The Lunch Loop and Then Some!!

It's snowing.... again! It has been coming down slowly but surely for the last couple of days. Tonight the temperature is dropping below zero. That hasn't happened in a couple of weeks. I guess winter's not over just yet. Bummer. I've become a big fan of the 30 degree days with the sun shining.

Today Rob and I took our 8 dog teams on an extended version of the Lunch Loop. It added about 8 or so extra miles to our regular 22. The dogs did great. Robs team of yearling puppies looked a little livelier than my team. But all the dogs really enjoyed the run and we all made it hope safe and healthy. I had a tiny, itty bit of trouble with a couple of the unfamiliar turns. Cleo, the leader I've been using the last few weeks, and who I have great faith in, has an affliction to making new left hand turns. That caused a few problems. The good news is that there were only two turns she wasn't interested in taking. I ripped my coat and scrapped my arm up a bit with the snow hook on one of the missed turns, but....It could of been worse:) I'm hoping we can work out the kinks in the next two weeks. I really want Cleo to lead my team for the Mush for a Cure. Cleo and Hercules. Who just so happen to be brother and sister.

I think my Mush for the Cure team is going to look like this (tentatively) Cleo and Herc, Indi and Olga or Kila, I'm undecided right now, Michelob and Budweiser, and Johnny and Ranger. The team could change just a bit. Olga and Kila are both kind of squirly, but I think they have character. I'm just not sure how much character one team needs. Jess, Julie's daughter is running the Mush for a Cure and might need one more dog. I think Ranger is on the list. Although I'm secretly hoping he gets to stay with me:) So we'll see in the next week or so, who the final team will be!!

Like I said, Rob's team did great. 6 of the 8 dogs that Rob runs are puppies. He's been running Moon (1 1/2 years old) in lead with Olive (9 years old) and she's awesome. Olive is a great teacher and Moon seems to be a quick learner. The rest of the puppies just have CRAZY energy and are flat out excited to run every chance they can get. Honey has been running with us the last few times too. She's doing fantastic as usual. We just started giving her raw butter and honey to try and stave off her seizures. Cross your fingers!! She such a bad ass dog. It would be awesome if the "alternative" remedies work! Maggie is another puppy that is really doing well too. She's got serious attitude. Rob says that after every run, when we let the dogs wander back to their houses, she "flexes up" on every dog she passes. Just showing everyone how tough she is I guess.

Robs team for Mush for a Cure will be most of the puppies he's been running. I'm pretty sure he'll run Moon in lead, but without Olive. Olive will run with Jess. Olive is the mom of one of Jess's dogs. So Moon and a leader to be named :), maybe Zena?? Bree and Caribou, Honey and Maggie, and Wally and Brown. He's excited to get them out there and see how they do.

The whole time we were running, it was snowing. By the time we got back to the dog yard, there was probably another inch of snow on the ground. We fed the dogs their dry food and headed back to the cabin for some serious veggin out. I'm such a sissy and felt kind of tired after our extended run. Like I've said before, I'm not a long distance musher. 30 miles might be my max! haha.

Tomorrow Mark will head to Gunflint Pines Resort with 20 dogs to prepare for this weekends rides. In the morning we'll hook 14 dogs to the snowmobile, and 6 dogs to a sled. Mark will take the snowmobile, and Rob the sled. I think I'll do a little house cleaning tomorrow. Woo hoo! Rob and I will hold the fort down until Saturday morning, and then we'll head over to help with the rides. It will be a busy weekend, but fun for sure. A quick stop at the Java Moose for a cinnamon brown sugar latte before heading up the trail will really top everything off:):)

I wanted to give a quick shout out to Mark, Lisa and Meridith!!! I got your comment on yesterdays blog, but I don't have your email address. My email is melincolo@hotmail.com if you can drop me a line that would be great. Rob and I would love to take your pledge!! We had a great time while you were out here. It's so fun to have visitors. We really look forward to seeing you at Mush For a Cure! Hope you all can make it. If you do come, we'd love to see some of those pics! Rob is planning on running Wally in his team, Meridith! Talk to you soon:)

Home again, home again!

Every one's back home! Well almost everyone. Mary had to go straight back to work today, so she is still in town. While Mark, Rob and I were eating dinner last night I could imagine that Mary would have really liked to be in her own house and own bed. She's a trooper.

Rob went down to meet Mark, Mary and the dogs at the Red Gate yesterday afternoon. They loaded up and Mark and Rob headed home, Mary back into town. When Mark and Rob came into the yard, they had quite a set up. Mark was driving the snowmobile with the dogs leading the way, pulling behind him a wooden cargo sled, pulled behind that was Rob on a dog sled. All the dogs looked great. It didn't even look like they had run 240 miles!! When we unhooked them and put them in their houses, you could tell they were glad to be home. Almost all of them sniffed around, went right into their freshly strawed houses, and settled in.

We put gear away and then fed the dogs their dry food. Later as we were feeding chicken soup, it was funny to look over at the Varsity dog yard and see so many eyes looking back at you. It has been almost empty for a week! We had chili for dinner and listened to Mark tell us about the race. It's great to get the full scoop. Following along with the UP internet site just doesn't do the job. Although I will say the UP site was the best out of the three races Mark and Mary have run this year. On Mary's website, www.blackmagickennels.com , she is going over the race, play by play style. Their handlers from last year, Lis and John Neal came to the race to help, and took great pictures, which are up on Mary's site as well.

At dinner Mark also told us we will have people here next weekend that would like to mush their own team. Race season may be over, but we are still busy. Which is great. This weekend we will be at Gunflint Pines for Winter Tracks, a big winter fest. We'll be giving rides, and that should be a blast. Then next weekend we'll have some people to run their own team, and the weekend after that it's MUSH FOR A CURE!!

Here's another quick reminder about Mush for a Cure!!! Any pledges you'd like to make would be awesome. Time is getting short!! Only 17 days left! Holy crap!!

Monday already?.....Geez

I didn't realize it was Monday already. Where did the weekend go?? I'll update you I guess....

Saturday we went to town. There was a HUGE snowmobile rally in our area, so we wanted to avoid that. We packed up the laundry and recycling and headed to town. When we got there, we were starving. We were also feeling like we've eaten every where there is to eat. Mary has mentioned that Hughie's Tacos was pretty tasty, so we thought we'd try it. It didn't disappoint! The lady at the counter was really nice, and helpful. She may have been the owner? I ordered one taco, and Rob ordered two. They fry the flour tortilla right as you order, so it's still warm when it gets to you. I think we had just enough time to grab our sodas, forks and napkins and the tacos were already being delivered to our table. They were the huge! One taco almost took up my whole plate. But that didn't stop me from going back up and ordering a second one! The tacos come with all the fixins too. I'm pretty sure the guacamole and salsa were made fresh. Anyhow, Hughies has been added to our favorites list. If you're in Grand Marais, and are looking for something different, fresh, and fast, hit up Hughies!

Sunday we did the normal dog chores and hooked up our 8 dog teams. The Lunch Loop has become our second home:) I'm pretty sure I've found six of the dogs I'd like to take to the Mush for a Cure. I'll have to talk it over with Mark and Mary, and hopefully I'll have a full team soon:). I think I'll be borrowing a leader, or two from the Varsity team. Oh I'm so excited!

Mark also finished the UP Race on Sunday. He finished 15th. Mary said the weather for the race was the worst she's ever seen. The final leg of the race was REALLY slow going for Mark and the team. We're really proud of Mark and all the dogs!! And can't wait for them to all get home. Sounds like everyone (and everydog) is pretty tired and ready to be back in their own houses.

Today we did dog chores, and ran the Lunch Loop. We also did a few chores outside, like digging out the gate to the puppy pens, and making sure every dogs door was clear. It was another sunny day, and nice to be out and about.

Rob, Roxy (Mark & Mary's house dog), Buster (Mark & Mary's house cat), Tubbs, Keenan, and I are all in the big cabin getting ready to watch a movie. Nighty night....

On the edge of our seats....

Like the title of the post says, we are on the edge of our seats here at the kennel. Mark and the top 12 are on the move! Like the White Oak, and Beargrease, the UP200 has a web site and you can track the mushers as they race. We've learned from the last two races, it's agonizing to wait for the updates. By the time the information is posted about coming into a check point, Mark could be pulling into the next check point. Mary is busy being the handler extraordinaire, so we can't call her. So we wait. And wait. It drives me crazy! I'm not as patient as I'd like to think, I guess. Oh, as I was going through the musher names to find Mark, I ran across our neighbor Neil's name. Go Neil! (just not faster than Mark:))

In the mean time, the show must go on around here. Wednesday after Mark, Mary and the dogs left, we did chores around camp, like dishes in the house, and changing straw out for the dogs. The temperature definitely dropped, so the dogs were pretty pumped for new straw.

Yesterday, Thursday, Rob took the snowmobile and broke trail after the snow we had on Tuesday afternoon, and wind all day Wednesday. While he was out, I was on bootie duty. We are on a limited supply of booties, and with the cold temperatures being predicted, can't run without them. I dug some out of all the sleds, and went through some of the wet ones and hung them to dry. Until we get to the laundromat, this was the best option. I wrangled up enough to cover both 8 dog teams.

Today was amazing weather. Much warmer than Wednesday and Thursday. A 24 hour break before the temp dips down again. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. It made for a great run. We wanted to get a run in before tomorrow. There is a huge snowmobile rally going through the area tomorrow. The rally will be using about 2/3 of the trails that we also use. There is no way that we will be out running with all those snowmobiles flying around.

Saturday (tomorrow) will be a day into town. We'll hit up the laundromat, for us and for the dogs booties. We're also going to visit Lyndsay's dairy. Mark and Mary heard that raw cream and butter have essential Omega fats that might help with Honey's seizures! We're going to give it a shot. It can't hurt, and how amazing would that be?! I sure hope it helps. I'll try and write everyday that Mary is away, just to keep everyone posted. Until tomorrow.....

Finally!!!

Geez! It's about time right? The internet up here in "the bush" has been out of whack lately. So here I am, finally catching everyone up!

Not a lot of activity since our UP check point practice. On Sunday I did have a near death experience. Well, maybe not near death, but nearly crapped my pants. Here's what happened. On Sunday Mark and Mary were still in Duluth and Rob and I were going to run dogs. We decided to try 8 dogs. Rob has run 8 dogs a few times before, but I never have. Mark said it would be fine as long as I felt comfortable. I want to get ready for the Mush for a Cure, where I'll be running 8 dogs. So, we figured Sunday was as good a day as any.

We had our sleds and gang lines all ready. I set my sled up as usual; my snow hook in a tire that is anchored to a buried post. We hooked our teams up and were ready to go. Rob took off first, then me. I tried to pull the snow hook from the tire, while standing on my braking track. With an extra two dogs, I wasn't strong enough to pull the hook from that stance. So I put one foot on the runner, the other on the braking track and pulled the hook. The dogs took off, pulling the sled out from under me. I fell flat on my stomach, snow hook still in my left hand, and my right arm on the emergency brake, still hanging onto the sled. Just before we took the corner out of the dog yard, I set the snow hook, while still being drug along on my belly. The snow hook set nice and solid. For a millisecond I felt the dogs slow down, then SNAP. The line connecting the snow hook to the sled snapped, and off we went again, me still being pulled along, fully extended, grabbing on for dear life to the emergency brake.

Rob always waits at the top of the first hill to make sure I've made it out okay. This time he heard me before he saw me. I was screaming "WHOA!!!! WHOA!!!" in hopes that the dogs would slow down. I was also putting as much weight and strength into pushing the emergency brake into the ground. Rob heard me yelling and then saw me. Well, part of me. He saw my dog team, my sled, and my feet kicking behind the sled. As the dogs approached the hill, they saw Rob and his team and slowed down. Rob grabbed my leaders and the dogs stopped just long enough for me to stand up, shake off the snow I had accumulated, and off we went again.

It was a little scary, but mostly just CRAZY! I feel pretty good that I made all the right choices as things were going wrong. The only thing we didn't do, that we should of, is go back to the dog yard and get a new snow hook. We finished our 7 mile loop and then came back. So next time, if there ever is a next time (i hope not) we will head back to the dog yard ASAP!

The next couple of days running 8 dogs went smooth! I am happy to say, no other incidents. Every time I go on a run, I'm imagining the 8 dogs I'll get to take to Mush for a Cure. I'm so excited!

Yesterday Mark, Mary, and 12 of the Varsity team packed up and headed out for the UP race!! They will be gone for a whole week. The dog yard will seem quiet with all of them missing. The race starts on Friday at 7:00 pm. I know I've had high hopes for our other two races, but I can feel it on this one. The dogs look great! So cross your fingers, send good vibes, whatever you do, WISH THEM LUCK!!!

UP200!

Rob and I are vegging out in our cabin today, while Mark rests up. And here's why....

Yesterday was our mock UP200 check point day! About a week or two ago Mark made a huge troft(I'm not sure on how to spell that, so we're going with it for the rest of the post) in the snow in the front yard. It is about a 2 feet deep and resembles a check point troft. The plan for the check point practice was for Mark and 14 of the Varsity team dogs to do a 60 mile run, come back to the house and rest in the troft for about 6 hours, and then do another 60 mile run.

Mark and the dogs left around 12:00 yesterday afternoon to do their 60 miles. While they were gone, Rob and I got straw, coats, and foot ointment ready. As it got dark and close to their expected arrival, we waited. We waited for about an hour outside, as we didn't want to miss them coming in. They arrived in the dog yard around 6:30-7:00 ish. Rob was in charge of leading the dogs into the troft, and away from their usual "runway".

Once they were in the troft, we set snow hooks and tied the sled to a snowmobile, just in case. Then we fed them, put goop on their feet, and put jackets on them to keep them dry and warm. Next we unhooked their tug lines so that they could move around freely. Their neck lines stay on so that they don't wander away, or visit with their front and back neighbors. We laid straw out for every dog, so that they could make a bed and go to sleep. After the straw went down, Mark stopped at each dog and checked their shoulders and wrists for soreness. He rubbed every ones wrists with a high powered dog version of flex all, and wrapped them with neoprene and felt wraps.

The trick is getting the dogs to rest. These guys looked like pros. Within minutes most of them had spun around and nosed the straw and were resting away. I even heard a couple of snores. Some of the younger dogs, that maybe haven't been in many races, took a while to get comfy and go to bed. I think Elbrus fell asleep standing up a couple of times. I would look down the line with my headlamp occasionally, and only see one or two heads peeking up.

I kept having to flip my headlamp on because I would hear Noodle grumbling/growling. I can't fully commit to the word growling, because that sounds mean, and Noodle isn't a mean growler. He often growls while not only waggin his tail, but his whole body is wagging. You may have to see it to understand it. Anyhow, I looked at him and his eyes were cosed. Mark says he thinks he growls in his sleep. To anyone that knows Noodle, that's not surprising at all.

While I kept watch on the dogs, Mark grabbed a really quick nap, and Rob took the snowmobile out to groom the trails. 12:00 AM came pretty quickly. As soon as we were milling about, the dogs knew it was time to get going. The dogs all stretched and shook off. It's funny because dogs wake up just like people do. Some look bright eyed and wide awake, others look like they need coffee and a newspaper before they want to do anything. We took their wrist wraps, and coats off, and put booties on.

Then it was time to go. Mark got on the sled and Rob kept an eye out for arguments between dogs, while I ran the leaders out of the dog yard and around the corner. We stopped and put every ones tug lines back on. You would think after 60 long miles, on a not so great trail, resting in a place that isn't their own bed, and being woken up in the middle of that crappy rest, the dogs wouldn't be very excited to get going. It was the TOTAL opposite! All the dogs were barking and screaming to go, pulling like crazy as soon as their tug lines were on. I guess that's a really good sign:).

So off they went, into the darkness, and drizzle. Rob and I hung up their jacktes and put a couple of logs on the fire, and off to bed we went. While we slept, Mark was awake, and standing for another 60 miles.

We were expecting the dogs and Mark to arrive around 7am ish. And that's about what time they came stroling in. The dogs looked great! Mark didn't look too bad either, considering at that point he'd only had about an hour of sleep in the last 24 hours. We gave the dogs a little bit of beaver soup (yep, beaver soup), and then off to their houses they went.

We gave the rest of the dog yard their chicken soup a couple of hours later, and then it was off to bed for Mark. I popped my head in the house to see if he might want breakfast before he went to bed, and his bedroom door was already shut. Sleep took pressident over food.

Now it's late in the afternoon, and I'm pretty sure I just heard the dogs, so Mark must be up and at em'. We better go see if there's anything that needs to get done.

ONE LAST THING!!! MUSH FOR A CURE!! PLEASE OH, PLEASE GO TO www.mushforacure.com to find out how to help out, or make a donation!!! Even if you can't make a donation, if you want to volunteer, the more the merrier! Come on up and stay the weekend!! Gunflint Pines would love to have you! There will be all kinds of fun activities!!

IQF Dog Yard

I'm calling todays post "IQF Dog Yard" because that's exactly what it looks like. In the restaurant business you get things that are "IQF", which stands for individually quick frozen. A product is glazed with water and than flash frozen. You can get chicken, fruit, all kinds of stuff comes "IQF". Anyhow.... Today it rained in the afternoon, and the temperature dropped just enough to turn it everything wet into ice. Almost every inch of the dog yard is glazed with a thin layer of ice. It's crazy!! The brunt of this strange weather storm is supposed to hit tonight around 9:00. Mark has been checking all the weather sites and the reports seem to keep getting worse. Almost every sort of activity in Grand Marais has been canceled for today and tomorrow. Even the restaurants closed up early this afternoon. The radio dj's and weather guys say to have two days worth of provisions and DON'T leave the house if you don't have to. Hmmmm, sounds exciting. haha. Check Mary's blog at www.blackmagickennels.com, she always post the weather. I'm actually pretty interested in what things are going to look like in the morning. Thank goodness for yak tracks!

Today, because of the incoming storm, there was no dog running. We went fishing instead. Not a bad trade. Mark, Julie, a friend of the Blacks (and ours now), Rob, and I headed to No Name lake to do some trout fishing. It started to get a little windy and chilly, so we started a bon fire. I guess with 3 feet of ice, you don't have to worry about the fire melting through. It started to rain about an hour into the trip. Despite the weather, and the lack of nibbles, we had a really good time. It was fun to be out ice fishing, our first time all season.

After we were back at camp, and the dogs had their dry, we all vegged out a bit. It wasn't until chicken soup time that I first saw the "IQF" effect. While Mark, Rob, and I were all wearing ice cleats, the dogs don't have that luxury. They were sliding all over the place. Although it's kind of funny, I feel a little bad for them. The little girl puppies were spinning around their dish so much, they just gave up. I dug them out a little patch of snow so they could get their grip.

Now we're back inside getting ready for our own dinner. The dogs are all in their houses, avoiding their ice rink yards. We'll see what tomorrow brings!!!

TGIF!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOM, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOM, HAAAAAPPY BIIIIIIIRRTHDAY DEEEEEEAR MOM! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOM! And also, CONGRATULATIONS! On Monday, my mom will have finished up her Masters! She's worked so hard on an excellerated program, while working and taking care of my dad. You rule Ma!!

It's funny that yesterday actually felt like a Friday. Up here I often lose track of the days, but yesterday felt like a full on Friday!

Yesterday was another day filled with random activities. Those are my favorite days. After dog chores, Mark clipped the dogs toe nails while I made breakfast. After breakfast, Mark planned on taking out 12 of the Varsity team dogs, while letting the rest of them rest.

We hooked up Mark's team and off they went. The weather was unbelievable. While we were hooking up dogs, I was wishing I had one less layer of clothing. While Mark was gone, we had a few chores to do. There are a few dogs on the B and C team that haven't been run as often, so I took them out. Ophir, of course :) and Honey, Olga and Blue, Valor and Moon.

I really enjoy the Lunch Loop runs, but I don't kid myself, I'm not a distance musher. At all. I'm not much of a long distance anything. haha. One of my favorite things lately has been to take the few dogs out that don't get out often. As everyone knows, Ophir is my favorite, so getting to run with him is the best. Honey is such a great runner, it's a bummer that she has seizures. When she gets to go out, she's a ball of power and energy. Valor is still young and not totally committed to long distances yet. He's pretty happy with his 6.5 mile loop. The other dogs I take out are just being moved in and out of rotation with the rest of the team. I like to run Moon with the other three because she's fun to watch run. She's all business, and like her sister Honey, super powerful.

Olga is pretty funny too. She's not always 100% dedicated to the run. She runs, but she's also sight seeing as she goes. Her ears are always up and she's constantly looking around. I swear, when we are keeping a slow pace, she looks like she's skipping. Blue, well, I'm not sure about Blue. He works hard. But he's just kind of a goof ball. He chews on anything given the opportunity. The other day he snagged my mitten off the sled and ate the thumb off. When I went to yell at him, he just cocked his head and looked at my like "Oh, that's wasn't for me? My bad.". Check him out on Mary's page. He's got a great picture up. Rob says he's hands down the goofiest looking dog in the kennel. I can't fully disagree.

Anyhow.... After getting back from my tiny little run, I started the dishes. Rob had cleaned out the sauna stove, and knocked all the built up snow of the "silver bullets" (they are like giant storage sheds). We had a quick snack and waited for Mark to get back.

Mark and the A team arrived safe and sound and we got them back to their houses. The temperature felt like spring! So we all sat out on lawn chairs and watched the dog yard, waiting for Mary to call.

Rob has been itching to snowboard or to do any outdoor snow activity lately (other than dog sledding). He pulled the snowboard out and took a few runs down a hill behind our little cabin. I've wanted to learn for a while, so I strapped in. I took a few runs with pretty surprising results. I only fell really hard once. Don't worry ma, the knee is in tip top shape. It was my inner thigh that took the brunt of the fall:) Good thing I'm well padded. Rob was even a bit shocked at my skills. I'm not going to get cocky and hit up Copper Mountain any time soon, but it was a pretty fun time!!

The whole time we were messing around outside, so was Tubbs, and our little Keenan. She's the only cat I know that plays outside with a dog in the snow. She also comes to a whistle when it's time to go inside. Strange.

Trivia last night was a blast. We're really getting the hang of it now, and Rob has more useless information than he thought. Well, not useless, it's great for trivia. haha.

Today we have some visitors coming to mush their own teams. Mark has helped handle for the Blacks at the last couple of races. He's coming with his wife, Lisa and her daughter Meridith. Meridith is also the adoptive mom of Wally. It'll be a full house today and a busy dog yard! Can't wait to tell you all about it. Later.....

Today is also my very best friend ever, Megans birthday. I didn't want to steal my moms thunder though. So, Happy Birthday Meg!! I love you and miss you!

NO TIME TO EDIT, THEY'RE HERE!!!

Winter Warm Up

I've got a good feeling today, the thermometer says 15. That's 15 ABOVE zero! The rest of this week and into the weekend should be pretty nice. Let's cross our fingers! I'm ready for spring, but who isn't. I think I may have picked up the Minnesotan disease of always complaining about the weather. If it's hot, it's too hot, if it's cold, it's too cold. If it snows, it's too much snow.

Yesterday Mark took his team of 14 dogs for what was going to be a long run. Rob and I took two teams out as well. Rob took 8 dogs, I took 6. Despite the cold temp, the sun was shining and it was a great run. Rob took a heavier sled and I took a lighter one to try and offset the power of his two extra dogs. It worked pretty well until the end of the run. His team was a bit stronger and put some space between us.

Marks run didn't turn out to be as long as planned. A couple of his dogs were still a little sore from The Beargrease, and he didn't want to push them. One thing (of the many) we have learned from Mark and Mary is to always do what's best for the dogs. Whether it's a 6 mile run, or 60, the dogs set the tone. Mark will shoot for a long run today, while letting the sore dogs rest. Rob and I will take another two teams out on the Lunch Loop today, and hope to have as smooth a run as yesterday.

Last night Mark showed us what the Mush for a Cure trail will be. I'm getting excited! Like I said before, whether I race or not, it's going to be such an amazing event with so many people involved. There is a musher interested in coming all the way from Oklahoma! I read Mary's blog today and they are still in need of volunteers, donations, and door prizes. Any takers??? Maybe if you can't help, do you know some one who can?? Hop to it, or soon enough this will turn into shameless begging:):)

Back to the Dog House

I'm calling this post "Back to the Dog House" because that's what Lyndsay (the dairy farmer, Lake View Dairy) calls the kennel. When I call her from Mark and Mary's it comes up on her phone as "Mels dog house", which I find really funny. So anyhow....


I made it back to Grand Marais around 2:30 yesterday. The drive went smoothly with only a little snow between Two Harbors and Tofte. I stopped by and saw Mary at the office to pick up some booties, and vital groceries. Shredded cheese is a MUST up here:) I picked up some other snack groceries for Rob and I and then headed up to see Lyndsay at the farm. First I stopped at the Java Moose, of course, for coffees for both Lyndsay and I. It's a great trade for milk. The problem with making a quick trip to Lyndsay's is that it's never a quick trip. I just wanted to grab cream and milk. Instead I stayed for almost half and hour, gabbing like crazy. The only thing missing was more time, and Aunt Steph.

When I finally made it to the Red Gate, I was so relieved to see Rob. We packed up all our cargo and hit the trail. It was just before sunset, and a great ride. It felt really nice to be back in the middle of no where. It's definitely possible that the city girl in me is slowly shrinking.

After dog chores, and saying hello to all the dogs, we had chili for dinner. Mark started brewing it up just after we arrived home. And once again, he is a chili champion.

Today we did all kinds of random things. After breakfast and dogs chores, we went out to play lumberjack, and cut some dead standing trees for firewood. The trees are dead due to a fire. They were gorgeous. The cedars look like they were spray painted silver. There was a tree that looked normal from one side, but along the back side, you could see that it had been hollowed out from the fire. The black from the fire looked like shiny sequence. The craziest part about all the trees, was that the fire was 9 or 10 years ago. I can't believe so much of the evidence is still there. It was really cool.

After we brought all the wood home, I hooked up a small team of 6 dogs to run around the Moose Loop. I took Ophir and Olive, Honey and Moon, Bree and Valor. It was a good chance to get Ophir, Valor and Honey out. The three of them have had different circumstances for not being run lately. I was so excited to run with Ophir again. As you all know, he is my favorite. Everyone had a great time, including me!

OH!! I'M WRITING IN PINK AGAIN TO REMIND EVERYONE ABOUT MUSH FOR A CURE. It's coming up in March. March 14th to be specific. It hasn't been set in stone if Rob and I will run or not, but either way, I'm asking you all to make a donation. I know times are tight, but this is a great cause. Even if it's five or ten bucks. Every little bit counts. Or if you can't donate money, maybe your time and services. Check out Mary's blog and http://www.mushforacure.com/ for more details!!

p.s. i don't have any new pictures to show because tubbs ate my camera battery charger. yes, i know, he's a pain in the ass.

"Big City" Visit!

I'm here in the "Big City", at a hotel updating my blog. My mom is visiting Minneapolis this weekend, so I drove down to meet her. (Thanks Mark and Mary, for the time) We saw each other at Christmas, but it feels like it's been longer:) She is visiting for my cousin Natalie's wedding shower. It's been a weekend filled with lots of laughing, shopping and coffees. I've been spoiled like crazy, and now it's about time to get back to reality.

I guess I haven't written since the 27th! Since then, no huge news. Mark spent a couple of days down in Duluth. He went to catch the end of the Beargrease, and he also went to the Beargrease Finishers meeting, hoping to share some of his ideas about the changes made to the race. While he was away, and Mary in town at work, Hannah, Rob and I were left up at camp. (no, that wasn't a complaint. we actually don't mind at all. we're just glad m&m feel comfortable leaving their babies with us) On Wednesday, all three of us took a team of six dogs out for a run. I lead with Hercules and Elbrus. Elbrus wasn't too excited about running lead, or at least running lead for me, so we made some quick changes, and off we went.

Thursday was a day of rest for the dogs. The last couple of days they (the B and C team) had all been run in different little groups. So we thought a rest day would be nice. I packed and got ready for my trip, while Hannah packed to go home. I brought her down with me to the cities to save her mom a trip next week. Having company for the long drive wasn't bad either.

That brings us to Friday. Friday morning we all helped Mark hook up a team of 14, and off he went. He is working on picking his team of 12 for the UP race. After he was on his way, Rob drove Hannah and I to the Red Gate. We met my cousin Lyndsay (the one with the dairy farm), who drove my car to pick us up. After a good bye to Rob, we were on the road.

Rob headed back up to camp to hook up a team of his own. He had a team of 8 dogs. He was all by himself. I was having major guilt about that. Here I was driving away to civilization, and spoil city, and he was hooking up his team all alone :( I called Mark and Mary's house on Friday night to hear all about Rob's solo run. I was just in time to catch him walking through the door for trivia! That's right, Rob was playing trivia, without me! Exciting. Rob said the run went well, and that everyone, him included, made it home safe and sound. I read Mary's blog today and it mentioned that he went out again yesterday. I'm pretty jealous. I spent my day driving around Minneapolis shopping. Not as exciting, but still fun. Although, I did pick up a few little treats to bring back up to camp.

Tonight it's just mom and I. Everyone else has headed out of town. Luckily she's here for one more night:) We're heading up to our room to put our p.j.'s on just relax.