I Looked!!!!

I looked and looked!

"This is an emotional moment....if I weren't so damn proud, I'd stand here and bawl." Lance Mackey by Jon Little

"I can't think of anything else I can do to make him more proud."Mackey referring to his Dad, former Iditarod Champion, Dick Mackey by Jon Little.

Lance Mackey is lookin' really good!!!! First into White Mountain and he has already done his mandatory eight hours and is off again! About three hours later Paul Gebhardt will be off and FIVE hours after him, we should have a show down between Buser and Steer going on for third.

So there it is! I don't see how anyone can pass Mackey unless for some reason he has trouble. He has left White Mountain with 9 dogs. Paul and Martin both had ten dogs in and Zack Steer had 11.

Jeff King is not even in White Mountain according to Iditarod.com while I am here writing.

I found a cool website about the history of the Iditarod. As with so many things that the media has a hand in reporting and according to the writer at this website there are many untruths about the Iditarod and how it began which the news media continues to report as truth. I found it all to be very interesting. Check it out. Brownielocks and the Three Bears!

Here are a few things I've learned from this site:
• The Iditarod Race was not started by the diphtheria vaccine story. (gasp!)
• The Indian word "haiditarod" means "far distant place."
• The word "mush" comes from the French word "march" as in to march, not the month of March.
• The first sled dogs were descendants of the wolf, weighing up to 80 pounds.
• Henry Bannister, explorer, visited Alaska in the 1860's and his records noted seeing Eskimo teams of five to seven dogs pulling loads up to 1,000 pounds!
• By the end of the 19Th century, dogs had become very important to gold miners.
• The right dog could be bought for up to $1,000.00.
• Sled dogs were important to getting mail delivered and ran very strict routes in the early 1900's.
• The Iditarod Trail was not just one trail but many trails networked together, beginning in Seward!
• This network of trails is more than 2,200 miles long.
• "Kings of the Trail" were the mail carriers. They were given the right-of-way, special treatment and the best of seats at all tables along the way.

There is so much information at this website including the controversial story of the famous dog "Balto." All the mushers that took part in the serum delivery to Nome and even lists all the winners of the Iditarod race as we know it today beginning at 1973.

Extremely Fine Racing Kudos going out to Lance Mackey, Paul Gebhardt, Martin Buser, Zack Steer and Jeff King from Living in Alaska's Connie Marie!

Waiting for the finish and checking on that red lantern...

Day 77