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!!!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
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!!
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!!
Monday, February 9, 2009
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!!!
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!!!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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.....
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!!!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
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:):)
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:):)
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
"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.
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.
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