Last minute preparations and SNOW in time for Iditarod!!
Today was spent with last minute preparations by many mushers.
Bill finished Scotchguarding
and seam-sealing Lynda Plettner's sled bag then we made a trip up
to her kennel to see our dogs. They were very muddy but happy to
see us, as always. (Check our photo gallery for more shots later
in the "Pre-Race" folder.) Bill helped Lynda get her sled
packed while Jordan wrapped duct tape on handles and ski poles.
Tony and Dolores Waffen were busy helping Ellen Halverson with her
final packing. Ellen was in great spirits regarding her race tomorrow.
Later in the day we headed to the Millenium Hotel for the Fund
Raiser Dinner and Auction. All sort of neat items were in the silent
and live auction, from old mail cachets to one of a kind jackets,
rare signed booties, to autographed race bibs to fur coats. We are
now the proud owners of a couple of really cool prints, one signed
by Joe Redington Sr, and a mail cachet carried and signed by Herbie
Nayokpuk. The dinner was wonderful, filet mignon being the main
course. We met a vice principal from Hayesville NC who
had come up for her first race after hearing Bill speak at their
middle school two years ago. Wish Myra had come along too!!
And after we left the auction, there was SNOW in time for Iditarod...by
the truck-load. Huge dump trucks were starting to bring in loads
of snow from wherever they were able to stockpile and placing it
on 4th Avenue. Spreaders
were smoothing out the chilly mix to be ready in time for morning.
An amazing transformation was taking place as we left about midnight.
Click on the Alaska Cam on our front page, http://www.cooldreams.net,
and you can see the snow. The race begins at 10:00AM Alaska time,
which is four hours earlier than EST. Stay tuned........................................
Top Headlines from the Anchorage Daily News
February
28, 2003
Start Position — Musher —
Hometown
1 — Howard and Julie Farley — honorary
2 — John Baker — Kotzebue
3 — Ted English — Willow
4 — Cali King — Denali Park
5 — Perry Solomonson — Whittier
6 — Jason Barron — Lincoln, Mont.
7 — Tyrell Seavey — Seward
8 — Jessie Royer — Fairbanks
9 — Ed Iten — Kotzebue
10 — Dexter Kancer — Nenana
11 — Blake Matray — Two Rivers
12 — Ben Stamm — Argyle, Wis.
13 — Jim Lanier — Chugiak
14 — Paul Gebhardt — Kasilof
15 — Martin Buser — Big Lake
16 — Karen Land — Sand Coulee, Mont.
17 — Cim Smyth — Big Lake
18 — Jeff King — Denali Park
19 — Vern Halter — Willow
20 — Lance Barve — Willow
21 — Frank Sihler — Wasilla
22 — Gerald Riley — Nenana
23 — Robert Sorlie — Hurdal, Norway
24 — Cindy Gallea — Seely Lake, Mont.
25 — Aaron Burmeister — Nome
26 — Lynda Plettner — Houston
27 — Charlie Boulding — Manley
28 — Ray Redington Jr. — Two Rivers
29 — Todd Capistrant — Emerald, Wis.
30 — DeeDee Jonrowe — Willow
31 — Jack Berry — Salcha
32 — Debbie Moderow — Anchorage
33 — Ramey Smyth — Big Lake
34 — Carla Kelly — Anchorage
35 — G.B. Jones — Wasilla
36 — Ken Anderson — Fairbanks
37 — Bruce Lee — Denali Park
38 — Karen Ramstead — Perryvale, Alberta
39 — Randy Chappel — Arlington, Texas
40 — Peter Bartlett — Willow
41 — Linwood Fiedler — Willow
42 — Ramy Brooks — Healy
43 — Mitch Seavey — Seward
44 — Sonny Lindner — Fairbanks
45 — Aliy Zirkle — Two Rivers
46 — Melanie Gould — Talkeetna
47 — Rick Swenson — Two Rivers
48 — Tim Osmar — Ninilchik
49 — Gerald Sousa — Talkeetna
50 — Ellen Halverson — Wasilla
51 — Mike Williams — Akiak
52 — Bill Pinkham — Glenwood Springs, Colo.
53 — Palmer Sagoonick — Shaktoolik
54 — Adam Scott Gibler — Chugiak
55 — Dean Osmar — Clam Gulch
56 — Jon Little — Kasilof
57 — Jim Gallea — Sterling
58 — Bob Hickel — Anchorage
59 — Keith Aili — Ray, Minn.
60 — Jessica Hendricks — Copper Center
61 — Russell Bybee — Willow
62 — Kelly LaMarre — Geneva, Ill.
63 — Lachlan Clarke — Colorado Springs, Colo.
64 — Robert Bundtzen — Anchorage
65 — Clint Warnke — Bonnie Lake, Wash
Scotchguarding
and seam-sealing Lynda Plettner's sled bag then we made a trip up
to her kennel to see our dogs. They were very muddy but happy to
see us, as always. (Check our photo gallery for more shots later
in the "Pre-Race" folder.) Bill helped Lynda get her sled
packed while Jordan wrapped duct tape on handles and ski poles.
Tony and Dolores Waffen were busy helping Ellen Halverson with her
final packing. Ellen was in great spirits regarding her race tomorrow.
who
had come up for her first race after hearing Bill speak at their
middle school two years ago. Wish Myra had come along too!! 
Spreaders
were smoothing out the chilly mix to be ready in time for morning.
An amazing transformation was taking place as we left about midnight.
Click on the Alaska Cam on our front page, http://www.cooldreams.net,
and you can see the snow. The race begins at 10:00AM Alaska time,
which is four hours earlier than EST. Stay tuned........................................