Iditarod (More)
Reporting from Bisbee AZ. Real Chet and Bernie country.
First, here’s the latest from Rebecca, CEO of Snowhook, our team in the greatest sled dog race on earth. Many thanks, Rebecca. She’s already at the finish line in Nome.
The team pulled into Unalakleet not too long ago after a long day on the trail. What Chet might like to know about Unalakleet is that some of the best pizza I’ve ever had was in this town that serves as the first checkpoint on the coast. Pizza aside, I look at Unalakleet as the entry point for the final third of the race. There are 236 miles until the finish line.
I arrived in Nome midday on Monday. Not only would Snowhook like to share the starting line with the Plunderers, but the finish line in Nome as well. Wouldn’t that be something! Race fans from parts near and far have begun to pour into Nome. Flights are full, motels are booked, and there is a constant chatter of the race on the street and at the temporary race headquarters. The burled arch is in place on Front Street, snow has been plowed onto the road, and everyone awaits the arrival of teams. The unofficial rule of thumb is to expect a team to cross the finish line twenty-four hours after the team leaves the checkpoint of Elim. This means we could see the winning team cross the finish line on Tuesday evening.
And here are two members of the team, Jesse and Lefty.
Welcome Misti.
Tags: Arizona, Bisbee, Iditarod, Justin Savidis, Nome, Rebecca, Snowhook
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 12th, 2013 at 9:43 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
9:45 am on March 12th, 2013
And what are Spence and Admin doing in Arizona?
Good morning all.
9:58 am on March 12th, 2013
B: Tucson Festival of Books
Rebecca: thanks for your daily report as always. I’ll catch up with you later by SDD, go phone or text.
GO SNOWHOOK!!!
10:08 am on March 12th, 2013
Nome is ready for the first teams. here is the Nome webcam turned on the burled arch finish line.
http://www.visitnomealaska.com/nome-web-cam.html
10:09 am on March 12th, 2013
I hope Spencer and Admin get a vacation in there somewhere.
Thanks BearSpiritDog. I’m not sure about that though. Newton scratched and he lost a dog . . ?
Zoe and I will be leaving to have a Raven’s Birthday Celebration lunch. His birthday is tomorrow.
Loving the rain here and the cold temperature up North.
10:16 am on March 12th, 2013
Bisbee is a really neat and interesting place to visit…old mining town. We like Bisbee.
Thank you Rebecca for another great report, and we love the photos of the dogs. Having pictures of the Snowhook dogs on the blog every day is a real treat. It is artistic this morning with the white dogs on the black background of the blog.
Melanie, Bear is correct about the difference between scratched and withdrawn.
10:18 am on March 12th, 2013
Melanie: Newton may have chosen to Scratch whereas Gerry ran past the llotted Race time looking for his dog.
Just a Guess.
10:18 am on March 12th, 2013
Thank you Siber-H!
10:19 am on March 12th, 2013
Kats! AJ and the team have reached Shaktoolik!
10:21 am on March 12th, 2013
One of the musher had a fan who ordered him one of those tasty pizzas to be waiting for him. He said that it was really special. Do they take phone orders?
10:27 am on March 12th, 2013
Our cat sitters have a home in Bisbee and just love the town. Hope SQ will get to relax and enjoy.
Go AJ and Snowhook !
10:34 am on March 12th, 2013
The book festival has concluded.
Perhaps they are scouting out areas for the seventh C&B novel even before the sixth has been published.
10:47 am on March 12th, 2013
Since he lost a dog, Newton was forced to scratch, but the rules are such that he can get away with just scratching instead of being withdrawn. He could have not gone on racing without the dog. I believe these are fair rules.
This gets complicated, but the musher that was withdrawn after he lost a dog was withdrawn on a technicality….something about coming into a checkpoint without the dog when I believe this musher was trying to do what is best to go back and look for the dog.
If one can believe what they read, one mushers actions after he lost the dog has caused this guy to end up on my poop list.
Anyone can lose a dog. It happens. These are Huskies, after all. We had one get away from us an an adoption event…we got the little stinker back, though.
It is the musher’s behavior after the dog goes missing that is a BIG clue as to the character of that individual.
10:50 am on March 12th, 2013
http://iditarod.com/eye-on-the-trail-coffee-shop-history-lesson-by-terrie-hanke/
This is a great story from the teacher on the trail.
10:50 am on March 12th, 2013
The Insider just emailed that AJ checked into Shaktoolik.
10:54 am on March 12th, 2013
Huskies are BORN to run. Mom had a husky/shepherds mix that the border collie taught to run. Bottom line, border collie would come home tired from chasing cows on the nearby reservation and when the husky saw mom, she’d come to her but not until she had a “visual”.
11:08 am on March 12th, 2013
Lefty doesn’t look like a thief!
11:10 am on March 12th, 2013
KATS KATS KATS KATS !!!!!
This is the BEST checkpoint!
11:13 am on March 12th, 2013
If we were not fenced in, we would blow this pop-stand in a minute. But we would also return, eventually . When the rents call us to come in at night, some of us (whispering:The Hot One) will only come in if they actually see us out in those fields in the dark. This is why we are forced to wear those stupid lights when we are out in the dark.
Siber, we would like to know about the behavior you didn’t like.
11:17 am on March 12th, 2013
Wooo Hooo the kats have AJ and the teams backs.
11:47 am on March 12th, 2013
Have any of youse read any updates on the missing Mae?
11:48 am on March 12th, 2013
YIP! YIP!….HURRAY!…snort!…I hope The Giant gets some of that great pizza!…Woooo!….My checkpoint is next!…zow!
11:59 am on March 12th, 2013
Pizza!…Beau and I just watched the video of the Pizza…heh!…Beau could barely stand it. That pie looked really good…snort!
11:59 am on March 12th, 2013
There is no new news about Mae. These dogs have always been recovered in the past, so the outcome is hopeful.
12:28 pm on March 12th, 2013
Bisbee sounds like a great place.
Kats! Those dogs are tired so they might acquiese to a kat massage.
Kats! Be sure to run in front of the dogs on the way out to get them moving fast.
12:34 pm on March 12th, 2013
Dawson! I will do what I do best: run with them, continuously licking them and grabbing at them. Hopefully, those Snowhook dogs will want to get rid of me, and so they will run all the faster.
12:35 pm on March 12th, 2013
Question!…For all you knowledgable Insiders….snort!…Where the heck is the checkpoint for Golovin, Spencer and Admins checkpoint?….grunt!…I do not see a little white dot for that checkpoint on my gps tracker trail…sniff!
12:36 pm on March 12th, 2013
Airport!….Is the checkpoint at the airport?…sniff!
12:40 pm on March 12th, 2013
Here’s the Cheshire Kat that I posted on Saturday.
12:42 pm on March 12th, 2013
Here’s the Kat only three days later, after a huge rain storm came through last night. I guess he used up all of his nine lives.
Poor Kitty.
12:44 pm on March 12th, 2013
Rio: I have Golovin 28 miles from Elim and 18 miles from White Mountain. Pop 148 An Inupiat Eskimo village named for Captain Vasili Golovnin of the Russian Navy. (Iditarod Trail Map)
12:46 pm on March 12th, 2013
Mollypop’s Mom: Awww, that cat was excellent while she lasted. Did it snow on the ski hill?
12:51 pm on March 12th, 2013
Is Jesse practicing his blurring skills? Looks like he is getting pretty good at it.
They say that the sea ice is not so bad this year. SO glad to hear that. We went through a whole roll of Tums over that last year.
12:53 pm on March 12th, 2013
Golovin!…Is a very remote small village…sniff!…I doubt anyone will stop there….hmmm
12:54 pm on March 12th, 2013
It seems that Golovin is not really a checkpoint ? It is on the Insider “About the trail” , but we have not had anyone check in there, nor do we see it on our gps map.
12:55 pm on March 12th, 2013
Joar into White Mountain as of 30 minutes ago. That Norwegian guy is moving on!
Mollys Mom: Poor melted kitty and poor youse on the ski slopes. Good thing the festival is over.
I’m behind in reading the blog once again.
BBL
12:55 pm on March 12th, 2013
Have you guys seen how fast Dallas Seavey is moving up in the standings? This morning, he had moved up to 5th place.
1:01 pm on March 12th, 2013
Golovin has always sounded to us like something out of The Hobbit. Heh.
Whether the Iditarod considers it an Official checkpoint or not doesn’t matter.
It is on our Plunderer Checkpoint Map and that’s what counts.
Gus&BooBear: Isn’t Dallas Seavey down to 8 dogs?
1:03 pm on March 12th, 2013
Roar!….What if this race comes down to Joar and Dallas?…snort!….That would be something. Although, for some reason I do worry about Joar’s team…sniff!…He is really pushing them.
1:12 pm on March 12th, 2013
Dallas!…He is in Fourth place right now….snort!
1:12 pm on March 12th, 2013
We think this race will come down to Mitch and Ally. They will get to leave White Mountain within 13 minutes of each other.
1:13 pm on March 12th, 2013
Howlers!…Anything can happen between now and the finish line!…snort!
1:16 pm on March 12th, 2013
Buser just checked out of Elim. His strategy didn’t work this year, but perhaps in better (colder) weather, it could work.
1:20 pm on March 12th, 2013
Dawson – It was a huge rain storm. The snow on the ski trails absorbs the rain to a point, but there’s so much snow it wasn’t a problem. The closing day for skiing is April 7th, however we will have snow on the ski trails for maybe another month after that.
1:24 pm on March 12th, 2013
Buddy, Get in front of the Snowhook dogs. I am just kidding. You are a good kat.
There has been one nose to nose finish in the Iditarod. It was a long time ago…Mitch Seavey and Rick Swenson. Mitch Seavey was declared the winner, but there have always been questions about who actually won the race. They didn’t have cameras or any tech stuff like a horse race does.
1:29 pm on March 12th, 2013
They did such a good job creating the Cheshire Kat and now it is gone. sniff
1:34 pm on March 12th, 2013
Kats!…SiberH, I think you’re onto something there…heh!heh!…If all the Kats get out in front of the team we could blow through up to Koyuk in no time at all…chuffle!
1:38 pm on March 12th, 2013
What! We sold Spence a non checkpoint? hardy har har har.
Oops! I mean…I think the Bernie character is based on Spence. Hooray for our team!
I am continually amazed at these dogs plundering on. Are the rookies Junior, Abe and Garrett? I believe the rest are veterans.
Go Snowhook Team! You can do it! Have some fun on the ice, Yeep!
1:43 pm on March 12th, 2013
Mollypop’s Mom: It rained here all day yesterday but today it’s snowing. Perhaps you’ll get more snow. Who was late for “a very important date” in Alice in Wonderland? Perhaps we could have that as a snow sculpture next.
1:46 pm on March 12th, 2013
AJ out of Shaktoolik 10 minutes ago.
On the trail again.
GO SNOWHOOK!!!
1:48 pm on March 12th, 2013
Back from a delicious lunch. Poor Cheshire Kat. He had a wonderful smile. We are having the rain now.
The birds are having a good time at the feeder.
I think the snow has gone down about 6 inches. The glacier in the stockade is growing.
AJ and Snowhook Dogs Forever
1:53 pm on March 12th, 2013
Running!…Wow! …I thought they would rest a while more today…snort!snort!…They are heading out to my checkpoint!!….Yeeeep!Yeeep!…Paws crossed. This is the scary one from last year….gulp!…Go Snowhook! Steady On!
1:57 pm on March 12th, 2013
Snowhook is on the move! T&G, Quick! We need a prayer to help our team over the dreadful sea ice. YEEP!
It is hysterical and fitting that we sold Bernie a non-existent checkpoint. heh heh heh
1:59 pm on March 12th, 2013
Howlers!…I was thinking that myself, but I was afraid to say it…snort!snort!
1:59 pm on March 12th, 2013
We were hoping for AJ to do this leg in the dark, so he could see the lights of Koyuk. How long will it take until he is within seeing those lights? Will it be dark by then?
Rio, this is your checkpoint. Get the townsfolk to put up lights and flags and balloons and all blow horns or ring bells.
2:00 pm on March 12th, 2013
Golovin!…If memory serves we sold him that checkpoint last year as well…heh!heh!
2:01 pm on March 12th, 2013
HOME!…My friend is home with me and Beau today so we are all going to watch Snowhook come into Koyuk together….Wooooo!
2:07 pm on March 12th, 2013
Natasha!…She was given special orders to go ahead onto Koyuk (on her dashing red snowmobile) and get the party started…snort!…There will be a band playing, I left it up to her to decide on the musak…grunt!…She is to organize decorations, fireworks and a big bouffet with all the trimmings…chuffle!
2:11 pm on March 12th, 2013
I am laughing about the Golovin checkpoint.
Where is Rose?
2:12 pm on March 12th, 2013
Rio, Don’t you think that our team’s safe arrival in Koyuk warrants a pizza party? We are going to send Pop a text: PICK UP PIZZA. AND WINE, DEFINITELY WINE.
2:15 pm on March 12th, 2013
Sneeze!….I’m up for a pizza party…snort!…I could do dat no problem…sneeze!
2:19 pm on March 12th, 2013
Hold On To Your Stormy Kromers Everyone!
According to The Official 2013 Race Guide, which we just perused, Golovin is indeed listed as an Official Checkpoint.
Spence and Admin can rest easy now and so can we.
Whew..That was a close one!
2:24 pm on March 12th, 2013
We are only here for the beer, but did someone just mention-Pizza?
2:31 pm on March 12th, 2013
Koyuk is Rio’s checkpoint, correct?
Parteee!!! Pizza!!!
The Snowhook team will make it to Koyuk with no problems.
Natasha will be waiting with beer and pizza.
2:41 pm on March 12th, 2013
Pizza!…sneeze!…Pizza!…sneeze!…Pizza!…cough!wooohoo!
2:46 pm on March 12th, 2013
This Time we have some company Crossing the Sound.
Has anyone checked the Weather Conditions?
Heh. We’ll pull into Koyuk just In Time for the Partee Rio & Beau are Hosting (with a little assist from Nattie)
2:48 pm on March 12th, 2013
Grump!…My friend says before we eat any Pizza tonight we have to go for a walk…grumble!…What a party-pooper…sniff!
2:49 pm on March 12th, 2013
Short!…She says it will be short because we don’t want to miss the Ice!…gruffle!
3:12 pm on March 12th, 2013
Doesn’t look like stormy weather in AK. Temps overnight in the 9-14 range. Cross paws.
3:18 pm on March 12th, 2013
Brrrrr!….We are back!…snort!…It’s cold outside…grunt!…Are they on the ice yet??
3:27 pm on March 12th, 2013
So….we have a little confession to make……
We try to reach out to each of the Native villages where AJ has checkpoints. In looking into Koyuk today, we found some very interesting things. For example, this is what they say about their village:
“We are a community who rely on the wisdom of our elders to teach our people our traditional and subsistence lifestyle while living and respecting the land, animals, and sea; we believe in quality education and employment opportunities through economic development for all generations while keeping healthy families and homes.”
Since the folks we were talking to were so friendly and outgoing, we asked them to keep an eye out for #34, and if someone there would be good enough to greet him on all our behalves with a hearty “Plunder On” we would be very grateful.
Fingers crossed.
3:28 pm on March 12th, 2013
GPS has him just getting on the ice. Shiver
3:30 pm on March 12th, 2013
You Royals have some fire in your bellies. Hope they respond.
3:31 pm on March 12th, 2013
Ice!…WooooHoooo!…The team is on the ice…shudder!
3:33 pm on March 12th, 2013
Hounds: Thank you for the Good Weather Report.
Royals: Think how surprised our Hero would/will be to hear Plunder On! Hope someone in our crowd has a Camera to catch that Candid moment.
3:35 pm on March 12th, 2013
The Ice! My Advice Never Zoom In on the Ice!
3:35 pm on March 12th, 2013
Melanie – we don’t have any fire in our bellies. Our bellies are soaking wet in this blanket blank rain. If we could reach the top of the fridge, we would have some dried duck strips in our bellies. Wait a minute – the Wrotten, oops, we mean the Wonderful Kats can get up there. Here kitty, kitty, kitty….
Oh, and Sharon and HOH, our Mama would really like to have your address. Seems she has something to send to you. Did you already give it to anyone? Or your email?
And Jasper – tell your mom that we don’t have her address in the middle of the mitten either.
3:42 pm on March 12th, 2013
Zoomed!…Bear we zoomed in….YEEEP!
3:53 pm on March 12th, 2013
Finally catching up on the blog and the race. Had an early departure this morning and Spence hadn’t posted yet, probably because he is still out west.
Pizza and beer sounds good to us too.
Hard to believe the race is 2/3’s run already!
4:42 pm on March 12th, 2013
T&G: The OH and Melanie should have my email.
4:42 pm on March 12th, 2013
T&G We appreciate and love all the information you are giving us on the Native Alaskans.
5:00 pm on March 12th, 2013
About one third of the way across.
5:02 pm on March 12th, 2013
Window!…The box of info does not pop-up like it used to when I move my mouse over the flag…grunt!…Anyone else having this problem? Are they still moving?…wheeze!
5:05 pm on March 12th, 2013
T&G, Ask your mama to check her SDD, please.
Pop brought home Stromboli instead of pizza. Feels special.
We are wondering if The Giant is thinking about last year’s sea ice. Hope not!
5:06 pm on March 12th, 2013
Guess where I’m off to? Heh. Rebecca gave a hint in her morning report. Trying to get iPaw to work in airport. Left laptop at home to make room for cheesecake in the suitcase. Tough call but priorities. If I can’t get iPaw to work this will be difficult tippy typing on my iPhone
5:11 pm on March 12th, 2013
Nome!!…CHobbit is jetting off to Nome!….WOOOOOO!!…Don’t forget yer Kamera!…yeeeep!yeeep!
5:11 pm on March 12th, 2013
Hurray for C.Hobbit! We thought you might be traveling to Nome from your earlier post. We really wish we could be there too. Maybe next year.
For those of you without Insider:
5:13 pm on March 12th, 2013
Nerves!…This is nerve wracking stuff…wuffle!…I hope Rebecca is holding up…sniffle!
5:16 pm on March 12th, 2013
Go C.Hobbit, go Snowhook, and keep all sofa cushions away from Bella!
5:18 pm on March 12th, 2013
Do youse guys remember how we were on this here blog last year, when our team had to deal with the jumble ice? Our hearts are palpitating just remembering that day!
5:19 pm on March 12th, 2013
Looks like 21 more miles on the ice.
5:25 pm on March 12th, 2013
C.Hobbit: Wow, we are jealous. ENJOY!
We southern hounds feel ice is only good in drinks (not like THE DRINK). Safe footing to Snowhook.
5:26 pm on March 12th, 2013
WOO WOO C.Harris is going to Nome!!!
Take a deep breath everyone. AJ and the dogs will be fine.
5:31 pm on March 12th, 2013
Rio, The window on the tracker is not popping up for me either.
I am guessing fans will be emailing the GPS Tracker people.
5:40 pm on March 12th, 2013
YES! CHarris. You are our intrepid hobbit traveler. You certainly have the right nickname. Hope that Cheesecake gets to Nome safely. (Oh, heh, and you too C!)
5:47 pm on March 12th, 2013
Rio, You now have to click and click hard on the mushers green flag to get the information pop-up window. This is actually an improvement. There is a whole lot of complaining on the Forums about the way the pop-up windows would jump up all over the place when one was moving around the map.
5:55 pm on March 12th, 2013
Pop-ups!…Yes, it is an improvement. They drove me Krazy!…heh!heh!…Our team is going nice and steady!…chuffle!
5:57 pm on March 12th, 2013
CHobbit – you rock! Safe journey and happy reunion with Rebecca.
Godspeed Snowhook!
5:57 pm on March 12th, 2013
Us too. We have so much trouble maneuvering our iPaw on that gps screen, and the popups were the worst.
6:00 pm on March 12th, 2013
Our team is now going 0 mph. Get moving, Snowhook Dogs!
6:02 pm on March 12th, 2013
I agree with Siber. We here are tiring of tip-toeing around the little green flags so they wouldn’t pop up every time we passed over them. It was driving me nuts.
6:04 pm on March 12th, 2013
Stopped? I have AJ & the team moving at almost 7 miles per hours.
6:05 pm on March 12th, 2013
Mae has been spotted near Swetna. They think she is heading toward home!
6:08 pm on March 12th, 2013
Looks like C.Hobbit will be at the finish line. Go C.Hobbit! Go Snowhook!
6:10 pm on March 12th, 2013
Siber-H: A quick question to take our minds off the team’s trek across the ice.
Earlier you mentioned there might be some controversy surrounding the call to withdraw Gerry Willomitzer from the race. Apparently there are different versions of the story going around.
Did I understand you correctly that his decision to leave the location where the dog was last seen and continue on to the checkpoint was a good call because he left to get help in the search?
He certainly was aware of the race rules when he decided to move on. But if his concern for his dog was paramount then, of course, he made the right decision no matter the penalty.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this matter.
6:14 pm on March 12th, 2013
I have him racing over 7 miles an hour and 17 more miles on the ice.
6:20 pm on March 12th, 2013
Jason Mackey withdrew. Maybe youse already knew that, but we just noticed. Wonder why. He still had 12 dogs.
6:23 pm on March 12th, 2013
How were y’all able to zoom in that close on the ice? We just got “no image available” when we tried to get that close.
GO SNOWHOOK!!!
6:24 pm on March 12th, 2013
Also, does AJ seem to be off to the west of the trail?
6:26 pm on March 12th, 2013
It just updated and he’s further west than before!!!
6:27 pm on March 12th, 2013
Hurray for C.Hobbit! She’s off to Nome!!!
(Humming to herself as she goes)
“Forget your Troubles come on get Happy”
O’Howlers: May (May?) going Home! This is the Best News.
6:29 pm on March 12th, 2013
Howlers – thanks.
HOH – check your SDD
As much as Mama loves the ocean, she’s scared to death of being out over the water, so she is checking the GPS by peeking between her fingers. She will be so happy when AJ is back on solid ground.
CHobbit – how very cool. Good for you. By next year, maybe Rebecca and AJ will have set you up with your own sled and team of puppies.
6:31 pm on March 12th, 2013
Arrgh!
The computer decided not to let me connect to internet right at one of the most crucial points of the race, but it’s good now.
CHobbit is going to Nome! Wow, wow, wow!
AJ and the team are getting (relatively) close. I’m going to zoom in on the ice.
6:31 pm on March 12th, 2013
SiberH????
6:32 pm on March 12th, 2013
STOP ZOOMING IN!
Believe me…y’all Don’t want to know the microscopic details.
I Prefer my view which shows him Closer to Land and the Partee in Koyuk.
6:32 pm on March 12th, 2013
Okay, I have a ghost in the computer. It keeps chirping at me as if someone is trying to get ahold of me. Now granted I have 5 windows open (snicker), but IM has nothing, FaceTime has nothing, Facebookie has no messages and I don’t have mail open.
Maybe I have a mouse. lol I just crack myself up sometimes.
6:35 pm on March 12th, 2013
10 miles . .
Also I know that I’ve seen a picture of Snowhook’s sled when it was first delivered. Can’t find it no way, no how.
6:35 pm on March 12th, 2013
G&BB, he looks good. Right on the trail.
BREATHE 🙂
6:37 pm on March 12th, 2013
Siber-H, here I am!
HOH: Lefty of the angelic face in the picture is definitely a thief. He tried to steal my glove, and the Prof’s too. He is a good boy.
Molly’sMom, the Chesire cat was beautiful , too bad he got rained out!
CHobbit, I am so glad you will be at the finish line, and so glad you will be with Rebecca. Prof and I are worrit that she is not eating and getting enough sleep.
GO AJ! GO SNOWHOOK! GO SNOWHOOK DOGGIES! We love youse guys!
6:45 pm on March 12th, 2013
Our computer shows him to be about a mile+ west of the trail.
6:45 pm on March 12th, 2013
G&BB, Click on history for one of those ahead of AJ, like #59. It is one of the things you can check for an individual musher on the tracker, on the left-hand side. You will see that he followed the same path.
6:48 pm on March 12th, 2013
Hey Rose!!
Trigger, It wasn’t Gerry W. I was talking about. He is involved in a dispute about a vet taking his lead dog out of the race because the dog’s heart rate was too fast. I have no opinion on that dispute because I have no way of knowning who is right…Gerry W. or the vet. I have read both sides of the story and I still don’t know.
Gus&BooBear, The red line on the tracker map is only a guide line as to where the Iditarod trail goes. The true trail they are following will often be way off that red line.
6:52 pm on March 12th, 2013
Rose, Good to hear from you!
Go Snowhook!
6:52 pm on March 12th, 2013
The pop up window was fixed due to complaints from many. Now you have to click on the flag or on the mushers name on the left. People who have several flags up didn’t like them popping up every time a mouse got too close.
6:52 pm on March 12th, 2013
9 more miles to pizza, bolis, and beer!
6:54 pm on March 12th, 2013
Trigger, The musher I was talking about that had to withdraw… if I can believe what I read, the musher made the right call. He would have known the rules about having to withdraw. His concern was for the dog.
The fact that he was withdrawn as opposed to scratching will make no difference in his racing career.
6:54 pm on March 12th, 2013
oops, I guess I should read before posting heh-heh.
6:56 pm on March 12th, 2013
Melanie, our computer has been phantom chirping also!
7:00 pm on March 12th, 2013
Perhaps our computers are talking to each other?
7:03 pm on March 12th, 2013
Oh great, no telling what they are cooking up!
7:09 pm on March 12th, 2013
Y’all are just way better with this map tracking than Mom is! She never could zoom close enough to see the ice, just kept getting image not available. Blasted job won’t let her check on it at work. She just knows the very basic about following AJ.
7:11 pm on March 12th, 2013
snicker . .
I am going to commence to begin to start to go upstairs so I can watch AJ come in from my nice toasty (though loaded with dog) bed.
BBL
7:11 pm on March 12th, 2013
Do y’all think he can see land now?
7:12 pm on March 12th, 2013
We can’t see ice either. Just blue water. Those satellite photos were not taken in winter.
7:13 pm on March 12th, 2013
Is the chirping coming from possibly being friends on the Iditarod?
7:15 pm on March 12th, 2013
Let’s see is this works. From my window on the way to Anchorage earlier
7:15 pm on March 12th, 2013
Gus and BooBear – tell your mom not to worry. The satellite map is not a real time view. The pictures were taken in the summer, and the trail map is just overlaid on top of the picture. So there isn’t any ice to see. But if you zoom in too close you might get a chance to see what a killer whale tonsillectomy might look like. tee hee
We just refreshed to catch up on the blog, and when the new version came up, the post that as on screen said, “Well, the cat was great while it lasted.”. We had horrific visions of certain well known and loved SibersHuskies licking their chops. Then we realized that the post was about the snow sculpture cat posted by MollyPop’s Mom. Whew!
Meanwhile, Basil and Sage are still hiding under the bed.
7:17 pm on March 12th, 2013
Waiting for my flight
7:18 pm on March 12th, 2013
CHobbit!…Wow!…You did it…snort!snort!
7:20 pm on March 12th, 2013
I made a sign with everyone’s name so all of youse will be at the finish line also. We’ll be thinking of youse. My coat is in AJ’s favorite color {{{sigh}}} so look for a hobbit-size person.
7:21 pm on March 12th, 2013
Map!…CHobbit’s photo is what the landscape really looks like this of year!…heh!…Not all green and lush…sniff!
7:21 pm on March 12th, 2013
Tupper and Gilly!
7:24 pm on March 12th, 2013
Rio: you are my back up if I can’t get my technology to work in Nome and I have to use my iPhone. Stay glued to your computer
Siberia-H: you are my back up back up. heh. You can call Rio if you need tech help
7:25 pm on March 12th, 2013
There is a video of what the mushers are listening to as they move on down the trail. We wish they would have gotten AJ on there to hear what he had to say about all of our selections. What a hoot!
7:25 pm on March 12th, 2013
Safe travels, C. Hobbit!
7:26 pm on March 12th, 2013
Thanks for the pictures, C>Harris. We feel like we are going with you.
Gus&BooBear, If the weather is clear and no wind with blowing snow, I believe AJ can see land now.
7:27 pm on March 12th, 2013
CHobbit!…What a brave little Hobbit…sniff!…Traveling to Nome all on her own. Only cheesecake to keep her company…chuffle!
7:28 pm on March 12th, 2013
I wonder if Rebecca would consider having CDs of the music we chose for AJ for sale at the Musher’s Mercantile. I would love to hear the choices and who the choosers were.
7:30 pm on March 12th, 2013
C Hobbit: NY cheesecake, right?
7:34 pm on March 12th, 2013
Boarding!…CHobbit is boarding her plane to Nome now….Woooooo!….I am so proud of her…sniffle!
7:38 pm on March 12th, 2013
Melanie, Check your SDD.
7:38 pm on March 12th, 2013
Mitch Seavey is in the lead and Ali is only one mile behind him. Jeff King is hot on her tail.
7:38 pm on March 12th, 2013
Dawson – what???
We are just sweet innocent little Corgis.
With our own supply of packing tape and labels. tee hee
7:48 pm on March 12th, 2013
Um Siber, King is 12 miles behind.
Go Ally!
7:53 pm on March 12th, 2013
well, math was never my best subject
7:53 pm on March 12th, 2013
OH, I would love to check my SDD except it’s downstairs and I’m upstairs.
Has anyone trying to reach me or Macy via the Iditarod friends?
Not much longer now.
Off she goes into the wild blue yonder . . Safe flight C. hobbit.
8:02 pm on March 12th, 2013
Melanie, Pop sent you an SDD about your chirping. You can see it tomorrow.
8:02 pm on March 12th, 2013
Creator –another day of celebration will gently go to sleep. We thank you for the goodness that you have given all of us. We thank you for the safe passage over the ice for AJ and his team. In honor of them, we sing our thanks to you.
We are singing into Koyuk
The song of an honored man
We are dancing into Koyuk
Dancing with happy dogs
We are singing into Koyuk
The song of coming over the seas
We are dancing into Koyuk
With snow covered ground underfoot
We are singing into Koyuk
The songs of traditional elders
They sing respect for land and sea
They dance respect for ancestors
We are dancing into Koyuk
Home of the Native people
People who honor the old ways
People who know the whales
We are singing into Koyuk
The joy in AJ’s passage
As he comes closer to Rebecca
The one who holds his heart
Creator –as another day of celebration is put to sleep, someone thanks you for the good memories of Gramps and Oma Sally. We thank you for the goodness that you have given all of us and the safe passage over the ice for AJ and his team. In honor of all of them, we are singing our thanks to you.
8:02 pm on March 12th, 2013
On my way. Of course it is NY cheesecake. Rebecca and I both brought cheesecake. We are prepared!
8:04 pm on March 12th, 2013
Amen.
8:06 pm on March 12th, 2013
Koyuk!….Amen!…The team is almost there…wuffle!
8:07 pm on March 12th, 2013
Amen.
9.1 mph
8:08 pm on March 12th, 2013
Beautiful. Sniff and Amen.
3 miles and the dogs must see the village the are hauling their patooties.
8:09 pm on March 12th, 2013
Pizza!…I bet they smell the pizza and all the other food Natasha has procured for them….Wooooo!
8:13 pm on March 12th, 2013
Get along little doggies!
8:17 pm on March 12th, 2013
Amen, and thank you again.
8:22 pm on March 12th, 2013
Wowser have we missed a lot in the past couple of hours. Computer went down and had to get the old fart to make it work 🙁
Missed all the news and comments. Hope it (computer not daddy dawg/old fart) continues to work…maybe chirping would have been better.
Amen to another beautiful prayer and night-night to another exciting day.
8:23 pm on March 12th, 2013
Amen.
8:26 pm on March 12th, 2013
A&L’s prayer tonight was so perfect. We here are dancing and singing our way across the sea ice, and into the welcoming arms of Koyuk.
Which Gramps are we remembering, and who is Oma Sally?
8:31 pm on March 12th, 2013
Amen and Thank you. The village of Koyuk would love that prayer.
8:33 pm on March 12th, 2013
There?…snort!…Are they there yet? Seems like my tracker is stuck again…grunt!
8:34 pm on March 12th, 2013
He is in Koyuk! Off the sea! Praise.
8:35 pm on March 12th, 2013
O howlers, I just got another chirp. What gives?
8:35 pm on March 12th, 2013
YES!..They arrived at 5:13pm….Woooooo!…Now we can all breath and eat and drink and twirl to muzak!…snort!snort!
8:36 pm on March 12th, 2013
Hip hip Hurrah! They are OFF the ice!
8:38 pm on March 12th, 2013
Amen.
8:38 pm on March 12th, 2013
He’s there!!!
8:40 pm on March 12th, 2013
AJ is one of 9 mushers into Koyuk right now. I hope the elders can find him in the chaos. I would love to hear the story when he gets home.
We here are dancing also. Thank you Leonard and Amalia.
8:40 pm on March 12th, 2013
I can now breathe again. Hope the rest of the trail is safe and smooth Runnings.
Plunder On . .
8:42 pm on March 12th, 2013
Give us some of that there pizza, Rio. Here is a Sierra Nevada for you! Clink!
8:44 pm on March 12th, 2013
Howlers – the Gramps of the prayer was a beloved Traveler, and Oma Sally was the love of his life. Someone was missing them today, and needed to say that they were remembered well.
8:44 pm on March 12th, 2013
Whew! Glad that part of the race is over. The weather is better now (colder) so the dogs should be enjoying this part of the journey. I wonder if the other dropped dogs are in Nome with Rebecca.
8:44 pm on March 12th, 2013
Amalia and Leonard, Thank You So Much.
I know our dear Gramps and Oma Sally are watching and have heard your words.
Tears of Happiness here. Sob.
8:46 pm on March 12th, 2013
Macy, ask your mom to check her SDD.
Now we are heading off to the bed ball. (Whispering) We already ate bolis and drank our beer.
Onward Snowhook!
8:47 pm on March 12th, 2013
Wonder how long of a rest AJ will take here. You would think they would need a pretty good break.
8:49 pm on March 12th, 2013
Munch!…Munch!Munch!Munch!….snort!burp!…I wonder how long AJ will rest at Koyuk tonight…sniff!….Today was a very long day on the trail…wheeze!
8:52 pm on March 12th, 2013
Just got an email from the iditarod Insider saying they think the winners should cross the finish line around midnight Alaska time. And they are expecting a very close finish.
9:01 pm on March 12th, 2013
I took a nap but Mr.Staff woke me up coming home from work. I hope to get up and peek at the computer tonight. I wake up most nights anyway. It is just a matter of taking the laptop upstairs for convenience in the middle of the night.
I watched the two video’s of Mitch and Aliy leaving and I think Aliy’s dogs looked much more chipper and ready to go. Under the video link it was DeeDee and Aliy Embrace and Mitch Seavey will fight for it. What do you dog guys think?
9:11 pm on March 12th, 2013
Alice!…My money is on Aliy. You are right about how her dawgs looked. Way more energetic and ready to go…snort!…Seaveys dawgs looked weary and uncertain…sniff!…I feel for them.
9:13 pm on March 12th, 2013
I think I will go to bed and dream of dancing over the ice.
I have been concerned about this day. The weather was good, the dogs were strong, AJ was great and the sled held together.
9:13 pm on March 12th, 2013
Off the ice. We can breathe again.
9:17 pm on March 12th, 2013
Midnight!…I’d love to get up at 2:00am and watch Aliy cross the finish line…snort!….But it probably won’t happen…burp!
9:20 pm on March 12th, 2013
Amen to the prayer.
Dancing in Koyuk, tonight
Rio’s Hot Wings and beer for everyone!
I predict: Aliy by a nose!
9:23 pm on March 12th, 2013
Dawson!…Aliy by two lead noses!…heh!
9:29 pm on March 12th, 2013
Is this right? My trusty FTD shows CHobbit 15 minutes to touchdown!
9:34 pm on March 12th, 2013
I join everyone else in being able to breathe again. Never, never do I want to go through last year with adventures on the ice. I’m sure the team will have a nice rest in Koyuk and then off to Elim where Wookie will join up again and guide them in as they draw nearer and nearer to the burled arch in Nome.
Hooray for C Hobbit joining Rebecca at the finish line!
And thanks to Amalia and Leonard for another wonderful prayer.
9:38 pm on March 12th, 2013
The GPS shows Mitch ahead by 2 miles but Ally is FLYING down the trail at 11-1/2 mph.
Go Ally Go!!!
9:44 pm on March 12th, 2013
I am cheering for Aliy!
I was wrong about that nose to nose finish earlier. I read the email from the Insider. It was Dick Mackey instead of Mitch Seavey. I get those two guys mixed up.
AJ and the dogs made a very smooth run across the ice. They deserve a nice rest now.
9:54 pm on March 12th, 2013
Well done, Snowhook!
Pizza for all!
Last year was so scary, and yet, AJ and the team shared such a sacred experience. And then AJ shared it with us. So humbling, to think of this giant of a man, lost on the ice, and gathering the team in his arms. And each of them drawing strength from each other. Just the way life should be.
10:01 pm on March 12th, 2013
Rats, no way will we make it to the finish, but I bet we turn on the computer as soon as we wake up in the morning before we go to the dog park.
Night AJ, Rebecca, dogs, and all of you.
10:20 pm on March 12th, 2013
Stopped!…Both Mitch and Aliy have stopped before reaching Safety…snort!…This is a good time for me to go up to my warm soft bed and dream of the finish line…wheeze!
10:45 pm on March 12th, 2013
Goodnight Rio. I hope I get up in the middle of the night. Otherwise Mr.Husky and I will be booting up our computers early in the A.M.
Nighty Noodle everyone!
11:23 pm on March 12th, 2013
The hobbit has landed!
11:37 pm on March 12th, 2013
Hello CHobbitt. Gosh it looks to me like you are just making it in to Nome in time. I think Mitch is about 15 miles out and Aliy is behind him by about 5 miles dammit. I so wanted her to win. (After the Giant of course)
11:52 pm on March 12th, 2013
Hurrah for CHobbit! And CHonbit!
The east coasters go to bed far too early!
11:56 pm on March 12th, 2013
I can report my mama has picked up our Hobbit! I can report that our Hobbit brought two cheesecakes with her. They are going to go to the finish line to wait for the winning team!
My mama is so thankful the team is off the ice!
My mama received word from someone at Shaktoolik checkpoint that the virus is hit another dog. AJ is babying the team.
12:16 am on March 13th, 2013
Poor sick little doggy. Take care of them, AJ. (Like he would do anything different)
Ally is behind about 3 miles at this point. They are going the same speed as Mitch.
AJ and team are resting.
Hi you traveling Hobbit! Youse guys have a great time.
I will be watching the retake. snicker
3:36 am on March 13th, 2013
Yawn, missed it. Drat. Yawn. Well I saw Jeff King enter. sniff
Time for more sleep. Yawn.
5:07 am on March 13th, 2013
We missed it too. And bummed that Aliy didn’t win. Another 2nd place for her must be disappointing.
5:40 am on March 13th, 2013
C Hobbit, I’m glad that you had a safe trip and landing!
Another sick doggie. sob. I know that AJ will nurse that doggie back to good health.
Good Morning!
6:06 am on March 13th, 2013
Aliy made us tear up in her interview. Just like OFM, she said her dogs are her loves and her family.
7:45 am on March 13th, 2013
Well, good on all those who will finish THIS race. Hot and sick little doggies.
I’ll watch the videos on the large screen downstairs.
Woo Hoo, Snowhook on the move again.
Hope someone gets a picture of that poor sled.
8:43 am on March 13th, 2013
Good morning, Melanie and all. We may have to wait a bit for a new post, if Spence is still out west.
Hope that sick doogie is feeling better.
9:41 am on March 13th, 2013
Mom set her alarm to see Mitch. I stayed in my nice warm blanket. Now dad is dragging mom off to some museum. She would much rather stay here and watch the race.
Later taters.
9:55 am on March 13th, 2013
Good Morning All
I know AJ will put the welfare of the dogs first. A viris hitting dogs is so common in long-distance mushing. Our thoughts and prayers are with AJ and the doggies and I have complete faith that AJ will take good care of the dogs.
Me too, I am bummed that Ali didn’t win.
10:00 am on March 13th, 2013
Congratulations to Mitch Seavey. And to all the finishers so far.
Go Snowhook!
10:02 am on March 13th, 2013
Bisbee – now there’s a blast from the past. I’m sure they still have the old Copper King hotel. Further south is the border town of Douglas. I remember walking on a residential street there, and suddenly stopped because of a strange sound. That sound was absolute nothingness. It was weird. No wind. No cars. No nothin.
10:21 am on March 13th, 2013
Bisbee!…While I was watching the Tucson Book Festival on CSPAN, there was an author talking about how toxic the town of Bissbee is because of the Copper Mine….snort!…Lots of people with cancer, he planted a garden and got sick from his vegetables. His ground had arsnic in it. Copper mines are very very toxic to the surroundings. He said he loves Bissbee, but had to move for the safety of his family….wheeze! …That’s my impression of the town now. Sick.