The Iditarod Museum was small but packed with information. They have a statue dedicated to Balto outside and it was pretty all covered with snow. Inside we watched a thirty minute video and I was truly amazed at what goes into sledding, from team building to training to logistics to love. It truly is love that drives these dogs and the mushers. I saw many parallels in life and I'll hit that topic here one of these days. It left a mark on me, That and the fact that a dog will burn 12,000 calories a day in the race, the equivalent of eating FIFTY Big Macs a day! [Apologies to Burger King, the movie said Big Mac.] These dogs are small, about 45 pounds, but it's all muscle.
Being a clear day with blue skies I was actually able to see Denali, as opposed to being told it's really there, behind the clouds and fog. Majestic. On the way there, a dog sled was zooming by on the road beside the highway. We slowed so I could take a picture of the ten dogs running. Ever the helpful person, Junior Todd pulled further up and pulled over so I could get a static shot. Unfortunately, he pulled up next to a snow bank so my pictures show the nose of one dog...,a whole lot of piled up snow....then the tail of another dog and the sled. I'm sure there were eight other dogs in there somewhere. Kinda like the glacier...trust me...it's there.
We had a great visit with Eagle River post 9785, which is also Checkpoint #1 for the Iditarod. Beautiful post and I was finally able to see a moose. It was hanging on the wall as you walk in. Visiting with the members in a relaxed and casual way as opposed to a dog and pony show is the way to go. Honest interaction and time to discuss. I relayed some information the members didn't know was out there so it was a success. The key here is we all need to do a better job of communicating the things we know to each other. Knowledge is power but it's useless if not deployed!
We finished a long day back at Wasilla post, getting ready for the meetings and events that will start Friday and conclude Sunday. It was a good day and I owe all of the success to my friend Todd. He puts up with me and my jabs, but I have the utmost faith and confidence in him. He's going to be a great leader for Alaska.
This is Togo, born in 1915. In 1925 he lead a dog team over 340 miles carrying serum to prevent a diptheria epidemic in Nome. No other team was able to go more than 53 miles. Much like our veterans of today he gave his all and was medically retired due to serious injuries he incurred on the run. He retired to a kennel in Maine and lived until 1929. Togo is in the case. That's Todd standing next to him
