Great Day

The rain didn't hurt too much other than the gates (chop chop) and the trails hardened up nicely.

Skinny got his run with the snowmo (line is looped to shorten it, he's wearing a Man Mat harness ), 20 of the dogs got runs and I even got a short xc ski run in. Calendar like field photos for sure.

It will get a bit chilly this week but love it for setting the trails. Come run with us!

Rain :(

Well, it is raining on our great trails. The plus side is it will harden them up. The gates I chopped yesterday will be just ready to be chopped all over again this morning.

Our weather can't even get into the ballpark in comparison to the weather on the Gin Gin, though. We have wind, but it sounds like they have typhoons and frigid temps. Hope the mushers and dogs are all OK.

Side note: AMY/KEN , send me your new email :)

Photo: Buffy watching Frita's kids finish breakfast...l to r, Buffy, Yepa, Frita, Yuki (back).

These dogs combine some great Alaskan heritage. Father of Yepa and Yuki (Martin) was on Aliy's YQ champ team. Father of Buffy is Skinny , YQ leader (Louden, Zirkle); Mother of Buffy is Iditarod leader, Liller (Butcher kennel).

Gin Gin Race, Aliy and Allen

Tomorrow is the Gin Gin race out of Paxson, AK. They have separate divisions for women and men. Allen just won the 50 mile Winter Solstice in Two Rivers and we'll be watching both Aliy and Allen in the Gin Gin. Whew, they are busy! Check out: www.aliyzirkle.com
or scroll to their blog for great updates by Macgellan.

What do you mean, we're retired?

\





Photo:
Sherpa (left),
Skinny, Buddy, l to r

"Don't we get a vote?"

Skinny and Buddy look on as Sherpa takes her free run. Unfortunately Skinny can't free run because he goes for four hours, always ending up in the same place, waiting on the road for me to pick him up in the truck.

Yesterday was the first time I've run a dog with a snowmachine. It's too dangerous with the ATV now, so with short time before Christmas Eve dinner, I put a long lead off the Ski Doo.

Skinny is such a pro, stayed lined out and ran at a good clip. We hope he can run in the first team on Friday.

Merry Christmas !

Christmas comes and goes so quickly! We had Christmas Eve with my son's family... so much fun through the eyes of children.

Three dogs celebrated inside with us, Skinny, Buddy and Sierra.

The weather outside is....

Kind of crazy weather, one day wind and minus thirty windchills, next great snow, then back to the frigid stuff. It is all coming together here, although we are slow this year! The dogs are free running and still using ATV for some runs, although a bit more challenging now with deeper snow.

My son has been prepping trails and we now have a great wide hardened base. All in time for Merry Christmas!

Photos: Buffy and Rosie in their morning 'race'. And, the resident deer family.

Sheep Mountain 150

It was great to 'watch' the Sheep Mtn 150 this weekend in AK. Allen Moore placed 2nd with the SPK A team , behind Jessica Hendricks, also of Two Rivers, by six minutes. Aliy ran two year olds and placed 12th, cooling it with the two year olds. GREAT JOB!! (and after some truck trouble enroute).

Meanwhile, back at this 'ranch' it rained on the nice snow base yesterday, but this morning it's back to snow and WIND. We will start trail running soon!! Got both machines going yesterday and ran the icy trails. Dogs free ran as if they were let out of school!

This morning will be spent replacing icy straw in their houses.

On with it!

Trails are lightly snow covered/slippery for ATV, but finally the rifle season has ended. Black powder is still on, but we feel safe to fun our own trails. It feels like winter this a.m. at nine degrees. (nothing compared to Fairbanks!)

Opening Day: Two Degrees

In about one hour the rifle shots will start up. We have the dogs protected, fresh chicken soup to distract them, new straw, and we've given the deer their early a.m. feeding. Hopefully it will be a peaceful day on the 'ranch'. It is currently two degrees above zero... there's a light cover of snow.

Michigan's opener (one mile away) brought in six more small bucks, all spikehorns. They leap the river and come across. Today they'll hunker down in our swamp over the ridge.

I've been out of town for a week, very nice! to be back.

Countdown, Slowdown

Only five days until Michigan deer rifle season (Michigan is one mile from our kennel) and 12 days to the Wisconsin opener. We have a small herd still coming in each day . Today one of the smaller bucks came in, but we haven't seen the big guy since before the weekend .

Today brought our first real coverage of snow and some accidents on the roads, very slippery.
We're in transition, still using the ATV for hauling but trails too dicey for a team. It may melt , however.

Here's to a safe hunting season for all, especially the dogs!!

Photo: "Our" big guy, last seen on the weekend. Dogs are wearing orange tags now.

Links

We have several links on the sidebar, so check them out. Recently added was The Anchorage Daily News. We will add the Fairbanks Daily News Miner, as well.

Majestic Bucks

Seems like this 'guy' likes it here. Another four or six point was in with him yesterday.

Frita's Family

Frita and Lillen are leading. As leaders they rank right up there with the very best, for sure. Yepa , in wheel, is the carbon copy of her father, Martin, hardworking and focused. Yuki and Swix take it all in stride. Frita and Martin came from Aliy Zirkle's kennel as retirees. Lillen retired from Susan Butcher's kennel. We are VERY happy to have them.

First Families

The first 'family' we ran today was Frita's. Lillen gave Frita great support in lead, followed by Frita's kids, Yuki, Swix and Yepa.

Our second family run was: Ruthie, Buffy, Medio and Josie and 'uncle' Buddy . Buddy tried to chew the line (normal for him), but our biggest challenge was, as usual, Josie. She is so sweet and eager to run, but doesn't want a harness. Ultimately we hooked her with just her collar, but she pulled it and led the team most of the way. The team wasn't fazed by her free wheeling. We know we shouldn't allow it, but she will not be a regular team member.

Landen took the third good team alone. Buffy and Matilda led, and except for resisting a reroute at the front gate, the whole team ran well for him. Zoom and Medio were in swing and

Kiddo and Sherpa were in wheel.

Late day, I went to join my family, granddaughter, Fina, in her pink poodle Hallowe'en costume.

Photo: Oops, you're going the wrong way, Josie.

Snow and Two Coyotes

We had our first large snowflakes with a slight accumulation in the woods yesterday. Driving home with straw, we ran into a whiteout.



At 6PM two coyotes came into the deer feed area. The larger one was limping on a hind leg and the smaller one was agile.

Tamaracks Turn

When the tamaracks turn yellow we know winter is not far off. We have predictions for snow on Monday. Heard that it is 3 degrees in McGrath today (Alaska). Hoping for a good snow winter! (both in Alaska and here)
The tamaracks and pond are on the trail into Michigan. We also had a few inquisitive deer on the trail.

Ten Dogs and Eight Miles in the Rain

Today was a nice run but it was MESSY. We toweled off the dogs and washed the harnesses to get rid of the red residue from the wet ore embedded trails.

We met a truck along the trail , but they pulled off and waited while our ten little pro's ran right by them. Every dog looked good today. They enjoyed some salmon popsicles at the turnaround point.

Dogs in team: Buffy and Matilda, lead; Lillen and Ruthie, swing; Kiddo and Copper, team;
Medio and Sherpa, team; Herman and Quattro, wheel.

Frita's Rocks

This is a photo of one of the houses in Frita's pen. She guards it and adds and removes rocks regularly. Wolfy behavior? Territorial? Are they to retain heat? How can she sleep with them? I remove them and she drags them back. I have decided to leave them in there now (its an extra house) as it must hurt her teeth to manage these huge rocks. She just smiles when I look at it . Maybe they're her substitute "pups"?

Home Team , Kwik! Klip

Not realizing the camera was on video, this was a quick look at Frita's team running at home. We have dragged leaves off the trails since then, but still pretty leafy.

Traveling Team

Eight great dogs to Florence. The grade is a bit rough with many rocks/boulders surfaced after the dry summer, but the dogs enjoyed their six mile run and were still raring to go when we returned. We took another five dog team on a run on our trails.

Dogs run: 1. Buffy, Ruthie, Medio, Matilda, Kiddo, Sherpa, Quattro and Herman. 2. Frita, Buffy, Zoom, Rosie and Copper. A few snafus but for the most part they looked focused and happy, with little stress, if any, from the six mile run. It was about 50 degrees, a bit humid.

The wildlife is active... our pigeon is doing well, but heads due North after she eats (8 AM and 3PM)... we must be a part time home. The nine point buck and a four point were in just before we ran, with nine does and fawns. The field camera got a great photo of the coyote just away from the cabin at 6AM. The kitty who has been visiting did not appear today.

Feeding Dogs : Eagle Pack Products

We feed our dogs Eagle Pack products. All year long they eat Eagle Pack Power and in the winter we supplement with Eagle Pack Ultra. We learned about the reliable value of Eagle at Aliy Zirkle's/Allen Moore's kennel, where they have been feeding Eagle to their Iditarod teams/Yukon Quest teams for a long time.

We supplement with meat and fish soups on winter days . The Eagle Power is not too heavy for summer, we just feed less. Our local feed store is our supply source, Ray's Feed in Norway, MI.

Skinny's Route

Still too warm for hookups, but Skinny has taken to running on a long lead off the ATV, sniffing all the great coyote /deer/raccoon/fox/turkey smells along the trails. He has a route that he follows twice a day. Sometimes he's joined by other dogs running along. (Skinny's penchant for running off has his free runs limited.) It gives him great exercise, is easy on his hindquarters and he reminds the critters, with great enthusiasm, that he's still the main guy around here.

The coyote sometimes leaves 'gifts' at various trail crossings along the route and Skinny reciprocates.

Martin is not quite so interested in running this way, and he gets too warm in this weather, so he comes out on a long lead without the ATV (since he is the main guy, too ). 71 degrees at 7PM yesterday.

Snow in Alaska, but too warm here

The leaves are falling but the temps are still too warm for longer dog runs ... today up to 65 and through the weekend. The Willow/Wasilla areas in AK are getting snow, lucky dogs.

We are taking short runs around here, and some short ones on outer trails. Photo is yesterday on the Brule River.

Doing some one on one leader training , it was Sherpa's turn yesterday. Lots of wildlife and dogs are scenting along the trails. The wiley coyote is showing up daily.

Watering Holes

This is a pond on our favorite trail into Michigan. As we ran by, I was eyeing it for a route into the water for the dogs, but it is too steep. It was a bit too warm as they were dipping into the red puddles (iron ore in the trail). There is another lake along the way that I might check out today (sans dogs).

Six Dogs, Six Miles

We intended to stay on our trails yesterday, but it was such a perfect day for running that we let them go out the gate and down over the river into Michigan. They loved it and you could almost here them saying, "Hooray!" as we left the gate. We met a few ATV's along the trail, people who were interested in the dogs and the autumn leaves were beautiful.

The two big bucks (9 point, six point) came in at 7PM, later than usual. "Our" pigeon is still with us.

Photo: Lillen and Buffy, lead; Medio and Sherpa, swing; Copper and Quattro, wheel.

Landen, handler.

Racing dogs, racing pigeon!

We washed our windows last week and ended up attracting this homing pigeon that day.

We didn't know s/he was a pigeon in training until we did some sleuthing to find its owner.
S/he took up residence on top of a dog crate under our deck (next to the deer corn can).

Now each day, s/he shows up for breakfast and supper. We located the owner just yesterday.

He knows this is his bird by the coloration of the leg bandings... green for his young pigeons, newly in training; orange for another i.d. The owner suspects this bird was derailed (possibly slightly injured) by a hawk. Yes, we have a frequenting of hawks, including today. The owner is about twenty miles from us. The coyote was here yesterday morning too.

So, we have instructions to capture the pigeon for its owner. These, so far, are not working.
We are awaiting further instructions. In the meantime, we are enjoying this entertaining bird

(while Skinny licks his chops, literally, since it seems to have an affinity for him).

Can you imagine doing this with racing dogs? Take them thirty miles away; release them and meet them at home. Pigeons do it (if no interference). They wear a band that effects a recording of its time of return. No, not for my huskies would this ever work. But the birds are amazing.

We hope s/he gets to go home, but if not, a new leader? Think not, but s/he surely is fun.

Back to business tomorrow, hooking up teams . First team out tomorrow is: Buffy, Ruthie,

Medio, Sherpa, Herman and Kiddo. Second team out: Buffy, Matilda, Zoom, Sherpa and Copper. Such is the plan for now.

Sled Dog Safaris

Sled dog safari rides are available for adults and children over the age of ten. For children under the age of ten, we have a kennel visit geared to younger visitors. Grandparents have enjoyed bringing their grandchildren to visit. And grandparents have learned to drive sleds, for sure.

Our trails are also available for hiking or cross country skiing when we are not running with dogs.

Safety for visitors and dogs always takes priority.

Reservations required: 715.528.4456 or email: windypups@yahoo.com

On the Road Again. Sled Dog Safaris.

We had great weather yesterday and 20 dogs got to run. Looks like a cool/somewhat rainy week ahead so we hope to get more time in.

With our new Polaris Ranger , we're offering Sled Dog Safari rides. We hook up small training teams and take a three to six mile run, out across the Brule River. Shorter rides are available on our own trails.

Fall Training Weather

Usual fall chores are underway, but it is still a bit warm to run very far. We are trail running just a mile or two on our own trails and all dogs are still enjoying the summer free run routines. Our new Polaris Ranger is turning into a useful vehicle, both for running dogs and hauling boulders to fill their summer 'digs'.

Photos: Matilda, doing well in leader training , and Ruthie, in harness, for a short run. Ruthie is a first choice leader. Matilda has been running co-lead with veteran, Buffy.

Looks like the next week will continue in the 70's and dust (little rain). The evenings are cooling off and we are taking some dusk trail runs with free running dogs, braving the wandering porcupine.

Here a Buck, there a buck...

Everywhere a buck, buck. And the dogs take it all in stride, their evening wildlife viewing.

First the does came in and ate all of the corn. Then they wandered up to the deck window, looking in, as if to say: "More corn, please." We fed them again and in came the bucks. Four bucks.

Hard to see at that distance, but I believe one nine point, one eight OR ten point, one six point? and one spikehorn. Many good photos but this caught three of the bucks together.

Tail Photo

Of course, we'd like to know what this is, since once in awhile we have a dog tethered on the front porch (never left alone). Last year the coyotes and foxes would wander close by, but did not approach the dog. Of course, if it's Skinny he makes a loud protest at any critter coming close. It is clearly ? not a cougar tail.

In the photo , the tail is between and directly above the '08' and the '09'. Hard to see unless you can enlarge it as I can.

Here kitty, kitty? No, not with that tail.

At first look, we thought the big cat might be back (cougar), but the next photo in sequence shows a coyote like tail. We can't see a coyote face in this photo, so we're not sure what this is.

Any votes welcome. Whatever it is, Skinny was very wild and crazy down there with the great new smells as he took his morning run.

The animal is directly above the '07' in the date on photo. A bit hard to see on here... any votes?

Four Bucks, Four Bucks

The bucks are coming in together. One night at 6PM there were four bucks down at the corn feed; every night under the apple trees we have a collection of bucks. Have seen one nine point, one looked like a ten point, several six points, one eight point and two or three spikehorns with distinctively different racks (differentiating one from another). The apples are plentiful, so they'll be around for awhile, if the bowhunters (other lands) don't get them. They are majestic to see.

The coyotes were yipping in the back hillside when I went for a short walk with Sierra, our little aging Elkhound. She takes her border guarding seriously and stopped in her tracks, but just to listen.

Fall Training Begins

We are returning from our summer blog, Summer at Summer Place. We hope to take our first training run on Wednesday of this week. Dogs are ready!

We enjoyed visiting the Mitch Seavey kennel in August and took a ride with Tyrell S. as our driver, learning a few more pointers on running dogs. Always learning.

Photo: Riding with a team at the Mitch Seavey kennel in Seward, August, 2008.

End of Season, Back to Summer Blog

Another day of hauling, pitching straw. We left the ATV perched precariously in a deep snow pile in the lower waste pit. It will have to wait until more melting to get it out.

With the grass greening up, we are moving to our summer blog now. The link is:
http://www.spkjulie.blogspot.com/

Progress is being made each day in the straw 'war'. 7 more loads hauled yesterday.

Balto goes in for surgery on her ear this morning. And thunderstorms are predicted.

Next Year's Notes

Each Spring I have to remind myself that the work actually does get done... it's just a task at a time.

Yesterday's list included:

Feeding dogs, of course. (hauled in multi pounds of food from the truck).
Clean up food dumped by dogs who say they've had enough high fat content. (switch to lower fat mix).
Scooping straw from ice, pitching into containers for hauling. (major part of the day)
Hosing out concrete pens as straw pitched out.
Washing mud off of my face/teeth (several times).
Cleaning all pens, of course.
Connecting/draining the hoses. Cleaning water pails, watering all dogs, twice.
Hauling the waste on the snowy, icy, muddy trail on the ATV.
Getting ATV unstuck.
Putting up tarps in half the pens for shade (70 degrees, sunny). (dogs help by jumping, on me)
Charging battery on 2nd ATV and moving to shed for hauling. (hook positive first!)
Moving several dogs for different reasons. (full moon, dogs coming into heat, again; dog eating gate)
Starting and moving lawn mower.
Fixing broken chains for two dogs that need to be tied. (fence leaper, gate eater)
Cleaning the cat's room, washing the boxes.
Airing the house dogs' beds.
Meds to dogs with allergies enhanced by Spring. (Balto may need surgery on ear)
Hauling rocks from the upper field to fill newly dug holes. Ground very nice for dogs' digging.
Cooling overheated ATV from hauling.
Riding all the trails, to check for downed trees (none over trail, hooray! but numerous downed in woods from heavy snows)
Getting ATV unstuck.
Treats to dogs, late day. Answering their questioning looks about why they can't come out to run. (porcupines, skunks)
Chasing Skinny into the woods when he returned to the house at night.
Setting trail camera to look for predator leaving headless rabbits.

Today, more of the same.

Meltdown and Spring's Surprises

We have gone from 17 inches of new snow to almost bare ground. The straw is soaked and heavy and almost immoveable, but looks like some sun in the forecast. The valley areas still have deep snow. I have put the snowmachines away and am using the ATV with great care.

The bored dogs have taken to eating the walls of their houses (just two). So it's the season for everything needing attention. I found a live lizard in Martin's water bowl, one of the more ugly surprises of Spring. What kind of lizard can live in Wisconsin? And I hear that the ticks are already out. I hope to not see the usual pine snake in the straw, but I'm sure I will see one or two eventually. The dogs do not like them and usually dispose of them quickly.

We hope the trails will dry up soon so we can run some bored dogs.

Dig and Melt

Digging out from this and it is melting, again. Driveway is still impassable, but parts require the ATV while others still require the snowmachine. Dogs are sunbathing!

Photo: Trail to the waste pit after the storm.

The Nearly White Squall

While the storm is still going, it wasn't quite as bad as anticipated. We'll see by tomorrow what we have. We have had thunder, high winds, heavy wet snow, rain, sleet and now the winds are picking up again. Of course we can't? have a white squall on land, but at times it appeared that way.

28 dogs had individual or group free runs, out of the pens, today. We raked out wet straw out of the houses and put in dry . In this stuff it won't stay dry very long.

I haven't attempted the roads as the driveway wasn't plowed and the county crew left some big banks at the end of the drive. It's been a good day to stay home with pups.

And, I didn't get any photos. The deer were in for corn, carrots and apples. I didn't haul waste as the pit might be a bit hard to maneuver today.

The Perfect Storm

We're sitting here waiting for the grandpa of all storms... high winds, a combined snow depth predicted of 7 plus 5 plus 5= 17 inches ?? on top of the last 12 new inches, which have turned to slippery slush.

For some reason the photos aren't posting to the blog, but I imagine tomorrow I'll get a few good ones. Hopefully all the dogs will make it through this blast, safely. Oh and yes, thunder is predicted along with this stuff. This should be a real treat the next two days.

Yesterday

These are the nicely working drains from yesterday.



Today we have another new six or seven inches of wet snow.

Mud, Rain, Ice, Snow, Hot Sun equals Spring

We've run the gamut with weather lately. Last two days it's been up to sixty degrees. We put one snowmachine on the trailer. Luckily I kept one out as tomorrow they predict four more inches of snow. It's raining out right now.

Balto looks like she has a puffed up ear and possibly will need to go in for surgery today. All other dogs seem fine, but restless. Now if I can stay upright on the slippery ice, we'll be OK. The drains we've dug are working well, but new rain backs up, mixed with straw and clogs the drains. The dogs are loving the sunbathing. I've put up one shade tarp already, for Lillen. It's a nice rain shelter this morning.

Photo is from last year, month of March. We were a bit ahead in the cleanup process/drying out with a lower snow year in 2007. No complaints about the good snow this year, though, and the rivers should be great for kayaking.

Fate of the White Pine

We love these white pines and hate to see one fall like this. Luckily it wasn't on the cottage or , more luckily, there were no people around. The weight of last week's heavy snow did this one in. We haven't been able to go up our back trails yet, so hope all is intact there. This one is going to take some work. No doubt that Spring is the most labor intensive season of all. Maybe not quite like Alaskan breakup, but close.

MuDD and Downed Tree

Mud, mud, mud... we can't complain because it is part of pen cleanup, but the driveway is almost impassable.

Late in the day we had some brave young prom goers... they walked the whole long MUDDY driveway to pay a visit in their beautiful clothes. It is slippery out there but they did NOT fall in the mud and went off to their prom still clean.

Then we paid a visit to our lake cabin. A beautiful white pine had fallen from last week's heavy snow , smashing on the roof of the old log shed. That will be some major cleanup, and possibly requiring a new roof.

This is dog digging weather. Skinny has excavated almost the whole side of my house for which I relocated him to a dog house for the day. Until this 'wonderful' mud is dried they will all be digging to their hearts' content.

Koyukuk Spring Race and George Attla

This is the link to the Koyukuk Spring Race where they are honoring George Attla.

Photo forwarded courtesy of Phillip Albert, Fairbanks

FAIRBANKS, Alaska Every spring, the villages of Hughes, Huslia and Allakaket/Alatna get together and hold a party. This year, more than most, there will be something big to celebrate.
It's been 50 years since Huslia's most famous resident, George Attla Jr., won his first Fur Rendezvous World Championship. The victory launched a career that eventually made the unknown musher the most successful sprint racer in history.
So when the Koyukuk River Championship Dog Race is held this year from April 3-6 in Huslia, it will have a dual purpose. Not only will the villages hold their annual celebration, they'll also be honoring one of their own.
"It should be pretty big," said Ginger Attla, who is George's niece and the party coodinator. "We're all getting excited about it."
The 1958 Fur Rondy victory was a huge moment for Attla, who became known as "The Huslia Hustler." He was basically anonymous when he arrived at the Anchorage race, but his win became a validation for the numerous mushers who lived in the villages along the Koyukuk. As many of them had suspected, their dogs were as fast as anybody's.
"I must have enjoyed it," George Attla said, "because it doesn't seem like it was that long ago."
Attla's accomplishment became a Hollywood movie starring Slim Pickens, 1979's "Spirit of the Wind." He went on to win nine more Fur Rondy titles and eight Open North American Championships, capturing the most victories of any sprint racer.
The Anchorage Daily News put him at No. 2 on the list of the top 100 Alaskan athletes of the 20th century, and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner selected him as the greatest musher of all time. He was inducted into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
A party at the Huslia Community Hall next Sunday will honor Attla, along with his contemporaries from the village's golden age of mushing.
"I think the younger generation wants to honor their mushers before we all go to the happy hunting grounds," the 74-year-old Attla said with a chuckle.
The party will be wrapped around the four-day Koyukuk River Championship Dog Race festivities. The KRC was launched in 1979, when the three First Chiefs of Hughes, Huslia and Allakaket/Alatna met to discuss the spring carnivals in their respective communities. Each of the Koyukuk River villages held its own spring carnival - with events like dog mushing, showshoe racing and ice picking contests - which made it tough for those who wanted to attend all three.
As a solution, they decided to combine the three carnivals into one event, which would rotate between the villages each year. Twenty-nine years later, the tradition is still going strong.
Ginger Attla said about 600 people usually participate, including several hundred who come from neighboring villages to be part of the action. Huslia, with a population of about 300 people, does it all without facilities like formal hotels or restaurants.
"Everyone stays with relatives and friends," she said. "Huslia's a pretty friendly community, so everyone just opens their doors."
The weekend includes dances, potlucks and contests, along with sled dog races for men, women and old-timers.
The races, particularly the 17-mile main run, should be seriously contested. The region still takes pride in its ability to produce speedy mushers.
"There's a lot of champions that come from here," said Al Yatlin, a Huslia resident who has handled dogs with Attla since the 1960s. "Some of them are still around."
One of the mushers this year could be a familiar face - seven time KRC champion George Attla. Although his 19-year-old son Frank is doing most of the work with his team now, George said he's tempted to give the race a shot. "I still enjoy doing it, but it's a little tough on the bones," he said.
Always the competitor, Attla is interested to see how his dogs stack up.
"I'm kind of curious about it. How much better are these guys?" he said. "I was talking about it with a friend, and the only way I'm going to get my answer is to go out and do it."
And after all these years, Attla said he still knows how to lead a winning team.
"The body may be shot, but I think my mind's pretty good," Attla said with a laugh.
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Out Like a Lion

Photos: Upper, Tsunami, Yeti and Matilda; Lower, Buffy and Rosie.

Wow, the biggest storm of the year and it is still snowing at 5:30 AM. The snow started to fall about 1PM yesterday. We will post some photos later, but it looks to be at least ten inches of new, wet, heavy snow. The dogs will have a field day free running this morning. Trails, what trails?

Back to Nome, All Alaska Sweepstakes

The All Alaska Sweepstakes has started in Nome, enroute to Candle and back to Nome.

There are 17 mushers and the start was under the Iditarod finishing arch. This is the link:

http://www.allalaskasweepstakes.org/

We are in meltdown here, although it freezes up at night and the gates are hard to open.

Lots of chopping and definitely Yaktrax weather. Unless we get significant snow, we will not be running sleds again, but one never knows in N.E. Wisconsin.

Photo: Dog lot in Nome , just downhill from the finishing arch.

Easter Sunday, 2008

It snowed a bit yesterday, but nothing much new stayed on the ground. We are still feeding the deer each morning with our dog friends. The young buck is starting to come in alone these days, but he was with all of the gals yesterday.

We had a great day with our ten month old granddaughter , Fina. Nothing like a baby to lift your spirits.

The temperature is zero right now, still needing straw for dogs. The hot sun has been working at meltdown in the pens though and it's treacherous walking . We're working on the drainage trenches at each gate. The trails have lost just a bit on a few curves in the sun, but the railroad grade trail has ice chunks/tough for dog feet even with booties. Unless we get a really great snow, we'll probably stop running now until trails dry out for the ATV.

Photo: Chena accompanies me to feed the deer.

Old Line Vigor in Pups

Ruby is six years old but she runs like a pup. Her mother was Liller (Iditarod 01) (Butcher ) and father Skinny (Jerry Louden's Quest leader).

The black dogs (siblings) zero in on each other, ignoring their brindle siblings, chasing each other. They are FAST.

Photo: Ruby, age six, was breaking trail on our morning free run to the back forty.

Old Line Vigor, 3

And this is Glory, age twelve. She raced in lead on a 4 dog sprint team with me. Her co leader was Skinny, what a pair! Sulatna and Balto were also on that spirited team. Glory still takes off like a two year old.

Old Line Vigor, 2

This is Martin running his morning route with me, while I hauled waste. Martin ran Iditarod with Aliy Zirkle and was on her championship Quest team in 2000. He's powerful and a real sweetheart. His pen pal, Ruby, ran with him, too. Martin's father was Flood, a great leader for Aliy. Martin runs in wheel mostly.

Old Line Vigor

It's a great day for free running and 17 dogs had their turns. This is Power, twelve years old.

His mother was Scuba, first dog in our kennel. Scuba ran Iditarod with Susan Butcher. Scuba's mother was Susan's leader, Elan.

Power is incredibly tough and fast; great feet, coat, speed, endurance, best eater/drinker. His sister was out running with him, too. Trails are way too punchy for sleds, but Glory and Power are both deep snow dogs, seeking it out. They were a tough three dog team with their brother, King, at one time... tough runners and tough to handle, very exuberant.

Photo: Power, age twelve. March 13, 2008

Herds

Our vet refers to the kennel management as herd management. Our dog group (herd) has been enjoying the sun and warm meltdown temps, but we have three inches of new snow this a.m. which will make it less slippery for their morning free runs. The temps have moderated a lot so hopefully no more twenty below cold spells for them this winter. Soon we'll be raking and hauling out the straw, the biggest task of the year.

We still have fifteen deer coming in twice a day for feedings. They have been fun to watch and we're glad to see the small yearlings wintering over so well. Once the fields are melted we stop the feedings. We have a natural shelter for them in our swamp/valley surrounded by hills.

Back to Earth

With Lance Mackey claiming victory again in the Iditarod, we have been glued to watching the race. Aliy is moving along in 21st position right now, heading into White Mountain.

Back here, we have been in a meltdown for two days, but looks like now we'll get another 3 inches (at minimum) of snow, so back to shoveling gates and cooking soup. Winter is not yet waning in Wisconsin (although there was some false thought of that yesterday at 45 degrees).

Chicken Soup Morning, Cold

My house thermometer says minus thirteen, so bet the dog pen thermometer will read at least minus twenty/twenty five. The good thing is that the sun is already shining. I'm off with hot chicken soup to the dogs. March 8th, Wisconsin, minus twenty. March 8th, Alaskan Iditarod Trail, plus thirty.

Quiet Days

We haven't been running with the icy condtions. A little snow yesterday helped somewhat, but the dogs and I are still slipping/sliding unexpectedly from time to time. We're watching the race on the computer and doing the regular work.

It'll be back down to at least minus ten tonight. They need these temps for Iditarod, we'll trade!

Temperatures

Temps are warm. Aliy is resting at Mile 165; some of the others that rested near her are moving on and looks like temps just as warm or warmer (38 degrees) ahead, and it's just daylight (if that).

Allen should be into Rohn soon . Sue Morgan left Finger Lake right behind Runyan and Scdoris.

Trent Herbst, with his yearlings, still has 16 and is in Finger Lake resting, it appears, making him last in the pack for now.

Photo: Rainy Pass Checkpoint in 05 or 06.

Back at the Ranch

It's very icy/hard in the dog pens and the entries into the pens. I didn't free run the dogs yesterday as they all get excited /leap around. Several dogs took falls just in plain exuberance yesterday, so we'll try to keep the lid on again today, although they get restless and like their usual day. I dislocated my left thumb on something, probably chopping ice, but it's wrapped and working. Paw safe salt is not to be found around here, so using Morton's salt, not working too well.

We're watching Iditarod with great interest and commenting from afar on our other blog.
The GPS info this year is very interesting. As someone said, 'like a race within a race', as the official stats show one thing and the GPS shows more current info on the mushers carrying the devices.

Happy Trails, March 1st.

While the Iditarod mushers took off in Anchorage, we ran three teams and took my granddaughter for a sled ride on the beautiful trails today.

All dogs were excited to go, Lillen was leaping in the line, retired or not, as was Skinny, who led the first team out. Frita had a great run with her children here today, as her daughters, Bullet and Mouse , took off with Aliy Z. and Allen M. in Anchorage.

Dogs run: Leaders, Buffy, Skinny, Ruthie, Medio, Frita. Team dogs, Lillen, Kiddo, Sherpa, Yepa. Wheel dogs, Quattro, Herman, Swix, Yuki. One snow bank literally swallowed Yuki... she fell off the groomed trail into deep snow, and the sled fell over her. A taste of Alaska for her, but she was fine, resilient. The driver flipped the sled so he could drag her out.

Late day it has warmed up too much, but trails are still intact, so we're off on our xc ski trek for the day.

Iditarod Blog

We have an Iditarod Blog, http://iditarod08windypups.blogspot.com/. Our main blog is for our kennel journal. We will go to our Iditarod Blog (above) to chat about Iditarod.

Dogs over Ten Years Old

We have been fortunate to have dogs live long with us, but it gives us a core group of dogs over the age of ten. Over ten are: Chena, Sierra, Skinny, Lillen, Buddy, Tanni, Martin, Power, Glory,
King, Balto, Drummer and Victor. Some of these are still running in teams, the others are enjoying long walks and sunbathing. Three of these dogs are pups of our original Scuba, three are her grandpups. Three are retirees from Alaska. Four came to us as rescues.

Fantasy Iditarod

Well, if we can't be there, we'll 'enter' online. We have 3 SPK participants in Fantasy Iditarod, modeled after Fantasy Football. Each of us has chosen ten bib numbers. On Thursday after the bib drawing, when we know who has which bib, we must pare our ten down to five.

The link for Fantasy Iditarod is : http://www.colomtnmushers.org/fantasy-iditarod.html

Training Runs, Six

We had some guests today and we ran some nice training runs. The trails were fast, but sides still soft/ deep if the sled veered off. We opted to stay on internal trails to save dog feet and to avoid the risk of leaping the hardened snow banks near the highway. We're hoping for more snow, but the trail base is excellent. We geared our day to working on skills, hills, curves, speed, gear, etc.

Total dogs run was ten, six teams. Skinny ran lead in one team; Lillen ran lead in one team; Buffy and Ruthie both had multiple times in lead and Sherpa led once. Buddy was once again THRILLED to be chosen to run on TWO teams and he pulled his weight in wheel with great spirit.

Tomorrow we plan to run some dogs who need more time/running. It's pretty easy to pick the best runners, again and again... some of the others need practice.

Photo: Guest , Ron, with a happy four dog team, (Buffy, Ruthie, Buddy, Quattro) honing skills, although he's already a good dog driver and likes the speed the dogs dished out.