Thank You ISDRA - Bet

Howdy Ho Everybodies!!!!

Before we get going on the latest fun adventure, we wanted to spend a moment telling you all about the Musher's adventure to Maryland and then Pennsylvania to speak at the International Sled Dog Racing Association (ISDRA) meeting in June 2013!

While I had some concerns about her hanging out with the Nyquil swigging Cartoonist, she assured me that she would be fine and dandy, so I let her go THIS TIME.

Here she is looking stunning at the Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport.

If you are wondering about the long name, the Musher told me that she found out that everything in Maryland has 40 bazillion names, and she actually got to drive on the Baltimore/Washington Gladys Noon Spellman Memorial 295 Parkway that is a park, but also a main road... or something, and that you can't get anywhere without driving a zillion miles, and she says that she now understands why the Cartoonist swigs all that Nyquil.

After spending the night at the house of Cartoonist and immediately putting her dysfunctional huskies on diets

It's for your own good Meeshka

They stopped at Starbucks (of course), and drove to Pennsylvania... stopping at several Starbucks along the way (of course).

Without too much trouble and only 5 near-miss accidents, they arrived at the very gracious Holiday Inn Harrisburg-East and were able to check in immediately, and then proceeded to take an elevator, make 2 turns and end up back in the lobby.  Someone took pity on them and pointed them to their rooms, which were spacious, comfy, and wonderful and had coffee makers.

Since the first event thing wasn't starting until later, they went out for hotel room supplies.

Ok, she didn't really buy that... no seriously, she didn't.  Stop that!  They have witnesses!  Adorable Rita, the Musher's charming 2012 Iditarider was at the liquor store with her wonderful mother and can vouch for them.

Later that night was the meet and greet, so the Musher met and greeted her wonderful fans

The Fabulous Barbara Sheroke and the Musher

And the Musher got to hobnob with some of her wonderful sponsors

The Musher with Bruce Stegmaier of Alpine Outfitters!

Click here to visit their site

Then they all got on school buses for a midnight cruise on the Susquehanna River on a cool paddle boat

Unfortunately due to the very long night of activities, they missed the wonderful presentation by Dr. Jerry Vanek (sorry!) but caught the "Training for Speed for both Dryland and Snow" by Jan Bootz Dittmar and Jayme Dittmar, and the fascinating "The 21st Century of Alaskan Sled Dogs: Genetic Ancestry Modeling" by Dr. Heather Huson.

Then it was time for the Musher to prepare for her presentation, so it was back to the hotel room for some Ketchup Chips (which the Cartoonist feels are a violation of all things holy to potato chips).

Then back to the wonderfully full auditorium for the Musher's "Pay Attention to the Details: Lessons Learned from Long Distance Mushing" that was sponsored by the fantabulous sponsors Eagle Pack, the official tasty foods of the Pretty Sled Dogs!

That's a horrible picture, blame the Cartoonist

According to my sources, she mentioned my contribution to the team as the official herdy herder of the Pretty Curly Tails, and that I'm very alluring, or something.

After that, there was more relaxing

Checking the 2014 Iditarod sign ups... more on that later

Then there was more meeting and greeting with her fans

Hi fans!

Then time for the big ISDRA Awards Banquet, where cool musher types got awards for mushing stuff.  Seriously peoples, if you want to get involved in mushing dogs, reach out to the fantabulous peoples of ISDRA.  You don't need a whole dog team, snow, or even a sled, there are many many different ways to be a musher and have fun with your pretty curly tails, or even non-curly tails and learn cool stuffs and things, and even maybe win awards... so reach out to the good peoples of ISDRA and tell them Bet sent you!

The Musher and her faithful Iditarider Rita!!!

Good food, good times, good company all around.

The Minions had a small meeting, and officially announced to the Facebooks world that they were officially announcing a new Minion!  How exciting.

So everybodies, say hello to Jenifer Minion!

Jenifer Minion is wearing the cloud and tiara from the centerpiece candle for her official Minion announcement.

Speaking of centerpiece candles, the ISDRA peoples created these really cool candles that they sold, and we launched ourselves at the one depicting the Musher, Richard, and Rita at the ceremonial start and we will be auctioning it off as a fundraiser very soon.

It totally looks a lot better in person, the Cartoonist is incapable of taking good pictures

They all sat in the comfy lobby for hours after talking and having fun, then stumbled off to bed.

After check out, there was a North Wapiti pre-drive home lunch at the wonderful Lancaster Brewing Company (good food, good service, Musher recommends the lobster mac and cheese), and then the long drive back to Maryland, where the Musher finally had a Maryland Crab Cake.

The next morning, the Cartoonist took her to Starbucks and then kicked her to the curb at the airport.

Last we heard, the Cartoonist and new Jenifer Minion caught summer colds, which makes me happy because I heard they had something to do with my learning how to "swim".

Anyhoooo, that was the event.

The Musher told me that she would like the following peoples and will probably mention more if I forget to add them here:

• Dan Rehak and Heather Walls Minions for their travel planning skillz, minding the North Wapiti vendor booth, and just being wonderful
• ISDRA and its Board and volunteers who managed to put on a wonderful meeting that went without a hitch (as far as the Musher knew) and for the hospitality and gift baskety goodness
• The Pennsylvania Sled Dog Club for helping put on such a wonderful shindig!
• Eagle Pack for sponsoring her Pretty Curly Tails and being wonderful and fantastic
• Alpine Outfitters for also sponsering her and being fantabulously awesome
• The Holiday Inn Harrisburg East for the fantastic room and coffee makers and room service coffee and those pillows were comfy
• Pauline Bray for hanging out and helping with stuffs and things and keeping that Cartoonist in line
• Pat Bach and Maxine Vandermark and yes, we'll post some pictures of Charge, we promise.
• Marsha Stoffa and Marian Siegel for coming and also bringing more North Wapiti merchandise for the vendor booth, we really appreciate your help and continued support!!!!
• All of the wonderful fans she met and got to chat with during her stay in Harrisburg

- Bet