HOT LOOKING DOG BOX

If you’re looking for a dog box and are having a hard time finding anyone that makes them……look no further!   We bought a 6 hole dog box for our 2nd truck from Gavin Baker this summer and he did an AWESOME job.  This guy does meticulous work and you won’t have to mortgage your house to get a top quality box that will last for years.  Check out a photo of the box in our gallery!

BILLY IS A DAD!

Billy or Big Bill, as we now call him, became a dad this week!  He was bred to Quayle’s Snowmass, another Swingley female.  There were 4 boys and 2 girls in the litter!  Brad and his family are estatic about the new additions.  So it looks like there will be some Billy juniors on the trails next year — we better stay on our toes!!

Free Run Kennel In Operation

After returning from Alaska we had a list a mile long of improvements that we wanted to make to the kennel.  The first one on the list was to build an enclosed free run kennel for the dogs.  Presently, we can free run on almost 400 acres of land and although that sounds great it has its downfalls.  It is not conducive to interacting with the dogs because they are truly free and many of them tear around the property and then meet us back at the kennel.  This type of free running is also not safe when the weather is really hot so in the summer it is often that the dogs can’t get out to exercise.  Lastly, there were many dogs that only Bruce and I could free run and the handlers couldn’t help get those dogs out during the week because they could not be confident they could get them back to the kennel.  The purpose of the enclosed free run area was to improve the interactions we have with the dogs by having them in a more enclosed area, to work on improving their social behaviors with each other and to have a safer environment for them to run.  Along with the help of our handlers, Mark and Lynn, we put the free run area up in two weekends and it is now complete.  It’s approximately 3 acres enclosed with fencing and attached to the main kennel so we can just unhook dogs and let them run through the gates.  We’ve been running dogs for 2 weeks now and it has been great.  The dogs are having a blast and can cool themselves in some kiddy pools we put out and we are able to get the entire kennel out in alot less time than it took us the other way.  We still intend to free run with the 4 wheeler on the property becuase we feel it is still the best way to stretch them out and build speed, but we will do so in cooler weather closer to training season.

The Final Stretch - Magali Phillip & Rick & Kelly Swenson

The one thing Stage Stop has brought to our lives is friendships.  After 3 years at the stage stop many of the regulars start to feel like friends from years back and after you endure a stage stop like the one this year you find that it brings all of you closer together.  Jacque and Magali are two of those friends that we’ve come to know through stage stop and, therefore, we felt we couldn’t drive through Nenana without stopping by for a quick hello.  Unfortunately, Jacque was on the glacier and so we missed him, but Magali was at home; her favorite place to be.   We laughed out loud as we pulled up to her gate and saw the infamous sign, “Trespassers will be shot.  Survivors will be shot again”  If you know Magali, you know this is right up her alley and probably more truth than fiction!
Magali was outside just getting ready to give her beloved poodle, Keops a summer shave when we pulled in and rescued him for a few hours.  Magali graciously showed us her kennel and talked dogs with us for a while until we had to cut the things short to get back on the road because we had another stop that evening before we hit the road for home.  Despite how short the visit, it was great to see Magali and we hope that her and Jacque will come Stage Racing in 2009.
JR had been trying to get a hold of Rick and Kelly Swenson since before we left and we finally connected after we had arrived in Alaska and we are able to arrange to make them our last stop before we left.  The Swenson’s graciously invited us all to dinner on our way out of Alaska to spend a few hours to eat and chat.  JR was looking forward to this since he had handled for Rick back in the late 90’s and has fond memories of his year in Alaska with the Swenson’s.
Here was another example of a top kennel that was immaculate and was extremely organized.  Like Joee’s kennel, Rick’s dogs were all housed in barrels.  The majority of them were on platforms as his dirt was very rocky.  He had some beautiful outbuildings all built of logs and a very orderly garage.  This fit right in to how JR described Rick’s program.  He is meticulous and it shows throughout his kennel. 
Rick is a very laid back and personable guy that enjoys a good laugh.  He is not at all similar to how he has been depicted in the media.  Kelly is very friendly and high energy.  She pulled out all stops for dinner and had a spread of grilled burgers, baked beans, chips, a couple different salads and a wonderful blueberry cobbler.  It was delicious and all the more enjoyable as we talked dogs and mushing with the two of them.  They had some fun observations of the Sweepstakes and the Iditarod and we got immersed in the conversation wishing we had more time to stay and socialize.
At 10:00PM Friday evening we said our goodbyes to Rick and Kelly and headed back out on the highway for home.  JR and Anna got home Monday night and Bruce and I got home Tuesday night.
This was a grueling trip; 9400 miles in 12 days, but well worth it.  We learned so much and cannot say enough about how friendly and gracious everyone was to us.  We are in awe having had the opportunity to talk dogs and learn from the best.  Alaska is truly the core of the mushing sport and it makes you realize how far we have to come out here in the mid-west.  We now have lists of things to do to improve our kennels that should keep us busy for the next couple years.

Checkpoint #5 Egil Ellis & Helen Lundberg - Dog Shopping Excursion

Before we headed to Egil and Helen’s we made a trip to Anchorage.  As soon as we hit downtown and saw all the shops me and Anna screamed to be let out.  We were not leaving Alaska without a souvenir or two.  The four of us agreed on an hour of non-dog shopping and hit the pavement running.  I was laughing while I was grabbing touristy type stuff and throwing it on the counter.  I told Anna she was going to see me at my worst since I didn’t have time to be conservative.  If I wanted Alaskan goodies I just had to BUY AND NOT THINK!!  It was a blast.  We wound up at an ivory store and I just had to get a piece of native art and had my heart set on these beautiful masks that I had seen everywhere.  They were primitive faces often carved out of wood, bone or ivory and had fur ruffs around them.  Well, I found something even better.  It was a carved ivory musher with a 6 dog team on a piece of old whale bone about a foot long.  I had 4 to choose from and Anna helped me select the most expensive one; thanks Anna!  We logged in our memory banks that next time we’d come back to shop in Anchorage. 
Despite the shopping highs, by this point of the trip we were starting to wear down.  However, we had all been looking forward to meeting Egil and Helen in person and had put their kennel on a pedestal.  We were not going to pass up this opportunity no matter how weary we had become.  As we traveled throughout Alaska we learned that Egil is highly respected throughout the state and folks often had complimentary things to say about him and his dog training skills.   This, of course, can be fairly intimidating to any aspiring musher and we were no exception.  I mean, come on we were about to meet the musher who has tied Attla’s record and a guy that musher’s from every venue of this sport had nothing but good things to say about.   As for Helen, does she ever lose a race?   We were all worried that we were too weary to socialize and hearing that Egil was a bit shy we hoped we wouldn’t struggle with uncomfortable silence.  However, all our concerns turned out to be a waste of energy.  Helen and Egil were phenomenal hosts and we had a blast visiting with them.  Egil is very open, friendly and has a very fun sense of humor which kept us amused during our entire stay.  He is very much a dog man and you can see the wonderful repoire he has with his dogs as he walks through his kennel of thoroughbreds.  Once again, here was a kennel where the dogs stood out as uniquely different from everywhere else.  His dogs are very athletic looking and have a presence about them.  More interestingly, they are very large dogs.  We got to see Peavey and Ruby and they were just powerhouses.  The dogs were very social and eager to say hi to strangers.  As we had expected, since both Helen and Egil are of Swedish descent, the kennel had a Scandinavian feel and was immaculate.  All the dog houses were painted with the traditional Scandinavian red paint and the house was a beautiful Scandinavian blue.   You could immediately see the organization and care that is put into this kennel.
We chatted and laughed effortlessly about dogs over beers while Helen played the ultimate hostess.  She took me back several times throughout the evening to our visit to Sweden as she is the epitome of a Scandinavian woman.  She is very vivacious, with an infectious laugh and you can’t help but be enamored by her energy.  She loves to cook as many of you know from reading her blog and she is darn good at it.  While we were talking dogs and drinking beer, she served us some delicious appetizers that we could have ate all night.   We called them Helen’s Quesadillas.  Dinner was entertainment in itself when they hauled out a large black pan called a Murikka.   This is a Finnish method of cooking that is quite popular.  I later learned that Helen is half Finnish, which makes her ok in my book being part Finn myself.  They built a wood fire and put the murikka on top of a iron holder above the fire to make a sort of outdoor wok.  Then in went the oil and her and Egil starting tossing in chicken and vegetables stirring it and talking in Swedish as they jumped from the popping fire and laughed over needing longer tongs.  We all enjoyed the presentation immensely and now I am in search of a murikka.  When we were called to dinner Helen had set a beautiful table that had a very distinctive Scandinavian feel to it with cloth napkins and bright colors.  She had set out at each place a plate with a small piece of quiche and raw salmon.  I could almost read everyone’s mind when they saw the raw fish and had to giggle at how we were all about to step right out of our comfort zone.  Much to our surprise the raw salmon was the highlight of the meal and something we all agreed we would eat again and again.  It was a Swedish specialty that Helen had prepared for the occasion and I can’t thank her enough for introducing us to something truly wonderful.  Everything that Helen made that evening; the appetizer, bread with butter and truffle salt, quiche, salmon, chicken & vegetables with curry sauce and the wonderful Scandinavian dessert were out of this world.  Egil and Helen gave us a truly unique and wonderful scandinavian experience right in the middle of Alaska.
Bruce and I bought a little leader from Egil named Zipper with a wowza pedigree and she has already won our hearts with her fun little personality.  We had thought were done shopping; however, there was a yearling he had offered us via e-mail and when we saw him free run in person we were sold.  He is a beautifully built dog with a very smooth gait, but is just a step too slow for open class.  We look forward to working with this guy.  JR and Anna did not leave empty handed as they secured a dog named Cash off of Egil’s main team, which thrilled them to pieces.

Checkpoint #4 Mark Nordman & Denny Albert - Dog Shopping Excursion

No trip to Alaska would be complete for any of us without a stop to Denny and Mark’s.  Mark has known JR since he was young and the rest of us all got to know each other during Stage Stop and instantly took a liking to each other.  Denny and Mark live just outside Denali National Park.  They were fortunate to land some property, once previously owned by Jeff King before he made it into a private little subdivision.  This is not a subdivision as we know them back east by any means.  The property is covered with a boatload of 10-15’ pine trees and the houses are all nestled amongst them out of the view of each other.  There are several mushers and sled dog trails cutting through the properties with the snow covered mountains in the background.  Denny and Mark have an absolutely beautiful log cabin, which I neglectfully didn’t take a photo of, overlooking their property with the mountains in the front yard.  It is breathtaking and you can feel the peace and solitude they get from this awesome location.   The only downfall is the cold.  Denny explained they are in a very cold part of the state and often see temperatures at 60 below, which can be frightening at times.  She explained that when it gets that cold they all go in to survival mode.  You spend the day making sure everything stays working, the dogs are taken care of and that you don’t make any mistakes outside.
 

Denny made a great spaghetti dinner with bread, salad and appetizers and we spent the evening talking about the Stage Stop, Alaska and mushing.  These two also have very enviable positions when it comes to dog mushing.  Denny travels all over the country providing her services and religiously does vet work at the Iditarod and Stage Stop; she is a wealth of information and is fascinating to learn from.  She shared her experiences as head vet for the Alaskan Sweepstakes and how overjoyed everyone was with the success of the race.  It was very cool to hear an inside perspective of the race.  She made national news this year when got the opportunity to rescue a wolf that had a snare dangerously wrapped around its neck in Denali Park.  It was a fascinating story.  Mark, lives and breathes the Iditarod as it is his job.  He has a home office, much like Arleigh’s near his dog yard, and travels back and forth between Anchorage and work to help make this race so successful.  He knows everyone and has seen everything and we just loved hearing the Iditarod stories.
 

Denny and Mark called their neighbor, Jeff King, and arranged for us to tour his facility.  We arrived just as the tour buses were leaving, one being driven by Jeff himself.  He has this long twisting drive that travels up hill to his beautiful home overlooking a gorgeous lake with the mountains in the background.  It is quite a spot.  On the way up, Mark pointed out what appeared to be a musher and dog team formed out of the rocks on the top of the mountains – it was very fitting.  I wondered if Jeff made that happen.  He has quite the set-up for tourists and it is quite an outfit.  You immediately see the organization, the professionalism and the cleanliness of the kennel.  This is a business.  Apparently, they get 10,000 visitors a year at $50.00 a pop; you do the math!  We got to meet Jeff when he returned and he is a very focused and serious guy.  He took some time to show us his swimming video and talk about the pros and cons of some of his training.  He discussed his thoughts on the success of teams that had run the Quest and Iditarod back to back and what that possibly meant to the future of the sport and how he may or may not alter his training.  We got to take a look at the sled he had designed for this year’s Iditarod and it’s darn near a sprint sled with a trailer.  Then we got to see his puppies use the puppy wheel.  He has a large metal wheel just like you would see in a gerbil cage and the puppies willingly jump on this thing and tear around yipping.  It is the cutest thing ever and I immediately wanted one!
 

We left Jeff’s and headed to Denali Park.  Within 15 minutes of being in the park we got the rare pleasure of seeing a wolf.  What was even more rare was that we got to watch it travel for 20 minutes as it ran along side the road criss crossing back and forth hunting.  This enormous animal was so light on it’s feet and trotted effortlessly.  You can see how they travel so far daily in their pursuit of food.  It was amazing.  Not long after bidding the wolf farewell, we got to see a mother grizzly with her two cubs feeding at the bottom of a mountain.  We would have loved to get closer, but it was still really neat to see one even from afar.
 

After Denali we spent the day sight seeing.  We drove through Talkeetna, which was an adorable little town where hundreds of climbers congregate in their pursuit to scale Mt. McKinley.  Me and Anna drooled out the window at all the touristy shops hoping for a little shopping reprieve, but it would not be so.  We headed straight to Wasilla; which is definitely a musher community.  There are signs all along the highway directing you to various touring kennels.  The other thing I noticed all through out Alaska is that many homes put old sleds out at the front of their driveway much like we’d put a boulder.  It’s very cool seeing all these sleds.  We passed one long row of cabins that all had a sled on the roof.  They were very neat to look at, but apparently the strip of cabins attracts some seedy characters.
That evening we spent the night at the local Best Western.  Anna and I stayed at the motel and got caught up on e-mails and work while Bruce and JR went to visit Shane Goosen and Ray Redington.

Checkpoint #3 The Redingtons - Dog Shopping Excursion

After a great night’s rest we pulled ourselves away from Arleigh’s and set out towards Manley Hot Springs; the home of Joee and Pam Redington.  First we had to stop and purchase a mini-air compressor and some tire patch kits due to the road conditions on the way to Manley.  We lowered the air in the tires and turned onto this 155 mile dirt road.  Surprisingly, it was in better condition than we had expected, but we could see how it would be an issue if you had car troubles as there was nothing until you got to Joee’s.  The scenery was breathtaking and remote.  We arrived and drove through town (a post office and road house) looking for Joee’s and laughed at how he probably knew we were there despite the fact we couldn’t find him.  It was kind of embarrassing — how hard could it be to find a dog kennel in a town with the population of 78?  We finally found him on the very last road we explored.  Joee and Pam were out getting ready to feed the dogs.  As you pull up you get a bit of Alaskan sensory overload.  The dogs are housed right in the front of the property and the out buildings are log with metal roofs.  There are moose antlers, farm implements and other musher paraphernalia hanging on the buildings and a shed full of sleds.  It was totally cool.  Their house is set way back away from the dogs.  They have separate bitch and puppy pens.  The other very obvious thing we noticed is that the dogs all looked like huskies and the similar genetic traits were obvious through out the kennel.  His dogs were a bit leggier, appeared larger and had very distinctive markings and ½ flopped ears.  It was a very handsome group of dogs.
Joe is a soft spoken guy with a sharp sense of humor that leaves you belly laughing.  He will often be talking softly and then with a twinkle in his eye will tell the craziest story that leaves you wanting to hear more.  Pam is also soft spoken, but a very gracious host that immediately makes you feel comfortable.  Joee’s office is a miniature museum full of tons of old photos of many of the great mushers and he has scanned virtually hundreds of old photos of growing up and life with the Redington’s; we had the pleasure of viewing many of these photos.  It was very cool.  He is also a talented carver and the room is full of his carvings, native dolls and other native artifacts.  We spent a great deal of time just looking and taking it all in.
 After feeding the dogs, Pam ran in to prepare dinner a wonderful spread of moose soup, drop biscuits, salad and melon.  I was amazed at the quality of fresh vegetables/fruit in this remote area.  Joee and Pam live off the land in a traditional rustic manner.  Their home has no plumbing so Pam has a huge water tank in the house and she has to heat all of her water for doing dishes etc.  They bathe at the local hot springs and have out houses.  I was in awe at how hard they work.  Just doing dishes is a task compared to loading them in a dishwasher.  They catch 2000+ fish every year to feed their dogs.  They cook fish daily for the dogs and in the fall they have to box enough to get them through the winter.  These eventually ferment and then are put out to freeze once the temperature allows.  The sorting process after fermenting is an arduous task that only Pam handles.  She says that she has to dress from head to toe in slickers and rubber gloves because the smell is so bad that if you get it on you it stays and if it gets on your clothes they must be burnt.  I can understand why Pam wants to be the only one to handle this task; then she can guarantee that none accidently gets in the house!
The temps dropped down into the 30’s that evening and Bruce and I tested the artic sleeping bags we brought since the cabin we stayed in had no heat.  It was right up our alley since we both love sleeping in the cold.  We laughed that Anna would have froze to death had she drawn the cabin.  That morning we talked dogs and JR talked Joee into taking a team out so he could look at a dog.  JR rode on the back with Joee and me, Bruce and Anna all climbed onto a little four wheeler and followed.  Joee trains a lot like us and his dogs really know how to work.  The dog we had purchased, Rocky, was in the team and we were very pleased with his work ethic.  He is a handsome 2 year old that has a very high attitude on line.  We are really excited to work with him this fall.  When all was said and done JR and Anna left with 2 dogs and we left with Rocky.  We were all very excited to get the opportunity to purchase some of Joee’s dogs since we heard it is tough to get dogs out of Joee.

Checkpoint #2 The Reynolds - Dog Shopping Excursion

We made it across 2 border crossings without any issue and arrived in Fairbanks  late Sunday morning.  We were amazed at how big the city was and all the options they had available to them.  We made a stop at Cold Spot Feeds, Fred Meyers (an awesome Alaskan grocery store) and tried to get into the Alaskan Fur Company and Apocolypse Designs, but they were closed since it was Sunday.  We headed to Arleigh and Donna’s place which is ½ hour out of Fairbanks in Salcha.  They have an absolutely beautiful log home nestled in among the trees and all of their out buildings are built of log.  It was what you envision an Alaskan kennel and homestead to look like.  The kennel was another example of organization and cleanliness.  The pups and bitches were kept in separate fenced areas from the rest of the dogs and about 95% of the dogs were all on decking.  He had kennels attached to a barn which allowed him to house up to 4 dogs per kennel in the severe cold.  His office was attached to the barn and had a phenomenal view overlooking his kennel.  I couldn’t think of a more awesome set-up and was truly envious of the luxury of working and being with your dogs.
We got the opportunity to take a group of pups for a walk with Arleigh and observe how he works with his puppies.  One of the first things we noticed at the Reynold’s kennel was how social all of their dogs were.  As you walked through the kennel the greater majority all wanted attention and it was obvious that they have spent a lot of time socializing their dogs.  Arleigh commended Donna in this department as she loves to work with the pups. 
As always, Arleigh was an open book and shared his limitless amount of knowledge on everything from training, nutrition, therapy etc.  He has a vast amount of knowledge and any musher could sit and listen to him for hours.  It was awesome.   Then much to our surprise we learned that Donna and Arleigh had invited dinner guests; Jeannie and Dean Gulden (previously from Minnesota) and Roxy Wright Champaigne and her husband, Dave.  It was a great surprise to reunite with Jeannie and Dean.  They were monumental in getting us on the right track in racing our first long distance race.  They came and showed us the ropes the first time Bruce ran Grand Portage (120 miles) and we were as green as green could be.  They showed us the entire checkpoint routine, pre-race preparation etc. and helped Bruce finish in 8^th place.  It was funny for the four of us to look back on that race.  Bruce and I could remember that JR and Ryan Anderson were there and favored to finish in the top 5 and JR and Ryan had no clue who the heck we were!    They were untouchable to us at that time and today we find ourselves together on a marathon dog shopping trip! 
The evening was full of lots of laughs with Jeannie and Dean reminiscing and catching them up on Mid-west mushers.  Listening to Roxy was an experience we will always remember.  It was like listening to your pedigrees come to life as she talked casually about racing Burner and Pluto and discussed pedigrees.  We were in awe realizing that this woman was on the runners behind some of the best dogs in history.  She has been touted as being one of the best dog trainers and you can immediately see it in her personality.  She is focused, intense and a wealth of information.  It was a real pleasure and part of a true Alaskan experience to break bread with Roxy.  Arleigh’s family was a joy to spend the evening with; Cheyenne, Mia, Donna and Roxy’s husband, Dave provided lots of laughter and a break from all the dog talk!  This exciting evening was capped off by a phenomenal meal that Donna had prepared of grilled salmon, shrimp, potatoes, bread, snap peas and salad.  It was awesome.  Bruce and I had been hoping to try real Alaskan Salmon so we were thrilled to see it on the menu that evening.  We had both had poor experiences with Salmon at home and neither of us are fish eaters so it was a joy to eat the real deal and to enjoy it immensely.  Now I just have to figure out how to get it in Michigan. 
Our visit to Arleigh brought forth a great dog that Bruce and I immediately secured; Anker.  He is a 4 year old gee/haw leader out of Thomas Warner’s kennel that has run Femundslopet (600 miles), finished 3^rd in ……… .He was just a hair off leading Arleigh’s Open Class team and his resume showed he has the versatility to do what we do at the speed we are looking for.  When he came up we jumped on the opportunity to have this dog. 

Checkpoint #1 The Streepers - Dog Shopping Excursion

We arrived in Ft. Nelson right on the scheduled time and had time to get a motel and take the much needed shower.  We had coordinated a time with Streepers and I was impressed how accurate our arrival time was given that we had traveled such a long distance.   Despite this, when we got to the Streepers the doors were all open, but there was no one to be found.  We waited for about ½ hour before it became obvious they were not around.  We left a note for them that we’d check back in an hour and went for food. I was at my breaking point and decided that I would prefer sleep over a tour and headed for bed.  JR, Anna and Bruce returned to the motel shortly after disappointed that the Streepers had not yet returned.  Late in the evening we got a call from Buddy and he explained they had all been up the street at their golf course tending to the annual Championship.  He apologized and invited us over the next morning.
 We got there around 8AM in time to see them feeding.  They have 200+ dogs and it is surprisingly immaculate.  Hundreds of dogs houses neatly lined up, bowls attached to the houses and nice flat circles that are dragged daily eliminating the need to scoop each house.  They feed out of a golf cart that runs up and down between the rows of houses while Terry scoops food on top of their houses.  It was the most efficient method of feeding I’ve ever witnessed and a necessity with so many dogs.  They have separate bitch and puppy pens that are fenced in.  The remainder of the kennel is not contained with fencing.  Buddy took us on the tour and immediately fell into the Streeper tour spiel, as it was obvious they get tons of visitors.  He was very open and willing to share training and feeding techniques.  It was fascinating to learn and see how arguably one of the best kennels in the world takes their puppies through their training program to, hopefully, world class success.  We looked at a couple dogs they had available that Buddy felt might fit our needs and stored them in our memories to do homework on them later.  We spent about 2 ½ hours with the Streeper’s and were very grateful for the time they took out of their day to show us their facility; it is evident that they have a well organized program that runs like a well oiled machine.  This was a theme to be repeated by all of the top kennels in Alaska.
The overnight delay of our road trip turned out to be a blessing as the next portion of the trip was hands down the most exciting wildlife experience I’ve ever had and it gave Bruce a chance to regain his ability to walk.  Within ½ hour of leaving Ft. Nelson we started seeing an abundance of wildlife.  It was so dramatic you felt like you had entered a wild life preserve or a zoo.  Throughout the drive we saw 8 bears right on the side of the road within a couple car lengths just sitting there eating grass without a care in the world.  We passed groups of Big Horn Sheep on the highway so close you could reach out the window and touch them.  Everything was up close and personal.  We saw moose, buffalo, elk, deer, coyote and porcupines!   The only thing we didn’t see was a Grizzly or a wolf.  The scenery and the wildlife were overwhelming and you just couldn’t get enough.  We were stopping every 15 minutes to take photos.  Thankfully, the wildlife photo ops were thinning out when my camera decided to die on me.  I am now anti-Canon as this was my 2^nd Canon in one year that had died for the same reason – I hope they are reading this. 

The Drive - Dog Shopping Excursion

I’m not sure what ever possessed me to think that I’d be able to blog every day on this trip, but once we crossed into Canada it became obvious that internet signals and cell signals were virtually non-existent. I guess in one way that made it a true vacation, but now I find myself having to really work the old memory bank to re-create this 12- day excursion to Alaska. Since most of you are aware of my problem with Red Bull consumption, believe me this is no easy task!
Bruce and I left around 6AM on Wednesday morning and headed straight to the kennel to pick up 3 dogs that we had sold and were delivering along the way. We arrived in Minnesota to meet the Anderson’s around 18 hours later. Needless to say, I was already tired of driving and I shuttered to think that we had 60+ hours to go. Since we were on a marathon, endurance vacation there would be no rest for the weary and we packed the Anderson’s stuff into the truck and headed immediately back out onto the highway. JR took the wheel and Bruce and I had our first night in the back seat. It was that first night when I really started to question my sanity. I think it was the unintentional yoga position that I found myself coiled in as I tried to sleep that kept forcing me to wonder what ever possessed us to do this. It brought a whole new meaning to meditation. Instead of chanting the mantra “Ohhhhmmmmm, Ooohhmmmm”, my mind was chanting, “Whhhyyyyy, Whyyyyyyy”. The constant nagging pain of joints aching, and my limbs falling asleep denied me any serious rest. It was more of a twilight sleep where you heard everything, but had your eyes closed. By about 4AM, I gave up and popped my first Red Bull……..it was all downhill after that!
Poor Bruce had also assumed a yoga position this first night; however, it was not the downward dog, but more like a new position which we will call “endurance driver”. Believe me when I say it is a real stretch for him (no pun intended) to get into any sort of yoga position let alone one not intended to be. Envision this man lying on his back with his butt against the door and his legs in the air in a cross legged position. It did not look natural and although I was impressed, I wondered if we would all have to un-pry his legs when it was his turn at the wheel. As it turns out, he was able to un-pry himself; however, he learned he had tweaked something in his back and found that walking had become a problem. We showed him no mercy at first, but as it continued on into the next day it became apparent that he was in a great deal of pain. He later told me that we didn’t fully understand how scared he was that the he was going to have to endure this pain for the entire trip. So I doubt that I’ll be talking him into any yoga sessions real soon.
We got to Bismark Thursday morning and met up with Allan Barge to deliver two dogs. After a little dog talk, we headed out to the first stop in our kennel tour; the Streeper’s Kennel, 30 hours away. The ride there was a constant regime of alternating between front and back seats every 4 hours, snacking on junk food, coffee and energy drinks and, of course, talking dogs. Once in Canada we traveled deeper and deeper into the depths of the remote north country. At first it was miles and miles of farm land, but as we neared Ft. Nelson, where the Streeper’s live, the terrain became more mountainous and exciting. Traveling in these parts of Canada is not like in the United States where you can find a 24 hour gas station virtually every 30 minutes. We would go for hours and not see civilization and then we’d see gas stations only to learn they closed early. Fortunately, we had the forethought to carry gas with us because we actually had to use it. We had reached the Alaskan Highway and got low on gas around 5AM. Bruce and I were driver/navigator and we found a station only to learn it was closed. This became our first camp site and we passed out in the parking lot in hopes they would open early. When we awoke we learned they had no intention of opening and we had to haul out the gas cans. I remember waking up thinking I had gotten at least 6 hours of sleep. I was elated, but felt guilty we had lost so much time. I quickly learned that my 6 hours was only 1 ½ hours; it became painfully obvious that I was clearly delusional by this point. I had probably gone 48 hours with less than 6 hours of sleep. Thank goodness I had lots of preparation for this handling at dog races because it didn’t get any better! Oh, and although I’m ashamed to admit it, I packed a case of Red Bulls for just this type of situation.
The Alaskan Highway is not conducive to sleeping even for the best sleepers with the exception of Anna. She managed to sleep 90% of the trip much to our amusement and wonderment. The highway is 1000+ miles of cement ribbon that has huge frost heaves the entire way. Just as you would nod off the truck would become airborne from a frost heave and you are immediately jolted awake upon impact. There were moments I worried about whiplash as you became limber from sleep only to awake with your head slamming against the window or door. Anna kept saying it was like being rocked to sleep. I had to wonder if her mom rode motocross while she was in the womb or something; it just wasn’t natural!