March 14 Iditarod - Meanwhile Back at BLAH BLAH BLAH - Bet

Hoo boy everybodies, that was an exciting finish for winner Dallas Seavey and a respectable and awesome second place finish for Aliy Zirkle last night!

I stayed up WAAAAAY past my bedtime to cover that race to the finish!

But just because we have a winner in the Iditarod doesn't mean the race is over.  There are still oodles of brave Mushers and dogs battling their own records, finishes, and records going on, and we will cover it until the Musher and her Pretty Curly Tails are under that Burled Arch thingie (I really have to look that thing up... I'll tell you what I find out about that thing later).  And even after that, we'll let you know about the teams after that until that red lantern is blown out.

SCOOP:  The adorable Richard will be flying to Nome today!  He will be there to greet the Musher and PCTs at the finish, and provide his insights, scoops, pictures, and stuffs and things!  Stay tuned for that fun!

Richard's flight will take him via Kotzebue and then to Nome.  Kotzebue is North of the Arctic Circle, and Heather minion's pilot host/friend in Fairbanks told us they have fun with tourists, telling them to look out the window for the dotted blue line.

As you know, Charge wasn't having a good race, so he was dropped at Galena.  Charge was processed through the "system" and landed in jail where Richard and Donna picked him up as soon as they got the call.

I could have run a thousand miles more... my racing was just fine

And took him home

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Heather minion wanted me to clarify the whole "jail" thing for everybodies, so I'll let her explain it:

"Just so you know, the "prison" where the dropped dogs go after being flown back to Anchorage is not in Willow.  It's at the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River, which is nearer to Anchorage than to Willow.

Musher handlers can intercept the dogs when they land and are at the Millennium Hotel dog drop area in Anchorage (if the handler is available nearby).  If not, the dogs are moved to the prison (dog boxes on a trailer) where the designated handler can then pick them up.  So Richard probably has to drive to Eagle River (about an hour away) to get Charge.  No dropped dogs are flown or trucked back to Willow en masse."

Yeah, yeah, details, details.  I bet Heather minion didn't know they have a women's stringed orchestra.  hehehe

Anyhoo!  Heather minion is instrumental (get it... stringed orchestra one moment... ) in doing a lot of stuffs and things for the Musher and Pretty Curly Tails... here is what Heather minion does so you know who to contact if you need stuffs and things:

Heather and her partner Photographer Minion Dan have three Siberians, including NorthWapiti retirees Holly and Sprite. They participate in recreational mushing and are members of Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue in PA.  Heather is a technical editor and Dan is an educational technology consultant.  Their website is http://best-in-snow.net.

Heather manages the North Wapiti merchandise design and distribution and handles all inquiries via help4northwapiti@gmail.com, including coordinating the sponsor-a-dog program. 

She and Dan also oversee the Amazon Associates program for NorthWapti shoppers.  They help with airline logistics for Karen and handlers.  Dan has turned his photography hobby into a small business, specializing in sled dog photography (http://bestinsnow.zenfolio.com) and was on the Husky Productions media team with Musher Minion Donna for Iditarods 2008 and 2012. 

Heather also coordinates merchandise sales at numerous NorthWapiti events while Dan provides technical support of the popular PuppyCam at North Wapiti.

Yep, she and Dan minion do a lot of stuffs and things, so if you want Pretty Curly Tail merchandise... ask Heather, if you want to know how to buy anything from Amazon.com through this link that benefits the Musher and PCT... ask Heather.

Ok, back to the race stuffs... and things.

Meanwhile back in Willow, Donna Minion takes you on a tour of the dog yard!

We had some questions as to why Tramp is segregated... um, because she's a Tramp, and also we had hoped that the snow would buffer all of her yammer yammer yammer, blah blah blah... but it hasn't worked.

Ok, I have plenty more stuffs and things to post about, but I don't want to do it all in one HUGEY HUGE post, so until later on!  Yes, there will be a whole new Iditarod Update today as well that includes an update on the pizza!

- Bet