getting caught up with pix!!

 

doesn't that look like a peace dove???

my new favorite crab stuffed mushroom s at Pike's Landing

Randy at the pipeline

the roof at Pike's Landing - we couldn't figure out why they had shoveled a path?????

the building from farther back

many many moose racks in this very old restaurant!!!

took a ride up north into the mountains' - have not checked to be sure but sure looks like Denali!!

we saw this on the road on the way tot he dog track and marveled that something this big was having 6 different escorts and a truck and trailer in the front and a pusher in the back and still on the highway 

then we saw it farther up the mountain up on blocks!!  waiting for another smaller trailer to take it - wow!!!!  and nobody knew what it was only that it was going to Prudoe Bay!!

another pix of Denali

first day without "race duties"!!!

Didn't feel perfectly well to start the day so decided to make it a driving around day - went up the mountain by our "house" and went quite far up to the hilltop store - we saw the rig we had seen much farther down the mountain by us and still don't know what is in the  grey sheeted bulk but it's something big and it's headed for Prudoe Bay!! so that  was pretty fun    - then to lunch at Pike's Landing the to  see who is training at the track and found Kenny and Lot and Pam Krueker and the folks that had taken Pam around a 2 mile trail with four dogs so she could have the experience

then went to pizza with all of them and then home s===ome pictures you will enjoy but so hard to capture the beauty and the magnitude of the mountains and the surrounding area!!! 

an2nd day of the Limited North American

 I tried to export the results of today's race but it doesn't seem to want to work for me - you can find the results on facebook at the site of "Alaska Dog Musher Association "  

My videoing of the teams went well ...........I guess.........I never really checked the albums to know if they were all there but I assume they are!

The day was bit chilly but I dressed myself warm with my new volunteer hat and made Randy wear snow pants and he was was warm enough!  Same thing tomorrow  -from 10:30 till 3 plus the awards and they are having cupcakes!!

Tonight no dinner with any friends  - going to Mass at a new church only 7 minutes away from here - assuming that Randy wakes up from his nap in time ~!! other wise there is a 6 o'clock one in Fairbanks city

I will try to take some pictures tomorrow to make this a bit more interesting!!!

First day of the Limited North American sled dog race in Fairbanks, AK!!

Arrived at 10:30 am per the "boss" - as we were greeting and meeting in the clubhouse

 I volunteered for being one of the people to video the dog teams in the chute before they leave to race to ensure that they don't insert or replace a dog for the second or 3rd day!  So I followed Elizabeth (who is very interesting and lives in Fairbanks and is getting her masters in wildlife management and is studying the goose population on the Bering sea that nests in colonies versus randomly - so that they protect themselves from predators (fox) as a community) doing the job I will do tomorrow and Sunday!   not too difficult today but tomorrow I will be "on call" for the start of each of the classes to video each team -- thus the picture of me in the volunteer hat!  Randy was also volunteering to generally help out in the chute and did some sled holding in the 6 and 8 classes!

Tonite dinner at a diner with Cheziks to celebrate Kenny's birthday and tomorrow and Sunday racing and Mass on Saturday- I will try to keep up and take pictures!

teams coming in to the finish line

Jeff Conn talking at the draw meeting

Randy enjoying our airplane pillow

you have to blow it up to see but it says "elder parking' in front of the clubhouse to honor the indigenous people respect

me in my volunteer hat!!!

2 and a half days in Fairbanks - and some relaxing

you already know about Monday and the re-start - so Tuesday we got up and I made breakfast using only a microwave and a toaster over - that probably doesn't seem like such a big deal but after a beautiful full kitchen in Anchorage............  Managed to have little egg muffins with a plastic thing we bought at Walmart and toast  Oh I forgot to tell you that our host knocked on our door at 2:30 in the morning to let us know that there were norther lights out!!!  Randy never stayed up for them but I did for a while - they were mostly all white but beautiful!

Out the door and first stop the American Dog Musher Association in Fairbanks = beautiful log building which i am sure i will send a picture of = saw Kim Wells there and Pam Schamber both from Anchorage and both limited (less than 8 dogs) drivers and also Michael Tetzner

Off from there to look at the International Ice Sculpture exhibition!  took us an hour to go through - pix to come - then stopped for lunch at a "hole in the wall" bar and I had crab stuffed mushrooms - soooo good!!!  stopped back at the musher's hall but didn't know anybody - rest of the nite looking at the Iditarod standing and our favorites!  I did get up once to see if there we northern lites but none - and does not look like there will be any for the rest of the time we are here.

Noon Mass for Ash Wednesday and driver's meeting at 7 at musher's hall!!!

musher's hall sign

stuffed mushrooms -........ha ha like you couldn't figure that out!!

one of my favorites

another favorite

it's me!!!  masquerading as an eskimo!!!

I slid down this little hill without a sled (didn't know they had them for free....) and had wet pants the rest of the day!!

I marveled at how they made the rapier curved!!

that's a spider in case  you couldn't tell!

Randy in an igloo!!

Scenes from out Fairbanks "home"!