Iditarod Race Trail Maps

The state of Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has a series of maps showing the Iditarod Race trail laid over shaded relief topo. These maps were generated from GPS data taken along the trail. The trail changes slightly every year, but this is great stuff.
Check it out at http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/mlw/iditarod/maps.htm .

Eric

PS The files are large - up to 15 MB

Signup for Iditarod 2009

I will not be signing up for the 2009 Iditarod this Saturday, June 28. This is a purely financial decision. I don't have the necessary funds to run the race.

That doesn't mean that I'm giving up. I think there is a 50 / 50 chance sign-ups will exceed the 100 musher limit on Saturday, but even if that happens I seriously doubt there will still be 100 mushers signed up when entries close. I'm working hard to raise enough money to enter the race before that happens. I have to pay the mortgage and other bills first, but don't count me out yet.

If anyone wants to contribute, we take PayPal on the website www.rnorthbounddogs.com , at the top of the right column.

Take Care

Eric

Java and Bass

Java (pictured) has had run of the back yard and house since we discovered he had mega-esophagus (food gets caught in his throat) and he regurgitates. That means he can't race (aspiration pneumonia). Bass (pictured in a previous post) has retired to the house and yard and now Java has to share his territory. When they are both in the house and you open the door, each tries to outdo the other and they run out together like keystone cops.

This time Bass was in and Java out on the deck. When I opened the door, Java posted himself across the doorway blocking passage. Bass was already in "fly out the door" mode and no blond kid was going to stop him. Bass started to leap over Java, who immediately ran to herd Bass off "his" deck. Bass landed square on top of the running Java and I don't know who was more surprised, Java, Bass, or me!

Lycos and Reindeer

I've been working at Alaska Wild Berry trying to come up with a way to draw more people to the park and my exhibit. Why not do a demonstration with a small 6 dog team pulling a 4-wheeler?

For my inaugural ride I chose my best dogs - Lycos and Blaze in lead (remember Blaze is in heat and Platinum, while fixed is interested), Platinum and Rosemary in swing, with Throttle and Jewels in wheel. I stake out the front of the team with a snowhook set in the dirt and hook up from back to front. Everything goes well until I put Lycos (who is great at holding out the line) in lead. Lycos fixates on the reindeer behind us, and with a crowd gathered to see how a "real" Iditarod team does things, pulls the whole team (and the snowhook) back to the fence to watch the reindeer.

This is no idle fantasy. Lycos is a strong dog and fully motivated. It takes me several minutes to eat some crow, swallow my pride, and straighten out the mess. Lycos goes into wheel, where he can still be seen facing the wrong direction in the photo above. Blaze joins him to avoid Platinum, Jewels and Throttle move into swing and Platinum does an outstanding job holding the line out while Rosemary does her best to go a different direction.

Dogs!

Eric

Bass is in love

Bass, my 10 yr old (soon to be 11) solid leader - the hero of my 2006 rookie race that ran single lead through the coastal storms from Unalakleet to Nome - is in love. Not the mature quiet kind of love you expect from a pillar of the dog team, but a howling, I've got to have her, I'm so upset I can't even eat, teenage boy's first head over heels obnoxiously infatuated kind of love. Blaze, the cute foxy little leader to the right, is the object of his affections. Bass has been sharing back yard with Java and is just a wire fence away from his beloved. He spends all night there, swearing his undying affection. Poor Blaze hasn't figured out what the fuss is all about and typically lies in her house with her chin on the door watching with bemusement. Just like a couple of kids. It got so bad I moved Bass back to the dog lot for a couple of weeks until he can get over it. Until then it is the moonlight serenade. I just hope the neighbors appreciate a romance :-)

Eric

Throttle

Throttle is very affectionate and not intimidated by crowds. She is a regular at the Alaska Wild Berry and has her own fan club. Throttle loves kids, particularly little kids. She fixates on them like a bird dog on point, even to ignoring me or other guests. We had a crowd and Throttle was thriving on all the attention, when she fixated on something behind us, sure enough there was a little girl watching from the fence.

Today we had a toddler in a stroller who's mother wisely decided to stop outside Throttle's range (it is too easy for a mistake to get a little one hurt). The toddler really wanted
to pet Throttle and Throttle really wanted to play with the little girl. I'm talking to mom when I heard the Throttle squealing. The girl started to bounce and squeal in the stroller and Throttle bounced and squealed with her. The two of them kept this up, bouncing up and down and squealing together, winding each other up, getting louder with every bounce and grinning from ear to ear until I was laughing so hard I could hardly stand. Dogs!

Strider

Strider is a big 2 yr old male I got from Lance Mackey last September. Lance does nothing that might diminish the attitude in his dogs, including telling them to be quiet. I like the idea, but have neighbors that disagree.

Strider is particularly food motivated and loudest while impatiently waiting for his breakfast. My solution is to stop dead in my tracks until he quiets down. If he is particularly noisy I turn my back on him. As soon as he is quiet I turn around, tell him that quiet dogs get fed, and feed the poor boy.

Today Judy Ireton brought a couple of friends from outside over to see the kennel. We are standing at the gate as I talk about the dogs. Of course everyone was barking madly, except Strider. Strider was sitting at the end of his chain with his back to us. As soon we got the message, he jumped up on his house and laid down facing us.

Dogs! :-)

Eric

Alaska Wild Berry Park

The dogs and I will be appearing at Alaska Wild Berry Park in Anchorage this summer from 11 to 7, Tuesday through Saturday. It is all very informal, with a continuously running slide show on the Iditarod, my old racing sled and gear, and the dogs (two at a time). Come on down and try on my arctic boots, stand on the runners, pet the dogs, watch the slide show, and listen to me tell stories.

Alaska Wild Berry (& Park) is known for the worlds largest chocolate waterfall (and excellent confections), the park theater (with Hobo Jim most of the summer - check the schedule), a very nice beer and wine garden, reindeer, and R Northbound Dogs. The beer and wine garden is shown in the photo, along with the "only in Alaska" condiments :-)

Take Care

Eric

Welcome

Welcome to R Northbound Dogs blog.

This is where I will post short stories, photos, and anything I find interesting or entertaining while I pursue my childhood dream of living in Alaska with a team of dogs. For the longer training and racing stories continue to check my website http://www.rnorthbounddogs.com/TrainingLogs.htm ./ I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I do living it :-)

My motto is "Never let a number on a calender tell you what you can or cannot do."

Take Care

Eric