A peek at Wisconsin & Minnesota Northwoods
Great Lakes ship St. Clair
Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 08:31AM Hunting season started today and I'm wondering how they could see what they're shooting at it's so foggy! I risked life and lim and went out to take a few pics of the pretty foggy ice crystally morning...
On the other side of my yard the fog was much lower to the ground...
Anyway, it was pretty to see even if it wasn't the usual quiet.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 04:37PM After a slow shipping season on the Great Lakes, it seems as though there is a flurry of activity of late. That the wonderful unseasonably warm weather just so happens to coincide with so many ships it is a real treat!
Today we welcomed American Century into the harbor.
You will notice that it looks like the ships are so tall they might not make it under the bridge, but they always do! They must then take a sharp left.
Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 07:17AM You can see forever...And when Gitchee Gummi is smooth as glass it is a very rare and noteworthy occasion. It happened last week and the icing on the cake was seeing a saltie on the horizon. Saltie would be an ocean going vessel from a far away land as opposed to the larger Great Lakes vessels. Here we have a ship from Monrovia that came in to harbor for a load of grain. The extra excitement, besides the ship's reflection in the water, was the fact that it had the hatches open. They were on a serious mission to load and leave!
Zemia Lodzkaf
A perfect day for a lighthouse shot
Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 06:21AM The sunrises lately have been dramatic. We usually see these kind of sunrises in October, but I guess since we're having October weather in November...the sunrises are following suit.
Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 07:42AM Yesterday I got to do something I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be able to do. Here, in the northwoods in November...I rode my scooter! It was 61 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There was a little wind which cooled things down a little so I opted to ride to town and cruise around at lower speeds and stay warmer and I found all kinds of fun things to see and photograph.
The first thing I ran across was this old railroad trestle that is in the process of being dismantled down on the waterfront. While I was wandering down there the owner of the property came along and told me that in 2 years this spot will be a marina. There is a lot of work ahead of them to acomplish this but I can picture that it will be beautiful.
Meanwhile...they have their work cut out for them! They have to dimantle and haul away the old....
Before they can build anew. Meanwhile, there is a little bit of activity on the site and some interesting things to see.
There are abandoned rusty boats and this old pontoon...
And you never know where you will find a nice boat parked for the winter!
This vessel is still in the ater but not for long I bet...
And this old dredge that I haven't seen in action for years
I'm looking forward to watching the progress down there. There is never ending work as far as the eye can see!
Friday, November 6, 2009 at 07:24AM Mesabi Miner is one of my favorite ships. I can't tell you why that is, but maybe it's because I somehow happen to see the Mesabi Miner the most. When I'm standing down at the ship canal waiting for a ship I rarely know which one it will be. They do post the arrivals in the museum and online and it would be nice to be able to say that I plan my ship watching by fnding out when and which ship is going to come in next, but that is for people who have time on their side. Me, I just spot them from the bridge and go running when I can! That hasn't happened hardly at all this season as the ship traffic has been very slow due to the economy and I'm far too busy for my liking.
The first thing I noticed yesterday while crossing the bridge to Minnesota was how blue the water looked against the beautiful lighter blue sky. It's been like the weather is having a bad economy this season too, I can't remember a year with such consistently bad weather!
Anyway, the ship was on the horizon and the weather was beautiful and I unexpectedly found myself in one of my favorite places. Maybe the fact that my ship watching is always as surprise adds to the excitement of it all, who knows!
Mesabi Miner
Once the massive hunk of steel passed I figured I'd shoot some ship anchors...
And last but not least....as I was pulling photos for this post I ran across an older photo of Mesabi Miner that I took a few years ago! See what I mean...isn't the Miner a lovely vessel...
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 07:34AM Yesterday was the first opportunity I had to try out the new Nikon. Nothing like never ending rainy days when you're sitting on a long coveted new camera that you're dying to try out! The D3000 is my first dslr camera and I'm looking forward to learning to use it to it's potential. So far I am just getting comfortable with holding it and using auto and the aperature priority modes. I hope I have a handle on this camera before northen lights make an appearance!
Anyway, it was pretty at the Falls yesterday.
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 02:42PM The old saying "wild horses couldn't drag me away" is applicable to me and where I live when it's summer. We put up with some helacious winters up here on the tundra and I'll be damned if anything could entice me to go elsewhere once it finally gets nice out! Why would anyone put up with the weather we who live in the far north do? It's simple. It's beautiful here and it's not crowded with people like the places that have wonderful weather are! Yes, we get our yearly flock of tourists but come September when they go home it's our turn.
My new scooter came home just in time for me to be able to enjoy this late summer early fall season before I have to put it to bed for the winter and I've been going hell bent for election to get in all the time I can before the days of freezing arrive.
The transportation...
This is a 1986 250 Honda Helix scooter. It's a wildly fun bike and even has a stereo! The scooter belonged to my dad. Dad put 11,000 miles on it and I'm thinking it won't be long before I add another 11,000. This is more of a motorcycle than a scooter because of it's size, but it's got a scooter body which makes it more comfortable to ride than a motorcycle...
My travels take us along the nooks and crannies of northwestern Wisconsin and the very edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and areas in between. There is no such thing as a dull ride and I could do this for years and always find something new to see.
This day I started towards Ironwood Michigan, not really caring if I made it there or not but it gave me a direction in which to head.
Especially fun is the fall colors are starting to come out and every now and then there is a glimpse of nice color..
My first stop ended up to be a 30 mile round trip detour out of the way but as I was saying...the UP just gave me a direction to go in, never mind if I actually get there, right? I had never been to Copper Falls so I decided I wanted to go there first. The road to Mellen Wisconsin where Copper falls is, is beautiful and hilly and winds with sharp curves. This lends to a lot of interest over what could be around the next corner.
Copper Falls State Park is much bigger than I imagined so I'll have to go back and explore more of it..
There was a lot of bridges and stairs...
The second stairs here lead to a fire tower with what I'm sure are amazing vista's. I'll have to go back to climb those stairs when I'm driving my car as I don 't think it would be a good idea to do that AND ride the scooter!
We haven't had a lot of rain so the falls are pretty quiet.
After a little hike I decided to head back to the scooter and the road to Michigan.
I have been to Little Girls Point before, just across the border in the UP but it was during winter, and this is the first time I visited when it was still warm...
I wondered what the lodge was like but it must be private because the road was closed
There's a good size park and camping grounds at Little Girl's Point and it's not crowded...
Huge driftwood logs
A rock pickers paradise...
Lake Superior as far as the eye can see
I had spent a lot of time getting to the U.P. so I couldn't really stay that long but I was in a riding mood anyway since this was my first adventure on my new bike. I wanted to check out Superior Falls which is on the border of the U.P and Wisconsin.
The Montreal River. To the right is Wisconsin and to the left is Michigan.
Below this spot on the river is a huge dam and below the dam is Superior Falls. I hear it's best viewed in Spring and since we haven't had rain to speak of, I wasn't about to climb down this steep trail to have a look only to be possibly disappointed!
I'm sure the vistas are breathtaking but this is another one of those "I want to arrive in a car" when I do it things. It's a LONG ways down...
By now I knew that I'd be in trouble if I didn't aim my bike towards home and still have a little time to lollygag along the way so I headed back to Wisconsin. I had one mroe stop I wanted to make which would make my day complete! Yes, I took the next two pics while driving my scooter and as you can see, the big windshield is very welcome on the bike!
I had to stop at Saxon Harbor to see what it looks like during summer. This is another spot I've only seen in the dead of winter...
Saxon Harbor is one of those places I could visit again and again, just to see the changes with the seasons. The last time I was here there were ice houses on the frozen tundra
The red cliffs in the backround are over by Superior Falls
I could watch this view all day
There's a little stockade like picnic spot at Saxon Harbor and this one little hut with a picnic table for when it rains
When I left Saxon Harbor I had to bee line it home in order to make it before dark. It hadn't occured to me to being clear glasses for night riding and I only had very dark sunglasses. Well, you saw my windshield! Not a good idea to ride with out eye protection and this meant high tail it home time for me!
I rode 264 miles that day!
Yesterday I took a 185 mile journey towards Bayfield and it's environs. Here it's past the middle of September and it's much warmer than what we had in July! Not to ignore opportunity when it comes knocking I set off on another adventure...
This time I headed along the Lake Superior Circle Tour route until I made it to Herbster which is about half way to Bayfield. At Herbster I headed into the Chequamegon-Nicollet National Forest for an amazingly beautiful ride. I ran out of pavement and since I had never been there before wasn't really sure how far it was back to solid road and didn't stop a whole lot but this spot intrigued me. I imagined an old farm house in the yard with people enjoying beautiful mountain vista's year round.
This was a high elevation already and I imagoned what it might be like to live here in winter. These people had a beautiful farm but they also had an airstrip!
I'd want a plane if I lived here too! There was literally miles in between residences, with a few seasonal cabins dotting the roadsice here and there...
It was a beautiful ride but I was ready to be back to pavement. Of course, with pavement comes civilization as we know it.
The reward for the miles of dirt road were rewarded with many miles of brand spanking new blacktop!
I came across this old vendor truck outside of Washburn and I recognized it right away. I've seen it on Madeline Island at Tom's Burned Down Bar. The truck is fully equipped and probably a steal at $5,000.00. I could see me touring around in it with my glass and beads and torch with a little trailer behind it for sleeping.
For the heck of it I headed up to mount Ashwabay...
And then down to Friendly Valley Beach
There was someone trying to learn to wind surf. She was having some problems but maybe it wa due to not much wind.
It's possible that the lack of a breeze was her problem but she dumped quite a bit. You need a wet suit for this activity on Lake Superior!
I aarrived in Bayfield to see a whole lot of other people had the same idea today as I did to go there so i didn't really stick around. The scarecrow contest is in full swing but I'll go enjoy it during the week when there aren't so many people.
I did take a couple of scarecrow pics though before I headed out of town...
I checked out one small marina and campground facility so I could pay my respects to the Apostle Islands. Just seeing the islands is satisfying but I'd sure love to go sailing around them again!
Crystal clear waters of Gitchee Gummi
And off towards home I went. My next and last stop was in Herbster down by the beach for a last look at the lake before I headed inland towards home...
evidence of the fact that just because you want a dock in Lake Superior, does not necessairly mean you will have one! I wonder how long this one stood before a wave took it. The breakwater was no help in this case!
And then it was time to head for home once again. This journey was only 185 miles and I found myself wondering how I did the 264 miles that day last week. I was ready for home...
Until next time...
As I travel I hope I leave beautiful footsteps behind me...
Stephanie
Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 07:20AM It's the one thing that is certain. I WILL be at the Bayfront Blues festival, come hell or high water. This year the weather has presented us with some problems but nothing that couldn't be overcome so far!
Friday was cold and windy. I thought I was prepared and my only answer to that is "that'll teach me to think"! I wasn't prepared enough, for I didn't pack long underwear or a hat or gloves. No amount of clothing was going to help without the long underwear so I ended up leaving early.
On Saturday, I came prepared to do battle with the elements. I had half of my winter wardrobe in my car on this August afternoon, along with rain gear and an umbrella.
I headed out to the festival on Saturday through the fog that was created by wicked storms on Friday night...
The fog never did leave. It stayed throughout the day. By 2pm it was obvious nothing was going to changeand the layersI was already wearing were far from enough, so I ended up putting on the long underwear early.
And rain gear to help keep out the wind and preserve body heat.
I wasn't the only one who dressed like this. Sans a few tourists, pretty much everyone was bundled up!
But we're a hearty bunch up here and hard core blues fans! Besides, Los Lobo's was the headliner for Saturday so we stayed.
We did end up leaving a little early though, lightning and a downpour was the straw that broke the camel's back, or in this case...the dragons!
I've got to unload my car of warm clothes for today's finale. It's supposed to be 80 with high humidity! Only in Duluth...
Added monday Aug 10...
Sunday proved to be perfect, and the music was all good. The Legendary Blues Revue with Tommy Castro Bernard Allison and Magic Dick made the conditions we suffered the first two days of the festival but a memory. It was quite the send off for this year!
Until next time...I can hardly wait for 2010 Bayfront Blues!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 at 04:50PM How much more exciting could it get. Well, other than if the crew was in my yard building me a new house, that is! Anyway, there is big excitement here in the northwoods of northwestern Wisconsin this week as Ty and his crew are here constructing a new home for a local family that it seems really deserved it. I don't know them, but it almost seems as though I do now after seeing them on the news on Monday after Ty and his crew knocked on their door and surprised them with the big news and sent them to pack for a trip to Hawaii.
Have you ever wondered what it is like on the site of the Extreme makeover show? Well, I have...and since it's right in my neighborhood I had to swing by there this afternoon and this is what I saw...
This is more exciting than the county fair, sans the rides!
The family has some very nice looking gardens going, and this man was tenderly tending to them...
Yesterday an old dilapidated home was sitting in this spot. Portions were dismantled for recycling, and then the fire department used the shell for practice. By this afternoon they were saying they were 12 hours ahead of schedule and asking the building volunteers to come at 7pm tonight instead of 7am tomorrow morning!
Landscaping is already taking place
They were filming something to do with this canoe. I guess we'll have to wait until the show to find out!
This crew was doing the hand portion of back filling the slab that they will set the home on...
last week they started building wall portions for the new home, and they're just to go up tonight!
I doubt this dilapidated old garage will be standing much longer
And I bet this old building next to another garden is going to be a goner as well...
The rules for volunteering. The general volunteer quota was met during the first 24 hours after the announcement and they've had to turn people away. The other news is that the amount of business volunteers have now become the most in the show's history. This speaks volumes about the area where I live, awesome people live here.
Some volunteers before starting their shift
And for now...I'll leave you with this sign. I will be back to see the place but not sure if it will be before the construction is finished early next week. I think it would be awesome to be there tonight but I have a lot of work to do and I doubt I'll make it back over there...
What fun! I'm so happy for the family. I cannot even imagine their excitement as they are thousands of miles away and wondering what is going on in their yard!
Congrats Huber family! I can hardly wait for your welcome home!
I'll be back with an update and add it to this post when I do!
Monday, May 18, 2009 at 07:11PM I was there a few weeks ago on a day that it looked nice but it was so cold I lasted about 5 minutes, or less. Today was splendid in the mid 70's! I took a ride down to the lakewalk in Duluth and had fun visiting the gulls. Too bad there were no ships today! I am sad to say that shipping is very slow this season over the economy. I see several ships that have not moved since early last fall sitting in the slips around town. That is very sad.
The gulls haven't noticed though!
Monday, March 16, 2009 at 06:03AM The two do NOT mix! I took some dogs for a walk yesterday. We went down the driveway to the mailbox for the first time since probably October. It was 50 degrees for the first time in many a month and we all have Spring fever!
Well, it was too late before I realized what a stupid idea this was to let Paris come too. She was having way to much fun to put the kibosh on it so I just let her have her fun, knowing I would be suffering the consequences of my stupid idea well into the evening.
As you can see, I hadn't realized that so much of the snow had melted and exposed the dreaded red clay underneath.
Until we got a little further. My driveway is over a city block long, and we live at the end of a dead end dirt road so no cars to worry about.
Paris was still clean at this point, and having the time of her life playing with Rosebud the Dobergir
l
I just love to watch the two of them play...
OH OH...do you see what I see?
Paris was a muddy mess underneath and on her legs. Silly me, I thought maybe I could just get away with giving her body a bath and not washing the mane hair.
That hour and a half I spent re-doing Paris's hair bands on Friday was now a complete waste of time
Dry dry brush brush. Yes there is a dog under the hair!
But, we can't leave it like that because it goes in her face and she can't see and it will matt.
How about we put your ears in a pony tail?
Nah...we can't leave it like that, it would kill your ears.
back to banding. And no more running in the yard till mud season is over with!
THE END
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 07:15PM You may have seen my post in the main section about my weekend at the sled dog races and meeting Jamaican musher Damien Robb. Robb is a great guy and it was such a pleasure to be able to meet him and spend time with some truly fabulous people. It was a great time and the organization is a wonderful one.
About the movie Sun Dogs...
From the sun-kissed beaches and tropical paradise of Jamaica comes a story of second chances. Rescued from the mean streets and animal shelters of Kingston, 12 stray dogs are trained to be the stars of Jamaica’s first dog sled racing team. The crew, spearheaded by pop superstar Jimmy Buffett, brings the unlikely meeting of a traditionally snow-bound sport to the sand and surf.
But it is not just the dogs that are given a second chance. The team’s dog mushers are given the opportunity of a lifetime as they cultivate their love of animals while receiving an education and traveling the world.
Together this motley, mutt-ley crew is winning hearts AND winning races.
Mush Mon!
Part of the proceeds from the Sun Dogs video are donated by the team to support the JSPCA.
Here is a link to the website Sun Dogs page! http://www.jamaicadogsled.com/sundogs.htm
And another link to the teams blog. I mean, if you are reading this... chances are you like blogs. Well you will LOVE this one, especially if you love Jamaica and dogs...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at 06:08AM 2009 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon was Sunday through Wednesday this week so I spent a couple of days out in the cold following the mushers on the trail and at checkpoints.
This mushing stuff ain't for sissies, I can say that much...and this year merely being a race fan and spectator took some fortitude as the temps barely got above zero and some days the high temp was -5F.
Normally, this is not the weather I prefer to go joy riding in, or taking a walk down a trail in the woods only to stand sometimes for hours, but I've waited all year for this event and it's my winter mile marker. Once Beargrease is here, it's a downhill slide to warmer weather and longer days and we've made it this far so the rest of winter is a piece of cake. I stay contentedly cooped up in December & January in hibernating mode and going to Beargrease is a re-birth. A new season within a season arrives and the feeling is like a butterfly coming out of it's cocoon. I'm going to make it through this winter after all, aeck...I'm not gonna let a little bit of cold stop me!
Sunday's high was around -5 below zero. I really did try to talk myself out of going this year.
Before I knew it I was putting on layer upon layer of clothes on my body and moose hide mukluks on my feet and a big warm hat and scarf and thick mittens. I was thankful that I sorta knew I'd end up going so I charged all of my camera batteries. They don't last long in that kind of cold.
My first stop was Billy's bar outside Duluth which is the first checkpoint. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be so busy at Billy's. I didn't stay long even though there was the bar there where you can go inside and warm up. I didn't drive all that way to stand inside and not see the dogs!
So outside I went.
At Billy's the same volunteers are there each year so the checkpoint goes orderly even though the mushers are coming in every couple minutes or less. One minute they are standing and chatting...
And then someone shouts out a team is coming so they spring into action to help steer the dogs to the lanes which make up the first checkpoint in the 371 mile long marathon.
It's kind of fun to watch the mushers at Billy's as it's pretty soon after the race start and you see a lot of adjusting being made there. Better there than to have to stop out on the trail in the dark and do it!
Anyway, I get enough of people and take a little drive up the trail to my favorite musher watching spot where I rarely see another spectator.
It was too cold to stand still so I walked up the trail scoping out a good spot to take pictures. When the mushers arrive, one will come along every few minutes since we're still at the race beginning.
I remembered the couple I met on this trail last year. Lucky us, the husband stood ahead and watched so we'd know when to be camera ready. The spot I found on Sunday was hilly and curvy so you didn't get any warning. For this reason the picture taking gets very tricky. You can't hear the dogs or the sleds coming up the trail, they just appear.
The sun was going down fast and it was time to hit the road. I would enjoy this fun a lot more on Wednesday when the mushers come to the finish. I'm glad I went in spite of the cold but for the most part my Sunday photos all sucked. My poor camera was so cold and my frozen hands maybe not as steady.
The next time I would see the mushers was about 40 hours later, early on Wednesday morning. I spent a lot of time on the Beargrease website calculating my moves according to what was going on with the race.
21 teams started out in the main marathon and only 6 were left by Wednesday. It was brutal out there this year for both the dogs and the mushers.
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Wednesday morning
When I checked the Beargrease site 1st thing Wednesday morning I learned that Jason Barron from Montana had just pulled in to the Two Harbors checkpoint for a mandatory 6 hour rest. This was music to my ears! Two Harbors checkpoint is only about 50 miles from home so I had plenty of time to get there.
Jason won Beargrease last year and was in the lead now with the race all but sewed up. Anything can happen though, it ain't over till it's over.
I was out of the house by 7:30 and on my way to Two Harbors, past the famed Two Harbors chicken.
I've ever been able to get a straight answer about the Two harbors chicken but it disappears every few years as college fraternity pranks and the like and makes the news. Somehow they always get it back though, but I imagine it's pretty hard to hide a 15 to 20 foot tall fake bird for long.
Second place musher John Stetson was at the checkpoint sleeping but I saw his truck broke down on the highway. John is having a run of not so great days as his wife just passed away from cancer two weeks before race day.
Veteran mushers Jenn and Blake Freking and their dogs were all peacefully sleeping in the lap of luxury. They have just about everything in their arsenal to make the trail like home. Both Blake and Jenn had a team in the marathon. Blake finished 3rd and Jenn 5th.
Yep there's smoke coming out of that stack! They had heat in their little house on wheels.
The couple's sleds.
The dogs and the gear had their own trailer...
The dogs bedroom was the snowbank on the straw with blankets on each. Everyone was resting up for the last leg of the race.By now these dogs know exactly where they are as they do this race every year.
Not every musher travels in the lap of luxury. This is 4th place finisher Peter McClelland. He is sleeping out in the open air on a bed of straw, with no blanket. It's around 9:00am so maybe just hitting the -5 to zero mark. One of his handlers tends to his sleeping dogs while he catches a few winks.
I refer to the rest of the day as "Chasin Jason". That's what I ended up doing and so did all the other mushers since Jason Barron from Montana was in the lead at the last checkpoint by about a half an hour. Jason pretty much had the race sewn up but then again, until they cross the finish line anything can happen. Dogs have been known to stop on the trail and just sit there and not move an inch for long periods of time. I bet that would be a sinking feeling if there ever was one.
I arrived around 9am. Jason still had two hours to rest himself and his dogs and you think he would be doing just that after 30 some hours on the trail. Not so, though...but the dogs got a good rest. Jason was a happy guy and I'm sure was operating on pure adrenaline by now.
Jason's trailer. In the trailer are the dropped dogs from the race, and all of the equipment and everything needed for 3 days and nights on the trail in temps as cold 50 below. Jason has run Iditarod a few times and his best finish was 8th. That is very impressive as there is over 50 mushers at the start.
I have a stunning photo of Jason at the finish line winning last years race. When I took the shot he asked me to send it to him. Well, I wanted to send it to him but there was no email address listed on the Beargrease roster. Here was my chance to get his information so I can send him the photo.
It was fun getting to listen to a local high school girl interview Jason. She had two pages of well thought out questions and a friend to take pics. I stood and listened to the interview and got a few laughs at Jason's witty answers. Then I got to talk with him for short while and obtained his contact info so I could send him the pics. Then the media got a hold of him and he gave them an animated interview.
Meanwhile...the dogs slept.
I asked Jason who was the dog tied to the front of the truck. Jason laughed and said that is a pet, and he keeps bears away. "Do you see any bears?" he said. Ha ha ha..nope, not a bear in sight. Never mind that they're all hibernating! 
He does look like a good watch dog though, and I didn't go any closer to him as you can see he looked ready to jump up.
Two buss loads of school children pulled into the parking lot. We don't let a little bit of below zero stop our kids in school from going outside to play! They were all dressed warmly enough and they were so well behaved I was astonished.
What a wonderful thing the school did to bring the children to the marathon so they could see the whole operation! The children were not permitted to wander around. They all stayed together and hunkered down on the sidelines and watched quietly. I never heard a peep.
Jason and his wife Harmony became very busy folding blankets and feeding and and watering their dogs and dressing them in the booties and harnesses. Little baby daughter Oksana stayed warm inside the truck while mom and dad were busy. Jason had 10 dogs left of the 14 he started with which is pretty good. The dropped dogs get to ride in the big trailer. I believe you have to have 8 or more to finish. When a dog can no longer continue on the trail, the mushers can carry up to two dogs in their sled baskets.
They work like a well oiled machine. They have done this so much that it is not long before the dogs are brought out and hitched to the sled. Harmony is riding in the sled and a handler leads the way to the start of the last leg of the race,which is 4 hours long. Jason is waving to the school kids who are still quiet as a church mouse but you can see their excitement as they all wave goodbye to Jason.
Jason and his team await the go ahead to start, while a few of us try to find a spot to hopefully get a good photograph.
To the exact minute that he is free from his mandatory 6 hour lay over at the last checkpoint, he is off and running this last leg.
See you at Billy's Jason!!! Most of us that were at Two Harbors checkpoint were also at the finish line. This is the last some would see of him until then.
I saw him once more on the trail though, and gave directions to the Illinois people to the spot where there is easy trail access about an hour and a half from the finish. I saw them there so they found it!
There is no place I'd rather go at this point although it wasn't in my original plans. I haven't had an affinity for any musher in particular since Susan Butcher passed away but I do now. I can see this is a truly remarkable family man who treats everyone around him with respect. He has mine.
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Time for me to leave this checkpoint, even though there were 4 other mushers there at the time and one more coming in. I was gonna go chasin Jason and didn't want to miss him along the way.
On the way back to the car I noticed a couple of the oldtimers were putting on an animated story time for the school children. You could have heard a pin drop as the guys spun yarns of mushing trails past. The children were enthralled. What a wonderful field trip for them!
On the way up the trail I had a little bit of time to kill so I stopped down by the shore at Stoney Point to see if there was any blue ice. There was some blue ice but it wasn't as blue as it is some years. Down about 3 or so miles towards the lake the sky was thick from the the difference in air and water temps. The darker skies made for a nice contrast against the beautiful ice.
Now after my stop at the icy shore I started to panic that I'd miss Jason on the trail so it was time to get my butt up there! I made it with at least a half hour to spare.
You never know who you will meet on the trail. I saw the Illinois people had found their way and then I started walking. I had found this wonderfully hilly spot on Sunday and really wanted to get a shot of Jason coming down the hill there.
I was way the heck up the trail probably about a half a mile or so and there was this guy who had one fancy camera out there all set up on a tripod. He had never been to the Beargrease before or photographed dog mushing but he is taking an online photography course and his assignment was to photograph motion. I don't even know how he found that spot on the trail but there he was.
I did say earlier that there is no warning when a musher is coming. You cannot hear them and with terrain like this you can't even see them coming! This makes shooting a picture very tricky and you have to be fast! The camera guy didn't hear or see them coming but I got a glimpse of ears bouncing up and down and we had time to turn on our cameras. You only get one chance at a shot and they're gone about 9 miles an hour.
I joked with my shooting partner, "they won't stop for pictures, especially when they are in first place"! Then I did proceed to tell him about the one musher that did in fact, stop on the trail one year so I could take a picture after stepping in a waist deep hole and crashing down with my camera in one hand and tripod in the other! I was quite the sight and he was laughing. I took his photo as he was waving and smiling and I thanked him profusely and then he was on his way. My new shooting partner confessed to stepping in that very same hole that morning after I told him my story.
And that's when I spotted the Husky ears coming up the trail
I should have waited another fraction of a second. There are no do overs, but this one turned out OK.
I yelled "See you at Billy's!" and Jason asked how far it was and I yelled "an hour and a half!". Which as it turned out as just about to the minute.
My new shooting partner later asked me if I heard or saw the dogs first because he didn't see them till I yelled "here they come"!
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Billy's had a lot of excitement that afternoon. In recent years the way they had the trail set up, the winner would come in early on Wednesday morning around 7:30-8:00. This year they added miles and changed rest requirements and that changed everything. It was because of this change that I was able to enjoy the Two Harbors checkpoint that morning. All that went on there used to happen in the middle of the night.
Because it was the middle of the day there were lots more spectators than usual at Billy's bar too! Usually it is just a handful of us diehard fans huddled around waiting for word, not wanting to go inside where it's warm and take a chance on missing anything.
The usual bonfire was burning...
Among the crowd of press and photographers Harmony Barron and Oksana waited near the finish line for daddy. Someone walked up with a Finish flag and pronounced "there has to be a Finish flag at the finish" I'm not sure what that was about but it looked good there.
We got the 5 minute or so warning that Jason was coming to the finish. I had a spot right there next to the news camera's. Suddenly everyone in the crowd wanted to stand at the finish so I was glad I took my spot early.
Jason appears from around a corner and the crowd is cheering.
We have a winner folks! Not just a winner but a 2 year in a row winner!
Oh wait! Umm...Jason, let's move the dogs forward a few feet so your sled can cross the finish line. You can't be declared the winner until your sled crosses the line! 
Harmony and Oksana and Jason get in a big family bear hug during the cheering then Jason tends to the business of giving his dogs some praises.
First praises go to the lead dogs,for without an excellent lead dog a musher is, well...just mush.
Jason's lead dogs are like rock stars in the canine world. Aren't they beautiful! You can even tell the black and white one is smiling a little. They have been here before and know they have done well.
While Jason gives each and every dog some thanks and praises, race veterinarians inspect each and every dog and delcares them all in wonderful condition.
And baby Oksana is snug as a bug in a rug sitting in her daddy's sled. I can't help but wonder what she thinks of all of this excitement but I'm sure she knows her daddy did something wonderful.
What a little doll.
I just love a happy ending...
THE END
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 07:10AM I just love the pinks blues and oranges reflected in winter sunsets.
Monday, January 5, 2009 at 07:43PM and Toy group #1 winner in both countries, lovingly known as Peanut...went to Rainbow bridge in the wee hours of Jan 5.
This is Peanut and his daughter AKC Champion Pogo A GoGo at Pogo's first show when she was just 6 months old. If you have been reading awhile you'll remember I lost 13 year old Pogo just before Thanksgiving.
Peanut 7-9-1992 - 1-5-2009. A long and happy life he led to the end...
It has been a season of many losses starting with my good friend Uncle Sam's disapearance under suspicious circumstances from Little Bay Jamaica at the end of September.
Yesterday my beloved aunt passed away, and today a favorite uncle. Neither loss was expected. Hold your loved ones dear, for tomorrow is never promised. I have to go breathe now...
Stephanie
Peanut modeling his Christmas sweater just last week. A sweet loving little old man...
Saturday, December 27, 2008 at 08:37AM I've been digging through some older photos lately and I thought i'd share a couple of them with you.
This is a friends yard. Can you believe her view?
I bet it's pretty now too, in all the snowy spendor.
Since it is holiday season and I ran across this one, Ijust have to share it. This is my Solstice Litter from 2005, at 3 days old.
Monday, December 22, 2008 at 07:50AM It was a tradition a decade ago. The Sunday night blues shows at the Park Inn were always great, but then they stopped and everyone pretty much stopped going out for a dcade. Then last fall they started Sunday Night Blues in Duluth again, only this time early on Sunday evening from 6pm to 10 for us old folks and people that have to work on Monday.
Sunday Night Blues is on it's 3rd home now and the best of all I think. Oly's Pub in downtown Duluth is rockin on Sunday nights!
Last night it was Lisa Wenger Band with Bruce McCabe on keyboard. What else could get me out on a below zero night!
For a schedule of Sunday Night Blues check them on My Space! Hope to see you there!
Saturday, December 20, 2008 at 07:48AM Snowbird's take warning! Another big storm is breathing down our necks and should be here by noon. Stay tuned...
