teams have hit the coast.

 Last i looked Dallas had taken over the lead...at least for now, though he is very competitive and doesn't like to give up the lead from what i have seen.  above was a cute shot of a dog handler at the ceremonial start.

 these will finish up my shots from the Anchorage day and begin finally the trek to Fairbanks.  i still haven't finished looking at the pictures from that trip.  takes time to weed through the many shots.  dogs are sure cute.

 have tried to keep up on the happenings on the trail over the past 3 nights.  worked PICU for two nights and then another night in the middle i was in the ER.  it was actually a fairly slow night in the ER and i was allowed to head home at 0600.  always nice to get into bed a wee bit early.

 attempted the bog yesterday but it was just sheer ice so we walked the streets.  today i attempted the gasline to powerline.  Rio had decided to join us so we ended up not going far....again icy and after Rio took a few spills it seemed smarter to not risk a major injury.  Blossom got to chase her tennis ball so she seemed fairly happy.

 so warm in Anchorage that day that this guy was wearing shorts for the run.  i'm sure those shorts have been ditched on the main event as the temperatures have been pretty brutal so far.  -40, -50, winds.

 Anchorage has also gotten a bit colder.  not as cold as that but we have been sitting at +5 to -10 i'd guess.  finally a patch of winter.  of course, at this point most people have just about given up on winter and would rather just move on to spring it seems.

 i woke to a winter warning on the radio for blizzard conditions.  hasn't happened yet.  our weather forecasters have over forecasted snow this entire winter.

 this is the team that ended up following behind me for a few hours headed up to Fairbanks.  i suspect a ticket was received outside of Cantwell. i saw their dog truck pull out and book it north.  next time i saw them they were getting ready to pull out of a rest area and then i saw the trooper car right behind them.  i drive like an old lady in winter weather conditions like we had that day...after he pulled behind  me he stayed there.  i tried several times to pull quickly into the right lane anytime a passing lane came up and he just jumped right in behind me.

 i'm guessing he knows my car and plate well at this point.

 paying a few bills while i write the blog.  today has been one of those tasky days...it's part of life.

 did get my swim in.  zipped over there and put in 20 laps or 40 lengths.  felt great as usual.  love swimming.  still building back good exercise habits and hoping for some positive results.  want my health to increase and my weight to drop a bit.

 was shaking my head while watching a video of Mackey.  the guy has all these medical problems related to throat cancer issues i think it is...the type of cancers that are often related to tobacco products...while being interviewed he had a cigarette hanging from his mouth.  no word that i have heard about the necropsy results from his dogs death.

 there have been a handful of scratches...that always happens.  mostly it appears that most teams are making their way to Nome.  the cold i think has been the biggest concern for most teams.  may see some more drops in the days that come.  the race will no doubt be over in the next 48 hours.  well, not over, but a winner will have crossed through the burled arch.

 this arch doesn't stay on main street in Nome year round, it is rolled off when the race is over.

 it's a pretty wide street, i suspect traffic can easily be diverted around it all this time of year. many folks drive snow machines around out there for just day to day stuff.  cheaper gas i'm sure.

 just fun festivity shots of the ceremonial start.  always a fun day out there.

 a 11-12  mile long block party.  growing up we had the Rose Parade..another 5 mile long block party.  every community has it's activities.  we are mostly social people. some of us less so than others, but i like to be around the other humans when the mood strikes me...some times i am more apt to stand back and photograph, the camera probably keeps me in my own world even when i am among others.

 Jeff King.  he's up there with the front runners, always is.  he is itching to get that 5th Iditarod win i think  seems like some are not big fans of his.  i don't know him personally, i just watch the Iditarod.  he's always been innovative and an interesting competitor it seems.  most people who end up making Alaska home have somewhat of a quirky personality..some of those quirky personalities can seem a bit off putting to others.  it's a state full of quirky and independent people i find.

 hard for me to judge the other quirky, independent folks since i'm one of them

 these guys were chilling in the sunshine of the day.

 all sorts of dog personalities, just like the humans that they live with...dogs are quirky independent creatures as well..perhaps that is why i have always gotten along with the canines.

 i'm rooting for either Burmeister or Aily...would like to see a new name in the winners circle.  i suspect it will be Dallas though.  Burmeister was first to coast with Aily right behind him...didn't take long for Dallas to overtake them both.

 no word from anyone after i dropped off the petitions.  will submit the article.  wanted to give them a week or so to respond.  no word so off it goes.  never know it it will get published but you don't know until you send it off.

 kids in a sled...a fun day for everyone.

 Danny Seavey, brother of Dallas had an article published yesterday.  it was actually a really nice piece about Mackey.  Mackey is just the underdog kind of guy everyone loves to love.  nothing has ever come easy for that guy and yet he seems to thrive on it.  well done Danny.  i think he's done the race once or twice.  i think he works on the family sled dog tourist thing.

 much positive was said about the community of Huslia.  it was it's first time as an Iditarod checkpoint and they made sure it was a memorable one.  they were excited and welcoming to all.  this small community has a long mushing history.  they were happy to be able to share this with the Iditarod community.

 these are from the restart.  got there early that day to set up a good spot for viewing.

 no where near as many spectators as with the usual restart in Willow, but still well attended.  much of Fairbanks seemed excited to have this fun event in there neck of the woods. they always are involved with the big race a few weeks before, the Yukon Quest.  that is another 1000 mile race.  less teams, less hoopla but getting larger and larger i think. that one goes from Fairbanks to Whitehorse or from Whitehorse to Fairbanks, switches every other year.

 kept the wide angle lens on and switched back and forth between that and the zoom.  may have been good to try out the macro a few times as well. the dog teams come and go fast though.

 i think my zoom pictures will turn out better over all but it's good to get different perspectives i think.

 it really was a beautiful place to be for watching. the steamboats in the back ground, on the river.

 and that house directly behind belongs to "Rachel"...my friends left the river a bit early as they were getting chilled, turns out they went to Rachels...she was having a party and all were welcome to come in and warm up.  they took advantage of the invite and ate and enjoyed.  apparently she just moved there from California and the big dog race comes to run right in front of her house...sweet!!

 thirsty after my swim today.  i try to just drink water at work but last night i milked a soda.  i think those just make me miss my water though.  sometimes you need  pick me up.  my patient helped that last night by having some respiratory/brady issues that took some time to remedy.  suddenly it was nearly time to go home!!

 fun pic of my co-worker MW and her beau.  mellow, fun people.

 the mad scene on the river!!

 DeeDee heads out for another race...she'd finished over 25 times...seems like a sport that just gets into peoples blood.

 some poor longshoreman died the other day.  he was working at the port of Anchorage and got pinned between two large pieces of military equipment.  he died almost immediately according to the article.  sounds horrible.

 sounds like there have been a few deaths in Fairbanks with this cold snap. exposure...a fairly frequent cause of death in this northern climate.

 a newer strategy of racing has been having an extra dog carrier attachment.  these have been seen more and more for resting dogs on the run. some can fit up to 4 dogs.  mushers have in the past been known to load a tired dog or two in their sled but King was the first to build a pull behind dog cage.

 there are all sorts of ideas as to how to make the teams more effective on the trails.

 you can see an example of a dog carrier sled below.

 loved this one...this musher looks like a classic overpacker like myself.  i'd need that extra dog sled carrier for my gear.  i'm a terrible packer.  can't decide what i may or may not need so carry it all.

 why i prefer kayaks to backpacks.

 well, i am tired so i think i shall turn in for the night.  hopefully get more done tomorrow and get in a massage and another swim!! bit sore tonight but it's a good pain.

grateful for:   A.  getting the iv in the 2 year old...first try...always a good feeling (especially when others have failed before you...then you feel like a mini hero!!)  B.  sleep...so refreshing C.  that a few of my caribou shots came out fine...forgot to take it back out of manual focus at some point in my excitement!