www.shelfari.com/o1514379490/shelf

Here's my bookshelf of titles read in the past year. You might find something interesting to read.

Surprises at the Iditarod signups June 2011

Having never driven on the Parks Highway I wasn't sure how long it would actually take me to arrive in Wasilla for the annual Iditarod sign up picnic. I left fairly early, 5:45 for me is EARLY!!! Getting there around nine was my plan and I did make it by then, realizing practically no one was there. Well, I had a parking space and time for a nap. I slept in the car for about 45 minutes, took a walk to a nearby campground (about a mile away), and returned to a lot of people milling around, hugging puppies, greeting each other and tourists who just happened to come that morning.

Because I still needed a few photos of awards I went in the HQ building where a meeting was going on, attended mostly by teachers. Lots of good conversations and questions were going on, introductions of Iditarod staff were made, and hearing about the financial state of the Iditarod
from Mark Moderow. I had a good conversation with him about how teachers use the race for many classroom subjects and how I had used it in a Colombia, South America school during Spring Break. He introduced me to John Baker, the 2011 winner and it was nice to hear John talk about what he's been doing since the race. Ken Anderson was also happy to talk to us about how we use the race in our classrooms.

Of course Hugh is always a fan favorite. He remembered me from last year, because he said, "You're the world traveler aren't you?"

Another good time was had by many at the annual Iditarod sign-up picnic in June at Iditarod HQ. Teachers love this event because we get to meet and converse with the mushers we introduce into our classrooms each year. Mushers, dog drivers, the guy/girl on the sled...get together with their buddies, competitors, best friends, strangers, and talk dogs, eat, talk dogs, eat, talk dogs, fill out a race application, talk dogs, take photos with teachers and race fans, talk dogs, listen for the race list, and hope they win their race fee back. Woohoo Martin and Kelley!

I took an Iditarod book, which I wrote in 2011, so the mushers would sign it for me. Quite few actually thought it was a great idea. Martin Buser actually read a great deal of it while talking to me. Hugh Neff, Ray Redington, Jr., and Jodi Bailey all thought it was a clever idea for my students to use for a resource.

After reading Lance Mackey's book I had to complement him on what he has done in spite of his earlier days. To overcome addiction, cancer, and a broken family early in his life Lance has proven you can indeed succeed if the mind is stronger than the body. After all you don't just go out and win four Iditarods, much less four in a row, unless the will to do so can overcome physical limitations. He was a little surprised and quite modest about the whole thing. I then went over to compliment his mother on how she enabled him to realize his potential, whether she realized she was doing it or not. I did not even know her, nor she me, however I felt it necessary for her to hear praise from a stranger as well as her friends. She really did not know what to say except, "Thank you, it means a lot." She, too, was quite humble about the whole thing.

I also spoke to Jeff Schultz, Iditarod's official photographer. He was quite interested in how teachers use his photos. He seemed genuinely surprised at several ideas on how I use them in my classroom and wondered how I came up with them. Sometimes it is so hard to explain how I come up with my lessons or the details, mainly because often they just pop into my head. I'm glad I am able to use this way of thinking to develop good lessons, but when it comes to determining how to teach Iditarod checkpoints and dogs Jeff has provided the perfect resources. So my teacher friends...let Jeff know how you use his great photography!

Next up was Stu Nelson, head vet for the Iditarod. I met him last year when he came to our teachers' camp to talk dogs, dogcare, and race responsibilities. If you haven't read about his wild adventure last September you must go to the Iditarod Facebook page. There is a great story about his survival after a kayak mishap. You need to scroll to the middle of June to find it.

The really fun part was meeting people who did not come in 2010.

Yep, Aliy Zirkle and Allen Moore. We were hoping to see Happy last year, however she was not available. I want to see her run the Iditarod again this coming year. That dog has a fantastic story.

It was great to see Mike Santos again. What a fun guy to talk to. You've most likely already read my day at a kennel story, so now you can put a face with the man who made it happen.

And then who shows up and signs up? Jeff King! Jaws dropped and conversations immediately turned to this turn of events. When asked about the race, he simply said, " Oh, I really like the northern route!" Race 2012 will be something with him and Aaron Burmeister returning.

The Millenium Hotel once again provided a delicious spread with many, many desserts. Thanks for another great lunch Milleniumm!

It was nice to met Blyne Froke, the 2012 Teacher on the Trail. She was joined by 2011 TOTT Martha Dobson and Terre Henke, another former TOTT.

Not to be left out was Sonny Chambers, master of the Koyuk checkpoint!

I was finally able to get photos of all the major awards given during and after this race. I was missing the Spirit of AK mask, given at McGrath. Thanks to those who helped me obtain these photos.

I really enjoyed talking to Dan Seavey, Mitch's dad, Dallas' grandfather. He was also a teacher so we had a good conversation. Teachers rarely have to go looking for conversation topics...there's enough drama in our jobs to never be at a loss for words. And as it turns out he will be racing again this year too.




Scott Janssen, the mushing mortician, was a real hoot and enjoyed talking dogs to me as well. He's looking forward to his second race.

I also met a few rookies, Anna Berington and Kevin Neher. Anna is Kristy's twin so it will be fun to see them both in this race. Is this the first set of twins ever?

When all was said and done I had to head back to Denali for my summer job. I took with me lots of photographs, heartwarming conversations, memories of meeting old friends, the knowledge that the Iditarod committee is really interested in what teachers do with this race, and the joy of meeting people who love dogs and racing them in the wilderness that is Alaska. 2012: It's going to be a great one!

Flightseeing Over Mt. McKinley

Flightseeing...A wonderful way to see the mountains a normal person would never see on foot.
Flightseeing- Taking a plane to the peaks of the Alaskan Range was such a eye-opening experience. The sky could not have been much clearer, the glacier much better to land on, the pilot much nicer, or the plane much smoother. But let's start at the beginning of my experience.

Each person filled out a form, basically a waiver, complete with how much each person weighs. If you lie the entire plane could be at risk so you must tell the truth. If you don't the guy will add at least 10 pounds to your weight. People are seated based on weight and couples often may not sit together. And yes, the form says you do not hold the company responsible if you DIE…I'm thinking that's not going to hold up in court if it is pilot error.

Next I was asked if I needed boots to cover my shoes for the glacier landing. Seeing that my tread was worn smooth I willingly accepted the NEO overboots, having never worn them in my life. I was amazed at the ease with which they went over my shoes, how lightweight they are, and how ugly they weren't! I WANT SOME!!! I was the only one on the flight to accept them and was very glad I did. Others expressed their dismay at not wearing them, as the glacier was quite slushy.

We were reminded to go to the restroom before boarding, because there would be no other chance for four and a half LONG hours. Most everyone thought that was a great idea…being mostly older people I'm sure you get my drift.

We were shown to our plane, placed in seats according to their seating chart, and told to buckle up.

We also put on headphones so we could hear the pilot's commentary throughout our flight. Those headphones kept our ears quite toasty and drowned out the engine noise. The safety lecture was given, location of sick bags explained, last words (not last rites!) were said, and we taxied for takeoff. We followed another plane down the landing strip and did a 180 turn in front of the first plane since two planes cannot sit side by side on these strips, nor can one pass another one. As soon as we turned around we flew down the runway and up we went. I am not a fan of takeoffs or landings but this guy did a pretty good job of both.

We passed over the small towns surrounded by the green hills and Nenana River snaking its way through the canyon. This canyon is a natural break in the Alaska Range. It did not take long for us to see the difference in the north side and the south side of the Alaska Range. The AK Range is 50 miles wide at Mt. McKinley. The moisture is mostly on the south side, because it originates from the Gulf of Alaska. As it goes over the range it warms up and dries up.

Mt. McKinley was named for Senator McKinley, soon to be President McKinley. Because he was a staunch supporter of the gold standard and gold was what brought many people to Alaska the powers that be deemed it fitting as a way to honor him. It is the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet tall.

Now for the science of what I was seeing. The Pacific plate subducts the Northern plate, resulting in the Alaskan Range formation. These mountains are primarily sedimentary so they erode quite easily. The Denali Fault runs along the valley, appearing very similar to a meandering river. The Alaska Range has the highest rise in the world- 3,000 feet of rock and ice. Looking down upon all the snow and ice it is very difficult to determine height of these ice walls and snow banks, because there is no frame of reference such as trees.

This is a glacier tour so we expected to see many glaciers and we were not disappointed. There are major glaciers in this area, several of which are called circuit glaciers because they appear to be sitting in a cup-like formation. Muldrow and Trilicka Glaciers come from Mt. McKinley, Eldridge Glacier from Mt. Eldridge, and others are named Ruth, Peters, and Tahiltna. The dark areas in them are called moraines and can be lateral or medial. This is sediment which has collected as the glacier travels down from the mountain. Thousands of tons of sediment are transferred and the landscape is covered with very large boulders, ice chunks, and field debris, making it look like a river. The very black sediment is from the granite mountains.

As we flew closer to McKinley it appeared we would run into it and several of its shorter peaks. Of course we did not really come close to hitting anything, even though it looked so close we could have touched them. One area we flew through was a narrow spot between peaks so it was nicknamed "root canal". This is followed closely by "floss gap", "broken tooth" (a really jagged set of peaks), and "loose tooth". We wondered if they had been named by a dentist-explorer. Many of the peaks were named by the explorers, prospectors, and geologists who have visited, studied, and/or climbed these mighty mountains.

We also viewed upper ice faults whose ice was 1000 feet thick. Here's what they look like:

There are areas where cracks formed, water got into them, froze, and formed jagged edges. One such area is called Fang Mountains.There are also Eractics- ridges where glaciers melted and left valleys and sharp peaks.

On this day Mt. McKinley was in full view, her splendor out for all to see. It is said only 30% of Denali National Park's visitors actually see the mountain peak (We actually sell things in the gift shops which proclaim 30% Club on them). I'm guessing the count does not include the flightseeing tourists, because it is a given they will get a wonderful view of McKinley. At first I was actually surprised at the amount (depth) of snow on these mountains, however when you realize the temperatures go to the degrees below zero that is understandable. McKinley's peak temperature the day I flew was estimated to be around 20 degrees above zero.

Mt. McKinley and the associated peaks are actually one big rock! From 2,000 feet to 20,320 feet is a rise of over 18,000 feet. Mt. Everest, the world's tallest totally above ground mountain, has a rise of only 12,000 feet, so it looks like McKinley wins in that department. McKinley's base camp, #14 camp, and #17 camp were established by the National Park Service. They recommend that climbers wake up around 2:00 AM, go to the summit and back to Camp 17 in one day and spend only about 20 minutes on the actually peak itself. They do not use oxygen to climb this mountain. Most climbers call their friends and take loads of photographs before descending.

Lest people think this is a less dangerous one than Mt. Everest every season people die on this mountain. Only a week before my flight a man successfully summitted, returned to Camp 17, went to sleep and never woke up. So far at least five others have died and seven others needed rescuing. People cannot just go climb this mountain- a permit is required. 1700 permits are issued and no more than half, in any given year, make the summit. So more people successfully climb Mt. McKinley every year than have ever finished the Iditarod Sled Dog Race (That number is now at 595. Somehow you knew I would get around to talking sled dogs in here!).

Finally it was time for us to land on a glacier. Many flights are unable to land due to low clouds, rain, rough winds…snow too soft for a safe landing. Mine was flawless as we flew over those 1000 feet tall ice and snow walls. The landing was one of four planes this particular point in time and two others left soon after we landed. We were able to hang out on the glacier for about 25 minutes, walking only a short distance from the plane, (needed to stay out of the way of other planes coming in) and taking tons of photos. It is very difficult to see the screen because of the snow's glare (We were required to wear sunglasses and now it was obvious why) so we all hoped our photos would turn out okay. I had to make a snowball to see if it would hold together and it did not because it was too slushy. It made for a fun photo though. Soon it was time to takeoff so we all got back in the plane and had a smooth run in the slush. It was quite fun watching those ice walls get smaller and smaller.

Carl, our pilot and me


Our flight went in a different direction for some of the return flight. Most of the scenery was quite similar to what we saw coming up to Mt. McKinley. We did see Dall sheep on a very high mountain, as they like it up high since the bears do not like it that far up.

So many mountain peaks, so much snow, and beautiful blue sky the whole way…what a grand way to spend an afternoon.

Chillin' in Fairbanks

My day off...what better to do than ride a train through the interior of Alaska? A few days before the day off I got a confirmation for the train, reserved a hotel room, and ordered my dinner. We ride in Holland America cars because they are the partners of the company I work for. Their cars are all domed cars so the views are wonderful from every seat. Employees dress up somewhat so I brought a skirt and oxford shirt. I was there in plenty of time because there are times employees get bumped for touring guests.

I boarded the train around four pm and settled myself in, as there were plenty of empty seats. I chose the very back, mainly because the rest of the car was a single tour group. I could also call people without being a distraction. I had at least three bars the whole trip, even in really desolate areas.

I took many photos, from the train's perspective, of the large hotels, the river, and the train. I only saw one moose eating, but I wasn't really looking for wildlife on this trip. I'll see plenty before I leave in July I'm sure. I did get many good sky/cloud photos.

The train car host was explaining about river silt, glacier melt, and assorted related science topics so I was taking notes which may be very helpful for my science classes this coming school year. I know people on the train probably thought I was nuts for snapping so many photos and taking notes about glaciers! We GOOD teachers never stop learning and collecting information!

Because our tickets are similar to standby meals are not included. I took a lunch from the hotel which was actually quite good. A banana and chocolate chip cookies rounded out the turkey sandwich meal. Several other couples came to the back where there is a small counter and laid out a cheese and crackers and wine spread. I talked with one lady from Australia who was just starting her month long vacation. She and her husband take at least one big trip every year, sometimes three or four. They are flying to Pruedoe Bay to go to the Arctic Ocean, then will spend time in most of the big cities as well as small villages. They are not going to Barrow, the northernmost town in North America. I found that a little odd since they will be in Alaska for so long, but they did not know the significance of it geographically. Plus, Barrow, on the first day of summer does not see the sun set at all. As revealed on time lapse photos the sun makes an arc in the sky just above the horizon. Seriously, look it up to view the photos.

Once we arrived at the Fairbanks train station there were five Holland America buses waiting to take their passengers to the Westmark hotel. Once the bus was full the driver reminded everyone of the safety briefing he had to give. Apparently, every time they got on a new source of transportation the driver, pilot, whoever, had to repeat their safety and emergency plan. By the time they were in Fairbanks that briefing was down to one sentence, "Find the emergency exit and get out!" I think by that time they had probably changed vehicles at least nine times in six days.

We arrived at the hotel and I had no competition at the desk to get my key because everyone already had theirs in an envelope. I was given a first floor room in a very quiet part of the hotel. I put everything down, changed into walking clothes and went out for my 10K volksmarch around Fairbanks. It was after nine pm by now and I think I finished those six miles by midnight. I went through a place called Pioneer Park that has homes from a longtime ago, an old
steam shovel, a fine arts center with colorful native masks on the outside of the building, and an old riverboat.

For those of you who do not know what a volksmarch is, it means "people's march" and it widely done in Europe. THere, people go in large groups to walk the countryside, generally on Saturday and Sunday. Participants get a start card and either mark or have punches made to show they have passed specific checkpoints. Sometimes there are trivia questions to write the answers for on the card. These prove you have actually made it to the halfway point. At the end beer, brats, and sweets are available for purchase. Generally in the USA there is none of that if you are doing a Year-round march, meaning you can walk it anytime you wish during the year.

On Thursday I got up early, well early for me! I planned to be busy today: go to Creamer's Field, visit the Large Animal Research Station (LARS) at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks; and go to the Yukon quest HQ to listen to Jodi Bailey. I bought an all day bus ticket for $3.00 (great deal by the way) and headed for the LARS first, mainly because it was the most remote of all the places I wanted to visit. I was able to take the bus most of the way, but wound up walking about 1 1/2 miles to get there.

LARS has funding from the National Science Foundation so their set up is quite well done. There are caribou, reindeer, and musk oxen. Who knows the difference in a caribou and a reindeer? Answer will appear somewhere is a future blog!)
There are large sections of land separated by fencing for each group of animals. To see the entire facility a tour guide must take visitor around. Today there were several elderly women who got to ride in the golf cart, mainly because their adult daughters told them they didn't need to be doing all that walking...You could see them rolling their eyes as they said this! The guide talked about the specific research topics being studied, mainly nutrition. Here's the nutrition for one young musk ox-

Next, I waked about another 2 1/2 miles to get to the closest bus stop for my Creamer's Field jaunt. The road the bus usually takes was closed for construction and I have no idea where to go, mainly because I figured all pedestrian traffic was detoured also. I called the bus company and finally, after talking to several people, was told to basically run to the next stop on the route and I'd make that next bus. I knew where that stop is so I got moving and barely made it to the bus before it took off. After a short ride I got off at Creamer's Field.

It is, in fact, a field with marshes set aside for birds to migrate to and have sanctuary or refuge. I really do not know what I thought I would see besides birds in a large field...that's exactly what I saw! There were lots of Canadian Geese hanging around, but not much else. It took me all of five minutes to watch them and decide I was done!

Unfortunately the next bus wasn't coming until 55 minutes later, so I figured I might as well walk. My thinking was I would probably get there faster than waiting for it. That was about another 3 1/2 miles so I really racked up the mileage in those two days! I went to the Yukon Quest Headquarters (another 1000 mile sled dog race I enjoy following) to listen to Jodi Bailey talk about her race and see her dogs.

Jodi made history this year by being the first musher to complete the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest as a rookie in the same year. YQ runs in February and Iditarod runs in March so there was not much time between her races and she was using some of the same dogs. She is so energetic and truly loves being with her dogs during training, on the trail, and hanging out in the summer. She brought three of them to show the public, who have serious misconceptions about sled dogs, mostly in part to movies who cast the wrong dogs for their canine roles.

She talked about their food, drop bags, their training schedules, how they are selected, what the YQ was like, and a few about the Iditarod also. She realized I was there and just asked me about prize money for Iditarod, which I thought was kind of cool, because I did in fact know the answer. She announced I was a teacher who follows sled dog races with my classes and to please excuse her for just a second. She came over, gave me a hug, and signed my Iditarod book. I figured now was the time to ask for some dog fur so she did a quick demonstration on how she grooms the dogs to get their winter coat of fur off and gave me what she had on the brush. I'm going to be using it for science class so she told me she would get some from the kids she left at home and would bring me some on Saturday. Now I have fur from Mike Santos, Jodi Bailey, the NPS dogs, and soon will have two more kennels' contributions. This is shaping up to be a great science lesson on comparing and contrasting, observation, and analysis of matter. No I am not insane, rather thinking out of the box (which I've never been in anyway). This will be my introductory set of lessons for sled dog racing so why not make it a real attention grabber?

Having done of this I went back to the hotel, collected my bag, got on another bus and heading to the gathering place of employees who were taking the hotel bus back to Denali. I did a little shopping in the grocery store, wrote in my journal for this blog while waiting for the bus, and talked to people. Around 6:15 pm the bus was ready to roll and we picked up others from the movies, and headed home. I might just make this trip to Fairbanks again- good night's sleep at a good hotel, great ride on the train, and I did enjoy all of the walking, as I have now earned my summer 100 mile club T-Shirt!