Jeff had an eventful weekend down in Chemult, OR last weekend!
He took first place in his first skijoring race! It was a 2 dog, 2.5 mile race. His first place team consisted of "Texas" and "Tin" - a few 'retirees' that now live with our good friends Jeanne & Bob down in Bend, OR. Woot woot POTUS!
Jeff also competed in the 4 dog, 4 mile race that was made up of 15 teams. It was a dual start race and wouldn't it figure that he was paired with a guy named Lance! Haha! Well, Lance went on to win the race and Jeff and team (Salem, Deets, Houston & Call) placed 6th with a very happy team. Jeff holds no hard feelings towards this Lance either, comparing him with 'Alaska Lance' and saying that it was hard to be pissed at either one since they are both really nice guys and have such beautiful dogs.
A few pics of some dogs that made up Jeff's team.... :)
It seems that the weekend was a fun time down there, filled with all kinds of mid-distance races, kids races and skijoring races.
After Jeff's weekend on the trails he decided to head back to his alma mater - Shasta College and spend a bit of time running around the football field and the track. He did say that it became clear to him that the low hurdles are higher now than they were a while back. (Ah... perhaps it has been a little more than a 'while back' since he now gets the AARP magazine and dislikes it so when I put that one on his desk....shhh!)
Jeff was hoping for another race this weekend in Weed, OR but it seems that one turned out to be a no-go. So if you're feeling a bit deprived of dog racing or skijoring, take a look at the Kuskokwim 300 race that starts this Friday evening up in Bethel, AK. This race has always been a favorite of Jeff's - in fact he is a 7 time champion! Click on the link and check out their website. There are 20 teams signed up and you may recognize some of them! We wish all of the mushers a great race, as well as a happy and healthy team at the finish line! Good Luck!
A big congratulations to Jake Berkowitz for his win at the Copper Basin a couple of weeks ago! Jake finished with a great time - breaking the all time race record! This young man may be someone to keep an eye on... and I hear he's got some great dogs that came from Jeff King and Jon Little. ;) Check out their website for some more information on how the race turned out - complete photos, interviews and final musher standings.
Alright! That's gonna be it for now.... keep checking back with us here at Husky Homestead! We hope to be posting more information on Jeff's adventures - including his participation in an upcoming race in Wisconsin!! :)
Happy Trails,
The HH Crew
Greetings and Happy 2011!
The New Year has started out pretty quiet here at Husky Homestead.... perhaps that is because nobody is home! Yup, you got it. The Homestead is empty this winter. Jeff decided he was 'tired of being cold' all the time, and after 30+ years of spending the winter and spring in Alaska running dogs, he has headed for the warmer weather of the Lower 48. Where are the dogs?? Well, all of the dogs have made the trek down to Willow where they are residing, training and racing with musher Matt Hayashida and family for the winter season. Matt is an accomplished musher and Iditarod veteran, and he will be running the Copper Basin 300 race this weekend. There are 42 mushers signed up for this race this year and Jeff was the 2010 champion. Check out the race and see if you can spot any dogs that you know!! We wish Matt a safe and successful run!!
Although Jeff is 'tired of being cold' that does not mean that he is basking in the sunshine on a beach somewhere with his toes in the sand. In fact, he has been spending some time skijoring! Indeed, it seems he may have given up the sled for a bit and hopped on some skis! We kind of saw this coming though, didn't we? What with the Gee-Pole sled that he's used in the Iditarod start the last two years? :) If you happen to be near Chemult, OR next weekend (January 15 & 16th) you can stop by the 17th Annual Chemult Sled Dog Races. Jeff will be there as a participant in the skijoring race! Good luck POTUS! :)
If you live in Minnesota..... Jeff will be at the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon! Jeff will be the Keynote Speaker for this years race. Reservations are still available to the Beargrease Gala and Silent Auction that is scheduled to take place on January 28th, 2011 from 6pm - 10pm. Click the link above for more information on Jeff's speaking engagement as well as the Race itself!
In addition to speaking at the dinner, Jeff will also be a commentator for the race on a local news channel and he will travel along the entire race route providing updates! How fun is that?!?
So, as one of Jeff's favorite t-shirts says... "Life without dogs? I don't think so!"
We will continue to keep you updated as best we can on any fun things that may be taking place out and about!
In the mean time, we hope this finds you all doing well, keeping up with those New Year's Resolutions and otherwise enjoying all that the New Year has to offer!
Happy Trails,
The Husky Homestead Crew
