Team Ralph on the way to the starting line in Willow.
As Iditarod 42 got close to it's end, I got on a plane and flew up to Nome. Jeff was expected to cross the finish line around midnight (if I remember correctly), so I went to town to get some pizza and wait for the champion to cross the finish line. As we eat our pizza, a rumour start spreading through the resturant. "Jeff King has stopped". Confusion is filling the room. Is the tracker not functioning? Is he just snacking the dogs? The wind too strong? As we check the gps tracker we can confirm, he has been stopped for a long time, and Alie Zirkle is still moving. Not long after a new word i spreading from table to table. "Alie Zirkle is stopped at Safety". Now this Iditarod finish is sure getting crazy! We watch the GPS as Dallas passes through Safety and takes lead of the race. Alie follows. I figure I have time for a quick nap. Not long after I get awoken by the fire siren that screams everytime a musher is aproaching the finish line. We jump on the atv and race down to front street. Dallas Seavey is Already across the finish line, congratulating his dogs on the good race. Just a minute later, we see a headlamp coming up from behind, Alie Zirkle finnishes just 2 minutes later to big cheers from the crowd.
Scouting for dogs
Team Ralph Johannessen at the cermonial start in Anchorage.
Team Ralph Johannessen flew me up to Nome, so I was up there to take care of his dogs. After every team crosses the finish line, they open up the back of the schute, and run em some hundred feet to behind the Iditarod HQ, where a dog lot is to be found. Long chains stretched out, with big containers fillew with straw and drop bags for all the teams. While being down there, I made sure to take a good look at all the different dogs. All finishers of one of the toughest Iditarod's yet. As we are planing 3 puppy litters for this spring, I was fully focused on getting a breeding female for one of those litters. What team looks the best? What dogs do i personally like the best? How did they look at the finish line coming in? Nome is definately a good place to buy dogs. Just right there in that dog lot, being able to look at hundred dogs at the same time, that just finished in the top 20 of Iditarod, and talk with all the different mushers. We are very excited for the tiny puppies coming this spring, it will be a bussy puppy summer here at Bacons Acres! 2 out of 3 planned litters is already bred, expect puppies early May.
The Finish line and burled arch in Nome.