It's STILL FREEZING OUT!

I know it's hard to believe, but it's still freezing a&% cold up here. Today should be the last day of the deep freeze, and this weekend we should be up back in the 20's. I'm crossing my fingers. Never before in my life was I ever looking so forward to 20 degree weather. My brother did me the great favor of giving a weather update from Colorado. 42 degrees there yesterday. Wusses!!

Today was going to be our "go to town" day. Robs truck didn't quite cooperate. Apparently at 10 degrees below zero, trucks don't really want to start. After the twenty five minute snowmobile ride to the truck, we had to turn around and head right back. I don't even ride on the snowmobile. I ride on the dog sled that is being towed behind the snowmobile. How's that visual for everyone. Hilarious, I'm sure. Since Hannah has arrived, it makes trips into town a bit more of a challenge. Rob drives the snowmobile while Hannah rides, and I am towed. Hannah is not an experienced snowmobile driver or rider, and doesn't have a lot of time on a dog sled either. So we divvy out the positions accordingly. I might be pushing for the snowmobile rider tomorrow. I felt my eye balls freeze today, I swear!

Once we arrived back to dog camp, Hannah cooked breakfast. It was decided by the boss man that today would be a great day for movies. Rob and I cozied up with blankets and snacks and watched one of the movies my parents just sent, Nims Island. The movie took place on an island near Fiji. The beach and sunshine sure looked nice!

We fed the dogs their chicken soup and restocked straw in their houses as needed. Mark had been cooking venison chops all day on the wood stove and it was a perfect dinner on such a cold night. We ate dinner while watching a video on the 1994 Iditarod. After dinner we all headed back to our separate cabins. As we were leaving, we let a few of the Varsity girls in the house. On cold nights like this, Mark lets a select few of the dogs sleep in the house. Rob and I had asked Mark earlier in the day if we could have Valor in for the night, so on the way back to our place, Rob ran over and grabbed him. This is the second time Valor has been in the house, and it was obvious he felt a little more comfortable. I say obvious because he had no trouble jumping up on the bed and sprawling out.

Now it's time for bed. I have no idea what the temperature will be like tomorrow. I just know it will be cold. Like my brother said, once it gets past a certain point, who cares? It's just freakin cold!!!

IT'S FREEEEEEZING!!!

It is freeeeezzzzzzing outside! It's a standing 20 bleow. That's without the windchill. Throw in the windchill and we are sitting right around 30, to 40 below. That's BELOW ZERO, for all you non-Minnesotans.

With the cold weather, and the fact that the dogs just got back from a race, today and tomorrow will be a day of rest. Today really seemed like a lazy day for us. After frigid morning dog chores, breakfast, and getting water we all settled in to watch a movie. Well, Rob, Hannah and I did. Mark had to make an unexpected trip to town. Turns out that some of the snowmobile parts he had just picked up, were the wrong ones. He headed to Tofte to try and exchange them. Just what Mark needed after a long weekend of racing and traveling, a trip to town in below zero weather. Fun! While he was gone, Hannah and I set up shop at Mark and Marys cabin to watch "Sex and the City". Rob of course, not a fan of "Sex and the City", stayed at our place and watched "Geronimo". It was a perfect day to be inside. Sorry Mark:(. After our movies, Rob and I fed the dogs their night time dry food. I started up the generator and chopped kindling, while Rob got dinner started.

We just finished a big spaghetti dinner and a super hot sauna. I'm yawning like crazy. Tomorrow we are heading to town. I'm excited, as usual:). Hopefully we'll have dog chores done and be on the road early. That way we can enjoy a full day of running all over Grand Marais.

Hmmmmm..... what else is new?? Mark has decided to pull out of the Beargrease Marathon. Instead, Mary will run the Beargrease short race (I'm not sure of the technical term) with 8 dogs. A friend of Mark and Mary's, Shell, will run another team of 8 dogs from Black Magic Kennels. Out of those sixteen dogs, Mark will pick 12 for his UP race in February. Shell will be here in the next week to do some training and checking out of the dogs. I can't wait to see which dogs will be picked for the race. Cross your fingers for Indi!

OH!! LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST!! MUSH FOR A CURE!! (that's why I'm writing in pink today) Here's some info really quick....

Black Magic Kennels is a proud co-founder of Mush For a Cure along with Voyageur Canoe Outfitters/Pink Paddles. Mush For a Cure is a dog sled “fun”draiser and is a non-competitive sled dog run with proceeds donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It is a fun event to celebrate the sport of dog mushing, cap off a winter of hard work, training and racing while raising funds to find a cure for breast cancer. Participants are required to pay a minimal entry fee and are encouraged to get pledges beyond the entry fee.

The first event was held on March 24, 2007 with four women participating and raising over $2500. In 2008, our goal was to double the amount of the previous year and on March 15, twenty mushers (men and women) from around the state of Minnesota raised an unbelievable $13,000! Our goal for 2009 is to raise that amount to $20,000.

So get ready to pay up friends and family, because Mark has mentioned to me that he and Mary would like Rob and I to race in the Mush for a Cure. That's right, me in a race!! (never mind that it's a non competitive race, where there is a good chance I'll be beaten by an 12 year old) It's for a great cause!! Who doesn't love boobies! Spread the word, and I'll keep reminding everyone periodically before March arrives. Check out www.mushforacure.com for more details if you like.

They're home!!

I was so excited to keep the blog up all weekend. And of course, we had the slowest internet of ALL time. It was painfully slow. That put the kabash on yesterdays post. So here we go....

Saturday, our running plans changed. Instead of Rob and I running dogs at the same time, we took a team out one at a time. I took Olive and Hutch, Michelob and Bud, and Kila and Ranger out. Rob followed, and led me on the snowmobile. With only one of us on a sled at a time, there was little room for error. After we got back, Rob took Hercules and Olga, Caribou and Mac, and Valor and Blue. The runs went smooth, and it was a perfect day. Even though the Moose Loop (the loop we took the dogs on) is just a short loop, it's great practice for Rob and I.

Sunday was another really nice day. It wasn't very cold at all this whole weekend, and the sun was shining everyday. Rob took the younger dogs for a run around the Moose Loop while I did dishes. When he came back, he told me he had seen Neil, our neighbor musher. Both of their teams had met at the Beaver Pond intersection. Just then I saw Neil and his dogs run by the front drive way, and stop. I walked down the drive way, just to make sure things were okay, and he waved me over. He introduced himself and his dog team. It was great to meet him! I was glad he stopped. He was running 7 of his 14 dogs for a 65 mile trip. I was really looking forward to meeting one of his dogs in particular. A dark dog with blue eyes, that I always notice while we are passing. Unfortunately he was not in the group. Neil told me he would be running the dark dog tomorrow (Monday) and would stop by and say hello again.

Sunday evening we let Murphy and Monz, the brother puppies run free. They loved it! Monz is a bit of a bully though, and managed to take a couple of tufts of fur out of Murphy's hind end. During the puppy outing, Michelob suddenly appeared prancing through the yard, chain and all. One of the links in her chain links had worn through. She looked so excited! We got her a new chain link, and she was back in her yard, much to her dismay.

Today Mark, Mary and the rest of the dogs came home. We did our normal dog chores this morning, got water and made breakfast. Then we waited to hear from Mary so that we could head down and meet them at the red gate. I was watching the time, hoping I would be able to catch Neil and meet the other half of his dogs. Sorry I missed ya Neil, maybe next time :). We met Mark, Mary and our missing dogs and headed back to camp. It was awesome to see them all. I was sad to hear that Indi was one of the dogs that had to be dropped off of Marks team. Oh crap, I forgot to tell you how they did! Haha. Mary finished 6th, and Mark finished 15th.

Indi had a shoulder injury and needed to be rested. Oh my poor Indi Pie! (that was more for me, than for any of you).

Anyhow, we got all the dogs back to the dog yard and in their nice, warm, freshly strawed houses. Mary stayed in town to get ready for work tomorrow. Not fun! Mark is resting and enjoying a well deserved whiskey coke. Hannah, and I are enjoying a hot cocoa, and Rob just headed out to start night dog chores. Back to the usual again.

White Oak Weekend Continued.....

Yesterday was our first official full day of being without Mark, Mary, and the other 22 dogs. Things went smooth! Dog chores go especially fast with less dogs and more handlers :). We are missing the dogs that are gone though. Last night I asked Rob if he thought that they were missing us. He thinks, maybe.

After breakfast Rob took a small team of dogs for a quick run around the lunch loop. Olive and Hercules were leaders, followed by Honey and Moon, and Maggie and Bree in wheel. The dogs were so excited to be out. Rob was back so quickly, I barely had time to start the giant pile of dishes. I ran out to greet him and the dogs. All the dogs looked bummed out the run was over so quickly, so we decided another loop around couldn't hurt. Off they went again. While they were gone, I managed to put a good dent in the dishes, while Hannah took care of some school work.

We've split some of the dogs chores up between the three of us, and it's working well. Rob gives the fat snacks at 3 am, Hannah does the morning dry feed at 7:30am, and I'm in charge of the night time dry feed around 4ish pm.

Today, Rob and I will both take a team out on the short loop. We'll keep the teams small, at six a piece. I'm excited to be out on the sled again. We'll have Hannah on the snowmobile as our emergency support. If all goes well, she'll just be out for a nice enjoyable ride :). Us too.

Mark, and Mary, and their teams take off from the starting line at 1:00, and 1:02 this afternoon. You can keep track of how they are doing in the race by going to http://www.whiteoakclassic.org/. It's pretty cool that we'll be able to keep an eye on them as they go.

The pictures today are of P.J., the dog my parents adopted. He's not as easy to photograph as some of the other dogs. He always seems to be on the move. He's at the race today. Also, there is Trout, P.J.'s brother, and Matty. I caught them lounging earlier this week. They are also at the race. And finally, there's little Indi. She's not sleeping, I swear. I'm so excited for her, she's at the race too, and I hope she does AWESOME! I'll take some pictures of todays run for tomorrows post.

White Oak, Here We Come!!! (well, here come Mark and Mary and 22 of thier best dogs)

Today Mark and Mary and about half of the kennel leave for the White Oak sled dog race. It's pretty exciting. The chances are pretty good that Mary and her team will do well, and Mark won't do bad either. I'm hoping, as I'm sure Mark is too, that his team will surprise him and really set a fast pace in the race. A couple of Rob and I's favorites are getting to go along. Indi, and Brown. Some of our other B team friends too. Even Cleo and Johnny are getting to go. They will be racing in the team of another musher. Black Magic Kennel dogs are so bad ass, other mushers want to borrow them. Haha.

Yesterday Mark, Rob, and I drove down to the sawmill where the dog truck is stored. We had to dig it out of a snow bank, but other than that, the stress was very limited. It started right up, and no flat tires. Nothing ever goes that smooth :). We also dug out a trailer that will be towed behind the truck. The trailer will carry a few dogs and some supplies. After we got the dog truck moved to where it needed to be, we put new straw in all the dog boxes and attached the race sleds to the top of the truck for transport.

Today we will bring all 22 dogs and all the remaining necessities down to the dog truck and wish Mark and Mary good luck. We hope they have a successful and SAFE race. I feel pretty proud about the dogs going. I know they will do well, and look fantastic!

While Mark and Mary are gone Rob, Hannah, and I are responsible for holding the fort down. They will be gone until Monday, so it's a bit longer than the last times they've been away. With the three of us, it should be smooth sailing. Rob and I will run dogs while they are away. Either a big team with two sleds, or two smaller teams. We'll stay close to home on a short trail. Hopefully the weather will stay clear, for all of us.

The dogs are Denali on the left, and Jango on the right. Denali was adopted by my brother and Jango adopted by last years handlers, Lis and John Neal.

More Snow!!!

This is Rob and one of his favorite dogs, Honey. She prefers a cuddle instead of a pet, and climbs up on her own. He has a soft spot for her:)

Here is a picture from the trail yesterday. That's Ophir up front on the right with Olive on the left. Next is Mac on the Left and Caribou on the right. And in wheel is Valor on the left, and Maggie on the right.

I said yesterday that Ophir was my hero, and I think I should make sure Olive gets credit too. She worked just as hard. She's a great leader too, and listens so well. Being on the sled by myself was so peaceful, and well worth the wait. Rob was ahead of me on the snow mobile, just in case I fell and couldn't hang on, he would be able to catch my team. Luckily I didn't need to utilize him. It was comforting having him there though. It was nice to know I had a some back up. He's good for that :)

Having both Olive and Ophir in lead, for my first time on a sled was perfect. Instead of being terrified for my next run, I'm excited. I can only hope my next six dogs are as good to me as my first.

Today we had Tom and Diane Anderson come to the kennel to mush their own teams. After a few instructions and a practice run behind the four wheeler, they were off. Mark lead the group, with Diane next, then Tom, and Mary bringing up the rear. Rob followed them on the snow mobile, just in case. It seemed to work out well, as he was able to help on a couple of occasions. They all had successful runs. Tom brought his very own roasted coffee as a small gift. I'm pretty excited to try it. He also gave some good resources for roasting our own coffee too. We were glad to have them and it seems like they really had a good time. It's great having guests and getting to meet new people.

Speaking of new people, Hannah arrived today. She will be helping as a handler for the month of January. Welcome Hannah! We're glad you're here. And what a day to arrive. We are getting MORE snow. On New Years day we received about a foot of snow. It's been snowing all day and I'd have to guess and say we've gotten at least another six inches, and it's still snowing. Tomorrow will probably be a snow moving day instead of a dog running day:(. Well, I guess more snow is better than not enough snow!

Also... last but CERTAINLY not least.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHER!!!!!! My little brother turned 25 today! Woo hoo!!!

Ophir is my hero.

I did it!!!! I drove my own team today!!! Six whole dogs, all by myself!!! Actually, I didn't really do much. I'm more of a rider, really. But I did manage to stay on my sled the ENTIRE time. Who cares if it was only six miles?? Or if my lead dogs are older?? Not me. I'm so excited I did it without falling. I can guarantee there will be falls. But not today.

Ophir and Olive were my lead dogs, followed by Mac and Caribou, and Valor and Maggie in wheel. Ophir and Olive are older, so they set a pretty mellow pace. Ophir is almost slow, and that is perfect for me. Like I said in the title, Ophir is my hero.

It's sauna time, so there will be more details tomorrow. I promise. But for now, I.... WE DID IT!!!