Where in Northern Michigan? I live in Flushing near Flint but I head north every chance I get. Don't know if you've ever seen the program on TV called "Great Getaways." It used to be "Discovering Michigan; The Northern Experience." The host of the show is one of my brothers.
Anyway, my daughter in Bethel Alaska wants me to look into transferring to Alaska. I work for the Post Office so there's a good chance I could get somewhere in the state. She's planning on staying there for as long as she can. She has cerebral palsy so the conditions in Bethel are hard on her. If I were closer it would be easier for her to stay......and I've always dreamed of moving there.
Enjoy the race.
Posted by: Ancient_Angler Posted on: Mar 2nd, 2007 at 7:32pm
Thanks, Gary. I'll check it out. Did 50 miles on Tuesday and Wednesday behind dogs in Northern Michigan. One of the dogs on my team has done Ititarod 4 times. And while I was gone, I read Yukon Alone.
Posted by: gettin-away Posted on: Feb 24th, 2007 at 10:18pm
Thought you might like this link. It's a webcam at the airport in McGrath...near one of the check points for the Iditarod. The camera position is changed during the race to catch the action.
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
Gary gettin-away
Posted by: Ancient_Angler Posted on: Feb 19th, 2007 at 7:52pm
I've been following some of the Alaska races this year. My daugther is a teacher in Bethel Alaska and she was able to be a volunteer with the Kuskokwim 300. She was in contact with the check points and helped update the website during the 300 mile race. (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links);
I read this a few years ago - Yukon Alone By John Balzar It's about the Yukon Quest which is running right now.
gettin-away
Posted by: Ancient_Angler Posted on: Feb 18th, 2007 at 4:55pm
First Saturday in March the Iditarod sled dog race across Alaska will start in Anchorage. Finish in Nome, 1100 miles away. I just finished two books about the race that I enjoyed very much.
Gary Paulson, Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod, is the story of Paulson's trek across Alaska, how he got started in Minnesota, moved to Alaska, and ran -- or followed his dogs. This is a well-written book with a very taut style, lots of self-deprecating humor, quite a bit of introspection: why would anyone do this?
Don Bowers, Back of the PAck: An Iditarod Rookie Musher's Alaska Pilgrimage to Nome, is a diary of a two year effort. In the first attempt, Bowers had to scratch in the first couple hundred miles. In the second, he literally is the last official finisher. Lots of the somewhat technical stuff, e.g., how the trail gets laid out, how supplies get into the bush, what happens if a dog or musher is hurt.