Life in Alaska

Random stuff that would never happen in Florida....

The biggest news is that my neighbor, Ann, is driving down to Anchorage for the start of Iditarod -- and I am going with her!  I have been officially accepted as a volunteer and am registered to attend the Dog Handler Certification Course at 12:30 pm on March 6.  I will be a handler both at the ceremonial start and the re-start in Willow.  I am really excited!  

While I am on the subject, I am hoping to see Lance Mackey at the finish of the Yukon Quest in a week or so as well.  Although he isn't running this year, his brother is, and Lance will be at the finish when he comes in.  

A Goldstream Valley land/skyscape

It turns out that the Goldstream Valley is about the best place I could have ended up as it has a very high density of mushers.  I have already connected with 3 (2 sprint and 1 long-distance).  Once the two big long-distance races are over I will plan to spend some time at their kennels learning the ropes.  Goldstream even gets a mention in Racing the White Silence: On the Trail of the Yukon Quest by Adam Killick which I just finished.  A good book for anyone interested in the Yukon Quest (not the Yukon Gold, CLF -- that is a potato).

The Alaska Range from the Institute of Arctic Health Research at UAF

Dog handling for the ADMA races has been a good experience for the upcoming Iditarod.  Sled-holding is not easy, especially with some 18-20 dogs.  I went down a couple of times and the Race Marshall said pointedly "That has never happened to a dog handler before."  Yeah, right!

I know for most of you all of these sled-dog racing pictures look the same -- but every dog and musher is different.  You can just be glad I don't post them ALL.

This photo will take some explanation.  At the races on Sunday this woman came up to me and asked "Is that your dog?"  I looked around, didn't see any dogs, and said I don't have a dog.  She smiled and said "No, I mean your hat."  Well then I really laughed.  The hat is in fact made from dog hair.  There is a musher/weaver who gathers up all of the hair her dogs shed twice a year and makes hats. They look very much as if they were made of musk ox hair.   I bought this one at the Yukon Quest Shop.  It is very warm and soft, but as the snow melts my hair begins to acquire a faint wet-dog smell.  Oh well, I still like it a lot.  I told the woman that no one outside of Fairbanks would have a clue what we were talking about.

Two moose just before sunrise (8:30 am)

A little before 8:30am I got a text message from Ann that read "Moose on Snow Hook right now".  It is about a mile and a half from my cabin to Snow Hook but I got in the car and drove off without even warming it up (it was slightly above 0).  When I got there they had moved off the road but I was able to get these photos -- again they are not very clear mainly because it was still pretty dark and they had moved away from the road.  

Moose by abandoned car

Ann was once chased by a moose and took refuge on top of this abandoned car.  I often join her for a four-mile round trip walk up this road when she takes her dogs, Duke and Chicken Little out.  She does this walk twice a day.  It is great exercise.

A few more interesting observations:  1) Laundry detergent freezes if you leave it in your car; 2) Toe-warmers are essential protection when out in the cold; and 3) there are more dogs (by far) than children up here.  I think Adam Killick estimated 10,000 dogs in and around Fairbanks.  In fact, when Ann came in last evening and saw my new vacuum cleaner her comment was "Well, now that you have a car and a vacuum cleaner it is about time to go to the shelter."  Oh yes, I bought a car -- used 2009 Subaru Forester.  Subarus are like gold up here. 

That's it for now.  I will post again when the Yukon Quest is finished.