Tuesday, February 6, 2018: Rachel in Fairbanks; Cal & Wilbur in Eagle

Rachel’s entry:  My breakfast arrived around 7:30 this morning which required me to get up earlier than I prefer.  The gal who brought the breakfast was able to stay so we could visit.  Her and her husband are a team of award winning ice sculptures. They go to international competitions too.  We had a great visit, and I saw photos of her incredible work. There work will be in an upcoming Toyota TV advertisement. 

Most shops in Fairbanks do not open until 10:00am and it is often 11:00.  That is the case of the antique shop I did not finish yesterday, so there is no rush for me to leave the house this morning.  After the antique shop I went to the Co-op in downtown.  On the first floor of this building there are several shops with Alaskan made items – one was mostly handicraft items, whereas the other one has artistic items.  Upstairs there is a Dog Sled Museum which is nice but could be updated.  The Co-op appears to be an old downtown department store building, that is now divided into smaller shops and restaurants on the first floor and a few offices on the 2^nd and 3^rd floor.  The building has been re-purposed.     

Following a lunch break at the Crepery in the Co-op building, I drove down the street to the Visitors Center and Morris Thompson Museum.  We had stopped at the Visitors Center several times last Friday & Saturday – this is where we warmed up and watched the movie on Dawson City, BUT we did not look at their museum.  Someone along the way, told me I should return and go through the museum.  So, I did today!  It was well worth the return trip.

After this I checked out the locations of the places I would be driving to tonight in the dark.  I wanted to be sure I knew where I was going.  I have very little time between meetings, and I do not want to be wandering around, making wrong turns. By now it is time I returned to the house for a nap, before needing to be at the West Mark Hotel in downtown at 5:30 for a Rotary meeting of the Fairbanks Golden Heart Club. 

I arrived at the West Mark at 5:20. Golden Heart club members did not arrive until 5:26!  They are having a Club Business meeting tonight instead of an outside program.  This Rotary Club is the smallest of the Fairbanks Clubs – 14 were in attendance.  They meet in a private room, and each person orders what he want to eat for the evening from the restaurant.  Only half of us had a meal.  The other half just had something to drink.   It is a very informal group.  Their Foreign Exchange student from Brazil was in attendance. 

As soon as the meeting was over, I was in the SUV, driving to a PEO meeting. The program tonight is by one of the Chapter members.  She has a Stain Glass Studio and we were in the studio, where she explained the process.

Cal’s Entry: Eagle and the Sled Dogs Arrival

The fire in the cabin stove was nearly out when I awoke around 5:30. I got up and stoked the fire, so it would not be so cold when we got up.  Around 6:30 I went to the house for an early cup of coffee. 

It is -25 F this morning!!

Sandy had a very nice breakfast for us, eggs, bacon and muffins.  After breakfast we put on our heavy- out-door gear and headed to the old school building/checkpoint to see what was happening.  The word is that the lead musher, Allen Moore, is still 15 miles outside of town, which at 7 miles per hour, comes to a little over 2 hours before he arrives.  The next musher is still 40 miles out.  Everything seems to be in order and ready for them to arrive.  There is a nice fire burning outside the school building for people to gather around to keep warm, and the school house is warm.  There is a combination of people at the school - volunteers, race organizers who flew in yesterday, race veterinarians, and a customs officer for those who fly in from Canada.  Eagle is less than 5 miles from Canada.

Around 10:00 am, I am planning on going to the checkpoint to get the latest update, and if the first team is getting close, I want to walk down the trail to meet them when they arrive.  That is if I can stay warm enough!  It is still -27 at 10:00 am!

Checking the Trail for Markers

Ready for the first Mushers

Checking Musher Location on the Computer

Inside the Old School

Musher Information Board

When I got to the checkpoint, the word was that Allen Moore was due in at 11:30. Wilbur and I stayed around the school house for a while, then we decided to walk down the trail to where Allen and his team will come off the Yukon River and start up the trail to the checkpoint.  We arrived at the river which was icy.  We were wondering how we can make sure we do not slip and fall on the ice, when I looked down the river, and there was Allen and his dogs coming up the river, heading toward us.  We saw him come toward us and then continue up the trail toward town.  Couldn’t have planned it better!

Musher #1 Allan Moore Heading down the Frozen River

Up the Trail

Vet Check

Allan Moore Ready to Prep the Dogs

Sleep After a long run

At 2:15 pm I walked back to the old grass air strip to watch Paige Drobney come up the trail through the woods and into town.  The sun was shining, and I have some very nice photos of her coming into Eagle.

Back at the checkpoint, I wanted to see what was happening.  It was extremely interesting to watch the mushers take care of their dogs.  They first take the booties off each dog and a wool insulator (fox tail) that was around their flanks on their tummies.  I could not figure out why the wool insulator was needed, so I asked.  It is only on the males, to make sure their penis did not freeze.  I had no idea, but it made sense in this extreme cold!  The next thing was to get straw for the dogs.  Each dog was given one section of a straw bale.  The musher just gives the dog the bale section and the dog would spread it out themselves, before they would lay down.  After the straw, Paige went from dog to dog and spent time with each one.  I was very impressed with how she handled her team.  Next came the Vets.  They worked in pairs checking the dogs completely.  I asked a former musher how they feel about the vets.  For some mushers, the vets are a problem, but for the musher I talked to, he said, “it was a cheap way to get good vet service”.  While the vets are checking the dogs, the musher is cooking the food for the dogs.  No one can help the musher take care of the dogs. The food mixture is different for each musher.  Paige had quite a concoction she made for her dogs.  She added several supplements to the food while it was being cooked.  When she fed the dogs, she added some additional supplements for each dog as they needed it.  One of her dogs was in the sled when she arrived.  Soon after arriving she pulled a bag out of the sled with the dog in it.  She took the dog out of the bag and hooked it onto the line with the other dogs.  After inquiring about this dog, we found out that the dog vomited on the trail.  Race dogs seem to have problems with stomach ulcers, and that is what they think was wrong with the dog.  The vets checked the dog, and all seemed to be fine at this time.  One of the vets gave the musher some medication to help with the ulcers, if there continued to be a problem.

Paige Drobney Coming In

Dogs Making their Nest

Massaging the Dog's Legs and Paws

Prepping the Dog Food

Feeding the Dogs

Discussing the Dog with the Vet

After the dogs ate they would curl up in the straw and sleep.  While the dogs were sleeping the musher would either get some sleep themselves or take care of their own personal things. They needed to dry any wet clothes, charge their light batteries and prepare whatever they would need until they reached the next check-point.  If the musher would like to sleep, they had a room in the old school set aside for them to sleep.  There was a chalk-board where they would write down which bed the musher was in and when they wanted a wake-up call. Of the first two mushers, Allen got some sleep and Paige did not sleep.  The school house had food for both the volunteers and the mushers.  Before the musher left for Dawson City they would cook food for the next stop.  The distance between Eagle and Dawson City was 150 miles, so the musher would have to stop two or three times on the trail to rest the dogs and feed them.  This would happen out on the trail with no check point around, it is just the musher and their dogs.  The word is that it will be -40 to-45 degrees F when they arrive at Dawson City.  Eagle has a mandatory 4-hour rest and Dawson City has a mandatory 36-hour rest.  Allan was in Eagle for around 6 1/2 hours and I am guessing Paige was there for around 5 ½ hours.  From years past Allen Moore has a history of starting out fast and not winning the race, so it will be interesting to see how things work out this year. He will have around a 2- hour lead going out of Eagle.

Vet Station in the Old School

Putting New Booties on the Dogs

Getting the Dogs up for the Next Run

Leaving the Check Point

Heading out of town

At 5:30 pm the town favorite, Matt Hall, who grew up in Eagle, arrived.  There were at least 12-15 towns people there to greet him when he came in. Matt’s parents still live in Eagle. Matt was last year’s winner of the YQ1000.

Matt Hall Coming in

We went to the new school for dinner again at 6:00.  After dinner Wilbur and I went back to the check point to see what was happening.  Paige was cooking her next meal for the dogs.  After it is cooked the musher puts the food in an ice chest, so it is ready for the next stop along the trail.  The next morning, I saw on the board that Paige left soon after 9:20 pm.  The fourth musher to arrive was Laura Neese.  Laura was working with her dogs, and the vets were already checking them, when we returned to the cabin.

The vets come from all over the world.  Cal talked with vets for North Dakota, Australia, Germany, Alaska, etc.  Vets have to be at each checkpoint 24 hours a day.  There were at least 6 vets at Eagle during the day.  The vets would fly ahead each day so there were vets on hand when the dog teams come in.  We think there are at least 24 vets committed to the YQ1000.

By 9:00pm, the fire was stoked, and we went to bed, calling it a great day!

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Monday, February 5, 2018 – Cal & Wilbur Fly to Eagle, Rachel stays in Fairbanks

Rachel’s entry: Cal & Wilbur are flying with a charter service, Everts Air into Eagle today.  Everts Air has the contract to fly mail to Eagle, and the guys will be traveling in the mail plane. Our host, Jean was sharing how she grew up with the Everts daughters, and how it is a wonderful flying company - that’s good to know!

Last night it was decided, Bob would take the guys to the airport on his way to work.  The airport is approximately 30 minutes from our host home.  Jean leaves the house at 6:00 am, and Bob leaves between 7:00-7:30.  Breakfast items were in the refrigerator, waiting to be re-heated this morning.  Everyone was up at 6:00.  Between Bob and I, breakfast was on the table by the time the guys were dressed.  They put their final gear on right before they walked out the door.  Wearing snow/ski pants, is just part of the game!  The inside of the plane is not freezing but it is not warm. In Alaska you need to be dressed appropriately, preferably too warm than not enough. You never know what lays ahead for which you need to be prepared.  In Iowa, it is often mentioned how each car should have a winter survival kits, it is even more important in Alaska.   

After the guys were on the road, I had plans to go back to bed for more sleep.  Bob & Jean’s home is in a remote area in the hills/mountains north of Fairbanks, therefore, there is no need to pull blinds at night.  This morning after I turned off the lights in the bedroom, ready to crawl into bed, I glanced out the window into the darkness and saw 4 legs in the snow very near the rented SUV.  It was still very dark, but I had not seen this before.  Standing there near the SUV, but by the trees, was a young moose eating the snow off the trees, and likely the young pine needles.  It was too dark to get a photo for which I was disappointed.  After 10 minutes of eating, he began walking around the house in the cleared driveway area.  I went upstairs trying to get better photos, but the darkness was too much.  He continued walking around the house and eating as he went.  Finally, he was in a position where he was surrounded by white snow, thus allowing a better photo of him.  He continued into the thicket, eating as he went, and then wandered over the ridge. I watched him approximately an hour.  The attached photos are the best I could get of him.

By noon I was at the Rotary Club of Fairbanks – College.  There meeting is held at the same location as the Club we visited last Friday morning – Ravens Landing.  Their speaker today was with Fairbanks Tourism office.  She had a great presentation.  She was delighted to know we were visiting during the winter, as Fairbanks Tourism is spending money on promoting “Alaska in the Winter”.  This club is the reverse of many Clubs -there are 60% women and 40% men. Their foreign exchange student this year is from Chili. 

After Rotary I went to an antique shop before going to the shop of our host Bob, the engineer.  Bob, a civil engineer, has worked in many capacities here in Alaska, but now he has his own business.  He designs and fabricates sewage systems compatible with this artic climate.  He even designs and sells them to locations in the northern part of the lower 48 States.  His newest experimental project has been designing an indestructible plastic boat with an inboard motor, that will even go over logs and trees floating in the water, as well as over rocks, without damaging the boat.  Their testing operation is incredible.  These boats are wonderful in the shallow rivers of Alaska.  Now they need an exceptional marketing plan. 

My next stop was another antique shop of which I did not finished – I need to return tomorrow!  I had a great day in Fairbanks.  Today was the first I had driven.  I did not realize how cold the steering wheel could be!!  If you owned a vehicle here, the minimum would be heated seats and heated steering wheel!

We will see what tomorrow will bring.  I have several ideas of what I want to do, but we will see. 

Cal’s Entry: Fairbanks to Eagle Alaska.   

We were up at 6:00 Monday morning to be ready to catch the airplane for Eagle at 9:00.  I took a shower this morning, as I do not know when I will have another shower - maybe not until I get back into Fairbanks on Thursday. We had breakfast before Bob drove Wilbur and I to the airport.

Rachel was planning on taking us to the airport, but Bob was going that way for work, so he took Wilbur and myself to the airport.  It was still dark while we waited to board the plane.  The check-in was very easy, but since Wilbur and I had some provisions for the friends we were staying with in Eagle, we were overweight.  There was a slight charge for the 30 plus pounds we were overweight.  By 9:05 we were in the plane ready to take off.  It was a 1 hour and 5 min flight.  The sky was clear, and the view was spectacular.  We had to be something under 8,000 ft because several of the Mountain peaks seemed to be close, and they were around 6,000 ft.

The landing at the Eagle snow-covered gravel airstrip was uneventful, and Burr, our host, was there waiting for us.  We went straight to their house and sat around the table and reminisced for around an hour.  We had a light lunch before Wilbur and I went to their cabin for a short nap.

Our Cabin

The Long-Drop (Out House)

Not too bad if it were not - 30 deg F

Our Host's House

Around 2:00 we went for a walk, first to the old school house where the Quest checkpoint is located, then we headed for the library, because it has wi-fi, but we found that the library is closed to anyone other than officials during the Quest, so we could not use the wi-fi.  We continued to walk down to the Yukon River. Along the river bank is the town store & restaurant & hotel (when open during the summer the hotel has 43 rooms, who knows why so many rooms in a town with a population of 100+).  After having a snack, we returned to the Lidic cabin to do some reading and catching up on the blog.  What I am writing on this blog will be blended with Rachel’s account and posted later when we have wi-fi.

It is -15 F, which is very cold when we were walking into the slight breeze.

Old School House - Check Point

Straw and dog food for the mushers

Favorite Mode of Transportation with a Pull Behind Sled

Main Street Eagle Alaska

The Yukon River

The New School, 1989

At around 6:00 we all went to the new school building for dinner.   Each day during the Quest, the students with adult supervision, prepare a dinner for the volunteers and whoever wants to eat there.  Dinner this evening was meatloaf, corn, mashed potatoes with gravy and a blueberry desert.  The turnout was not very good this evening since there was a carry-in dinner at one of the churches in the village.  People sat around and visited for quite a while after dinner.  I had a chance to talk with the logistics Quest person and one of the veterinarians. The big question is, when will the first musher arrive?  The current talk is that the lead musher has a three-hour lead and is scheduled to arrive sometime around 7:00 am, which is around 3 hours later than usual.

The Eagle school has K-12 in one building, with 20+ total students.  They started the year with 3 seniors but are now down to only one.  They have a Principal and two teachers, one elementary and one high school.  The Principal helps the high school teacher with the social studies since the high school teacher is most comfortable with the math and science.  The building was built in the 80’s and is in great condition.

After dinner we walked back to the Lydic house.  By 9:00 I was fading and decided to go to the cabin.  By 9:30 the lights were out and we both went to sleep.  I did not know how it would go sharing a bed with my brother after 60+ years, but all went fine.

Wilbur got up to go to the long-drop (out house) at around 11:00 or 11:30. He awoke me, because the Northern Lights were shinning.  I got up, put on my boots and coat, grabbed the camera and went out to see if I could get some good photos.  The lights were just bright enough for photos.  Hopefully we will see them brighter another night, giving better photos.