MUSHERS ARRIVE IN UNALAKLEET

I have lots of pics from today but I'll write first. Up at 3am as the first musher, John Baker will arrive at 4am!! Yes he did.  The entire town was out and hooting!! John has never won an Iditarod so many were there to support him. Next musher Ramey Smyth was in second but about 1 1/2 hours later. After John bedded his dogs down, fed them, had the vets check them he then went up to the Heaquarters for breakfast. Middie, the mayor of Unalakleet and a musher was making breakfast for everyone. He was in last years Iditarod, finished but certainly not in the top 20. This year his brother used his dogs from his kennel. He may go in next year. Such a nice guy but aren't all MAYORS Deedee? He loved waiting on everyone.John Baker was the center of attention. He looked tired but was so congenial to the Iditarod Insider, Anchorage TImes and other media. Middie made pancakes, eggs, moose sausage and a special for John, caribou steaks!! Breakfast was delicious. Then Ramey Smyth came in and devowered the caribou steaks and anything else around him. Middie said if his dogs ate like Ramey he would have a winning team!!
Then Hans Gott came in etc etc. When we came into the big room Hank and I took a seat at a big table, then came John Baker, then Ramey----was the "head table" I guess. Mitch Seavey was there with his fingers and hand in a cast. He had had surgery on the hand from an injury at Anik. He was cutting a bay of hay and his knife closed up cutting across his hand. The Iditarod Committee then decided as long as he had to get out of the race they would send him to some of the checkpoints, Unalakleet being one of them. He could answer questions, great the mushers and basic PR. He was at the "head table" too. Spoke with him, he became my NBF (new best friend). Spoke about the anguish of the injury he blamed himself for  but realized he has to give that up, look towards getting the fingers functioning again and move on. Such a nice guy and seems like a good head!!
His son Dallas won the Yukon Quest this year and is using the same dogs for this race. He waited for him to arrive and met everyone as they came in.
Back out to watch everyone come in. It was -12 this am but now the sun is out so may warm up a bit.
Spent the day with the mushers. Beautiful weather day. Ate some strange native foods prepared by the locals. I have some pics and will try to put them up. We had AQUUTUQ (ice cream) made with white fish, lard and berries then whipped. (probably shouldn't try this at home!!) Hanks favorite and not bad tasting. Then Shee Fish Chowder--FILLED with every kind of fish imaginable and some I don't want to imagine!!! Then crumb bake reindeer on rice, reindeer burgers and stew. Great food. Even some Muctuk (whale blubber) ugh!! The kid said to Hank, its even better with salt on it (I had my doubts).
Waited up till about 11pm for some mushers to come in then back to our room over Peace On Earth (the pizza place and HANGOUT!! They played LOUD music till 4am nite before (no insulation between floors and we are over the drums) and finished earlier tonight 1am. If it just wasn't rap!!! Till tomorrow