Greetings Race Fans!
Well, it seems the crew made it through Canada! They arrived back in the states late Thursday evening and got into Jackson with about 3 hours to spare before the "better be there" musher meeting on Friday. It seems that they saw quite a lot of snow on the way down, but all around not a bad ride.
The Stage Stop Race (IPSSSDR) began at 6 pm on Friday with just a short 3 mile run through town, ending at Snow King resort. Jeff ran a 'big' team of 8 dogs, while most mushers ran teams of 5 or 6 dogs. People were lining the streets and the town was all lit up to welcome all the mushers. I'm pretty sure that Jeff managed to get some video on his helmet cam of the start ~ we'll try and get things loaded onto YouTube, but that most likely will be after his return home. We'll keep you posted!
Friday night the town hosted a musher reception/party. Jeff said that Jason & Dave needed a bit of chaperoning to get out of the place without being arrested... hmmm? I didn't ask for more information, but instead decided to leave it at that! Snow King Resort hosted a Torch Light Parade with a magnificent fireworks display. The sky was crystal clear, the mountains were lit up and a 5-piece Jazz band was playing! In the words of the man himself "What a hoot!".
Today was a drive day, all the teams made their way to Lander, WY, where tomorrow the race starts in earnest. Jeff & Dave stopped off to purchase a couple of pairs of winter tennis shoes, as it seems those are a bit easier to run in... and it sounds like they may have to do some running to keep up with Wendy Davis - a hard core woman who loves running the Stage Stop and loves running in her home state of WY. I guess Jeff & Dave will have to "Shake n' Bake" a little harder to keep up with her!
As for the race itself, Jeff says that it is unbelievably organized and that Frank Teasley and his crew have done a great job getting so many people and communities involved with the race. Our hat's off to you Frank!
It should be interesting to see how the first stage goes off for the crew tomorrow ~ but one thing we do know for sure is that they are having one heckuva great time down there!
We'll keep ya posted!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Adventure Continues...
Greetings Race Fans!
Jeff and Dave had a great wrap-up to the Kusko race! Jeff finished in third place with an elapsed time of exactly 40 hours on the trail, while Dave finished up in 12th place with 47 hours and 25 minutes on the trail. Jeff and Dave both reported the trail was rough - and hard. Quite the opposite from last years "Kuskoswim".... I haven't even had a chance to ask the guys which they would prefer! Some really great news came at the musher banquet and awards ceremony... Dave was the recipient of the Humanitarian Award!!! The award was voted on by the race veterinarians and given to the musher that showed excellence in dog care. Way to go Dave!! We are all very proud of Dave's accomplishment. Way to focus on the task, man! Dave will be heading to Mexico in April for a well-deserved rest after racing season!! :)
[pic] Dave & his Humanitarian Award! Sponsored by Alaska Airlines.
After the Kusko was over and the guys made their way back to Anchorage - Jeff snuck off to the lower 48 for a couple of days and came home with a plan.... go figure!
"Wyoming. Yup, let's pack the truck and Jason and I will drive to Wyoming. I'll run the Stage Stop race and it will be a blast!" Mind you, this was Monday - and the race start is tomorrow. That gave them about 3.5 days to pack and drive from here... to Wyoming!
So, over dinner on Monday the plan was altered even more... it seems that two spots had opened up in the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR) ... so why not take two teams instead of just one?? Hmm... Dave?? Got a passport? Dave had been planning to run the re-scheduled Tustumena 200 this weekend - taking Jason's spot after those toes of his kept him out of the running. But, ya know - it just sounded like it was meant to be! To Wyoming! And why not?
And so the plan was hatched. Withing hours after dinner, phone calls were placed; the paperwork was filled out; lists were made; the trailer was hooked up; gear was loaded; coolers were filled; throw in a late night pot of coffee and the guys were in their element! Success is mandatory!!
[pic] Dave, Jeff & Jason - Team 'Shake n' Bake'!!
[pic] Donna, new border collie pup "Tack", David C. and Carrie - holding down the fort!
[pic] The winter view...
Jeff and Dave had a great wrap-up to the Kusko race! Jeff finished in third place with an elapsed time of exactly 40 hours on the trail, while Dave finished up in 12th place with 47 hours and 25 minutes on the trail. Jeff and Dave both reported the trail was rough - and hard. Quite the opposite from last years "Kuskoswim".... I haven't even had a chance to ask the guys which they would prefer! Some really great news came at the musher banquet and awards ceremony... Dave was the recipient of the Humanitarian Award!!! The award was voted on by the race veterinarians and given to the musher that showed excellence in dog care. Way to go Dave!! We are all very proud of Dave's accomplishment. Way to focus on the task, man! Dave will be heading to Mexico in April for a well-deserved rest after racing season!! :)
[pic] Dave & his Humanitarian Award! Sponsored by Alaska Airlines.After the Kusko was over and the guys made their way back to Anchorage - Jeff snuck off to the lower 48 for a couple of days and came home with a plan.... go figure!
"Wyoming. Yup, let's pack the truck and Jason and I will drive to Wyoming. I'll run the Stage Stop race and it will be a blast!" Mind you, this was Monday - and the race start is tomorrow. That gave them about 3.5 days to pack and drive from here... to Wyoming!
So, over dinner on Monday the plan was altered even more... it seems that two spots had opened up in the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR) ... so why not take two teams instead of just one?? Hmm... Dave?? Got a passport? Dave had been planning to run the re-scheduled Tustumena 200 this weekend - taking Jason's spot after those toes of his kept him out of the running. But, ya know - it just sounded like it was meant to be! To Wyoming! And why not?
And so the plan was hatched. Withing hours after dinner, phone calls were placed; the paperwork was filled out; lists were made; the trailer was hooked up; gear was loaded; coolers were filled; throw in a late night pot of coffee and the guys were in their element! Success is mandatory!!
[pic] Dave, Jeff & Jason - Team 'Shake n' Bake'!!
[pic] Donna, new border collie pup "Tack", David C. and Carrie - holding down the fort!The latest word from the road-tripping crew came this morning. They were in Edmonton - taking about their third break from the truck and grabbing a bite to eat. They were pleased to announce that Satellite Radio worked in Canada, and they had spent a while listening to the "All Elvis - All the Time" channel, bounced around for a bit, and were happy as could be when they found the "Blue Collar Comedy" channel...! It sounds almost as if these guys are having waaaaay to much fun!
Back here at the Homestead, we're keeping busy! David enjoyed his visit to California for a couple of weeks! He's back home now and has dug in getting projects finished around here, and is making sure to spend some quality time with the puppies. Donna has got herself a new little guy "Tack" and he is just one fluffy ball of fuzz - very cute! He's keeping her on her toes too. And me... well, I'm just patiently awaiting my vacation next week... to someplace sunny & warm!
In the meantime, check out the website for the IPSSSDR! There is a lot that's going to be happening down there. And by all means - if you're at all close to a stop - head on over and check out the fun!! Maybe you'll even get to see the 'Shake n' Bake' team! I'll do my best to keep you updated with any news that we hear from the crew!
Until then, we're going to enjoy our return to the way that winter ought to look...
Back here at the Homestead, we're keeping busy! David enjoyed his visit to California for a couple of weeks! He's back home now and has dug in getting projects finished around here, and is making sure to spend some quality time with the puppies. Donna has got herself a new little guy "Tack" and he is just one fluffy ball of fuzz - very cute! He's keeping her on her toes too. And me... well, I'm just patiently awaiting my vacation next week... to someplace sunny & warm!
In the meantime, check out the website for the IPSSSDR! There is a lot that's going to be happening down there. And by all means - if you're at all close to a stop - head on over and check out the fun!! Maybe you'll even get to see the 'Shake n' Bake' team! I'll do my best to keep you updated with any news that we hear from the crew!
Until then, we're going to enjoy our return to the way that winter ought to look...
[pic] The winter view...Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Kusko Line-up & a Toe Update
First things first! At this time it is about 2 hours until race start!!
Jeff phoned this morning to check in and said the word is that the trail is rough - and fast. The Pike Lake loop that was cut out was approximately 45 miles long. He thinks that top teams could be into Kalskag around 9pm this evening.
Here's how the guys worked out the breakdown of the teams:
Jeff's Team
Uconn, Berkeley, Deets, Call, Bronte, Dublin, Charles, Panda, Teddy, Klarney, Statler, Shannon, Maverick and Viper.
--> Jeff will start in position #6.
Dave's Team
Dickens, Ross, Dollar, Alamo, Kronkite, Sussex, Charger, Titan, Opel, Snoopy, Cadet, Colonel, Walter and Mercedes.
--> Dave will start in position #9.
Once the race start and Jeff & Dave begin to Shake & Bake - you can check for race updates on the Kusko website by clicking here.
In other news...
[pic] From this view you can kinda see where his toenails used to be...
[pic] And here you can see the rainbow of colors that are now Jason's toes.
Jeff phoned this morning to check in and said the word is that the trail is rough - and fast. The Pike Lake loop that was cut out was approximately 45 miles long. He thinks that top teams could be into Kalskag around 9pm this evening.
Here's how the guys worked out the breakdown of the teams:
Jeff's Team
Uconn, Berkeley, Deets, Call, Bronte, Dublin, Charles, Panda, Teddy, Klarney, Statler, Shannon, Maverick and Viper.
--> Jeff will start in position #6.
Dave's Team
Dickens, Ross, Dollar, Alamo, Kronkite, Sussex, Charger, Titan, Opel, Snoopy, Cadet, Colonel, Walter and Mercedes.
--> Dave will start in position #9.
Once the race start and Jeff & Dave begin to Shake & Bake - you can check for race updates on the Kusko website by clicking here.
In other news...
Toes - yes, those toes that you have seen so much of lately... and of which you may be seeing a tad bit less of someday soon... yup, it looks as if Jason is going to loose the tips...
[pic] According to Jason's doctor, the black portions are... well, they're dead. They will eventually fall off and Jason may be able to wear a smaller size shoe.
[pic] According to Jason's doctor, the black portions are... well, they're dead. They will eventually fall off and Jason may be able to wear a smaller size shoe.
[pic] From this view you can kinda see where his toenails used to be... 
[pic] And here you can see the rainbow of colors that are now Jason's toes.The recovery is moving right along and Jason continues to take care of them as directed. When asked if they hurt... "Nah, they don't hurt - I'm a ninja - I do not feel pain."... Yeah... o.k. Jason...whatever you say...
We'll do our best to keep you updated on the Kusko race, but now that my insiders will be hitting the trail your best bet may be to check out the Kusko website!! www.k300.org
We'll do our best to keep you updated on the Kusko race, but now that my insiders will be hitting the trail your best bet may be to check out the Kusko website!! www.k300.org
Saturday, January 17, 2009
2nd Installment - the Adventures of Jeff & Dave - and Two Dog Teams
The second installment begins:
Jeff & Dave arrived in Bethel nearly 30 hours later than planned.
They met up with their host family (Tomas & Suzi Israelsson) and all 28 dogs that have been wondering what took the guys so long to get there... [A big thank you to all those that took care of the teams!!]
The weather in Bethel had delayed not only Jeff & Dave, but a number of other mushers as well.
On Thursday the K300 board determined that the musher meeting would be rescheduled (sound familiar....??) for Friday, and the deadline for food drops would be extended due to the weather and difficulties with travel.
Jeff & Dave spend Thursday evening catching up with the dogs and redoing food drops to make up for the elimination of the Pike Lake Loop from the K300.
Late Thursday evening it is decided that the K300 will NOT start at the scheduled time on Friday evening...
Jeff & Dave attend the musher meeting on Friday morning, and the race board decides that K300 will go on! It will just start on Saturday afternoon.... at 3pm.
Friday evening it is determined that the race trail is wet (brings back memories of last years Kusko, huh?) and slushy - but doable. Still the race goes on!
And then Friday night rolls around... Jeff & Dave attend yet another musher meeting ... and wait, the K300 will NOT start as re-scheduled. The weather had been near 40 for most of Friday, and that created deep dangerous slush and standing water on the lower portions of the trail...
No races on Saturday... nope... not a race to be had... not that day...
But will the race go on?
Of course it will! The K300 team seemed to be living by one of Jeff's own mantras: Success is Mandatory!
Saturday arrives and a decision is made... the race will start on Sunday! Afterall, the race has never been canceled... so high noon it is! By golly, there will be a dog race!
Which brings us to Sunday morning... race day! It is only 6:30am here in Alaska and please don't ask me why I am up so gosh darn early! OK - it really is just to update the Jeff & Dave fans that have to be glued to their seats...!
I had a chance to talk with Jeff yesterday afternoon as he and Dave were lounging about... and maybe watching some satellite tv... He had this to share:
Finally the Bethel chinook seems to have blown itself out. Current temp is 10 degrees, with nothing in the forecast for the next week that is above 15, or below zero. The high winds and warm temperatures however, played hell with the trail. We're due to start the 300 Sunday at noon. Trail conditions are said to be icy, rough and fast. I know they will go to great lengths to have us avoid any significant water, but getting wet somewhere along the way seems inevitable. The dogs are clearly ready to go somewhere. They are coming out of their skin with enthusasm, and with Statler in heat it's a little bit like a mosh pit going on in Israelsson's dog barn. Seriously, I consider keeping the dogs from hurting on another for the next 24 hours a very real and necessary goal. They're good natured for sure, but they can only take so much of this.
Jon Baker slipped in a parking lot and is said to have fractured his elbow, a Bethel race volunteers small airplane blew loose from its moorings last night and was totaled, Ken Anderson's truck and trailer hit a moose on the way to Anchorage - resulting in totaling his truck one week after he dropped collision insurance. So, I'm just trying to maintain no net loss. Can't wait to the the afterburners fire and get on some kind of trail.
So there you have it race fans! Stay tuned for the further Adventures of Jeff & Dave - and Two Dog Teams....
Jeff & Dave arrived in Bethel nearly 30 hours later than planned.
They met up with their host family (Tomas & Suzi Israelsson) and all 28 dogs that have been wondering what took the guys so long to get there... [A big thank you to all those that took care of the teams!!]
The weather in Bethel had delayed not only Jeff & Dave, but a number of other mushers as well.
On Thursday the K300 board determined that the musher meeting would be rescheduled (sound familiar....??) for Friday, and the deadline for food drops would be extended due to the weather and difficulties with travel.
Jeff & Dave spend Thursday evening catching up with the dogs and redoing food drops to make up for the elimination of the Pike Lake Loop from the K300.
Late Thursday evening it is decided that the K300 will NOT start at the scheduled time on Friday evening...
Jeff & Dave attend the musher meeting on Friday morning, and the race board decides that K300 will go on! It will just start on Saturday afternoon.... at 3pm.
Friday evening it is determined that the race trail is wet (brings back memories of last years Kusko, huh?) and slushy - but doable. Still the race goes on!
And then Friday night rolls around... Jeff & Dave attend yet another musher meeting ... and wait, the K300 will NOT start as re-scheduled. The weather had been near 40 for most of Friday, and that created deep dangerous slush and standing water on the lower portions of the trail...
No races on Saturday... nope... not a race to be had... not that day...
But will the race go on?
Of course it will! The K300 team seemed to be living by one of Jeff's own mantras: Success is Mandatory!
Saturday arrives and a decision is made... the race will start on Sunday! Afterall, the race has never been canceled... so high noon it is! By golly, there will be a dog race!
Which brings us to Sunday morning... race day! It is only 6:30am here in Alaska and please don't ask me why I am up so gosh darn early! OK - it really is just to update the Jeff & Dave fans that have to be glued to their seats...!
I had a chance to talk with Jeff yesterday afternoon as he and Dave were lounging about... and maybe watching some satellite tv... He had this to share:
Finally the Bethel chinook seems to have blown itself out. Current temp is 10 degrees, with nothing in the forecast for the next week that is above 15, or below zero. The high winds and warm temperatures however, played hell with the trail. We're due to start the 300 Sunday at noon. Trail conditions are said to be icy, rough and fast. I know they will go to great lengths to have us avoid any significant water, but getting wet somewhere along the way seems inevitable. The dogs are clearly ready to go somewhere. They are coming out of their skin with enthusasm, and with Statler in heat it's a little bit like a mosh pit going on in Israelsson's dog barn. Seriously, I consider keeping the dogs from hurting on another for the next 24 hours a very real and necessary goal. They're good natured for sure, but they can only take so much of this.
Jon Baker slipped in a parking lot and is said to have fractured his elbow, a Bethel race volunteers small airplane blew loose from its moorings last night and was totaled, Ken Anderson's truck and trailer hit a moose on the way to Anchorage - resulting in totaling his truck one week after he dropped collision insurance. So, I'm just trying to maintain no net loss. Can't wait to the the afterburners fire and get on some kind of trail.
So there you have it race fans! Stay tuned for the further Adventures of Jeff & Dave - and Two Dog Teams....
The Adventures of Jeff & Dave - and Two Dog Teams.
Let me begin this blog by letting you know that there is something wrong with this picture. Yes, this picture right up there... there is something wrong with it... can you tell??? Nope, no hints.... won't do it...... o.k.... twist my arm why don't you! It was taken today! In January! This is not what January should look like here in Denali. Maybe April... nope, definitely not January. This is just plain wrong...I'm sure you already know that the weather has been a little crazy as of late. Many of you are colder in the lower 48 than we are here in Alaska!! I'm house sitting for Jeff and Donna this week and I thought for sure that when I woke up on Wednesday I would be in Oz. Winds have been blowing up here most of the week - with gusts reaching 75 mph in some areas. We've lost a few trees... the roof to a puppy pen... and various other items that have slid around on the slick surfaces created by the warm temperatures and the rain. Working in the dog yard has become another of Alaska's dangerous jobs... good thing Jason's here to take care of all that outside stuff while I sit here in the comfort of my office. :)
So, the weather has not only been wreaking havoc on life up here ~ but a few of the scheduled dog sled races as well. You may have been checking out the blog for an update on this weekends Kuskokwim 300 race over in Bethel.... well... that's another story in itself...so let's start from the beginning with the Adventures of Jeff & Dave - and Two Dog Teams:
Jeff, Dave & Jason headed down to Anchorage on Tuesday with a trailer of 28 dogs.
Jeff & Dave are well-prepared for their trip to Bethel and both are looking forward to a good weekend.... because really, it has to be better than last years Kuskoswim!
Wednesday morning comes (quite early mind you since they had a 7am flight) and lo and behold... dog flight delayed... people flight canceled... then people flight rebooked for the afternoon. (It seemed that the weather in Bethel was just awful and a blizzard warning was in effect.)
So... the three gentlemen made their way over to Gwennie's for a nice breakfast... talked about dogs (go figure..) and then some... they enjoyed lots of coffee to aid them in perking up since they had gotten up so early.
Dogs and people head back to the airport... second cancellation of people flight... dog plane not fixed yet ~ but a repair appeared to be looming on the horizon...
Dogs actually take off from Anchorage on their way to Bethel...
People flight still a no go...
Jason heads north for the Homestead and drives through rain and snow (hey, that has a bit of a Postal Service ring...) amid the nasty weather all along the way...
Jeff & Dave have another no go on their people flight to Bethel...
Jeff & Dave spend another night in Anchorage...
Awaking early for a second day in a row... Jeff & Dave arrive at the airport and yes... yet another cancellation..
Just as all hope was lost... o.k. not really... Jeff & Dave actually board an airplane bound for Bethel!
And then they wait... and wait... but, oh yes! Jeff & Dave take off from Anchorage and head to Bethel.
That brings us to their arrival in Bethel... ah - you see, their adventures are not yet finished...
To be continued...
Check back shortly for the second installment of the Adventures of Jeff & Dave - and Two Dog Teams!!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Fun Stuff!
We've been playing around with a new video camera!! Check out some footage on You Tube by clicking here!!
Enjoy,
Jeff
Enjoy,
Jeff
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Denial in Denali
**DISCLAIMER**
What follows are some updated pics of those frostbitten toes!! Don't say we didn't warn you this time! :)
Still cold out there... gosh I love our garage and dog barn. Getting lots of chores done in preparation for the K-300 and Tustumena 200, as well as Iditarod.
Jason's resigned to indoor jobs for a while. I told him that an old Sourdough trick was to suck on frostbitten extremities... and he went for it.I thought it would be funny, but he says it helps! All joking aside, frostbite is a serious hazard in these temperatures. Jason is doing a great job taking care of his very sore toes, and is well on the path to recovery. I'm not sure how we managed to keep 32 dogs from any frost injury, we definitely goofed when it came to Jason. I'm pretty sure it won't happen again.
[pic] Jason trying out that old Sourdough trick...
[pic] Jason's toe...
[pic] Another shot of that handsome toe...minus the toenail...
We are running dogs out of the kennel as the local trails are in excellent condition. Donna and her Border Collies (Peg & Q) are off to Washington state for a couple of weeks of agility competition. Good luck baby! You go girl!
Tessa and Ellen are flying back to the lower 48 tomorrow as well. Tessa is headed to Missoula to keep Jake out of trouble. Ellen is headed back to southern California to most likely get into trouble. She has a wonderful opportunity to visit Catalina Island this coming weekend, prior to Christmas Break being over. She'll be visiting classmate Alex Wenger's family and getting a taste of a very different environment. She really got a kick out of posting a "-62 F" picture from the Fred Meyer parking lot in Fairbanks during our most recent visit there.
OK - I'm off to a great dinner - green curry! A special request made by Dave DeCaro!
Jeff
What follows are some updated pics of those frostbitten toes!! Don't say we didn't warn you this time! :)
Still cold out there... gosh I love our garage and dog barn. Getting lots of chores done in preparation for the K-300 and Tustumena 200, as well as Iditarod.
Jason's resigned to indoor jobs for a while. I told him that an old Sourdough trick was to suck on frostbitten extremities... and he went for it.I thought it would be funny, but he says it helps! All joking aside, frostbite is a serious hazard in these temperatures. Jason is doing a great job taking care of his very sore toes, and is well on the path to recovery. I'm not sure how we managed to keep 32 dogs from any frost injury, we definitely goofed when it came to Jason. I'm pretty sure it won't happen again.
[pic] Jason trying out that old Sourdough trick...
[pic] Jason's toe...
[pic] Another shot of that handsome toe...minus the toenail...
We are running dogs out of the kennel as the local trails are in excellent condition. Donna and her Border Collies (Peg & Q) are off to Washington state for a couple of weeks of agility competition. Good luck baby! You go girl!
Tessa and Ellen are flying back to the lower 48 tomorrow as well. Tessa is headed to Missoula to keep Jake out of trouble. Ellen is headed back to southern California to most likely get into trouble. She has a wonderful opportunity to visit Catalina Island this coming weekend, prior to Christmas Break being over. She'll be visiting classmate Alex Wenger's family and getting a taste of a very different environment. She really got a kick out of posting a "-62 F" picture from the Fred Meyer parking lot in Fairbanks during our most recent visit there.
OK - I'm off to a great dinner - green curry! A special request made by Dave DeCaro!
Jeff
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