It was about 7 am this morning when we headed out for Delta Jct.
20 miles to pavement and another 20 to the Richardson Highway. Then another 2 hours north from there. My bags were packed.
A big smile is plastered across my face as i step into the car. And for good reason. When I moved to Alaska in 2002 for dogs, my sights were set on running the Iditarod . I had hoped to run in '05 but realized I had more to learn and a dog team to build. You don't just show up with some dogs. I just kind of put my head down and went to work, I think we're always working and learning and hopefully progressing. So it's been just 5 years in Alaska this May and In dog years that would really be 35 years...and since I am the "right now girl" and always very much in the present, it makes sense to me (and my hubby) why it feels like such a long time ago since I started scratching at the walls for it. My dogs are healthy and well trained and the team I am building is good. Sebe is already three 1/2 and an incredible lead dog. She's finished several mid distance races coming in 2nd on the Chatanika, 3rd in the Taiga 300 and 11th with John on last years Yukon Quest. It all kind of starts with Sebe--my first litter back in Nenana. We have been breeding our own here ever since, we have some wonderful rescues that fit right in to the team and some excellent quality race dogs. This will be a good year for us as we are prepared to work hard. My husband is taking on a new role in the kennel as Gin Gin 200 and Taiga 300 race promoter, organizer, trail groomer and puppy trainer. This is to help relieve me from all those duties so that I may focus all of my energy on racing and racing alone. In the past I would try to do it all from promoting and organizing the Gin race, training 40 -50 dogs, grooming trails and training pups. Well, that all sounds great but in reality everything suffers a little bit which adds up to a lot on the race trail and for me, it's meant sacrificing race training and the racing itself.....I surrender! I am giving it over! It's all about keeping it SIMPLE! I want to race and I want it bad. I love bing out there with my dogs and competing. It's exciting to shape your team and bring them to do the best they can do. My new word is simple, it's my inner garden! We are very determined to succeed. I've had some set backs in the past but we're changing things up and it's called progression. My down fall has always been taking on too much. My eyes are always bigger than my stomach and knowing when to hand some of these tasks over. We are going to get where we want to be as a top contender in racing and I am focused on getting there by training hard, caring for my dogs to the best of my ability, striving to learn constantly and training a smaller pool of quality race dogs. My life revolves around my dogs and traveling with them in the wilderness in Alaska on this race trail will be a great journey, adventure and a great challenge.
"The check is in the mail!"
...going down the list of items for the big trip to town.
Iditarod 2008 entry form and $3,000.00 check----check it!
Mail----check. Grocery List--check. Banking stuff--check. Office stuff--check. car keys--check! Judy--check!
Our summer kennel tours here at the kennel are scheduled well in advance and it's been next to impossible to attend opening day in Wasilla at the headquarters. Next year I will plan in advance. So, the best I could do would be the mail route. My intention was to sign up this month, the first week of August.
I'm more than ready to get back on the runners, itching to get back to the races and I just can't wait for winter again.
Last night after walking the boarding dogs, playing more with our puppies and playing more with Patsy Ann, I made myself come in the cabin trying my best to ignore the clock that read 11:30 pm and the most amazing sunset you have ever seen bursting outside my window in shades of hot pink and purple. What a night! I have a tough time coming in at night when I'm alone, when John is fishing. There is always so many things in a day that I want to do and never enough time.
We are so fortunate this summer to have good kennel help.
Our kennel manager Judy is the very best and we are jumping up and down out of our rubber boots that she found us and that she loves it here. She suits us and our kennel needs. Judy has 11 Samoyed Huskies of her own (Yes, the pretty white dogs with LOTS of fur!)
and has been very active with this breed for 38 years----from breeding, training, showing, bikjoring to sledding her dos. She is good with our dogs and seems to know just what to do and when. She is just fantastic all the way around. The dogs like her and that says it all. "how did we do without her I ask..like how did we get by without this darn internet??.......
My boarding dogs go home around the 15th of this month and I am trying to spend more time with them as I know it will be another year before they return. This is their 3rd summer with us and it's been great again! Hard to see the old dogs get old! The dog yard is my favorite place to be and it's easy to find reasons to be outside more than inside and so things inside get neglected often times and the cabin really needs a cleaning and the dishes..we just won't go there. You would think we could just chill? We have a new gift shop for the summer guests with one heck of a view of the river and glacier and we even bought super comfy chairs to sit on with a little fancy table that sits on the new deck..do you think we ever make the time to just sit and enjoy it ?
When we do have time, we're back in the dog yard! When John is home we do spend more time together cooking, walking, building, goofing off, and of course and we spend tons of time in the yard--that is a given. BUT when hubby is away, One of my favorite things to do is roll around with the dogs and puppies, playing in the dirt like a little kid in the sand box but mine is better ----with dogs ! Another Great activity for us is to take a group of loose dogs for long walks and jogs in the tundra exploring new paths, animals tracks and playing in the caribou moss. They make me laugh, they make me step outside myself and take nothing for granted. It's Just this amazing life with dogs.
Healthy-Happy and anything but the norm...life in the mountains with your friends. Maybe when we're too old to do dogs, we'll sit on that deck and use those chairs! Someday I will sit........but I promise you one thing......it won't be on one of those funny sit down sleds....Susan wasn't sitting when she won the Iditarod. I'm sure of that.
Amen.
sit ubu sit. good dog.
z
