A Day at the Races...Chatanika Style

We woke up to blue skies today and headed out with friends to watch the races at Chatanika - an old mining town about 30 miles N.E. of Fairbanks. The races are unconventional as you'll see, but we had fun hiking, playing, watching, and even participating in the human bowling contest.

The view out from the Steese Highway was spectacular today



Tawna is hoping to audition for the next Mutant Ninja Turtle Movie soon...



Chatanika is famous for its outhouse race - 0.8 miles run flat out while pushing a loaded outhouse



Costumes are essential, but let's just say you shouldn't fall behind in this kind of race --- We're putting it down to a rapid transition out of the outhouse at the start!



Tawna allowed me to use her as a bowling ball in the human bowling -- check out Ben and Deas blog for a picture of that!

Iditarod -- The 1978 Finish

I couldn't leave the Iditarod buzz without sharing the story of the 1978 Iditarod. Some of you will know it, but for those that don't, it was the closest finish in history. One that went both ways before a final decission was made. Here's the story courtesy of the Anchorage Daily News. Clearly Dick Mackey (Lance's father) still gets a smile out of this one!


For 800 miles, Dick Mackey and Rick Swenson rarely lost sight of each other. With a few others, they jockeyed for position along the length of Alaska. At the end, they found themselves out in front of everyone else and proceeded to stage the darnedest finish the race has ever seen.


"By the time the two men reached the streets of Nome, they were virtually running side by side," Daily News reporter Doug O'Harra wrote. "One hundred yards out, they were even. By the time they entered the 50-yard chute, Mackey had a slight edge. Both men were running.

"Then Mackey's dogs trotted under the burled arch, the finish line." The dogs tangled. "His sled stopped just short of the finish line. Mackey collapsed.

"Swenson ... kept going and dragged his sled under the finish line. Though his leaders crossed second, Swenson himself crossed under the arch ahead of Mackey.

"Bedlam erupted."

The decision about who won the 1978 Iditarod is debated today whenever race fans gather. But the rules and race officials said it was the lead dog's nose, not the musher's behind, that determined the winner. They awarded Mackey the victory by one second.

Iditarod

I was lucky enough to be in Anchorage for the start and Nome for the finish of this year's Iditarod Sled Dog Race. It's the first time that a musher has won both the Yukon Quest - regarded as the hardest long distance race, and two weeks later won the Iditarod - another 1000 miles with the same dogs. I take my hat off to Lance Mackey who accomplished this, winning his first Iditarod on his sixth attempt wearing the number 13, as did his brother and his father when they were racing...what are the chances of that!

Here is Lance about 6 miles out of Nome wearing a huge smile and enjoying the sun in his face. Remember that the pictures blow up nicely if you click on them.



The trail cuts across some low tundra before heading back out on the sea ice for the final run into Nome. Anvil mountain and the Dew line radars above Nome can be seen on the horizon


It was hard to get a picture on Front Street, but here's Lance punching the air, as he comes down past the infamous Board of Trade. It's a little unclear as to what species of animal is right in front of the lead dogs...seems like they were struck by the outfit as well!


Here's second place finisher Paul Gebhardt acknowledging his lead dog right after finishing about 3 hours after Mackey. I can't imagine how overwhelming all the attention must be after a week and a half on the trail. I'm not sure I'll be up to watch the next mushers come in at 4 a.m, but will try to catch a few before getting on the plane home tomorrow lunch time.

Sivuqaq

Back to St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. The ice is thin this year. We are here to talk with hunters about the upcoming season and the health project I'm trying to start as a collaboration between hunters, the Eskimo Walrus Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the University.

When I think of remote communities, I think of pictures like this of Savoonga; at the edge of the sea ice, America, and of most of what is familiar



Gambell had icy cold windchill as the wind came in off the ice. The -45 degree temperatures had us walking backwards most of the 400 m into town to avoid frostbite. I made the rookie mistake of packing my windpants and not wearing them...that wont happen again! This is a picture of us leaving Gambell in the early morning sun as the wind blows the ice around town in front of Sivuqaq mountain.



For all the cold and wind, it was the kids that again stole my heart. Here's Vera's nephew...they call him "Little Buddha"

The Mighty Tupac

A short story by Tupac

The wily predator Tupac stalks close to his prey, the beautiful Turtle, whose mind is on other things...maybe food.



But then the feeling of fear...oh my god, did that cat's eyes go green again?...



but it was too late, and Tupac chuckles in victory, in that way that Devon Rex's do