Icewind's Ramblings

Ever notice that the people who are late are often much jollier than the people who have to wait for them? It was a busy work week with everyone getting ready for our company's annual conference next week and added to that was a 2 day course to certify about 12 of us to do inspections on our projects for AK-DEC and EPA for our Storm and waste water pollution plans.  It was an interesting course but time away from the office was hard to handle with the construction just getting into full swing. Work progressed on my shower this week with some grouting being completed but not before a slight panic that the grout color was too dark as it was being applied but after it dried it slowly cured to the right color.  Wasted almost a whole bag of grout mix and additive but at least much of it was done. We are going back towards full light now so things are finally melting as the sunshine and temperatures are mostly above freezing except for a few overnight hours.   Ice

I finish this series of Iditarod 38 with SP Kennel’s musher’s view of the last legs during the run along the coast to the burled archway finish line in Nome .  It has been a long trail, cold this year but the weather and winds of the last few years subsided for an almost record pace. We begin these last few video’s “On the Coast” with evening setting over the frozen Ocean as nightfall takes over Aliy’s run and transition the next morning to daybreak between Unalakleet to Shaktoolik.  It gives us another massive expanse of Western Alaska and the isolation of the trail.  This next video is pretty incredible as the trail this year cut out across the middle of Norton Sound where in years past it ran closer to the shoreline from Unalakleet to Koyuk.  Looking at this with the GPS tracker on the sleds the other night around midnight it looked like Lance Mackey and Jeff King had gone way off course running during the night as they veered out across the middle of the Sound from past ye

We continue the Iditarod experience with Aliy Zirkle and her Red Team making their way down the mighty Yukon River , a two to three day run for some teams. Yukon River Part 2 – Excitement to break the monotony . . . Plane on the River1 After traveling all night . . . early morning dawns on the Yukon River with temperatures minus 40 below. Yukon River Part 3  Starts just before dusk heading for arrival in Kaltag. On the Portage Trail between Kaltag and Unalakleet still forty below and extremely cold.  It’s been clear weather for most of this year’s run to Nome with snowy weather the first two days. Into Unalakleet is a video of Aliy and the Team running with the first part shot about 30 miles out and Aliy shares her views of the beautiful scenery and the different kinds of trail markers along the way.  The last part picks up after the Team has slogged through a ground blizzard.  Aliy recounts her efforts on behalf of the dogs, swapping race time for their safety. More t

I guess we can chalk up another reason why things are so out of control in Washington .  Has this happened to you lately? Did you receive in the mail recently a letter telling us we were going to get our census forms in another week?  Postage for the millions of letters going out even at a reduced rate is still a ton of cash . . . gone. Then the census forms arrived.  This is more postage but necessary to find out where everyone lives and how many are in the houses for funding purposes. This afternoon, I received a post card telling me that I should have received my census form and to please fill it out and mail it back.  Another costly reminder for millions of Americans to do what is expected of us in the first place. These are the same people that the Democrats are putting in charge of health care that passed yesterday. What could possibly go wrong with that mess? I get the warm fuzzys from our folks in Washington DC . Ice

Saturday evening Montana rookie musher, Celeste Davis (Bib #58), made her way under the Burled Arch of Front Street in Nome Alaska with 9 dogs on her team bringing a close to the 2010 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.   The 37 year old musher made the trek from Willow to Nome in 13 days, 5 hours, 6 minutes and 40 seconds, landing her in the Iditarod record books with the fastest Red Lantern in race history! From the Iditarod web site . . . Iditarod Traditions The Story of the Widow’s Lamp During the days of Alaska sled dog freighting and mail carrying, dog drivers relied on a series of roadhouses between their village destinations. Since these mushers ventured out in most all kinds of weather, for safety reasons they found the idea that pilots rely on, known today as the flight plan. Word was relayed ahead that a musher and team were on the trail, and a kerosene lamp was lit and hung outside the roadhouse. It not only helped the dog driver find his destination at night, but mor

This is Aliy Zirkle’s video Odyssey of Iditarod 38 with insight of the trail, the scenery, and the varying conditions in the extreme isolation of the Alaskan Frontier. The Journey continues past Rainy Pass and the decent down the “The Happy River Steps” to the valley below.  Enjoy the ride as it is like a sled dog roller coaster.  Listen and you can hear Aliy hitting the brakes to slow the sled to not overrun the dogs.  Watch it full screen for the best view.  You can also see a few television camera crews who have been dropped off to film the mushers making their way through this difficult part of the trail.  Enjoy. The Happy River Steps Dalzell Gorge has been a place where technique is the difference between continuing on the Iditarod Trail or possibly crashing into a tree or limb.  Falling off the sled or broken bones has ended many people’s dreams.  Over the years it has taken out many a musher, experienced and rookie alike.  Just before you start down, if you pay attenti