A few words from the man himself!

Greeting Race Fans!

We are all alive and well at Denali. However the blog just never seems to be a high priority for me...good thing Carrie’s here or you guys would never hear from me!

The dogs are in Wasilla today getting their ECG’s and will be home tonight. This test is theoretically confirming that any abnormalities/anomalies of the dogs cardiovascular system are detected before the race. They also receive a complete blood chemistry exam. Not a stone is left unturned for these dogs - that’s for sure! The dogs are certainly a top priority, however nobody has even asked to check my temperature! What gives?!?

We will be departing tomorrow afternoon with the top 20 race dog candidates for a 4 day, 190 mile training run in hopes of triggering the dogs metabolism to burn that most efficient food category – fat. Combined with Caribou Creek Gold kibble (which is already 35% fat) we feed a human grade poultry fat that we get from ADF (American Dehydrated Foods) in Springfield, MO. The stuff really is incredible, and we’re really lucky to have access to a source for this.

We went to Fairbanks to watch the end of the Yukon Quest on Tuesday and it was well worth the trip. A close, exciting finish! In my opinion every dog in the top three teams was something to be proud. Smooth gaited, good weight, no lameness anywhere. Well done gentlemen! We were however mostly rooting for our good friend Jon Little who loaned us several of his great dogs last year that finished in both my second place Iditarod team, as well as my All Alaska Sweepstakes team. This year two of Jon’s dogs will return to our team and I have every confidence they will be a tremendous asset again this year. It will however be the first time that I have ever had a dog in my team that just ran the Yukon Quest prior to the Iditarod. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that someone clearly demonstrated this can work well. I won’t mention any names… but it rhymes with...‘tacky’. Haha.

NOW for the details…

-I’ll be leaving Wednesday for Anchorage.

-Thursday morning I'll be at the Millennium Hotel for the Mandatory Mushers Meeting.

-Donna, Carrie and David Cranmer will be down Thursday to handle pre-banquet responsibilities.

-Thursday evening we will head to the new Dena'ina Convention and Civic Center for the 2009 Wells' Fargo Mushers' Drawing Banquet.

-The dogs will be coming down on Friday with Dave and Jason.

-We will all again be staying at the wonderful Inlet Tower Hotel & Suites. We will be available for an up-close and personal visit during our “Meet and Greet” from 3pm – 4pm on Friday, March 6^th. Stop by and say "Hi"!!

-From there, we head to Aurora Fine Art for what will be at least our 15^th year of send off parties with Diane and Jerry. Each year complimentary beverages and snacks are available to guests – as well a raffle that benefits a local Anchorage charity. We encourage anyone that can make it to come on down! Aurora Fine Art is located at 737 W. 5th Avenue in downtown Anchorage.

-Race start is at 10am on Saturday, March 7th in downtown Anchorage.

-Race re-start is Sunday, March 8th at 2pm. We will be taking off from Willow Lake at the Willow Community Center.

After that I'll be headed for the arch in Nome!!!

Hope to see you in Anchorage next week!

Happy Trails,

Jeff

Pics from Wyoming

We've got just a few pictures for you!! These come from our friend Jeanne who made the trek from her home in Oregon to check out the crew during the race! Jeanne is one of our favorite places to send retired dogs ~ she has four... and counting!! Texas, George, Tin and Houston.

[pic] Jeff and Team - Wyoming IPSSSDR

[pic] Dave and team - Wyoming IPSSSDR

[pic] Dave taking off from a start.

[pic] Jason... well... doing nothing??? :) OK - maybe he's resting those toes of his...

Jeff phoned yesterday and gave us a bit of a mini-scoop on the days events. The weather was beautiful and sunny (it seems that's the report everyday!!), but the trail was pretty soft and punchy. Definitely a far cry from the hard and fast trail that it had been reported to be.
Dave is doing a fantastic job of taking care of his team, he's got 5 yearlings with him and it seems Dave and the dogs are all having fun.
Jeff feels comfortable with the performance of both teams, and knows that 13 mph is a fast pace for the dogs ~ but they're all doing great!
Jeff is suffering from what sounds like a horrible cold... so he's all cold medicined up and says that Jason & Dave are doing a good job taking care of him - but Donna would do better. :)

That's all that I have to report about Wyoming and the IPSSSDR!! I'm headed out today for two weeks... so you're on your own! Keep checking the IPSSSDR website for updates after each day's events - also keep checking their image collection... you never know who you may see!

And look for a re-cap of the remainder of the race later this month!

Happy Trails!

WY and some Agility!

Hey folks!

A little update on Wyoming:

The boys spent Saturday night camped out at the race start location in Lander, and had a fun time (everything they're doing is just fun to them!) hanging out with dogs.

Donna spoke with Jeff after Stage 2 of the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (that's such a mouthful!) and he thought he did great and the report was that the dogs looked good. He thought that it may have been a bit warm for them ~ but it must not have bothered team. Jeff pulled into the finish in 13th spot - just 7 seconds ahead of friend and Denali neighbor Debbie Moderow. Dave ran a conservative race yesterday and wrapped up the back of the pack with his lady Dickens in lead. The 2nd Stage was supposed to be a 76 mile run, but they removed part of the trail and cut it down to a 43 mile loop.

The crew drove from Lander to Pinedale yesterday afternoon in preparation for today's Stage 3. I'm sure they have already finished their 35 mile run for today, but as of right now I do not have a report from the team. Tomorrow's Stage 4 will be a 64 mile run in Big Piney/Marbleton.

Don't forget to check out the website for the IPSSSDR for more information and some photos!!



Now let's turn our attention to dogs of another kind - the agility kind! As you know, Donna keeps pretty darn busy heading to trials throughout Alaska as well as the western Lower 48 - and now we've got some video for you to check out. Donna was recently in Seattle for a trial with Peg and Q, and lucky for us Cali was able to take a few video clips on her cell phone (pretty darn good quality for a cell phone!).

Here are some links to YouTube for you to check out:

Q's Standard Run on Sunday

Q's Jumpers Run on Sunday

Q's International Class on Sunday

Peg's Standard Run on Sunday

Peg's Jumpers Run on Sunday

Peg's International Class on Sunday

Isn't it fun to watch?? Peg has been labeled the 'White Flash' because she is so speedy!

We'll keep you posted on more of Donna's agility training and trialing in the future. Her next trial is scheduled for February 14th & 15th in Palmer, AK. If you're in the area stop in to check it out!!

Happy Trails!