Above: a very young driver
Wow! What a first day working the Iditarod in Nome! It is now 8:45 pm and the sun is just beginning to turn pink-from a crystal clear beautiful day. I have met folks from South Africa and Australia who are here to work and to play, respectively.I have met mushers injured in the race and past champions. People that look at paper, others that look at the internet, and others that use smartphones to track the race. I came in and registered for the two weeks I am here, revolving around three tasks: working the phones at the mini; working in the dog yard as a rookie assistant; working security where ever they put me. Basically doing whatever people need.
The day started early with a feline wakeup call-the white puffball was upchucking hairballs in my room-good thing I awoke-I had to spring forward. The next delightful task was to avoid the hairballs-how the cat had gotten into my room was a mystery.
I caught a ride into town with my hostess, arrived at the mini where my friends Hunter and Deb Davis were having breakfast-pancakes, bacon sausage-yummy. Then to work building the big leader board-I forsee in a few years Alaska Airlines supplies boards that refresh with each musher checking in for the mini-let us hope-it takes concerted work to fill out a field of 64 mushers and teams.
Tomorrow the mini will be chaos-the dog yard stands empty-the snow got into the shute today and I was able to stand under the arch.
I donned my sunglasses and snowpants over my long underwear and took a saunter under the burled arch that's me, the Michelin woman! Then I got to see the snow sculpture competition in front of the church which will house the craft show tomorrow. There's banquets and quivit making workshops, how to prepare muskox stew, and meeting the mushers to see-Deb helped me with the schedule so I am all ready to go. I even got to their big market which reminded me of Barrow-the shelves were starting to empty out though due to the increase in mouths to feed.
Town is full of newbies like me. Everyone has been super friendly. Including the youngest snow sledder I met in front of the Church, who was four. And the checker at the market who commented on the nice weekend. It was a great weekend. Phew I am exhausted and have hardly contributed anything. PS Dennis, they love your smoked salmon up here; tomorrow I will bring lox.
The race has tightened up a bit today: two mushers are chasing John Baker, a Kotzebue native out of Shagtoolik and on to the next checkpoint. There are four women mushers in the top twenty-and Angie Taggart, is doing excellent job mushing strongly at night and is in Grayling. There is mandatory 8 hour rest in White Mountain for everyone, and there is a requirement that each musher finish under the arch with a minimum of six dogs. The expectation is that we'll start to get busy in the dog lot Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
The day started early with a feline wakeup call-the white puffball was upchucking hairballs in my room-good thing I awoke-I had to spring forward. The next delightful task was to avoid the hairballs-how the cat had gotten into my room was a mystery.
I caught a ride into town with my hostess, arrived at the mini where my friends Hunter and Deb Davis were having breakfast-pancakes, bacon sausage-yummy. Then to work building the big leader board-I forsee in a few years Alaska Airlines supplies boards that refresh with each musher checking in for the mini-let us hope-it takes concerted work to fill out a field of 64 mushers and teams.
Tomorrow the mini will be chaos-the dog yard stands empty-the snow got into the shute today and I was able to stand under the arch.
I donned my sunglasses and snowpants over my long underwear and took a saunter under the burled arch that's me, the Michelin woman! Then I got to see the snow sculpture competition in front of the church which will house the craft show tomorrow. There's banquets and quivit making workshops, how to prepare muskox stew, and meeting the mushers to see-Deb helped me with the schedule so I am all ready to go. I even got to their big market which reminded me of Barrow-the shelves were starting to empty out though due to the increase in mouths to feed.
Town is full of newbies like me. Everyone has been super friendly. Including the youngest snow sledder I met in front of the Church, who was four. And the checker at the market who commented on the nice weekend. It was a great weekend. Phew I am exhausted and have hardly contributed anything. PS Dennis, they love your smoked salmon up here; tomorrow I will bring lox.
The race has tightened up a bit today: two mushers are chasing John Baker, a Kotzebue native out of Shagtoolik and on to the next checkpoint. There are four women mushers in the top twenty-and Angie Taggart, is doing excellent job mushing strongly at night and is in Grayling. There is mandatory 8 hour rest in White Mountain for everyone, and there is a requirement that each musher finish under the arch with a minimum of six dogs. The expectation is that we'll start to get busy in the dog lot Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
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