Home again, home again, jiggety jig............

Time for an update on the final leg of the trip ------------haven’t had much time since we left Traverse City – got home early afternoon and immediately got stuck in the driveway………..about 1.5 foot of snow and the 4 wheel drive couldn’t even handle it!!!  While Randy worked on getting unstuck I tried to get into the house: note the emphasis on “tried” – I got the key to the front door from its hiding place and it wouldn’t work – I tried the other 2 doors on the front of the house and no go….then I walked around the house in the deep snow to see if I had left any windows open (and of course I had insisted that we lock the sliding glass door up on the balcony!)

No open windows – so maybe the lock is frozen, so out to the stuck truck to get the lock de-icer (trying not to let Randy know that I can’t get into the house to start a fire and get the house warm while he is already having a bad day….) – the lock de-icer didn’t work and I was forced to admit to Randy that I couldn’t get the key to work…………so he tried it and it opened!!  By that time he had gotten the truck and trailer un-stuck and had plugged in the backhoe and started charging it to make a space to drive in the drive way and park near the kennel= got the driveway clear so he could back the truck and trailer in- next was dropping the dogs – did that and got a fire going and found out when he turned the water on that the water lines had frozen………….several trips down into the crawl space/dirt basement and still no water – un-pack the port-a-potty…………fed the dogs at the trailer and put them back in their boxes for the nite.  Still no water…………good sleep in the bed!

By morning the toilet water was filling (big deal____) and we had water in the kitchen but not the bathroom.  Fed the dogs breakfast and then started the overwhelming task of moving 27 crazy with energy dogs back into the kennel!!!  We got 9 of them out and had to take a break – then we got 5 out and had to take a break – then we got 4 and took a break – talk about slugging through the snow!!!!! Plus for every dog we had to dig out a place for them to be able to get in their house!  Finally got all of them moved about noon and then had to dig out the new pole barn door to be able to get the yellow pick-up truck out…………went to our neighbor Dee’s to take her more meat (she is caring for our 11 pups for the winter) and get more dog food bread from the truck we have parked there – then we went over to look at our training trail (that was in pristine condition when we left 3 weeks ago…) and surprisingly, they look like snowmobiles have been using them  - so tomorrow our job is to drag the trail and get it in shape for training again – hopefully put some faster miles on them and then go out to Quebec to the Daaquam race in 3 weeks!

Happy Valentines Day and will post as soon as we have news!!!!

What next???

 This is Wednesday (I think…..) and we are sitting in Traverse City on Airport Road getting the generator fixed -  you might be asking yourself how in the heck did we end up here………….

We slept in the parking lot of the Wolverine Power Systems shop Monday nite; got up so we could talk to someone right away as soon as they opened up – Randy found out that they couldn’t have someone look at the generator until Thursday, so our first inclination was to head home and then have them come to the house for $160 up front and $89 per hour– then, whiled we were driving out of town, we calculated what it would cost to drive back up to Gaylord when they could fix it; and that was even more money so we decided to head back to the shop and wait and see if someone might get to it – but first we had to find a fuse that was blown in the generator- the gal at Wolverine said we could go to the NAPA store cause they didn’t have any is stock (wouldn’t you think a GENERAC generator dealer would have the fuses in stock????).  ON the way to NAPA we stopped at an Auto Value – not the right fuse.  They sent us to Radio Shack – not the right fuse- they sent us to Wittock Electric (they also gave us the number of a relative that fixed generators in Traverse City and we called and he could work on it Wed at 8:30am)– and they said they could have the fuse tomorrow – then they sent us to Ace Hardware- they had the fuse!!!!!!!  Randy bought 6!!!!  Then we decided we may as well go to Traverse City, be part of the way home and get the generator looked at a day earlier!  So, in a very round-about fashion, that’s how we ended up spending the nite in Traverse City!

The technician is working on the generator now – I don’t know how much per hour they charge but it’s almost 11 so that’s 2.5 hours……….  They figured out that the bushings were bad and at first said they didn’t have them in stock and we would have to come back, but the guy has only worked here 4 days and someone told them they were in stock!  They just started the generator and it’s “humming along”….

And the total is……………tat a tada!!!!  $268!!!!  And I guessed $250!!!  So we are on our way to 5300 8 Mile!!!!

Randy just said that our generator was $12,000 new and that those 3 cylinder diesel generators will run forever!!

Now we will be home in about and hour and half and then have to see if we can get in the driveway or have to plow first – then start a fire and turn the water back on and see how fast I can get the home phone “off vacation” – then our next project is to get the paperwork all set for being able to pass going through the scales in Canada!!  Will write as soon as I can again!!

Made it safely to Gaylord MI!

It's 7:45 p and we are here - going to get some fuel and park in the lot of the generator "fix-it" shop for the nite -
Saw 2 foxes running on the ice as we were going over the Mackinac Bridge and one deer crossed the road but that's it for wildlife watch!!!

Talk to you tomorrow!

Cold and colder yet!!

Saturday started with sun and cold – but it was warmer than it has been or else we are just getting used to sub zero temps!!!  (Randy’s face is peeling everywhere except his beard area from getting frost bitten last weekend!)

We got to the driver’s meeting and talked to Doris the person we had sent the entry to – she only had Randy entered in the open and 6 dog – she didn’t look at the bottom of the page sent her with my info on it – but she graciously allowed me to enter anyway (this was my first clue that maybe I was not supposed to run in the 4 dog………….).  We got Randy out in the open with 14 dogs with Rocky and Bieka in lead and all of his other solid older dogs and 2 2-year olds (Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson) and a yearling (Drago)- he had to go heavy on the drag the whole 12 miles because Jeff wasn’t really pulling and Drago never tightened his tug line – he had one problem falling at a more-than-90 degree corner and there were lots of turn in the trail- so he came in 7^th and they pay down to 6^th…..

While we were taking his team to the line, my knee, which had not been hurting for several days got a work out – they don’t use snowmobiles or 4 wheelers to get the teams to the line – even with it being icy snow for a block to get there – they only use people power – so after he left I started limping –(another clue to not run – but I was still planning on it…..)

The 6 dog went well and he came in 10^th out of 13 teams – he said before he went out that he would know better being on most of the same trail for the 4 dog whether it would be risky for me to run it – when he came back he said definitely he didn’t want me to try it – the 3^rd clue and I was relieved!

He ran the 4 dogs team of Scar, Dee, Kimmy and Wolf – what an unlikely looking team with 3 little girls and one big boy with most other teams with 4 big bruisers!!!  They ran great and he came in 13^th out of 27 teams –

Last nite we went to the Musher’s Ball at the same log cabiny, rustic lodge that we stayed at 3 nites ago and had dinner and then they had a band – though I had to keep the movement to a minimum we did do a little bit of dancing – couldn’t resist!

Up this morning and they said it was -1 F which really doesn’t feel too bad – there’s no wind so that helps!

Well forget what I said about no wind!!!  In the time I wrote this waiting for Randy to come back it kicked up something fierce!!!!

The run did not go as well as we hoped – Isaac has been having problems with his front ankles even since training and we have been wrapping them every time he runs – well this time it didn’t work – he ran 2 miles and neck lined the rest of the way – until just a mile before the finish line Randy finally had to load him.

The 6 dog went a bit better but just before Randy left I asked him if he wanted me to switch back the leaders Oats and Snapper – and he said no – and when he got back he said I should have switched them because Oats runs better on the right – the rest all did very well, Dancer, Ghost, Donna and the only glitch was that Echo didn’t start working until about 2 miles.

In the 4 dog he gained a little bit but stayed in the same place  - all in all it was a good way to see which dogs have potential and which ones can’t make it anymore.

Up Monday morning and found out from the fireman it was -22F over nite – the generator stopped running once during the nite and it got to be 45 degrees!!!!  A little chilly – but the rest of the nite was fine – on the road by 10:42 and don’t think we will make it home today =especially if we stop at Gaylord to see if we can get the generator fixerd (the inside one)  Talk to you as soon as I can!!!

Just keeps getting better and better.....

More bad luck – yesterday the generator that is permanently installed in the trailer stopped working in the middle of the afternoon – 4 years ago we had trouble with it and stopped at a generator place in Gaylord MI  and they showed Randy how to “jump” it (bypass something  or other ) and it fixed the problem – but Randy has forgotten how he did that – that we went with plan B which is using the Honda generator that we bought 2 years ago – the only problem with it is that it will only run a maximum of 8 hours just operating the lights of the kettle korn trailer – not to mention a furnace, microwave etc. that we have in the trailer- so that means that Randy has to get up once during the nite, every nite to refill the gas so we have heat – and you wouldn’t want to be without heat as cold as it is today!!!!  Sunny but very cold and windy!  So the fact that the generator is out of commission pretty much settles that we will head home after this race- if we get it fixed in Gaylord again that may mean more options but we will have to see.

After we packed up from our luxurious accommodations yesterday we went to town (which was really only a block away) and got more fuel.  Then we drove to where the race starts and walked about ½ mile of it – just as I had feared, they were 5 turns in the 1^st ½ mile!!!  I am only running 4 tomorrow but would really rather not wipe out my first time on the sled this year!  The trail is pretty hard and wide.

The funniest thing that happened was that both Randy and I thought that it was Friday and it was only Thursday!!!  Pretty easy to do when you aren’t “in touch” with the world!  For some reason we don’t even have phone service here!

Ahhhhhhh......

Fun nite - slept good - good bed  - very quiet - good continental breakfast - very cold this morning - crunchy snow - maybe  I will go shopping in some of the cute little shops in town today!!  Randy is entered in the open and 6 dog class and I am entered in the 4 dog - first time on the sled for me this year - cross your fingers!!!!

Here we are at Land O' Lakes Wisconsin!!

Got here about 5pm and then Randy found the guy putting in the trail and looked at the trail map to see what it would be like - we made it here without any issues adn as a pre-Vanentines treat are stayihng at the Gateway Lodge which is very old (Built in 1937) and log- cabiny and mounted animals from Alaska so made us feel like we had made the trip (kind of.......) and they had a sauna, hot tub and pool that were wonderful - it was a hard sell for me thinking by the time you unload everything that you already had access to in the trailer and the re-load the next day it doesn't seem worth it but this has been really fun!!!  Plus wifi -so will talk to you in the morning!!

Wisconsin looks like a good place to race!

We left Portage La Prairie about 11 after stopping in to the McDonald’s to post and were happily going down the road almost to Winnipeg when we saw the flashing lights on the sign indicating that all trucks needed to pull into the truck scales (plus something we have never seen before, a provincial car sitting at the edge of the entrance so he could quickly take off to chase any vehicle that didn’t pull in!) – now you may remember that we have had our share of bad experiences with the Canadian truck scales personnel over the last 5 years – especially those in British Columbia – so needless to say, we were apprehensive going in…………well that apprehension proved to be warranted!  We were there an hour and surprise, surprise-  the guy found $3000 worth of stuff to fine us for!!!!  This is the list 1) no back up lites on the trailer 2) the registration on the truck was stated as being less than the sticker on the door 3) the registration on the trailer sticker lists the weight allowed as much less that what the axles are rated 4) no DOT inspection on the truck or trailer 5) no covers over the off road lites 6) no “not for hire” sign on the truck -  !!!!!!!!  he also wanted to see Randy’s medical certificate for his CDL which he doesn’t even need to have a CDL to drive this truck with hydraulic brakes!!!!!

The saving grace was that this guy was by himself (he said he had to hurry up and finish before his partner came back from lunch – implying he could not be as generous with his partner present), he had volunteered at the The Pas dog sled race several years and he was 64 years old so felt an “affinity” for Randy – the end result is that he didn’t ticket us at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  In fact he asked which way we were going and mentioned that there was another scales south of Winnipeg on Rte 75 (which was the way we were planning to go until then…) – so he was a really great guy but it left Randy’s stomach tied in knots!

We took a different route around Winnipeg on a not-as-good road but didn’t  have to cross any more scales!  We ended up taking highway 59 south, a two lane that went thru the town where Dave Hochman lives, St. Malo –(we remembered it was where he lived when we drove through the town and they have a sign that tells you all the notable people that are from the area and Dave was listed) we didn’t make plans with him to stop and visit and were thinking we wanted to get farther east so we didn’t call or stop.  The road was fairly good most of the way and we made it all the way down to Grand Rapids, MN (the birth place of Judy Garland  which I saw  on a sign this morning) and stayed in the grocery store parking lot that we had stayed by on the way west  a week and half ago.  Went in and bought fried chicken for dinner after feeding dogs (since it has been so bitter cold we have started feeding the dogs in their boxes – Randy stands at the back door and fills the bowls and I put them in – they eat better probably because they are not freezing their feet off while they are eating!!) and thought we had wifi from the grocery store, but couldn’t get it to work.

Up this morning with -10 F (and crazy enough, that felt warm) at 8am and some guys that are laying pipe in the area stopped to visit.  Loaded up and got on the road and made a 10 mile detour accidentally – which luckily allowed us to go through Colraine with has a ski jump that we saw – I don’t know how tall it is but it looked like10+ stories!!!!!  That would take a lot of guts to go down!!!  I wonder if any of the people over at the olympics used that for training – there’s one in Ishpheming in the UP but I haven’t actually seen it.  So now we are back on track and closing in on Duluth where we will find another McDonald’s and post and look up to see where some Michigan and Wisconsin dog races are scheduled – Randy decided that with the problems we had at the truck scales yesterday we best not go to Quebec until we get the issues resolved.  We called Doris Lovrine in Wisconsin last nite and they have a race this weekend but we have to register by Thursday so we will see if we can do that today and hopefully find someplace to train yet this week.

Where's Waldo.....and Randy and Cris???

We left Cook’s house at about 11:30am after dropping dogs and then filling up with water – the road we came in on was still bumpy (to say the least) but at least I had duct taped the microwave oven to the counter good enough this time!

We had clear roads and weather and as we got closer to Winnipeg and heard the news and weather it was white out conditions – so we decided to park at Portage La Prairie right next to the place we were broke down for a week last year!!!!!

So we have fed dogs and are in the lot of Walmart – no internet service so don’t know when this will get posted.

No interesting animal stories…………or really any other stories……….

We talked about the decision to go back east and I guess it is really an accumulation of many things…………the dogs not fast enough right now, the dogs sick, both Randy and I have sprained knees, the trailer is probably holding 70% of the weight on the back axle even with all the moving around we did with dogs and meat and not knowing how that is really going to affect the axle and “what if” we broke down on the Alcan, not knowing until just today that the Exxon race was on, the bitter cold we have been in the last week, and sometimes you just have to trust that there is a reason not to………….

Up at the crack of 8:30 this morning – very cold – fed dogs and are on the road by 10 to 10 – Randy went over to say thanks again for the NAPA store people for last year and they had recognized the trailer and had been talking about us!

Stopped at McDonalds for wifi and on the road again….. should make it well into Minnesota and maybe even Michigan!

Decisions, decisions.....

It was “one of those days, Alice” – (anybody younger than me would not remember watching the “Honeymooners” on very very old TV…………

Got more diesel for the generator and propane for the furnace at the one and only place to get it in Preeceville, the one and only gas station!  And we were good for the nite parked down at the race site –

Didn’t feel as cold this morning without wind and it was actually above freezing in the dog area before we opened the back door – the wind did kick up and it did snow a bit during both the 10 and the 6 dog races –

Had 6 of the 10 dogs with feet treated and harnessed tied up in the back of the trailer (got a little congested with 6 of them in the aisle!!) before we let them out into the cold to race – Randy asked the guy next to us when we would know to start because it is a mass start – he told us that when the flag in the center of the mass start area was changed, it would be 10 minutes and then when the flag was changed again it would be 5 minutes ------------well that’s not how it went------I saw Cook’s hooking up dogs and told Randy we better start – but we thought we had at least 10 more minutes – so we start hooking them up and I have trouble with the snaps opening because we left the lines outside on the sled overnite  - so as I am trying to thaw them with my breath, I look up and the Cooks are taking off!!!!! (Kevin, Ray and Rhonda) and I yell to Randy “they’re leaving” and (because he had read the passage in “jesus calling” this morning”) he said “don’t be upset, it’s OK” – so not only did he leave last but he had trouble with Isaac’s neck line coming off and then he backed out of his harness, stopped the team, put in 2 snow hooks and while he was trying to get Isaac back in harness, both snow hooks came loose, as the sled went by he jumped on it and dragged behind the sled till he worked himself back upright and then one of the hooks grabbed and jerked him stopped – by then he had lost one of his mittens (not something good to lose as cold as it is…) but a snowmobiler saw the mitt and ran up and grabbed it sped up to give it to Randy. So he finished last….12 out of 12 (but still in the money!!)

In the 6 dog he left in a timely fashion and was actually in 4^th for a while – until Jackson realized he was in a mass start again and Arrow, who had never been in a mass start, started freaking – so he ended up 19^th out of 21 teams.

Tonite we went to a musher’s banquet and had roast beef, ham and cabbage rolls with all the “fixin’s” – as we were getting to the legion hall, the Cook family was leaving and they told us that they had already closed up the kitchen and shut the doors…………..we owe them for that one!!  No doors closed and lots of food!!

We are back at the race site parking lot and ready to drop dogs again at 8:30 so we can get up at 7am again tomorrow – it’s pretty tight between the 10 dog at 10am and getting done almost at 11:30 and the 6 dog starting at 12n – have to have everything ready to go and keep to the schedule – no pressure………….

Today was about the same as yesterday – cold and windy – Randy looked good leaving in the 10 dog and was in about 4^th for half the race and the Snapper started dragging in lead and then he moved him back in the team and then moved him back in ;the team again and then Donna got tired and then Isaac really lost traction and started neck lining (we think he caught Blanche’s cold) – so he came in last again today even though we had no troubles starting the race – the 6 dog team did better but still came in last – we were just discussing our racing program and isn’t  pretty –

Apparently another 2 hours and they have the 2^nd musher’s dinner (sounds like it might be the same menu…) and the awards.  So we are parked near the legion hall waiting – pretty windy and brutal outside – will probably go back to Cook’s to feed and stay the nite.

After much thought, discussion and angst, Randy has decided to go back home – it doesn’t feel like the dogs have enough speed on them after racing them over the weekend(and not sure if we could get them in shape by driving 3 more thousand miles and then not knowing what the conditions will be when we get there) and we are both tired of the cold- it’s even colder today than it has been.  So we are going to go up to the Cook house and say goodbye and head back for Michigan.  We may stop and train up by Newberry in the UP at Jim Oschalager’s (sp??) and then who knows what!!!  Talk to you soon!!

Still cold...............but less wind!

Friday already………….we have only been gone a week but it somehow seems like forever!!  Yesterday was too cold and windy to train so we did the dogs manicures and then about suppertime Kevin came and wanted to know if Randy wanted to ride with his to get a trailer for hauling the pigs (his main enterprise) and if would be about a ½ hour ride – so they left at 7 and about 8:30 I started wondering what had happened = Randy got back about 8:45 and said he thought maybe he was bad luck for Kevin as they had gotten stuck the nite before with the big tractor and then tonite the trailer  air valve was leaking so they couldn’t hook it up –

So we got a very late start on feeding dogs and finally went to bed at about 11 –

The Cook’s are in the same predicament we are as far as deciding whether to go to Alaska – their original intent was to leave from here on Monday and travel fast enough that they planned to make it to the Exxon race in Anchorage next weekend – so they will make their decision probably on Sunday nite – we, on the other hand, cannot make it to Anchorage from here fast enough to enter the Exxon even if they have it – so our next option would be to get up there in time for the Raven Electric 10 dog race – which isn’t really long enough to prepare the dogs for the Rondy anyhow – and then still not know if they will have snow for the Rondy – just have to go with the flow…….

Today Randy is going to train all the dogs that won’t be racing tomorrow and Sunday – it feels warmer today and there is little wind – we will still have to dress him warm though!!  After training we will come back here for water and then go downtown to the race site to park for the nite so that we can have our trailer parked without having to jockey around any other vehicles.

 Training went well but Blanche who has a cold didn't want to lead very good today - Randy tried 5 different leaders and finally got back to her to finish the training trail - already fed supper and off to park at the race site for the nite!!!

 Love you all!!  will update tomorrow if I can find a place to post - Randy is running both the 6 and the 10 dog race - should be about the same temp tomorrow!!

Colder than a welldigger"s ____!!!!!

This is Wednesday – yesterday we trained 2 9-dog teams with cold but sunny temps – everybody seemed to do well with the exception of Erin that developed a fissure on her rear hind foot – we did the other 9 today and it was much colder and windy – so Randy just trained the ones that didn’t go yesterday – the trail was good both days and –mind you, this is just the training trail up by the Cook’s cabin – not the race trail.  The training run went fine although Randy got much colder today  - should have had a face mask on and got cold hands even with the hand warmers in his gloves –

Got done training and came back the 20 miles to Preeceville and went to the hardware that Ray Cook recommended to buy a  new microwave (actually the only place in town to be able to buy one…) the hardware in Preeceville – they have eveeeerrrrrrrryyyyyything!!!!  We also noted when we got out of the truck downtown that they have an impressive park in front of the Preeceville elevator (many of these towns in the prairie were built around the place where they could transport the grains they grew – and very nicely they had a tribute to the Cook family for the years they had put on the dog race and how well both Ray and Kevin had done racing in Manitoba and Alaska and Saskatchewan.

Last nite had dinner with Kevin and Rhonda at their home and delicious and what an ambiance!!!!  They too are Harley drivers and the living area is all black and orange “Harley”!!!!

After getting back to Kevin and Rhonda’s today we saw this monster tractor in the drive = John Deere green – it was ordered from the local dealer to get the “monster” drifts out of the trail for the race this weekend – Randy volunteered to ride with Kevin to groom the trail so I set about tidying the trailer for the next one and half hours – when he got back Randy had quite the story to tell – This huge huge huge huge tractor had broken through the ice in the swamp on the race trail while Randy was riding with Kevin trying to level the trail from the drifting – by the time Kevin’s son Wyatt brought Randy back here  to the trailer they had all the city employees out trying to   get the tractor un-stuck   and even a payloader and a backhoe coming – not a good day in the life of Kevin Cook…………….

Back here at the “camp” – new microwave set up and ready for a hot dinner of peas, mashed potatoes and chicken!!!!!

- 7 here this morning with wind and Randy has decided that it's too cold to train - so a relaxing day at home - get the other 1/2 of the dogs toenails trimmed.....fun huh?????

January 28, 2014

Yesterday we got on the road about noon and headed north on hiway 9 – new territory for us – never been on that road before – and probably never will again……now that we know what the road is like!  You may never have been on the Alcan going around Destruction Bay in the Yukon, but this road rivals that!!  Talk about frost heaves!!!!!  We only had one casualty……the microwave……may it rest in peace – it bounced its way right off the counter onto the floor and spilled its guts – now it will work with the door open – and no, we are not using it!

The good part about the trip is that we saw a pheasant and 3 moose!!! Quite clost to the road!  But not pictures – not quick enough on the “draw”.

We stopped at the gas station to ask directions and found the place where the race is to be held this Saturday but nobody was there and it was getting dark and thought we would try to find Cooks so we stopped at a restaurant named aptly “Chris’s Place” and not only did we find out where they lived but Kevin was there having a meeting with all the people putting the race on – it seems they got a bit much snow and have a 10 foot snow drift blocking the trailer and needed to talk about how to get rid of it – they decided to get a bigger trail groomer from another town – and I guess more money too…

We drove to Kevin’s “yard” which is essentially a semi truck and trailer yard with a big semi truck wash – he exclusively hauls pigs for a farm and can haul nothing else – the trucks need to be sanitized between hauls, thus the truck wash.

Slept well and got up late – fed dogs and it seemed a lot warmer outside.  The sun is out and that helps!  Followed Kevin and Rhonda up 30 miles to where his mom and dad have a trapping cabin and where they train their dogs from.  There is no electricity or water but they love it up there and spend most of the winter trapping and staying in the wilderness!

Helped Kevin’s friend, Jerry and his dad, Ray get hooked up and train and then went back to our truck on the snowmobile with Rhonda- we had to park about a mile away from the cabin because our truck/trailer are too big to turn around at the cabin.  Once Randy backed out of the road about 1/8 mile we parked on the side of the road where the training trail crossed the hiway.  Randy is out now with a 9 dog team going 17 miles I think – first time on the sled this year!!!!

On the road again!!!

After an uneventful night and having watched two movies on the computer and having cheese and crackers and pepperoni for dinner, got up this morning to still very cold, but at least not so windy weather with the sun shining - so after we fed breakfast Randy says "lets pack up and go" - so this is going to be goodbye for a little while until I find another place to "blog" - we will be heading up almost directly north to Preeceville, Saskatchewan to Cook's race - they emailed us back to say that the blizzard Sunday had blown his race trail in and most likely would again today but that we would be able to train dogs on it by Tuesday - so over the border today - say prayers that we have no hassles!!!!

funny sidenote...

when I was in Target I bought a jug of water with a spout (2.5 gallons) to have as a convenient way to dispense - guess where it's from ?????????  Evart, MI where we go to church!!!!

minute to minute news update...............

We are sitting in the trailer at the back side of the Target store (which I found out shopping is attached to a huge mall with ~ 50 stores and a food court when I went shopping for a few items I forgot..) having cheese and crackers for an afternoon treat.  When I went shopping and turned the corner I almost got blown over ----physically blown over, the wind is so strong - Randy made the wise decision to stay here today and wait and see what tomorrow brings in the way of weather - I can only imagine how the visibility would be on the open prairies of ND with this wind if it's this bad sitting protected by Target!!!  At this point we are thinking going to the race in Preeceville north of here is a good idea - then we can decide what to do after that - more news later!!

What a difference 10 hours can make!

Got up this morning and our "Miami-like" weather had turned back in to "Alberta Clipper" - it was only 11 degrees in the dog part of the trailer and sooooo windy outside.  To feed breakfast we had to set the dishes down on the ground and feed immediately or the dish would blow away!!!  We are parked next to the Target store (which on the one hand is nice because I have wifi to be able to look up all the weather and condition reports) next to an access road with stores all around us and it is still extremely windy - we haven't heard a Minot recent weather report this morning but I don't think this was expected!  It is probably now what they were predicting for over by Grand Forks - and it's raining up in Edmondton!!!

So now we are in a conundrum-  they have no snow in Anchorage with only ice on trails, there is training in Fairbanks, there is rain in Edmonton, and there is a race in Preeceville, Saskatchewan this coming weekend with the temp of 4 on Sat and -4 on Sunday....right now it is looking like we are headed to the race and will have to change plans if it looks like they might get snow in Anchorage - Randy's favorite race is the Rondy and right now they don't have the snow or the prediction of snow to look like it will be a "go" - decisions, decisions....this is the same thing that happened to us last year - and this year if we hadn't had trouble with the old trailer not fitting the new truck we would already be up in Fairbanks without having to make the "big decision" of "to go to Alaska or not to go".  Will keep you up to date with minute to minute (well not really....) coverage!

weirdest weather I have ever seen.............

as we arrived into Minot ND it was almost blizzarding and very cold - after we came out from McDonald's the wind had majorly kicked up and felt warmer........like much warmer.....like when we dropped to feed the snow and ice started melting off the truck!  we had just heard on the radio 2 hours before that Monday was going to be -30 degrees  - then we saw on the computer that it is raining in Edmonton, AB, CA!  so we don't know what to do - we just got an email from our friend Pam in Anchorage and from Ken and Laurie Chezik saying the trails were gone in Anchorage and everyone has gone up to Fairbanks to train - what to do????

Day 2 and 3

Friday - Got all 17 dogs rabies shots and were on our way – stopped to drop dogs the other side of Marquette at a place out of the bitter cold and wind inbetween a mall and a “mountain” (well a small one…).  Half way across the UP we ran into a weird thing – even though the temp was about 12 degrees, it started sleeting!!!!!  It kept freezing up the windshield so fast that we had to stop on the side of the road to let the defrost catch up to how cold the windshield was from the cold temp outside!  We saw several people stopping to scrape their windows so it wasn’t just us – that lasted for about 2 hours and then of course, the roads got icy – good time to have 4 wheel drive!!!  Forged ahead and wanted to make it through the expressway spaghetti in Duluth before dark – we just made it going about 40 miles per hour across the UP.

Fed dogs the other side of Duluth behind a gas station out of the wind – the temp actually had risen to about 29 – had gas station sandwiches for dinner and back on the road – it was about 10pm when we drove around Grand Rapids, MN to look for a place out of the wind to drop dogs and spend the nite – found a place between a grocery store and another business – still windy and -8 degrees but better than in a big parking lot.  Thought this was a good time to re-arrange dogs for weight distribution so we put all the light dogs (<45 and="" axle="" back="" front="" heavier="" hoping="" in="" it="" of="" off="" ones="" pounds="" some="" span="" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" take="" the="" tire.="" trailer="" weight="" would="">  Then we moved the back1/4 of the 25 pound pails of meat from under the floor to the big dog boxes on the back of the truck and switched it with the hay Randy had stored there – for the same reason.  It was 17 pails so that 425 pounds should have made some difference – this morning Randy says it’s not noticeable but that surely it must have helped.  So now both the dogs and I have a new pattern to learn with new box assignments, just when we were getting used to the routine!

Got up earlier today per Randy’s request (only once at 5am did I hear a distinct crunching noise like someone or something eating Fritos…..) at 7:30am and on the road by 8:20 – it was -12 degrees and still windy and the dogs didn’t drink very well for breakfast – they were excited to get back in!!!

Stopped at Bagley, MN for dog drop and roads were pretty icy all the way till just before Grand Forks – finally got to put it back in 2 wheel drive- way better gas mileage – I am thinking we get 10 mpg in 2 wheel and ½ that in 4 wheel drive – we just went by a gas station and diesel was $4.20!!

We have made it to Minot, ND by 6:30 Michigan time and are trying to decide whether to go farther or not – it looked like the snow had stopped but now it is bad again – so while we are here at Micky Dees we will decide!

Keep us in your prayers the next 5 days going thru Canada –lots of “challenges” on the roads!!  We love you!!

It's D-Day (departure day)!!!!!!!

Yeah!!! We had to make a decision on whether to leave on Thursday or Sunday in order to be able to get the rabies vaccines done on the way thru the UP with Dr. Tim Hunt - he gives us a kennel cost for the shots - so we thought we could be ready by Thursday with help from friends (kukals) and family (Jess) for loading and figuring out what the wiring/lights problems were - the lift kit of 10" seems to be working and the steps are now waaaaaay high for both the truck and the trailer!!!

We left about noon-thirty and drove to Seney before stopping to feed and then made it all the way to the casino near Marquette - it was cold when we went to be but we were snug as bugs in the trailer with the generator and furnace running all nite - we awoke to brutally cold temps - 0 degrees without the even more brutal wind chill caused by 30 mph SW winds - we were parked in the lot by the building but the wind could build up crossing the parking lot - those dogs were quick to get back in today!!!!!  We left with 27 dogs - left some with Kukals due to injuries and another one with Dee along with the 11 pups.  At at first Randy wanted to have all the lighter dogs at the front of the trailer thinking he wouldn't have to lift so many pounds in to the pass-through door - but after needing to stop at a garage and fill the back trailer tires to 110 psi, he is thinking anything we can do to lighten the back load we should - so now, even though they were all labeled and assigned to their own little houses, we have to move them all around the next chance we get so all the heavy dogs like Echo and Donna and Kimmy are in the front boxes.

We are sitting at the Welcome Center in Downtown Marquette waiting for the vet to come over to give 15 rabies shots - we tried to do in their parking lot last year and almost didn't make it out so they agreed to drive the 1/4 mile down here to do it - Tim Hunt has the day off so it will be someone else - whoever it is will be very glad they can do all of it inside the trailer and not out in the wind off Lake Superior!!!

Well I was a bit sad to leave my house for the next 2 and 1/2 months, but the one thing I was looking forward to was not having the scratching noises in the wall above our bed in the middle of the night..............once again this year we are plagued with either bats or flying squirrels in the walls!!!!  It doesn't bother Randy because he can't hear them but it wakes me up not to mention, giving me the creeps!!!!!  So here we were the first nite sleeping in the trailer and I thought, good, no scratching sounds................and what do you think I hears about 5 am?????????  It could have been the wind but I swear it sounded like we brought a passenger with us in the trailer!!!!!!!!   When I brought one of the bags of clothes from the back room to the trailer I noticed there was one of the rat traps that we have caught about in the bag and some suspicious looking poop in the bottom so I had Randy unload the bag............not wanting to be surprised by a "discovery" - and there was nothing - now I am wondering if I carried one of those squirrels out to the trailer in the bag and now he has taken up residence with us!!!!!!  I will be looking for the tell-tale signs.................and maybe have to invest in another rat trap!!  You know they have those huge eyes so they can see at night - almost cute but not when they surprise like they did showing in the ceiling beam it the bathroom!!!!!! 

Don't know how far we  will get today - maybe to the other side of Wisconsin or Minnesota - the roads are very slippery so we are in 4 wheel drive (per my request) and it's not snowing yet but might today as we cross the UP - I have to say I feel much more cømfortable and safer in this truck - there is not wind whistling in around my window and 4 wheel drive is much safer on these icy roads - more when I can!!!

It's a really good thing that our trail is so good here in Michigan cause we still haven't left!!!

I am sitting in the parking lot of McDonald's in Fremont while Randy is over at Field Welding "picking up our new (well new to us - 2005...) truck and the trailer that had to have a lift kit put on the axles because it was 10 inches lower than the new truck hitch!  more money....more frustration...  We still go back to our mantra "if we arent' on the road when we wanted to be it must be for some good reason......"  We are hoping to leave Monday or Tues but I will keep you updated - still training every day - 2 14-dog team for 18 miles and again, the trail is beautiful - we had to do some repair work from snowmobiles that ran on it when it was soft for 2 days but it's back to very good!!!

Talk to you soon!!

Welcome 2014 and Happy and Blessed New Year to you all!!  Time to get my fingers back into "typing mode'!!!

We have had good training this year with good snow and the ability to make a trail that vaguely  resembles the wonderful trails in Alaska!  Today I was informed by "the Boss" that he plans for us to leave in a week - so had to do the regular "getting ready to leave stuff" = order meds, change the mail, etc.......
We have a new vehicle to safely take us on our 4,ooo mile trip.........Chevy 5500 duramax 4 wheel drive - so high I almost need a step ladder to get up into it!!!  Hopefully it will enable us to get through all the snow/obstacles we have gotten stuck in for the last 5 years!!!!

Will post as often as possible and put pictures up as soon as I find/or buy a new camera!!! (it's really a challenge getting older!)