Update

Not too much to write about over the last day and ½ ; trained 2 teams yesterday and Randy wouldn’t probably want me to tell you, but since he did it right in front of Michael Tetzner and his wife, I won’t be breaking a “secret”! When he was training my team (he had some young dogs he wanted to try out in lead so he took them plus I am still not feeling “up to par’) he had stopped to switch dogs and when he pulled the snow hook they jerked and he took a header into the snow bank!!! Then he dragged for a while until he let go of the sled and let the snow hook stop them!
After training Jennifer Probert and Carl Erhart stopped by for some cheese and crackers and then invited us to dinner – they live just up the road a bit – if you remember she is the one we gave the dog Red to last year and this year he is in point and lead for her 8 dog team – we had delicious salmon and soup and learned more about both of their families – Jennifer’s mother is a native and both Carl’s are – very cozy cabin in the woods and for the winter they keep all their dogs in one of those “rent-an-office” trailers they got for $300 – it keeps the dogs warm when it is cold and then they have a fenced in yard for them to run free – they are going to take 2 more dogs that just don’t have a good fit in Randy’s team but might work out for them (Anna and Larry).
Mark Hartum stopped by and visited with Randy for about ½ hour and I washed my hair in the clubhouse while he was visiting…. I said “what did you talk about for that long ( and they visited yesterday for 1 hour in the trailer…) and he said “dogs……” some of you out there (like Kukals and the DeKuiper kids probably get that----but I am sure not everybody does……….
After feeding and dropping (and letting the puppy , Ghost, run around the parking lot – he even is starting to come to his name and jumps in and out of the upper box he is in!!) and packing up we are on our way to Tok – had to stop and get more diesel (cause from now on the price of everything rises astronomically!!) and some more dog and people food and then we will stop ½ way about to see Jan Fairbanks and Bill for dinner.
So all of you Michigan Family………this is the first leg of our way home!!!!!! My mother asks every day when we will be home--------

Made it to Jan Fairbanks and Bill Ridders place just north of Delta Junction about 4pm on beautiful clear sunny day - dropped and fed and walked up the hill(about 1/4 mile of exceedingly steep grade.....) to their gorgeous log cabin overlooking the mountain range and and the river (we can only pull up the very steep road about a 1/2 mile and then turn the truck/trailer around in the plowed space and then park there overnite cause we don't want to take a chance of getting stuck in their very steep drive!!) Had salmon marinted in maple syrup and soy sauce - delicious!!!! Up at the crack of 9am this morning and dropped dogs and went up to have "brunch" with Jan and Bill - back on the road about 12 and more clear roads and sunny day driving her in 3 hours all along the majestic Alaska Range!!! It took lots of pictures of Jan's house and the mountains last year on an even clearer day so I didn't get any this year. We are stopped at "Fast Eddy's" restaurant to use the wifi and then will go park at the clubhouse and get my dish-to-pass - polish roses- ready to take in to the "highlight-of-highlights in the culinary Alaskan World" the Tok race banquet - people from the surrounding area bring in ethnic and Alaskan dishes and have a community banquet that the mushers are invited to!!!! So really looking forward to that!!! Tonite we will draw numbers for going out in the 6 dog for me and open for Randy - already we see Kris Rasey, the Hnatiuk's and Bev Stevens are here at the hotel- more to come tomorrow!!