IT  HAPPENED:   Burled arch away (background), streets clear, quiet. Savoring all the memories of
                               IDITAROD 2016. Till 2017.

March 22, 2016

Just some final words from the mushers etc:

At the Finishers Banquet JEFF KING and ALIY ZIRKLE thanked the community of NULATO after a snowmachiner from their village struck both mushing dog teams on the trail.
NULATO held a craft fair and raised money to give to JEFF and ALIY. JEFF said "I've got a hunch ALIY and I will come up with a good place to share the money that NULATO raised." He  hoped a lesson can be learned how dangerous and harmful riding these machines when one is intoxicated can be.

KIM FRANKLIN, one of the last mushers to get into NOME had quite a delay, I didn't know about, on the trail. Between ROHN and NIKOLAI she lost her sled and dogs and spent 17 hours looking for them. After such a delay and finding them, she was back on the trail. WOW. Perseverance!

REEF, DALLAS SEAVEY'S dog won the award for the most outstanding lead dog.
DALLAS won $75,000 and a new truck for coming in 1st place. Not too shabby!

NULATO won the Golden Clipboard Award as the most outstanding checkpoint. Amen!

Thanks for following the 2016 IDITAROD with me. Hope you enjoyed it. Maybe next year they could try the above dogs hitched up and ready to ROLLLL???? Maybe their legs will grow by then?

At the FINISHERS BANQUET on Sunday. Talks, good eats, trophies, $$, congrats given out

JEFF KING, first to the Yukon, lots of bills in that mining pan

ALIY ZIRKLE L. Seppola Humanitarian Award

DeeDee Jondrow L. Seppola award given to her in  '91, lost in a fire, found, reunited

DALLAS SEAVEY winner of the 2016 IDITAROD with his WINNING DOGS-congrats DALLAS and amazing athletic DOGS

March 21, 2016

Sorry I missed the the red lantern winner and the banquet as I was occupied with food poisioning.
That too did pass.......
A rerun of yesterday.

MARY HELWIG made it to NOME!!! Last one....BUT....she made it.. congratulations!

HAPPY MARY and HER DOGS
MARY red lantern winner--last in to NOME

CINDY GALLEA next to last musher in. Hey, she has my hat on---ssssooo warm. Got it at the "fair" in NOME. So many handmade goods and interesting art, bought both, there. Held for about a week during the race.

GOOD NITE ALL. Will check on MARY HELWIG tomorrow. Good luck MARY. You're almost there.

At almost midnight in New York and 8pm in Alaska. Only one person on the trail and that's
MARY HELWIG.  She is out of WHITE MOUNTAIN on her way to SAFETY and then NOME--maybe 4-5 hours. Have to rerun that tomorrow. She will be the red lantern winner, signifying the last musher to come in.
All in all, 14 mushers and dogs scratched. Sad for all of them. Maybe next year.
When KIM FRANKLIN, from England, came into NOME (second to last) she was teary eyed.
She said it was so overwhelming and wonderful. Her lead dog is 10 years old--quite old for these dogs but said he did a great job and made it to NOME.

Another childs drawing of what she thinks a Husky sees when he's on the trail

LISBET NORRIS and her dog in NOME

 COME ON LET'S KEEP GOING-----PPPPPLEASE!!!!!!

KRISTIN BACON telling race director in NOME what fun this race was. How she always envisioned herself and her dogs under this burled arch. Think I saw JEFF KING there to greet her.

Only one person left at WHITE MOUNTAIN, MARY HELWIG.
WHITE MOUNTAIN population of 209 and 77 miles from NOME. Its located on the banks of the Fish River. WM takes its name from picturesque nearby mountains.
Come on MARY, catch up with the 3 others that left recently. Hope to see you in NOME today!!

carved owl in NOME

A child's idea of what a husky sees---out of the eyes of babs thru the eyes of the dogs

MONICA ZAPPA and BLUE STEEL ham it up --MONICA is a commercial fisherwoman by trade

One of TRENT  HERBST's dogs receiving his diploma from the HERBST ACADEMY

MONICA and BLUE STEEL

March 19, 2016
This could be the final day. At noon New York time, 8am Alaska time: ROB COOKE, from
England, just came in with his team of Siberian Huskies (one of the few SH teams left). He said he had some difficulties with a broken sled and open water BUT he made it. Good for him and those beautiful huskies!

Frosted but happy (that's happy) look getting to NOME

This is what hands do

Little backtrack. This is the "green" for the golf tournament on the Bering Sea. They put the greens in and called it a FOREST!!

ROB COOKE

One last thing: TRENT HERBST had many 1st timer dogs on his team so when he arrived in NOME he stuck a rolled up diploma under their harness---graduation from the 1st timers academy. Thought I got a picture of it but......

Good luck to those left out on the trail. If they get in by tomorrow then everyone can go to the Banquet on Sunday, don't have to wait for any stragglers.

cont''d
I just pictured TIM PAPPAS below, being welcomed by the Mayor. TIM worked with MARTIN BUSER for 2 years as his apprentice. This year MARTIN'S son ROHN couldn't race as he was caring for the BUSER home and dogs so TIM agreed to take ROHN's dogs to NOME. He is a rookie and he came in 51st. Good for him. EVERYONE that finishes is a WINNER!!!

As of 11pm New York time--7pm Alaska time- 5 mushers are still on the trail. ROB COOKE is in WHITE MOUNTAIN, all the rest are in ELIM: KRISTIN BACON, KIM FRANKLIN, CINDY GALLEA and MARY HELWIG. Good luck one and all.

The bikers you can see along the trail--big fat tires. Some ride!!

WHITE MOUNTAIN to NOME--in case you didn't know

extra sleds left at the checkpoints for use if needed---nice picture, I think

Wearin' of the green

March 18, 2016

Lots of celebrating last night for St. Patrick's Day. The arm wrestling races, wet T-shirt contest, goes on and on---EVERYONE participates. Now this morning........well, maybe a later wake up call, unless you are still on the trail.

 Again a pic of MARTIN BUSER--he is now on his way to Seattle to see his son Nikolai, in the hospital

Mayor of NOME, Richard Beneville, greats everyone on St. Patricks Day--he is a real fun guy

Mayor welcomes TIM PAPPAS

JODI BAILEY, Good Irishwoman that she is,

greeted by the Mayor--she loves the fun!!

Last of the last tonight:

Found out what Rule 36 is: " a team may be withdrawn that is out of the competition and is not in a position to make a valid effort to compete." I believe that she was just not moving ahead, don't think it was her dogs or her health but just too far back in the race to complete it. She didn't want to scratch but the powers that be did. Sorry Ellen.

HEY, I MADE IT!!!! YEAH!!! Going for some shut eye now. See you all tomorrow.

cont'd
Its 12 degrees in NOME so just right for the St. Patricks Day parade.

ELLEN HALVERSON has been hanging around in last place for many days now. She had been last to come into NOME for a few years and hoped this year to do better BUT.....she had to scratch due to rule 36 regarding competitiveness. WHAT??? Don't have any idea what that means. I'll try to find out.

MARCH 17, 2016

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY. This is, by far, one of the most fun days in NOME. There is a parade. EVERYONE can join the parade with their bunnies, dogs, cats, kids, costumes--I could go on and on.
It really is such fun. There is a golf tournament (Hank and I joined this!!) on the frozen Bering Sea--they put some evergreens in the ice and  a few golf greens for affect!! After that you can have a corned beef and cabbage dinner at the bar or anywhere in NOME. Lots of celebrating. EVERYONE is Irish today, even the dogs!!

The BARRINGTON twins into NOME--ANNA and KRISTI

What a sight to wake up to--cross the Bering Sea

 Forever!! ice to NOME

We've been to SAFETY before but never saw the sign

JASON MACKEY on his way to NOME--sorry brother LANCE didn't make it with him this year

NATHAN SCHROEDER at WHITE MOUNTAIN listening to his dogs tell him its a NO GO!!

MARTIN BUSER at WHITE MOUNTAIN

 Custom dog sweaters with pockets for heat warmers

Sunset on the Bering Sea--thats my cue to sign off. Till tomorrow

Found out about JIM LANIER, the Pathologist--musher. He was 10 miles from the KALTAG checkpoint when he deviated from the trail and ran into some jumble ice. Heading back, his sled tipped flipping him and injuring his colarbone. He righted the sled and made it to the checkpoint at KALTAG using one arm. So sorry!! Below picture of JIM before his fateful injury.

BRENT SASS is already into NOME but I'll tell you his story:
He lead much of the way. Got in between the SEAVEY'S at one point and it was almost a chase with the three of them. He got to WHITE MOUNTAIN all revved up BUT the dogs wouldn't go. You CAN'T make a dog go when he doesn't want to. BRENT then realized that physically his dogs were fine but mentally he had exhausted them. He felt ashamed of himself. He let the chase of the other two mushers get in his way of checking with his dogs. He got ready to leave, looked at the dogs and knew then and there--they weren't ready. He checked himself and said this is their race and they are talking to me. SOOO he and the dogs stopped and rested at WHITE MOUNTAIN till the dogs "told" him they were ready to move on. He then knew the race wasn't his to win but he did the right thing by his dogs and thats more rewarding. He came into NOME teary eyed but happy to make it to the end and do the right thing for his dogs. At one point he was ready for second or third but in the end came in 20th.  NATHAN SCHROEDER had the same situation. His dogs wouldn't GO--again, they were talking to him,  so he stopped and rested them till they were ready. A lesson to be learned.

HUGH NEFF the Mr. Dr. Seuss is already in NOME, as I mentioned. He always brings a Dr. Seuss book for the library there. This time its "If I Ran The Dog Show".
Don't forget my parka is in the museum there in NOME, just saying.......

JIM LANIER had to scratch , with his 12 dogs, due to a personal injury. That's all I know. I always thought he was a Dentist but now I know he's a Pathologist, anyway, I wanted to mention he was raised in FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA (for Tara and Jason). He now lives in CHUGIAK, AK.
A very nice fellow, sorry to not see him finish, as I'm sure he is. Hope he's ok.

Rather than just tell you about NOME and the mushers coming in I will backtrack to some of those still out on the trail.

KELLY MAIXNA on ice and dirt trail before UNALAKLEET--tough run

MATS PETTERSSON snacks dogs at KALTAG. Bet they didn't ask for permission to put up that monstrous disc---hey its power

LARS MONSEN cooks dog food in KALTAG

March 16, 2016

Fun day in NOME to see so many of the mushers come in. JOHN BAKER from KOTZEBUE came in to native dancers and singers greeting him. Wish I could send that video. Just have to trust me on that one. JOHN is 53 years old and won the race in 2011. I was there in NOME to see him come in.
His hobby is flying. Risky guy it looks like.

JOAH LEIFSETH ULSOM into NOME-1st Norwegian Iditarod contingent finishing

feet of his dog after going almost 1,000 miles!! No bunions

One of JOAH dogs in his fur lined harness. Prevent any rubbing or discomfort

Little out of sequence--near the end SAFETY checkpoint--not much around

HUGH NEFF all bundled up.