We're in the big city, Fairbanks!

Thursday:
Made it to the dog track and exchanged the dog with Jennifer who seemed pleased with how he looked. Fed dogs and while we were out a father and son walked up to us and engaged in conversation which eventually led to a kind of “come to Jesus meeting” – not high pressure but just wanting to know if we were Christians, and if not wanted the opportunity to convert us……
Friday:
Big day shopping – fed the dogs and then went to the Fred Meyer store (not a relation to the one in Michigan-) and picked up a prescription for one of the dogs and got some groceries – then to Coldspot Feeds to try and buy some chicken skins for Hedwig, our fussy eater, but they didn’t have any (they have to buy something like a full truckload from Charlie Champagne and they chose not to this year cause we got some there last year)and were waiting for a shipment to come from Medford, WI of Eureka. Then to Walmart and got some special gifts for special grandchildren, then to NAPA to get another belt for the trailer generator, then to Pioneer Park (which must be really something in the summer, historic touristy place) to drop the dogs, then to the only pawn shop in town. They have a ton of stuff and lots of authentic Alaskan-type clothing and hats and jewelry but nothing was terribly reasonable price-wise – so we didn’t buy anything. Randy did offer to buy me a $700 Eskimo coat that looks kind of like a kuspuk (the traditional Eskimo dress) but I thought it to be too much- but very sweet of him! Next stop was the transfer station that I described last year – where everybody brings their garbage and anything else they want to get rid of including clothes and furniture and appliances and then other people go through the some 20 boxes to look and see if there is anything that could be their “treasure” – I went on a mission from Randy to find a piece of insulation to fit into the vent space in our “living room” so that the condensation wouldn’t drip on him like it did the other nite when he stuffed a blanket up into it! I managed to find a piece of carpet padding and all for free!!!
Back to the track to spend the nite where another man came up to talk to use who was waiting to meet his sons here (it’s a very popular meeting place – vehicles are constantly in and out of the parking lot) and he was from a place named Bettles 250 miles northwest of here and he only comes out 4 times a year to get provisions!!! This trip was to get a 500 gallon propane tank filled which will be their hot water and cooking fuel for the year! I asked him how he made a living in a town with only 75 residents and he said he was the pastor, weather station manager, and on the town board and also did handy man work. They have lived there 20 years! The population is shrinking over the last few years because he said that the government funding has decreased. So in less than 12 hours 2 pastors had struck up conversations with me………………….are you trying to tell me something??
Saturday:
Up at 9am and the sun was still not all the way up!! Beautiful sunny day and -14 degrees – doesn’t really feel that cold - we fed dogs and were dropping them when a guy came up and asked if he could borrow a dog for his son for the one dog race – they are having a juniors race here today. So he is borrowing Spiff my leader and Ocean’s dog!! His dad said that his truck and dogs were stuck up in the mountains! In exchange for using the dog he gave us a bag of moose meat for the dogs!!!!
After this one dog race we are going to go to Lowes and buy some metal to cover the inside wood door on Ron’s box – he is soooo hard to load (I know Mark and Austin can understand that!!!!!) the “pass through box” is really the only box that will work and when he wants to be out he just claws at the door!!
Then after that we will train here – then tomorrow there is supposed to be a one day race which will give us a chance to run the dogs again!
One of the young women we met last year is here with some pups from George Attla that he has for sale – out of a Jennifer Probert dog, a Rudy Ropertz dog and an Attla dog!! We will see if Randy thinks that would be a good deal at $300d!!! Randy looked at them and at 6 months they are bigger than a lot of our dogs – too big!!!
Finally got the right wifi password for the Alaskan Dog Mushing Assoc. so I should be able to post tomorrow when there is more to say!!!