Thurston (Visitors: 6013) 

Lance Mackey arrived in Nome at about 5:45 AM (Texas time) this morning.  Mackey has now won the Iditarod two years in a row.  Jeff King took second place with Ramey Smith coming in third.  As an interesting side note, Mackey and King were at one of the final checkpoints preparing for some sleep.  Mackey was in bed awake waiting for King to fall asleep in another bunk.  After King was asleep, Mackey got on his sled and picked up an hour on the trail before King woke up.  This strategy had a major impact on Mackey winning the race.

I have enjoyed the Iditarod blog and getting to share the race with everyone.  I am looking forward to next year already.

Lance Mackey and Jeff King have passed the halfway point in this year's Iditarod.  Mackey was the first musher into and out of Ruby and leads the race.  The Millennium Hotels sponsor a "First to the Yukon" prize.  The first musher into Ruby (located on the Yukon River) receives a 7-course meal and $5,000.  The leading rookie at this point in the race is none other than William Kleedehn.

Many of the mushers have taken or are currently taking their mandatory 24-hour break.  The mushers must also take a mandatory 8-hour break at one of the checkpoints on the Yukon River.  These checkpoints include Ruby, Galena, Nulato, and Kaltag.

Another item of interest appears in the list of mushers who are no longer in the race.  There are seven mushers on this list.  Six of these teams are considered "scratches" as they decided to withdraw from the race due to health or equipment issues.  One musher was "withdrawn" from the race for breaking one of the Iditarod's rules.

The musher's commands to his or her dogs include the words Gee (which means turn right) and Haw (which means turn left).  One of the trucks that carry the dogs took these commands a step further.

                  Musher License Plate Humor

Keep checking back.  The race is heating up!

We made it back to Texas this evening and I am looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday morning.  This adventure was beyond description and the chance to share it with you all as it happened has made the experience even more incredible. 

All of the teams have left Willow and several have already passed Yentna on their way to the great Alaskan wilderness (Lance Mackey has jumped to an early lead).  This will be my last blog entry, but I would encourage everyone to follow the race, learn the history, and make plans to start your own adventure - no matter what that adventure might be. 

Thanks to everyone who visited the blog, emailed me while in Alaska, provided technical support (Ms. Middleton and Ms. Brock), and supported this trip in so many ways.  As I said on day one, you all are the best.

Husky Pride!

We (my wife and I - she is reluctant to pose for blog pictures) got to 4th Street at about 8:45 this morning.  The excitement and energy that surround the Iditarod were in the air - as was the snow.  As we traveled along the street we got to meet and greet dogs and mushers as they prepared for a fantastic journey.  You could find all different sizes, shapes, colors, and personalities in the dogs you "met".

            Ready to Race

                                     4th Street

                                         Rest before the Trail

As it got closer to 10:00, the dogs were harnessed and prepared for the first 11 miles of the race.  The teams would move toward the starting line in their bib order and as they passed the other dogs there was howling, moaning, and barking as each team wanted to be the one on the start line.  The noise of so many dogs barking in such a small space brought smiles and laughter.  When a harnessed team would have to stop on the street to wait for a group ahead of them, they began jumping, pulling on the sled, and whining.  They want to run and pull.

                                      Let's Go Already

                                 To the Start Line

William Kleedehn was bib number 66 and we got to the line at about 12:22 (Alaska time).  The start was incredible as the dogs pulled along 4th Street (surrounded by people), down Cordova hill and into the trees and trail.  The two lead dogs today were young and new to leading a sled team.  They missed the first turn and tried to go around the first tunnel.  When we came to a bridge over a frozen river, the dogs decided to take the hard way and went down the river bank and across the ice.  Aside from running the sled into a tree stump that brought us to an abrupt stop, the detour was quite nice.  Although leading can be difficult, there is only one way to learn it and that is by doing it.  When  the team starts tomorrow, Breeze and Big Bear will be back up front.  As we approached the checkpoint, the team was just hitting their stride having passed a couple of mushers on the trail.  This team is ready for the journey to Nome.

                      Breeze and Boomer's Bandana at the Start Line

                                      Race Time

I also got to meet Brave today.  For anyone out there that thinks that getting a little more mature in life means you need to bypass opportunities, let me tell you about Brave.  Brave is 10 years-old - by dog standards and 10 years-old is getting up there for a sled dog.  Brave will be running the Iditarod and jumps and pulls like the "pups".  I mentioned earlier about the different sizes, shapes, and personalities of the dogs. These dogs become champions by having the heart of a husky.  Everyone needs to know that it is not age, height, weight, or color that makes the difference.  The difference is, and always will be, what is deep-down in the heart.

                                   "Brave"

This has been an incredible experience.  From riding the trail and talking to students over the internet, from meeting the dogs to responding to the blogs, it has been an amazing experience - thank you to all of the special people who have made this happen.