March 10, 2003

• UPDATED Iditarod update: 

  
  

  left:  “I’m ready.  Where’s my harness.”

  
  

  The race [re]started in Fairbanks one week ago today.  Today (Monday March 10, 2003) would be an excellent time to go to the website, because there are a dozen or so pictures of the Dogs of the Iditarod.  I’ve copied a few of them here.

  
  

  This, from the official race website:  

  
  

  
  

  “Changes in the route cause many other changes in the race. For example, instead of the Millennium Anchorage Hotel serving their delicious gourmet dinner for the First Musher to reach the Yukon River (would have been Anvik, this year) it was served at Kaltag the second time the musher checked in (known as Kaltag 2).

  
  

  The menu for the dinner included:

  
  

  
  
  • 
    
    Alaskan king crab crostini
    
    
  • 
    
    spinach with balsamic chicken
    
    
  • 
    
    saffron risotto with lobster flambé
    
    
  • 
    
    triple chocolate bliss
    
    
  • 
    
    after dinner mint  includes – 3500 one dollar bills

  
  

  Obviously mushers don’t have the time to really enjoy this fine meal so Mr. Sorlie and his guest will be served the same meal at the Millennium when he returns. The award will be presented again in Nome at the Awards banquet.”

  
  

  At right:  “Come on! Come on!  I want to go right now!”

  
  

  The dogs and mushers are not the only people out there who are feeling the fatigue after a week on the trail.  Here’s the latest of Roxy’s trail reports:

  
  

  
  

  “Kaltag, 5:00 Am, March 10

  
  

  Robert Sorlie left out of Kaltag at about 4:40AM, Ramy getting ready to leave. Correction on my report from Eagle Island on Ramy’s arrival time, I believe I copied off check sheet as 10:10 and it was actually 10:40, so Ramy was just slightly faster than Sorlie.
  

  Jeff King arrived at 3:32. I am too tired to compute the time goodnight.”

  
  

  

  
  

  Left:  Time to catch a few zzzzzs.

  
  

  As of about 9 AM today, the first 12 mushers had all taken both of their mandatory layovers.  Unless there is some fireball holding back in the pack who comes forward in the next few days, or some of them have problems and fall back, these names will probably be among those first into Nome:  (in their current order as they come out of the N/S loop and head northwest toward the coast, with # of dogs in parens)  Robert Sorlie (12); Ramy Brooks (9); Jeff King (12); Martin Buser (11); John Baker (10); Ken Anderson (11); Ed Iten (10); Jon Little (10); Sonny Lindner (11); Rick Swenson (14); Ramey Smyth (12); and Linwood Fiedler (9).

  
  

  

  
  

  Right:  “Just climb on in and leave the flying to me!”

  
  

  Dee Dee Jonrowe is in 20th place, out of Grayling 2 (second time through that checkpoint on the loop) around 7 PM yesterday with ten dogs.  She has taken both mandatory layovers.

  
  

  Charlie Boulding was in 32nd place with nine dogs when he scratched at Anvik.  That makes him one of ten mushers who have scratched thus far in this race.  That’s also going to make Greyfox one disappointed old fart / shaman / street peddler when he wakes up today and gets the news.  Charlie is his perennial favorite–farts of a feather, in my opinion.

  
  

  UPDATE TO UPDATE: 

  
  

  Greyfox just came in with today’s Anchorage Daily News.  On the front page is, “Coming and Going,” this great shot of Charlie Boulding (facing camera) and Rick Swenson on the trail.  I stole it and the caption from adn.com.

  
  

  A southbound Charlie Boulding gets a high five from northbound Rick Swenson between the Anvik and Grayling checkpoints Sunday morning on the Yukon River. This year’s race marks the first time that mushers retrace their route and pass each other. Boulding later scratched at Anvik.
  

  
  

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
  

  And back to our regularly scheduled blogging:

  
  

  LuckyStars asked me if the dogs wear booties.  Yes they do, and teaching them not to eat booties is one of the more important aspects of puppy training.

  
  

  Speaking of Greyfox, he had one of those “tradeoff” days yesterday.

  
  

  We had about a day and a half of relatively calm weather before the winds picked up again yesterday afternoon.  You may have heard about our wind because the damage in Anchorage and the Valley made some national newscasts. 

  
  

  Greyfox was in Talkeetna at his stand when the wind rose yesterday.  Business sucked and he came home early.  He wasn’t too bummed out, though.  He recalled the old saying, “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good.”  The wind blew him a little Zip-loc bag with about a quarter ounce of fresh stinky bud.  He’s happy.

  
  

  

  
  

  TreesusChrist asked me if this is a butterfly.  Yes, it’s my moniker.  I’ve been signing letters, psychic readings, and various works with this since 1972, after a hobo I met on a freight train told me I needed a moniker to let people know I’d been there.  I’m known by various names, but that’s my one and only moniker.

  • 5:42 pm
  • 7 Comments