MARCH 11,2022 OPHIR, CRIPPLE, RUBY, GALENA

MARCH 11, 2022 

So so sad to see HUGH NEFF scratched in RUBY with 11 dogs as they say for all of them "in the best interest of the team". He went so far, took his 24 and now out. So sad, he was one of my favorites--such fun. JULIE AHREN scratched in MCGRATH with 11 dogs. Same reason given. RYNE OLSON scratched  in NIKOLAI with 13 dogs--again same reason. We spoke of OPHIR and CRIPPLE yesterday. From MCGRATH to OPHIR SEAN WILLIAMS took a spill on the "steps". He described it like being airborne while snowboarding the 1/2 pipe!!RUBY to GALENA is 50 miles. BRENT SASS was first into RUBY

The beef tenderloin award dinner--yummmmm

BRENT SASS coming into RUBY

Northern lights over RUBY

winning the Lakefront Anchorage Award for the first musher to the YUKON~~ This is a good one--he gets a 5 course gourmet meal. The chef being brought in from ANCHORAGE.This is the meal:Shrimp with mango chutney and cucumber, reindeer minestrone soup with crostini, wedge of iceberg lettuce with bacon, apple, blue cheese and dried cranberries. DINNER: 8oz. seared beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon, baby carrots, fingerling potatoes, red wine mushroom sauce--dessert--cheesecake bar with strawberry sauce. The "after dinner mint" of $3, 500 in one dollar bills and a bottle of Dom Perignon. JUST LIKE ON THE TRAIL---NOT---. This is what wanting the win feels like---BRENT passed this up due to not wanting to lose any time and gave it to two local guys-- BILLY and NATE!!

These three pictures of MCGRATH. Hank and I volunteered here. We stayed in a house with about 20 other people. When I was having breakfast a moose came by and was looking in the window. Gee, the certainly are big!! Very welcoming town. Getting lots more snow now. Truck coming down street in MCGRATH.