Saturday, March 12, 2011
Team Photo
Team Alaska at Wildberry Products
After finishing a meal at the Sourdough Mining Co., Team Alaska heads back to the hotel to gather up the bags and head to the Anchorage Airport.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Going home!
Today has been a really long day! Last night we stayed up really late into the night hoping to see the Aurora Borealis. Luckily we saw them! After we tried to get a few hours of sleep we went to the airport in McGrath to get ready to leave for Anchorage. When we got here we went to the Anchorage Museum and looked at art, science, a mammoth exhibit, and a little history. The art was amazing! There were paintings of different scenes in Alaska including, Aurora Borealis, Mt. McKinley and a few sailing boats. The science was fun because we got to make huge bubbles that went over our heads. We went out to lunch/dinner at the Sourdough Restaurant. My favorite part of the day was the chocolate factory. There was a lot of things that you could buy and there was a chocolate waterfall that was really cool! Soon we will be flying back to Maine most likely sleeping on the plane ride.
Last day: New friend
Today I got to spend a lot of my time helping the dogs that have been dropped. I got to pet them and I also had to clean up some poop... But I got to meet a new friend. This dog was so cute! She licked my hand and shook my hand. When it was time to go I didn't want to leave! I really want a dog!
last day in McGrath
Timber Tina
Today we all got to meet Timber Tina. She is a lumber jack that worked at the Blue Hill Fair at the Lumber Jack show. The most interesting thing about her is that she was on Survivor. I am a huge fan of Survivor and I was very happy to meet her along with all of the other mushers.
Last day in McGrath
Northern Lights in the early morning
The northern lights are one of the most beautiful sights a person could ever see and some people are lucky enough to see them. Early this morning the northern lights were out and shining bright. Sadly I didn't get to see them because I was in a deep sleep. I am definitely prepared to get right up and see them tonight!
The Northern Lights
The northern lights were really cool. They were green, red, and a little bit of white. They were seen in the early morning. They were not only seen in the early morning but at the McGrath check point. Some parents went out on the river to see them better. They actually stood on the iditarod trail watching them in the sky. As the northern lights were out there was a musher who was coming across the river into the check point. He said that he almost fell off of his sled twice because of the colors and everything shining over his head as he was crossing.
All set and ready to go!
The dogs were so excited at the McGrath checkpoint! It's so interesting how excited they get when their mushers are getting them ready to start mushing.
Timber Tina!
Today at the checkpoint we all got to meet Timber Tina from Maine! We all got our picture taken with her and then some people got individual pictures also. It was very cool to talk with someone who'd actually been on the show Survivor. She was very nice and happy to see some people from Maine who were also in Alaska. She had one of our "Brooksville to Alaska" hats on and said she'd been taking lots of pictures of her wearing it.
More working at the checkpoint!
Today, I went with the early group to get to the checkpoint earlier and when I got there, there was work to be done. Raking that is. That was actually pretty fun. Other than that, watching the mushers come in and out was really fun and interesting. I must have gotten 15 more signatures today at least. G.B. Jones was one of them and he is really nice.
volunteering
Today we got to help at the checkpoint. As part of my job I had to move bags of supplies that belonged to the mushers already through the checkpoint to the air pickup zone for the next checkpoint. It feels good to help the race.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
G.B. Jones
Today was a great day! This morning we hung out at the checkpoint either working, beading, or hanging out with mushers. When I first got the the checkpoint I got some of the mushers autographs including G.B. Jones. He was really nice but I was worried about his head because he fell down on the trail and thinks he hit it on his sled. He thinks that he got a small concussion because he passed out and can't remember anything. When he woke up apparently he was back on his sled going down a different part of the trail. I also got to finish my beaded keychain from yesterday and make a new one today. The woman who taught us how to do the beading was really nice and patient. I hope tonight we can go see the Aurora Borealis. I can't believe we are leaving tomorrow!
Variety in McGrath!
Today was a crisp day in McGrath, Alaska. It wasn't a very busy day because the mushers coming in were interspersed, but there was about 7-10 mushers taking their 24 hour layovers at the checkpoint. We had plenty of hay to rake up though, because mushers were coming and going all during the day. I scooped many piles of poop and raked MANY piles of hay. It was hard work and I even got hot when I had been doing it for a while. It was all worth it though because the mushers were very grateful. Halfway through the day we walked to the dropped dog station at the airport to help with dogs that had been dropped. I had met a dog yesterday that I felt I had a special connection with, and I saw this dog again. At the dropped dog station, no one knows the names of the dogs. They are numbered by the mushers bib number and the numbers they were registered in. For instance, if one of the dogs is lame, the handlers might say, "We need a vet on 6A." That would mean the musher's bib number is 6 and the dog was the first one on the team to be registered. The dog I liked was 33Q, and he was AMAZING! Later in the day we walked to a nearby house and some of us got to try to mush a team of 3 dogs! After the dog mushing, we continued our native beading. We each made a key chain and it was really fun! I also got lots of dog booties from mushers in the last few days. Last night musher Kelly Maxiner gave me 35 dog booties and signed 14 of them! Today I got 10 dog booties that I found on the ground and 1 signed by Cain Carter, (An AWESOME!) musher! So far, I have gotten dog booties signed by Kelly Maxiner, GB Jones, Cain Carter, DeeDee Jonrowe, Lance, Mackey, and Martin Buser. I am really excited to have these musher's signatures! Thank you to all the mushers for signing my coat and the dog booties!
This morning after being woken up by Mrs. Pert saying that the Northern Lights were out in the sky. I ran down to the checkpoint and there they were. Great swirls of green and a hint of pink on the bottom of each. It was an amazing experience, it's just I was the only kid there everyone else was asleep.
More Dogs
Today we went to the doggy drop again and I met the most adorable dog ever. His name is Ogre. (is that right?) I don't know whose dog it was.
DOGGIES!!
Some of us got to help at the dog drop place. I helped put down straw for the dogs. You just make it loose and put it on top of them and they shake it off and make their own bed. But some of the dogs were lazy and just laid down and didn't move and the straw got on top of them. They look soooooo cute with only theie head sticking out of the straw. I hope the dropped dogs feel better!!
More Comments
The boys’ team mother is performing admirably.
You mean we’re on international “internetness”. Oh yeah, there I am.
Bootie, bootie, bootie, bootie……looking for more booties.
You mean we’re sliding down that hill?
After being told they could drag drop bags from one area to another the response was, “Oh, thank you for letting us do this.”
My hair froze. The end of it looks like a fishing hook.
What day of the week is it?
Let me go get the exacto knife again.
I didn’t know I didn’t like banana popsicles.
trudging along
Such a cute face.
This was one of the dogs at the Dog Drop. It's so cute! I got to work at the Dog Drop today. The Dog Drop is where mushers leave their dropped dogs. The dropped dogs are then sent to Anchorage.
Fancy New Threads
A few days ago we went to a mall in Anchorage. At the Alaskan Gift Shop Short Mountain^Tall Hill was trying on the shades. And he also has a fancy new jacket!
Dog booties!
Today we found a lot of dog booties! Most of us all got some. I can tell you all one thing... They are definitely USED! they don't smell good at all!
I also worked a lot at the check point. While I was working I found a few booties. I got to bring some of the Dropped dogs to the Air port. It was a good experience!
Beading
Today at the checkpoint a lady came and showed us all how to bead. She was very generous and gave us all pieces of her moose hide to make keychains with. She showed us how to bead flowers and gave us guidance when we needed it. It was very cool to be a part of making a native craft here in Alaska.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Relaxed but fun
Today was really fun! First we went to the airport and learned about what happened there. Also we went to the place where the dropped dogs stay before they go to Anchorage. This was one of my favorite parts of the day because we got to pet all the dogs and see what happens to them. After that we went to the checkpoint and helped out. We got to rake hay into piles and put bags of dog food to get ready to be shipped out. A few new mushers stopped in for a little while including Cain Carter and Magnus Kaltenborn. Cain Carter is going to take his 24-hour layover in McGrath and I got a signed dog bootie from him. Later in the afternoon we were inside making key chains with moose hide and beads. I wish we could stay longer!
Checkpoint (second day)
Not as many mushers came to McGrath today but some did come. Cain Carter, Lance Mackey's son came in today with a total of three dropped dogs. On the trail on the river after the hill leaving McGrath, he dropped two dogs. He had to drop one of his lead dogs because of a sprained front left wrist but after talking to Cain he said he might just bring the dog with him in the basket. It might slow him down but he is a good lead dog and might get better.
The McGrath Checkpoint
This morning at the checkpoint, Melted Snowball and me got to ride in the back of the truck with the dropped dogs to take them to the air port. The point of riding with them in the back of the truck was to comfort them. After we were done with that we raked up a whole bunch of straw that was used and couldn't be used by any other dogs because they didn't want any of the other dogs to get sick or something if the dog that was laying on the straw was sick. After we were done with that we got to meet Lance Mackey's step son try to leave the check point. It didn't work out so well so he decided to do his 24 hour layover because his dogs needed more sleep. While he was putting dog booties on his dogs I got his autograph. He signed my hat.
We also did bead work. We made keychains with flowers on them. They are really detailed and they look really good. We worked for at least an hour and a half. And we still aren't finished with them yet. We still have to sew the keychain ring on them. And I think that a lot of people will do an outline on the edge with the beads. That is pretty much all we did today at the check point besides watch all the mushers come and go.
Dog Drop.
Today I went to the place where dropped dogs wait to be flown to Anchorage. I was one of the volunteers. The dogs were so sweet.
Cain Carter was at the McGrath checkpoint this morning and we saw him off to Takotna...but his dogs didn't really agree with that. So instead Carter decided to spend his 24 hour lay over here.
sledding
We went with the kids from McGrath sledding. They have a huge hill to sled on, which was really fun. After you climb to the top of the hill you get a sled and cruise down the hill at ludicrous speed. A special achievement of the day was getting five people on one sled and going down the hill. After sledding we had marsh-mellows around the fire.
I got to see the musher I'm following (Magnus Kaltenborn) come into McGrath. Magnus had just passed a musher camping. I asked for one of his dog booties (and got one). I think he had 14-16 dogs. He stayed for about 20 min, I shook his hand, told him good luck and he was off. I hope he wins. GO MAGNUS!!!
I also helped by carrying bags of dog food out of the way because the mushers (like Martin, Lance and other) just went right through McGrath.
Meeting Cain Carter (Lance Mackey's son)
Interview with musher Cain Carter
How has the trail been so far?
The trail has been very good and very maintained.
What happened with your dogs when you tried to leave McGrath?
We dropped down on the lake and the dogs hadn't gotten enough rest yet. It had been very warm out and the dogs were too hot out in the sun.
We heard you don't have any lead dogs anymore, what does that mean to you?
It was disappointing because I had trained the leader all season long, and then I had to drop him early in the race.
Do you ever work at your fathers kennel for your regular job?
I work there everyday because I live there with him. I help Lance do everything around the kennel so the dogs stay healthy for the race.
Today I helped out a lot at the checkpoint from carrying big heavy bags of dog food from place to place to washing dishes in the upstairs kitchen. I had a lot of fun helping out today!
Up Late!
We were in the McGrath checkpoint for hours. It was really fun and interesting to see so many mushers coming in in such a little time. We were there from about 4 to 11 pm watching and working there. And at least 20 mushers came in in that time. Martin Buser was first, followed by Lance Mackey, then Sebastian Schnuelle. I really wanted Schnuelle's autograph, but he was wanting to get out of there really fast. I got autographs of pretty much half of the ones that came through, including: Mike Williams, Jr, John Baker, Sonny Lidner, and a few more.
Over all the whole time was very fun. When there wasn't any mushers in sight, we just jumped around in the snow... At the end of the night, I was super tired, as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.
Today, we did more volunteer work at the checkpoint. It was pretty fun doing things that normal people normally couldn't. I got to talk to Cain Carter when we were petting his dropped dog, Milo, I believe it was.
Over all the whole time was very fun. When there wasn't any mushers in sight, we just jumped around in the snow... At the end of the night, I was super tired, as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.
Today, we did more volunteer work at the checkpoint. It was pretty fun doing things that normal people normally couldn't. I got to talk to Cain Carter when we were petting his dropped dog, Milo, I believe it was.
We saw Ed Stielstra come through, he went went on his way, but I got his signature too, and also this video of him leaving the checkpoint:
Getting Ready to go to the checkpoint.
After this we're going to the McGrath checkpoint. We went last night and saw Martin Buser come in too. Lance Mackey and Sebastian Shnuelle came in too.
Mushers arrive in McGrath!!!!!!!!!!!
Last night was a busy night in McGrath! The mushers were all coming through the checkpoint one after another. First Martin Buser, then a whole bunch of mushers that were behind him a ways. As they came in and out we helped with various jobs. If they dropped a dog we helped with it, if they were leaving we raked hay, and we pulled bags of dog food to mushers. It was fun and VERY busy! Keep going Mushers!!!!!! We hope you make it to Nome!!!!!!!!!!!!
First musher comes to McGrath
We all got to see Martin Buser come into McGrath. I have never seen so many people crowd around one person before. We stayed up a long time to see some of the mushers come to the check point. I thought it was really awesome!
McGrath Checkpoint
We got to see a lot of mushers come through the checkpoint tonight and it was incredible! Most just went right through when they were done being checked but a few stayed for a few minutes and one musher is taking his 24-hour layover here. Some of the mushers that came were Martin Buser, Lance Mackey, Dallas Seavey, DeeDee Jonrowe, and Aliy Zirkle. I only got one autograph and that was from Dallas Seavey but I had others from the start of the race in Anchorage. It was pretty cold but we had a room that we could go into and warm up, also there was food that we could get at the Snack Shack. One of the things that I noticed about McGrath is that you can see a lot of stars in the sky. Tonight was really clear so we could see the big dipper right above us. I can't wait for tomorrow to hopefully see more mushers and just to hang out at the checkpoint!
Martin Buser comes through McGrath!!!!!!!!!
We just watched Martin Buser come through the McGrath checkpoint!!!!!! It was really cool! He is in first place right now and he did not stop in McGrath. He went straight through the checkpoint after dropping a dog. A reporter interviewed Mush Mush, Snow Hopper, and NCL and it will soon be posted on the internet and on National television. We had a lot of fun watching Martin come in!!!!! Keep it up Martin!! We Mainers are cheering for you!!!!!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
McGrath's School Fish
I love the student lounge. The student lounge is really fun. There is a ping pong table, couches, and also fish and turtles. It is really fun to be in. Especially playing ping pong. That is what the student lounge is like.
Kickball In McGrath
Today we played kickball with our friends in McGrath! It was really fun! We all scored some amazing home runs and it was a lot of fun playing with the students.
Benihana restaurant
A few nights ago, we all went to a restaurant called Benihana. It was a Japanese restaurant where very talented waiters came and threw knives around and cooked food on a stove that was built into your table. Our waiter took an onion apart and made a tower out of the rings, which he then poured soy sauce into, which made it explode like a volcano!
links to great articles
http://www.kgw.com/sports/117538798.html (You'll need to "copy and paste" this address.)
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_196226.asp
http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=14209937
http://www.newstimes.com/sports/article/2-mushers-drops-out-of-Iditarod-at-Rainy-Pass-1047472.php
http://photogallery.thestar.com/950612
http://dogsleddenali.blogspot.com/
http://www.sbnation.com/2011/3/8/2038444/iditarod-sled-dog-race-2011-checkpoint-results-martin-buser
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_196226.asp
http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=14209937
http://www.newstimes.com/sports/article/2-mushers-drops-out-of-Iditarod-at-Rainy-Pass-1047472.php
http://photogallery.thestar.com/950612
http://dogsleddenali.blogspot.com/
http://www.sbnation.com/2011/3/8/2038444/iditarod-sled-dog-race-2011-checkpoint-results-martin-buser
Museum
Today we went to the museum right next to the McGrath school. We saw items there from animals, animal furs, early life like logging, and it even had one of the first air plane propellers on the wall. The first room we went into was full of real animals stuffed and furs from animals. The second was about the Iditarod and the history of the Iditarod like the first trail, why, and even some stories of the trail. The last had stuff of the early people living in Alaska. The room had lots of stuff on display like old clothes from animal skins, models of first sleds, baby carriers, and even a big model of a logger's cabin.
Ready to Volunteer
Downeastern Husky and Dallas Girl went to the checkpoint for a preview of what's ahead. Very exciting! The BES team has two work rooms to use while at the checkpoint. Mushers, vets, and dogs will pass right by the room. Team members will be able to work in the kitchen serving mushers or work outside with other volunteers, helping mushers, and caring for dogs - around the clock. The first mushers should be in Tuesday night.
ice fishing and ping pong
First thing after we got here we went to the museum then walked a mile to the lake for ice fishing, only thing missing was the fishing rods so they brought small stick rod ones. Nobody got anything but I got some sleep in while I was waiting for my fish. The rec room at the school is a nice place to have fun, we had some intense ping pong matches there. It's a different feel here from Anchorage but kinda more like Brooksville.
Checking Out the Checkpoint
Tonight a few of parents, Downeastern Husky and me, Dallas Girl, took a walk down to the checkpoint to check it out. A nice lady gave us a tour and showed us every room there was to see. We actually have two of our own rooms! Overall, the checkpoint was very welcoming and great to see!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Arrived in McGrath
We made it to McGrath! I'm going to miss Anchorage but now I can follow the mushers on the Iditarod trail. I'm mainly following Newton Marshall, Dee Dee Jonrowe, Aliy Zirkle, Lance Mackey, and Martin Buser. (I hope I spelled all those names right.) Really, really tired now. Zzzzzzzz...
Arriving in McGrath
Today we got up pretty early and flew into McGrath. The plane ride was not very long at all and the view was great. shortly after arriving we went ice fishing, which was fun. Instead of using ice fishing traps they jig the line, which is on a wooden spindle. The bait consisted of salmon, salmon eggs and crab. Unfortunately we did not get a fish, but we did meet some people from McGrath. When we arrived at 9:30 the temperature was -10F and then it climbed to 20F by noon.
McGrath
We made it to McGrath! The plane ride was pretty cool because we saw amazing mountains including Denali. The school is really cool and there are really nice people here. When we went ice fishing it was pretty fun to hang out with the McGrath kids. I can't wait to see the mushers come through the checkpoint!
In McGrath...
The temperature was cold when we landed. We got into the school after a short break in the lodge like house at the airstrip and temporarly settled into a cool room that had a ping pong table and a foos ball table. We went ice fishing. We had to walk a mile and a half there on a completely straight road, but it was a relief when we got to the pond. There were kids from McGrath there fishing too, which was cool. We had to walk back the mile and a half again and move all out stuff into a more permanent room. We are sitting in the room blogging at this very moment. We plan on getting back to Anchorage on Friday, and leave for home on Friday night.
The McGrath School
Today we arrived at the McGrath school. The grades go from k-12. The school is a little bigger than our school, but there are the same number of kids. In this picture, there are some huge fish and turtles that are in the student lounge room. I am having so much fun here in Alaska with my friends and I hope the next few days to come are just as exciting!
First Day in McGrath!!!
We arrived in McGrath today at 9:15 am. The first thing we did was claim our baggage and ride on a bus to the McGrath School. We set up our things and started walking to the ice fishing spot. We ice fished and then walked a mile and a half back to the school. It was pretty cool meeting the students in Alaska! It was a good way to get to know the students.
First day in McGrath
Ice fishing with the McGrath kids was fun. They fish a lot different than we do. They use a heavy duty stick and they cut grooves into it then put line on it. After they put the line on it they put the hook on it. After that they put the bait on and put the line down in the hole. Here in McGrath you have to scoop out the hole like every five minutes because it keeps filling up with snow which freezes. That is what McGrath is like so far. I think the rest of the time that we are going to be here we will all have a great time. I hope that we all will.
Leaving for McGrath!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is 5:00 am in Anchorage Alaska and we are getting ready to leave the hotel and get on a plane for McGrath!!!!!!!!!
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