Two above shots FYI: Top: the two last finishers. See how close they are.
Next shot: Maruskiya's on Front St. in Nome owned by Patty and Marty James. Great shop with authentic goods and beautiful wares. We met Patty and Marty at the Santa Fe, NM craft fair. THey told us they were from Nome and we would see them the next year there. Patty was from QUEENS and asked us to bring some Italian pastries for her which we did. We had dinner at their home in Nome and enjoyed seeing them.
Mike Cavin from the Nome Chamber of Commerce was wonderful to us. We spoke on the phone so many times when I met him I felt like we had known each other forever!! He got married the next year and is still in Nome.
Another note about Aliy Zirkle. Think I mentioned this in my blogs from a few years ago but here goes again. Hank wanted to experience being a musher with "his own team" well....you know what I mean.
He needed to know where to go, who to go with etc etc. He called Aliy Zirkle for some info. She called him right back and said she wanted to help but she was on her way to a race --she would hook him up with "Paws for Adventure" where some of her dogs were. Hank did go with that group and had a great time. That's why Abbie West wrote a note to Hank about his "dog racing" on her poster.
I mention this as it is just wonderful how genuine, friendly, fun, helpful and unassuming all these people are.

Before we put an end to Iditarod 2014 I will mention a few of the other awards given at the banquet.
Sportsmanship award - $1.049 + a plaque (strange amount) to Mike Williams Jr.
Mushers Choice Award - for the most inspirational on the trail - a gold coin valued at $3,900 given to
                                         Aaron Burmeister
Best Attitude on the trail - $1,049 (seems like a trend) and free freight allotment given to
                                        Newton Marshall
Best Checkpoint - rated by the mushers - GALENA
Fastest time fm Safety to Nome- Jessie Royer and Ray Redington Jr.
Most improved musher - a trophy and $2,000 given to Richie Diehl
1st musher to Galena - $1,000 and 25 lbs of Bristol Bay Salmon given to Aliy Zirkle
1st musher to the Gold Coast - Aily Zirkle
Rookie of the Year - $1,500 + a trophy given to Nathan Schroeder
1/2 way checkpoint award - $3,000 in gold nuggets given to Aaron Burmeister
1st musher to the Yukon - $3,500 and a 5 course catered meal in Ruby given to Jeff King
A new 4 wheeler to a musher who finishes the race and has the key that starts the 4 wheeler--opened by
                                    Robert Sorlie
Lots of Awards for lots of talented, caring, hearty, wonderful people.

MAY NEXT YEAR BRING LOTS OF SNOW AND REASONABLE TEMPERATURES, GOOD DOGS AND GOOD MUSHERS!! TILL NEXT YEAR.

MONDAY MARCH 17, 2014  HAPPY  ST. PATRICKS DAY

TODAY IS THE DAY TO CELEBRATE AT THE BANQUET IN NOME

THIS IS WHERE THE AWARDS ARE GIVEN OUT:

Winners purse: Dallas Seavey

Winner: Dallas' Dodge Ram truck valued at $39,200

Dallas with his lead dogs

Outstanding lead dog--gold harness--Dallas Seavey's lead dog Beattle

Red Lantern (last place) important because you never give up, you go to the end!! Trophy for
Marcelle Fresineau

Second place--by 2 minutes--Aliy Zirkle

Best dog care on the trail--Martin Buser on the left

Some pics of the banquet

While everyone is enjoying the banquet inside--there are a few enjoying the outside and expressing those feelings by howling. Love it when one howls in the dog lot and then in turn they all howl!!!

    Sunday March 16, 2014

OK EVERYONE IS IN!!! Can't believe everyone made it back right in time for the banquet today.
Now I'll go back a bit:

A rookie, Elliot Anderson had been in last position for quite awhile but in Golovin he had to scratch.
So now we were down to the last two.
Third from the last place was Monica Zappa, the musher I spoke about who was teamed up with the Teacher on the Trail. I mention her only because I think the Teacher on the Trail is interesting to a lot of people and Monica played a wonderful part of the kids experience.

 Monica Zappa in the chute coming into NOME. She said the Farewell Burn was a "living nitemare" and she said "no one told me the Topkok Hills are mountains."

Marcelle Norris leads her team on the Bering Sea and Marcelle Fressineau is just behind her.

Marcelle Fressineau at the trail marker near Nome.

Newton Marshall's dog. How majestic!!

 HERE THEY ARE!!! A portion of the 2014 musher finishers in Nome under the arch!! GREAT JOB

THIS IS WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SEEN ON THE TRAIL--SNOW--BUT NO THAT WAS ON THE EAST COAST!!!DRATS


Second to last into Nome was Lisbet Norris and Red Lantern (last place) was Marcelle Fressineau.
Marcelle is a Swiss born Canadian. Even to the very end people came out to cheer for each and every musher.
I still think its ironic that the most attention paid to a racer from the media to trophies etc are first AND last place. The Red Lantern racer gets their name engraved on the Red Lantern along with a big write up in the paper. About the same attention the first place racer gets. Well, first place maybe a bit more plus money plus a truck plus plus. Anyway......  THEY ARE ALL WINNERS!!

Not a lot to write about. As I said, it seems the news is interested mostly in the top 5-10 mushers and then.........well, everyone seems to go home......
Few tidbits:
Even though Dallas Seavey won the race and Aliy Zirkle came in second, the Nome headlines
gave accolades to Dallas but there was a picture of Aliy hugging her lead dog Quito and the caption read "Queen of Hearts". Enough said...

There are so many different kinds of sleds, like different types of engines etc at the Indy 500. A few of the racers are in the sled business like Hans Gatt of Gatt Sleds and Paige Drobrey of Dog Paddle Sleds.
After the beating the sleds must have taken on these snowless, rocky trails etc wonder what reno's they might do on next years stock. I think they should have two levels of runners---one with wheels and one with a runner. A lever could bring the wheels down when needed and "store " the runners and switch the process when called for. Oh well, what do I know!!

There are 18 Rookies in this years race. The last three mushers, who are in Safety, are rookies.
Maybe tonight they all will be in. I believe the Banquet for racers and anyone else who bought a ticket, will be tomorrow night. If all the racers aren't in, no matter when they do get in, they have their own banquet given to them. Its nice when everyone can share in the celebration together though. Awards are given out, dinner is usually catered by the Millennium Hotel from Anchorage, speaches are given and its a lot of fun. It all happens in NOME!!

Wish I was there to go to the Nome Museum on Front Street as my parka is on display there. I donated it a few years ago.

We'll see what happens tonight with the last three racers.

March 14, 2014

Sorry about yesterday---my computer was on the fritz. Back today.

As of 3:30 EST there are only 3 mushers left and they are at White Mountain. They are all Rookies.


  Newton Marshall finally getting to NOME

Newton coming down Front Street in Nome!!

The pink K-9 Faries are waiting for Newton

 The pink K-9  Faires in number surrounding Newton!!

 Newton said it was some experience. Tough race but he made it!!

 Charlie Benja's dog coming into Nome all frosted up

Karin Hendrickson dog taking a well deserved rest in the dog lot in Nome after a snow burst passed thru

MARCH 13, 2014

Its evening EST and it looks like 13 teams are still outside Nome. One will be coming in soon. Of those 13 nine of them are rookies. What a year for a rookie--with these weather conditions, not much snow, wind etc.
Some words about Jeff Kings scratch.  The only thing that was standing between 4 time champ Jeff King and a record tying 5th win was the brutality of Mother Nature. He was in horrendous winds, blowing snow in gusts that allowed visibility only in pulses, coupled with the icy trail not allowing any traction for the dogs. At one point, not far from Safety, he could see even his dogs were frightened so he hunkered down on the trail--waiting to see if the weather would improve (it didn't). Their coats were whipping in the wind and they were shivering. 2 dogs were so frantic they tried to climb into his parka so he piled them all together and put his sleeping bag over them. After some time he was shivering and freezing cold. The wind did not let up and he knew he wouldn't be able to get his sleeping bag back so he decided to walk to Safety for help. He had gone about 2 miles when he came upon a group of people, after he accepted a ride to Safety he knew that meant he was out of the race. You are not allowed to accept a ride during the race. He then got a snowmobile to go and get his dogs. Amen!

 Paige Drobny coming down the chute in Nome

A little sleep for a long trip. Nite!!

Aliy Zirkle dog at the dog lot in Nome. Now the snow comes!!

Some young kids from Nome welcoming the dogs

Kristi Berrington finishing the race--looking a bit frosted

Kristi Berrington (one of the racing twins) on the frozen Bering Sea just before getting into Nome.
Hey, we had a golf tournament right near here----ON THE BERING SEA!!!

Ending another day: Just to let you know where a few of the mushers are:
Allen Moore, Aliy Zirkle's husband is in 28th place at Elim.
Newton Marshall is 43rd and at Shaktoolik.
The Red Lantern (last place) person is Elliot Anderson and he is in Unalakleet.
Good running tonight. Safe travels. Till tomorrow.