Jeff and the dogs arrived safely in Nome last night at about 6:30. They had an exciting 77 mile run in from their 8 hour break in White Mountain after leaving only three minutes ahead of Ramy Brooks, a friend and neighbor in Healy. Jeff left Safety(22 miles from Nome)with only a 5 minute lead on Ramy and his team. The burled finish arch on Front street came into view for Yuksi, in single lead, about 35 minutes before Ramy and his team had the opportunity. That placed team King in third! An outstanding finish. Behind Yuksi and in the swing position were Grace and Chip, then Jenna and Pumba, Digger and Harley and Boogles and Moaner in wheel making up the 9 dog team of finishers. Ellen greeted Jeff with the usual; several cans of Pepsi and a big hug.

Upon arrival, the dogs are brought to a staging area not far from the finish line. The crew ate heartily, were checked by the vets and two hours later urine samples were taken from each dog for drug screening. Then the team could enjoy a well deserved rest. We woke them this morning at 6:00am to give them a quick snack of turkey skins and to load them into the Alaska Airlines cargo "igloo". All the dogs and gear fly in their own compartment to Anchorage. They will be meet there in just a few hours by Morten and Helge who will bring them safely back to Goose Lake Kennel and tuck them in after another celebration feast. At that point they can fill in the rest of the team whoare waiting in the kennel to hear about how the rest of the race went!

The Race Volunteers are a huge help all along the race route as well as here in Nome. We know are dogs are in good hands during the time we are not with them.

Nome, as always, has put out the red carpet for the race participants, crews and fans. Contests, art shows, basketball, music and entertainment can keep a person very busy in between the sound of the siren that announces the arrival of another team comming up off the sea ice onto Front Street. Lots of friendly people throughout town create a feeling of community with the sharing of a true Alaskan tradition.

We are still cheering for our friends on the trail. Shawn and the pups are in Unalakleet. Bryan is in Koyuk, both looking forward to a smooth trip along the coast. The weather remains very moderate and so far, only mild winds. That can truly change quickly.....

Iditarod 2000 is far from over, but for team King, we can breath a sigh of relief and enjoy a feeling of accomplishment as we all look ahead to the next Great Race on Earth.

If all goes well, Jeff and the dogs will begin their 8 hour mandatory stop in White Mountain early tomorrow morning. From there it is 77 miles to Nome!

Shawn Sidelinger is doing a bang-up job with the yearling team. He was in Galena at last report with all 16 pups. He's moved up a few places as well. Our close friend Bryan Imus is also having a well run race for his very first attempt. He is in the second Rookie spot but will have a tough time catching 18-year-old Tony Willis who is in the top Rookie position.

This has been a very good race overall with nice weather and fairly good trail conditions. It is far from over, mind you, with teams still as far back as Ophir, so it will be a week before the last team arrives in Nome. There is many races being played out, just as exciting and important, in other spots along the trail even thought the media will "exit stage right" as soon as the winner crosses the finish line!

Ellen and I head to Nome today to be a part of the exciting finishes and to visit with good friends.

This morning had the teams through Galena. Doug had a fast run in and through the checkpoint. He is holding a 3 and a half to a four hour lead and commands the race at this point. Martin and Rick followed him though, all planning to rest between checkpoints as Jeff did in the '98 Iditarod in a move that gained him a strategic position that he was able to utilize to obtain a victory. This morning Jeff rested almost 6 hours in Galena, as expected. Before the race, he was centered on the management of the speed of the team. "I don't want to go slow and I will do what I have to do to keep their speed up." That generally means rest. We'll see if I'm wrong, but I believe he will stick to the 6 on and 6 off schedule which will have him resting past Kaltag as opposed to in the checkpoint of Kaltag.

The weather continues to be optimum. The teams should be arriving in Unalakleet tomorrow and we will see the race clearly then. It's exciting! I have to keep reminding myself that Jeff does this because he actually likes it. Stay tuned!

Now that we have the 24's out of the way, it is going to get very exciting!

Jeff was through Cripple last night and will be resting on the trail between Cripple and Ruby. By my calculations, Jeff will be about three hours behind Doug schedule-wise and close to the same schedule as Martin and Rick. I believe that those four teams are among the strongest and most likely to pull off a win in this year's race. There are many very good teams in this race so there is alot of potential for some surprises.

The front-running teams should be arriving in Ruby this morning and then out on the Yukon River after a break. The river can get rather boring. It is wide and long with not a lot of variety. This year Jeff set himself up with a CD player and speaker that he wears around his neck to play music for the dogs particularly in this section of the race. We started playing music in the dogyard last summer....lots of Mozart to make them smarter! We'll see how it all pans out. Jeff figured that he will enjoy it even if the dogs do not. Maybe he's smarter, too!

The weather seems to be holding nicely and has cooled off considerably. My guess is that the conditions are near perfect. This is one of the most beautiful times of year and I know that Jeff is just where he likes to be now as Alaska provides some of her most incredible gifts.

We will see some interesting schedule options along the Yukon. Watch the teams closely and be very aware of run and rest schedules. Don't be fooled by times between checkpoints. Remember that the teams are still looking for equal run-rest times at this point in the race. And keep your fingers crossed!

He willl rest in Ophir before he heads down the trail to the new Cripple checkpoint. I am not sure of the mileage but I am guessing it is about 80 miles. (Don't believe the mileage information listed on programs or the website. Those are the old mileages for this section of the race.) Jeff and the team should be arriving there a few hours before Doug, Martin and Rick leave....that's assuming that they are taking their 24 there. Who knows, they may go on to Ruby from there(about 90 miles).

There is a mandatory 8 hour break that each team must complete at any one of the Yukn River checkpoints. Jeff will probably do so in Ruby. The "late 24ers" will take their 8 hour farther down the river. It will be interesting to see how this relatively new strategy works. In 1991(I think) you may remember that Joe Runyan and Doug Swingley (his Rookie year) took their 24 in Ruby. I beleive that it wasn't perfect but the strategy still has much merit. Especially in a good condition year as this year is.

I have not heard how wet the trail from Ophir to Ruby is this year but historically it can have lots of water and ice. The Cripple checkpoint was moved this year due so such challenges. Once the teams nit the Yukon River in Ruby the race will heat up. The 24's will be completed (most likely!) and the positioning into Kaltag will be critical. The long trail fom Kaltag to Unalakleet is reported to be horrible due to heavy snowmachine traffic.

Reports are that the Burn was very rough this year. As the stats show, Jeff chose not to rest on that run and took a break in Nikolai. I now know that Deer was first to be dropped from the team. He is in the safe hands of our handler, Helge, and will be coming home today. A friend was there in Nikolai and reported that Jeff was in great spirits and that he would be leaving Walt behind there. Jeff additoinally had some concerns about Red, so there is a good possiblity that Red was the third team member to be sent home. It is not surprising that these fellows are the three largest dogs in the team.

Shawn Sidelinger is running our "puppy team". Shawn is an outstanding person and has worked with us for two years. He has 13 yearlings with him and three two year olds. Quite a handful! Their objective is to cover the race trail at a "fun" pace so this young crew will be introduced to the race trail and routine in preparation for Iditarod 2001. Shawn is resting safely with all 16 pups at the Rohn checkpoint. He personally has raced the three previous Iditarods so he has plenty of trail experience to share with this young upstarts.

The weather continues to be warm and the trail good. The warmer weather can bring with it some challenges but as long as the trail stays in good shape, these warm weather challenges are much preferred over what the colder temperatures provide. Hydration for the dogs becomes mcuh easier to control.

At this point the teams are thinking about thier 24-hour break possibilities. They may already have their mind set on a specific checkpoint or are keeping their options open. Jeff sent enough food and gear ahead for the 24 to several checkpoints so he can assess the conditions and team and decide accordingly. Takona is a favorite spot for the long break because it is a beautiful spot with friendly and helpful folks. Water and food is available as well. Also, there is a short run to Ophir so that you can assess the team after the 24 to see if all team members should continue on the long run through Cripple to Ruby. Some teams are looking ahead to the 24-hour break further down the trail. The new checkpoint between Ophir and Ruby(the Half Way Point) may present some challenges for the long break. The mushers will have to make their own water there and the fuel supply is limited.. There is only a tent there and limited air support.

Jeff must also be aware of the length of his competitors 24-hour breaks. Charlie has the shortest(adjusted by start positions).. Jeff's break is 25 hours and 36 minutes a bit shorter than Doug's and longer than Martin's. Jeff will need to time his arrival into his break so that he leaves at a good time of day and within range on his competitors. We will know within the next 48 hours how this will play out.

Trail conditions are very good and there are no big storms in sight. The Burn is in better shape this year than most so times will be good. It remains a bit warm but that is not overly problematic for the teams. It's shaping up to be a great race!

Well, They're off.

The weekend festivities went very smoothly. The temperatures were perfect for spectators, but a bit warm for the teams. Luckily that has changed today. It appears as though trail conditions are fairly good with a slight breeze, cooler temperatures (around 0 degrees), and an okay trail surface. Snowmachine traffic tends to produce moguls on the trail that are a nuisance to the teams.

The Ceremonial Start on Saturday in Anchorage was exciting. So many teams and spectators and lots of sun. Tessa rode in Jeff's second sled to Eagle River and of course, Jeff's Iditarider, Rachel, was along as well, safely tucked in the sled. It got a bit exciting when the ropes to the second sled broke simultaneously and left Tessa behind with Vern Halter's leaders running into her! Adjustments were made and on they went. It was fun and memories were made.

Jeff and the team were ready to get on the trail on Sunday at the restart. A change was made to the team lineup. Peg and Moaner were switched for Nickel and Zazu. It was a tough decision because both Nickel and Zazu are leaders. Peg has had a great season in lead this year as well and it will leave the team with 9 capable leaders. Just the first of many decisions that will be made during the race.

Once leaving the shoot, Jeff planned to run only a few hours, stop to rest during the warmth of the afternoon and reach Skwentna about midnight. He was in and out of Skwentna last night about 11:40 with all 16 dogs. He probably rested outside the checkpoint to avoid the hustle and bustle at this busy spot. With so many participants in the race, the first few checkpoints tend to be crowded and discourage quality rest time. My guess is that he will leave there this morning and run through Finger Lake (45 miles down the trail) and rest outside that checkpoint during the afternoon.

These first few days of the race, the teams are simply adjusting to a good run/rest schedule and maintaining the team through the Alaska Range, some of the roughest sections of the trail. Once they reach Nickolai, positioning will begin in earnest as the decisions are made concerning the location for their mandatory 24-hour breaks. A change in the location of the Cripple checkpoint may effect those decisions this year. Time will tell.

For additional updates check www.cabelas.com

The Second race scheduled for me was to be on New Years weekend, the Knik 200. We left home on New Years eve about noon to drive to Wasilla for the Saturday morning race start with the top 16 dogs in the kennel (excluding Red and Jenna who will not race until 'the big one'). But as luck would have it Saturday morning Donna called on the cell phone just two hours before the race was to start to share with me that overnight the water-well had frozen in the -55f temps and the furnace was acting up. What she wanted were words of wisdom on how to deal with it herself, but in the end I decided I was needed back home, so with just 1/2 hours to race start we changed 'drivers' and my good friend and helper Morten was officially the driver for our team. I quickly pulled 5 of the 16 dogs from the line up to ease the effort for the new driver and my parting words were to "take it easy, it is just a training run" and sent Morten off on his 2nd sled-dog race ever.

It was with mixed emotions that I drove home with someone else on the runners of my sled, but early reports were that the team was moving well and that Morten was doing a good job. Good job indeed!....23 hours later Morten and everyone of the dogs came trotting across the finish line in 1st place with Yukon Quest Champion John Shandelmire second place, a distant 1 1/2 hours behind!

Yesterday every candidate for our team received a ECG and blood was drawn for testing for a barrage of information sought to insure the preparedness of the team.

Today the last of more than 2000 lbs of food and gear will be packaged and bagged for delivery to the Iditarod Drop in Fairbanks, ultimately destined to be shipped out onto the trail to Nome.