of his other dogs was tired so he dropped him also. But, if disaster doesn't strike, Mackey will win that pickup truck he is so excited about tonight. Paul Gebhardt is about 3 hours behind.

I just spent 3 hours writing an update to the Iditarod blog and lost it all!!! I updated each checkpoint, wrote an entry on Susan Butcher, updated the location of the 3 mushers I am following and added a footnote to the story of the dog that died....and lost it all!! This is the second time the second time this week I've lost a blog...and both were long!
I don't have time to rewrite the whole thing so I'll just say:
Mackey is in White Mountain and is expected to push for Nome as soon as his mandatory 8 hour rest is over, passing under the burled arch at about 7pm. He has a commanding lead but anything can happen.
Clint is still on the trail in position 40 and Cindy in position 43.
The Alaska Daily News has good information. The official site is useless except for the map and the standings.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE IDITAROD

I have been really caught up in the race and rooting for Lance Mackey as well as keeping up with our own personal mushers (Mackey is in number one and Clint and Cindy in 41 and 42). However, I am learning that there is another side to the excitment of the race. It's the loss of the dogs. Apparently every year some of the dogs die. Last year 6 died. The first dog to die this year was one of Karen Ramstead's dog-a six year old female who died seven hours after making it to the checkpoint. A necratopsy will be performed but as I understand it the usual cause of death is exhaustion or pneumonia.

This occurs even though there are vets at the checkpoints who are checking the dogs, calculating their calorie needs and making sure they are getting the meals and snackings that they need to meet these needs. Obviously this is a rough race for the dogs. As I understand some of them just stop running and they are unharnessed and put in the sled to the next checkpoint where they are dropped. They are flown back to Anchorage where handlers from that team care for them. But, I think some of these dogs just have such a drive to run that they run themselves into the ground...at least I prefer to believe that over the possibility that the mushers might be pushing them too hard. I heard one musher say that when the dog is through running he stops and there is nothing you can do but drop him....I just wonder if some dogs refuse to stop. Is their breeding such that they will run until they drop? Watching the dogs at the start there is no doubt that these dogs live to run!

Karen Ramstead scratched to go home and be with her family to mourn the loss of Snickers. This really makes me think she cared for this dog, as the mushers I've heard talk all seem to. I feel sad for her and her family! What a tragedy, what a loss!

Mackey's dogs are on their second 1,000 mile run in two months and I was worried it was one of his dogs that died. But, in this interview with the Alaska Daily News he says his dogs are doing well and are getting excited because they know if they win they will be riding in a new pick-up (his is very old). He is down to 14 having dropped 2 but that is really pretty good-I think there are teams with a lot less than that.

As things are going now, the winner is expected into Nome before dawn on Wednesday morning. I will catch up the trail and checkpoints tomorrow since I don't go in to work until noon...hope you enjoy a little Alaksa geography. Watch the official website and the Alaska Daily News website for the latest-I really think the ADN has more news than the "official" website.

ALASKAN "SUMMER" NIGHTS

It may take more to get used to the summer nights in Alaska than it did the winter. I didn't notice the winter darkness all that much, except on weekends. It was dark when I went to work and dark when I came home....but so is it in Texas in the winter. However, these sunny nights might be different. With daylight savings time, it is now 8:30 and the sun isn't even on the horizon....looks like it will be close to 9 when it sets. And it's only mid March!! Getting to bed may be a real challenge....and getting up at 5 to go to water aerobics an even bigger challenge!!!!

ONE TOUGH (OR IS IT CRAZY) DUDE...

I am packing today so I don't know if time will allow me to catch up with the mushers. I do know that Clint and Cindy are hanging in at about the same places they have been.....and this article about this musher from Wisconsin caught my eye....don't know if he is committed or should be committed. Yep, he is running the Iditarod with a broken leg!!

IDITAROD UPDATE:
There was a moment of worry on the trail earlier today. Deborah Bicknell, a 61 year old rookie, was lost for a period of time today. She was located during an aerial search after having taken a wrong trail. As you may have read some of the trail markers had been blown away and there was worry that mushers might get lost. Some of the mushers were traveling in groups with the rookies following the veterans. I am not sure what happened to Ms. Bicknell but I heard one musher say that at one time he could not see his lead dog at the front of his team due to blizzard conditions.

I have learned that several of the front runners, including King, Bushner, Barron and Steer took their 24 hour rests at Nikolia, McGrath or Taketna. Mackey will take his today in Iditarod.

Clint and Cindy are in position 41 and 42 respectively.

A little trivia. A reporter asked one musher how he entertained himself on the trail between checkpoints. He said he was listening to his iPod and singing to his dogs. Technology meets tradition!!!

Today was beautiful here-sun shining and mild temps. When I left work it was 26 there....it was 17 at the house. We are having 12 plus hours of sun daily now. The sun was up when I left the gym at 7:15 and it is now 6:15 and it isn't near setting. I think I will like this!

Pictures of Cindy at the Nikolia checkpoint are posted on the day four pictures on the Alaska Daily News. (Go to the link and below the picture about halfway down the list of features you will see a link for the day 4 photos).

MACKEY REACHES IDITAROD!

Clint and Cindy are at postion 37 and 39 respectively!!! They are both mentioned in an article in today's Alaska Daily News.

WINDS, TOO LITTLE SNOW, POOR VISIBILITY AND INJURIES PROVE THE IDITAROD ISN'T FOR SISSIES OR COUCH POTATOES!!!!!

It sounds wicked out there. But, our mushers are hanging in there with Clint holding position 42 and Cindy at position 47. The mushers will start to stop for their required 24 hour rest periods so the position they are in will not mean as much for a while. Then they will all start to charge toward Nome and it will matter lots!
It seems that the times of the leaders are very fast this year and there is a chance that the record will be broken....maybe even by the guy that set it!
Currently Cindy is in Nikolai. This is an Athabascan villiage located 40 air miles east of McGrath. It has a population of 104 and is at mile 352 on the trail.
Clint is out of Nikolai on his way to McGrath, at mile 400 with a population of 423. McGrath is at the confluence of the Kuskokwim and Takotna rivers, it has a small, full-service airport, stores, a resturant and is the hub of the Iditarod School District. The first musher into McGrath gets the Spirit of Alaska Award from PenAir.
Between Clint and the front runners is the Village of Takotna (ta-COT-na), population 50 at mile 418. This Athabascan village is one of the favorite checkpoints and where many mushers take their 24 hour layover (no, I don't know why-I think I would stay at McGrath???)
After Takotna is Ophir. The top six are out of Ophir (OH-fur) and to my knowledge no one has taken the 24 hour layover. Ophir is a ghost town at mile 443 and is named for a nearby creek that supported placer mining. The name is a reference to the biblical Ophir thought to be the source of King Solomon's gold.
They are a little over half way to Iditarod at mile 533, the official halfway point on the southern trail. It is now a ghost town but was once a bustling community of over 10,000.
We still have halfway to go but we'll wait here for the group.

By the way, it is snowing in Alaska! I love Alaska when it snows!!!

PS....Is anyone out there?????

UPDATE:
Our guys are hanging in there! Warnke has moved up to 50 in spite of the cold, wind and poor visiblity and Cindy is holding on the position 42! YEAHHHHH!!!!!

DEE DEE JENROWE SCRATCHES!
I just spent an hour providing my usual insightful and witty commentary on the Iditarod only to have the whole thing lost in the strange and mysterious world of the internet!
So, I am out of time. I will quickly update some of the big stuff and provide some links...things are happening fast on the trail!
Dee Dee Jenrowe scratched at Rainy Pass after breaking a finger and injuring her hand. This is a big shock as she is a favorite among fans and a top contender. With the loss of Dee Dee and Swingley, the top ten positions are open to anyone (of course, aren't they always!).
Last night Jeff Holt scratched at Finger Lake...he was nearing the checkpoint when he "experienced a sharp pain, extreme discomfort and passed out." He is being evaluated in Anchorage.
From the time I lost my blog until I checked the sites to rewrite this one two more mushers have scratched!! They are being blasted with 80 mph winds with wind chills at minus 55!
Lance Mackey, my pick, is in the lead at Nikolai one but he has broken a sled runner so things are dicey! Lance has an interesting story which I will update you on, along with information on the checkpoints, later.
Check the list of top ten mushers on the official site: Conventional wisdom has it that the winner is among the first ten to check in at Rhome (rome).
Our mushers are hanging in there: Cindy is at 42 and Carl has fallen back to 69. But, they are still in the race and they are winners no matter where they finish! There are no losers in the Iditarod-in fact, the last musher to drive under the burl arch at Nome gets an award. It is called the Golden Lantern.
Gotta go to work....and it is my late night. I'll be watching the race and our mushers from work. If you want to keep up you can go to the official Iditarod site or to the Alaska Daily News (which updated it's coverage while I was losing my witty, insightful blog). I actually think the ADN has better coverage unless you pay to be an "insider" on the official site...which I haven't done yet by may before Nome. The photo gallery is good and if you look under day one photos there is a picture of our musher, Cindy, driving her dogs down the starting shoot at Willow.

LATE BREAKING NEWS FROM THE TRAIL: Doug Swingley of Lincoln, Mt scratched at Rainy Pass due to injuries. He dislocated his thumb and possibly fractured some ribs and was concerned he would be unable to care for his team on the trail. What a heartbreak!!! It takes about $21,000 dollars to prepare to run the Iditarod, what a disappointment to have to scratch so early!!!! I don't know about you but my heart goes out to Doug-he is a four time Iditarod Champion.

Cindy Gallea and Clint Warnake are out of Finger Lakes:

I want to introduce you to another musher-Cindy Gallea. Why Cindy? Well, she is a 55 year old woman who has been a nurse practitioner for 16 years!!! She grew up on a farm in Minnesota and began mushing in 1987. She moved to Montana in 1990 to mush dogs, enjoy the beauty of the state and for work. A graduate of St Olaf with a BS in Nursing in 1973 and from the University of Washinton with a MS in Nursing in 1990.
I loved her stats!!! I graduated with my BS in 1976 (four years later)-we both graduated with a BS in a time when most nurses were diploma trained. I seem to be consistently lagging behind her by about 3-4 years. She graduated with her MS in 1990 and I graduated in 1994. And she is 3 years older than me. So, I decided we need to follow this NP's progress and cheer her from the sidelines...or computer desk.
I signed on to check on our mushers and discovered that they are doing very well!!! Cindy is at position 34 and Chris is right behind her in 35!!! Good job guys!!!

A little information about Finger Lake: This check point is at mile 194-less than 1,000 to go now!! It has a population of 2-Kirsten and Carl Dixon who run this checkpoint on the eastern fringe of the Alaska Range.

I thought I'd tell you a little bit about some of the behind the scenes stuff (did you know that it takes 1,800 volunteers to put this race on?). Specifically I thought I'd talk about 2 of the big sponsors and their special projects. Of course, this is highly commercialized and the sponsors get lots of exposure but they do some really good stuff. Alaska Airlines is involved in all sorts of facets of the race from the start to the finish, however, their primary focus is the canine athletes. They sponsor 35 vets who come from all over the world to provide prerace physicals and work along the trail to ensure the safety and health of the dogs. They transport supplies, dog food, dog "booties" and kennels. Their pilots serve in the "Idiarod Air Force" which is an elite group of bush pilots who volunteer to fly vets, supplies, and volunteers to remote checkpoints along the trail that can only be reached by light craft. A group of their employees volunteer as the "Dog Squad." They work around the clock to assist the mushers' teams at the race finish, making sure the "real heroes" of the race have a comfortable ride back to Anchorage. And finally, they present the "coveted" Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award to the musher who takes the best care of his or her dogs through the course of the race. According to what I have read this is voted on by the trail vets and considered to be among the highest honors an Iditarod musher can receive (this is according to the info provided by Alaska Airlines....I suspect it is somewhere below actually winning the race...but, I think it is wonderful that the care of the animals is recognized).

Next is Wells Fargo's Teacher on the Trail project (this is a great link for teachers: lesson plans, teaching resources, curriculum information, etc). This year's winner is Florida educator, Kim Slade. During the race she will fly to checkpoints with the Iditarod Air Force. Her observations and experiences will be recorded in her daily journal on the Iditarod's website allowing students, teachers and fans to learn from her experiences. A feature of her website include the project, "One Small Square" which is a tool teachers can use in the classroom for various educational activities.

Well, that is enough for one blog....I don't want to give away all my information at once. I'll end with this final trivia:

More adventurers have climbed Mount Everest than have finished the Iditarod over the last 34 years.

CLINT WARNKE-FAIRBANKS, ALASKA

I found out the musher in the pictures I took is Clint Warnke from Fairbanks. He is 36, born in Alberta and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada. He started mushing in 1977 and ran his first Iditarod in 2001. Clint ran the 2003 Iditarod and won the Most Improved Musher Award. In the summer of 2004 he moved to Alaska. This year Clint is running his own young dog team and works with the Veterinary Educational team, which teaches children in South Carolina about northern breed sled dogs and the Iditarod.

Today Clint is in position 69. He has checked in at Skwentna and his next check point is Finger Lake. His time en route is 3 hours and his average speed is 11mph.

Clint has passed the check point at Knik, mile 63, population 7,049 and home of Joe Redington, Sr. "Father of the Iditarod." Mr Redington is a fascinating character. He finished the Iditarod in 5th place when he was 71 and was in the midst of preparing to run again when he died at the age of 82-check out the link on this Alaskan character. The Musher's Hall of Fame is located here. This is also where the wilderness race trail begins.

At mile 115, our musher and his team of dogs passed through Yenta Station, population 8. This is a roadhouse-checkpoint in the Susitna Valley.

His last check point as of this writing was Skwentna, population 11, near the confluence of the Yentana and the Skwentana rivers.

I think it is alot more fun to keep up with the race if you are watching a musher....so I am cheering Clint on from the sidelines! I will be posting his position and following his progress on the blog.

GOOD LUCK, CLINT.....MUSH ON!!!!!

IDITAROD 2007.....THE LAST GREAT RACE

The morning started early, for a Saturday. I woke up at 7 to prepare for my first Iditarod-watching from the sidelines, of course.
I started with the first layer-you know, undies like normal people wear. Then, because I am in Alaska, another layer followed-the silk long johns...including breeches, top and silk sock liners. Next, clothes...turtle neck shirt and cords. A little something extra, a fleece vest.
And now the wool socks, however, before the wool socks I have to attach the feet warmers to the silk sock liners. Pulling on the "fur" lined boots without disrupting the foot warmers can be a little dicey. Now, outer wear......my huge fake fur coat (I have been mistaken for a polar bear more than once), glove liners, gloves, and a pair of ear muffs. I had already put hand warmers in all my pockets-the ones in my vest and the ones in my coat. I wish I had pockets in my pants....with the blood circulating close to the surface in the groin area they would be a nice addition! I guess I am ready.
I had prepared my camera by placing a foot warmer in one of the side pockets and putting the camera in a plastic bag in the camera bag-you don't want the camera to warm up to fast because condensation will develop (very bad). However, if I don't keep it warm the batteries stop working. So, all ready!!!
My friends pick me up and off we go to the 2007 Ceremonial Start of the Iditarod!!!! Forgot the camera..........again! Fortunately, Gary (one of the traveling Nurse Practitioner's husband) remembered his! He took plenty of pictures and promises to send some my way....I'll post them.
Anyway, I really wasn't expecting the numbers of people that were in downtown Anchorage for the event. I guess I was surprised because Fur Rondy was so small and poorly attended. This was huge...thousands of people! A real party atmosphere with people everywhere, vendors selling all sorts of furs and trickets on the sidewalks and dogs barking, whining and howling to go! I heard a man standing next to me comment that this was like Mardi Gras. I've never been to Mardi Gras but I can't imagine anything any less like Mardi Gras than the Iditarod!!
We ate at the Downtown Diner and watched the dogs then went to find a place to watch the race. Except that was easier said then done. We finally walked far enough that it was a little less crowded and stood behind some shorter people. But one was a BIG man and he insisted we stand in front of him so we could see better! Thank you very much!!! I gave him a pair of my hand warmers in exchange for the good view.
We watched for maybe an hour and started to get cold from standing still. Also we felt a little bad because all this time Lea Anne was lost and her husband had gone to look for her....then she showed up without him...then she went to look for him then he showed up without her. Jane and I just stood in the very front watching the race! When we got cold we decided to go find them (notice we waited until we got cold)....but, by some miracle (added by my big white coat which stands out like a sore thumb among all the dead animals) we all got together in one place!
Enough cold! We needed a little break so we went into the boat tour place and acted very, very interested in the tours (which start in May so it was a little hard to be real interested)...asked all sorts of questions until we were warm again....and then off we went in search of the snow sculptures.
A very long walk actually....which made me feel much better about the blueberry sourdough pancakes with extra crispy bacon I had for breakfast. Across the street, through the carnival and down a long sloping hill. I discovered something I didn't know....I can't walk down hill on an incline because I have "pre-patellar syndrome" (when you are with a bunch of midlevels you always have some on the minute help with diagnosis). That sounds very official but what it means is that it hurts like hell to walk with your foot pointed downhill so you have to do this funny side ways walk and everyone has to wait and wait and wait for you to catch up (getting old ain't for sissies, sweetheart!). But, we made it and got a chance to look at the snow sculptures....beautiful but sort of pitted from the horrific winds of the last two days.
Oh, did I mention there was just a little breeze and it was 7 above-very nice!
Out of sympathy for me, I think, Lea Anne suggested we go to the Ulu Factory. I was glad to sit awhile-and besides I needed a case for my ulu. I got my case, a cup of hot chocolate and went back outside where I sat in the sun in a great chair and dozed until Lea Anne finished buying her $70 bowl. I think Gary was sorry we stopped at the ulu factory.
Back to the main part of town (this time via these two huge staircases that go up from one street to the other). I watched more dogs leave from the starting line while Lea Anne and Jane went to the Furrier to unbuy the fur coats I pressured them into buying last weekend-I was not allowed to go in with them. But, even still it was scarey how long it took them to unbuy those coats....Gary was outside with me and he began to pace and eventually went in "see what was going on."
Then it was off the opposite direction in town to see the ice sculptures (I've posted pictures of them before). I had seen them but no one else had-I'm glad I saw the sculptures earlier because they are pretty damaged and melted (I like them better than the snow sculptures). With that we headed back to the car with just a stop for Latte (or, in my case, a Diet Pepsi and oatmeal cookie, which I felt justified in eating since we had walked a long, long, long time and it was-after all-oatmeal!)
So, it sounds like my Iditarod adventure was about over for the day, doesn't it....but, the best was yet to come! When I got home I realized they were racing just at the end of the block so I decided to take the forgotten camera and try to get some pictures! WOW, it was the best place to watch the dogs!!!! No barriers, no fences, no crowds. You just walk right up to the snow they are running on and watch as they pass by you. People are holding their hands out and as the dogs run by the mushers reach out and hi-five them....everyone is shouting out "we love you (insert musher's name)"...."good luck"....the mushers are thanking everyone for coming....the dogs are looking around...looking at you! Once I saw the I-did-a-rider look up at the musher and say "it is so cool that they all know your name."
At one time I shouted out "good luck" and the musher looked at me and said "thank you...thank you so much"...and I snapped his picture at that moment. I think it was one of my three best photos of the day! He was so filled with excitment you can almost see it in the photo and you could really see and feel it in that moment!!!!
That was my Iditarod experience-standing on the corner of Cordova and 11th wishing the teams a good run, listening to the harnesses rattle, and the people shouting and clapping. Talking to each other between teams and sharing the excitment of the "last great race"...that is the moment I got Iditarod fever!!!! If there was any way possible I would be in Nome in 10 days shouting as they pull in!!!!
A comment on the mushers-this is not necessarily a just a young man's sport. I think I heard that the "average" racer is about 50....there has been a contender that was 71....I saw a young athletic looking girl (29) and a woman who looked a lot like me (overweight and over 50). Of course, it's about the dogs. The musher has to bred the dog he or she wants, maintain a healthy kennel of dogs and take good care of them on the trail....that alone is very demanding. I have a tremendous amount of respect for anyone that sets out into the Alaskan Wilderness with 12 dogs and a sled with supplies!!! Be they brave or just plain crazy, they have a special set of skills and an adventurous, independent spirit that has always fascinated me!
Well, I am off for another Fur Rondy event-the Native Crafts sale in the Diamond Mall. I'm gonna leave my camera AND my wallet at home!
Hopefully tomorrow I will get out to Willow to the official start of the Iditarod....if I do I'll try to remember by camera so I can take you all along!!! Stay up to date with what's happening and who's in the lead at www.iditarod.com.

OFF TO THE IDITAROD......I've got the camera this time!!!! More later with pics if my camera stands up under the cold. It looks like a beautiful day today-the wind was blowing so hard yesterday and the day before that I could hardly stand up....it blew me backward when I was waiting to cross the street downtown last night!!!! But, I see no wind out there today and clear skies! So, I don't care what the actually temp is (she says sitting here dressed in everything she owns with feet warmers glued to her feet and body!)