WOW! This is very exciting. It looks like Jeff has regrouped and will have quite a race these last three hundred miles. Jeff, Mitch, Doug, Bjornar, DeeDee, and Ed are all together arriving into Unalakleet. I don't have out times as I write this but that will tell a lot. Teams arrived at a good time and usually stay 4 hours before departing. Ramey and Johnny stopped on the trail before this coastal checkpoint and went straight through placing themselves just two hours behind Robert. If the trail remains fair all the way to Nome, that could be a challenge to make up that amount of time. But don't forget about the fat lady.......

I am at quite a loss this year. I have not talked with Jeff at all during the race! There is not a phone readily available in Iditarod where he took his 24. Ellen and I left home on Friday to spend the weekend in Wasilla. (I competed with two of my dogs in an Agility Trial.) Today we head into Anchorage to catch our flight to Nome. I expect a Tuesday night finish, quite a bit later than recent events. The excitement doesn't end there....Ellen and I fly from Nome to London on Friday where we meet up with Tessa for a flight to Ireland to visit Cali. Fun!

Meanwhile, back at the Iditarod, I usually figure 48 hours from the time the teams leave Unalakleet to crossing the finish line. It doesn't seem like much but a lot can happen. Keep your fingers crossed. At this point all of the teams look strong and capable.

Trine is having a fantastic race. She is on a great schedule and moving very well. She hopes to arrive in Nome by Friday.

Stay tuned!

***If you would like to read more stories about the 2005 Iditarod or shop for some great gear visit cabelas.com. You can find up to the minute reports on Jeff's progress at iditarod.com .

I apologize that yesterday's update was lost in transport!

Well, I found out last night that Jeff had called home and had spoken with our good friend, David. The dogs are battling with a flu bug which explains Jeff's latest schedule. Jeff reported that the dogs were on the up side of the bug and starting to feel much better. The stats today show his run time to Eagle Island as very fast. He cut a break short there (to get onto a better schedule arriving into Kaltag, possibly?) and that's always a little scary to see. There are quite a bunch of great teams travelling together at this point and Jeff is right with them.

Robert is still having an awesome race and will be tough to beat. Martin lost a couple of hours on the trail into Ealge Island due to a leader gone AWOL but is still giving Robert some heat. DeeDee is having a fantastic run and I'm sure there are a lot of fingers crossed for her, including mine! It would be incredible to see her in the winner's circle! It's great to see Lance right there as well, though he will have to break enroute to Kaltag. It's all very exciting!

I'm always content that the sequence of arrivals into Unalakleet mirrors the sequence across the finish line in Nome. It's usually very close, if not right on. Teams will be arriving at this first coastal checkpoint today, so watch closely. Jeff should give us a good show in the next few days......

Thanks to all of you for your love and support!!

***If you would like to read more stories about the 2005 Iditarod or shop for some great gear visit cabelas.com. You can find up to the minute reports on Jeff's progress at iditarod.com .

The 24 hour layover is always a time to take a breath and relax a bit, even for us spectators! Jeff should have left Iditarod just minutes ago just behind DeeDee and ahead of Mitch. Now that the start time differences have been adjusted, it will be much easier to watch the competition. The next 24 hours will bring a few surprises...

Though it appeared on paper that Jeff's time into Iditarod was less than perfect, mandating that he leave just before 7:00am this morning, reports are that his spirits are very high. I know that he is thrilled to have all 16 of his buddies with him at this point in the race. The new trailer was an integral part of making that happen. It will be interesting to see when he finally drops the caboose.

It is likely to be a 7-8 hour run to Shageluk. The trail is reported to be better. It also appears as though the trail into Iditarod must have improved somewhat for the folks arriving into this halfway point throughout the night. Trail times have been shorter. The temperatures continue to be warm (it was 50 degrees here yesterday!) which can have a detrimental effect on trail conditions especially in areas with few trees, like the Yukon River. Jeff contends that he would rather race in weather that is too warm than too cold. The dogs rest better in the sunny afternoons, they hold their weight better and hydration is not as big a challenge. The trail conditions do suffer with the warmer temperatures, however, making them soft and slow.

It will be an exodus from the checkpoint of Iditarod this morning with the teams that 24-ed earlier catching up with the frontrunner's schedules. We definitely have a race on our hands! This will be very exciting to watch unfold. There is a myriad of strong, experienced teams that will be closely traveling together down the Yukon River. Aliy, Lance and Doug will be just a couple of the exciting teams to watch. Stay tuned.

***If you would like to read more stories about the 2005 Iditarod or shop for some great gear visit cabelas.com. You can find up to the minute reports on Jeff's progress at iditarod.com .

So, oh my gosh!

I'm so sorry for the delay in the updates. We had challenges accessing our website and just got it figured out last night with the help of my neighbor, Joe. He's a life-saver!

So, each morning is the same as I jettison out of bed and rush to the computer to see what has transpired during the race while I slept warm, and somewhat sound, in my bed here in Denali. This morning was no different, but I was greeted with a surprise. I expected to see Jeff's name on the list of teams that had arrived in Iditarod. Hmmmm.

Now what?

He has had a beautiful race so far. His schedule has been perfect and has followed his desired plan from the restart in Willow. His non-appearance can mean one of two things: He has had some trouble....or he is taking a longer or additional break to go through Iditarod to Shageluk for his 24 hour layover...or further? Once again, time will tell.

I had heard that the trail from Ophir was good the first 40 miles but it typically is a bum stretch of trail. It appears as though Robert, Ramey, Martin, DeeDee and Mitch all took breaks along the way. Martin taking a shorter rest because he stopped in Ophir while the others went straight through. I almost expected Robert to run through from Ophir to Iditarod and make his big move to get ahead. He is ahead at this point, but not by much. With the 24 hour break adjustments, it puts him only minutes ahead of Martin. I understand that Robert's team looks fantastic along with many other nice, strong teams including Jeff's. Now that the 24 hour layovers will get out of the way, we'll be able to more clearly view the competition.

Jeff's newest innovation this year has not had much attention. Along with his tail-dragger sled (last year's design), he added a "trailer". It is a small sled that carries an airline kennel so that he can give dogs a ride. He left the restart in Willow with Texas in the kennel and planned to rotate teammates throughout the first part of the race, until he was not dealing with excess power. He is typically riding the brake for the first few days of the event due to the enthusiasm and strength of the team. He simply exchanged that resistance to one of more value. Again, my expectations were that he would have left the trailer by now, however word from the trail was that he left Ophir with it. He's full of surprises!

The race has gone very well so far for the majority of the teams. The trail times are fast and there are very few dropped dogs. That usually indicates fairly smooth sailing. Our close friend, Trine Lyrek is running a team of our dogs in the race as well. She is a young mother of two beautiful girls. She and her family have spent the winter in Denali training for the race. Her wonderful husband, Don, is a Race Judge. Trine has some of our older dogs and younger dogs to accompany her down the trail to Nome. It looks like they're doing a great job!

We wish the best of luck to all of the teams.

***If you would like to read more stories about the 2005 Iditarod or shop for some great gear visit cabelas.com. You can find up to the minute reports on Jeff's progress at iditarod.com .

It has been a good year for all of us at Goose Lake Kennels. Between my daughters, who now work full time, and a great staff, Donna and I were very proud of how the tour season went last summer. In August I went to the grand opening of the Cabela's store in West Virginia and with close to sixty thousand visitors over the weekend, it was an event few of us will forget! Of the first hundreds who pressed waited in line to get in - I was delighted to see several people wearing the t-shirt Donna designed with our kennel logo. I can't begin to explain the satisfaction of knowing that our family business can bring such joy to people - that even a year after visiting us - they still proudly wear our t-shirts! Very fun, for all of us.

With both Cali and Tessa off at college this winter, Ellen has had to adapt to being the lone child in the house. At thirteen she is too young to compete in the races her two sisters did over the past few years - but her interests keep expanding the horizons of all of us. Is the baby of every family always such a marvel? Donna and I often wonder whether this creation of ours will end up at MIT or on Broadway. Though she looks forward to being united with her siblings this next summer, her days are filled with voice lessons, dance, and of course school work.

Donna, as usual, has had an incredible year. The dance program she orchestrates has grown to unbelievable proportions. The school is relatively small compared to most in the United States - with just under 200 students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, yet over 110 of them participate in the after school dance program! And there are more boys than girls! Between Kids-in-Motion, her new painting studio, our summer business and training dogs for agility trials - this woman never sits still. The big project last fall was building a 60' by 100' arena where she could work her dogs throughout the cold winter months - and I can't decide which is more fun - watching her dogs go through their routine or watching my wife do something that brings her so much pleasure.

The arena also had an unexpected value through some of the cold snaps we have been experiencing. With frequent temperatures of minus forty and colder, normally we would travel to other parts of the state to train. This year we have put 20 - 25 dogs at a time into the arena to run and play freely in the warmer temperatures the wood stove provides. One day my handler, Dan, began jogging and like scenes with the Pied Piper, the dogs all started following him! Some never deviate from his heels - lap after lap - while others periodically stop to play for a few moments with other team mates. Seeing this many dogs, having so much fun, has got to be one of the highlights of my career of working with animals.

Mushing has been so incredibly good to me over the last 30 years. I have been able to raise a family, not only in a location I love, but intimately sharing my career. I have made incredible dog friends through the years, as well as people friends, and as the Iditarod approaches I cherish each and every one. I have a new sheath knife I will carrying on the trail this year. It is beautiful - a work of art and yet what touches me most is that a busy CEO from a big company - would take the time to make me such a precious gift. I just may win the Iditarod this year - but in so many ways I have already won what is most important to me.

My new sled design - the Trail Dragger - was such a hit last year I look forward to seeing the variations that will inevitably be on the Iditarod trail this year. I have continued to remain satisfied with it's basic design - though do have a couple interesting modifications.

After years of field testing for Cabela's, I find my garage is full of gear. As I get older, my desire for comfort has grown and the new products - both in design and materials - have made exciting additions to my life. Frequently we train in temperatures of minus 30, and when preparing for these long runs, two comments can be consistently heard around the kennel - "Don't forget the coffee," and "Why be warm, when you can be hot?"

Though I have many old standbys - I have a few new favorites that need mentioning - and every good outfit begins with good underwear! For years my Scandanavian handlers have preached to me about the benefits of wool - and this year I was surprised at their reaction to a new line of Cabela's long underwear. It is made of 90% wool for guaranteed warmth, but it is the 10% of Cashmere that makes it - actually luxurious. Victoria's Secret watch out! I also really like the new, loose fitting Under Armor. WHY? Fleece tops and pants are obviously part of nearly every outfit we don in the winter months up here. Both of these are consistent favorites, though I am really happy with the new wool/cashmere combo which is not only has a delightfully soft and deep pile - but I really love the pockets and when you spend so much time on the back of a little sled, pockets are important!

There is a new soft shell Windstopper suit that I have been testing this year. The fabric is incredibly supple, remaining flexible even in our extreme cold temperatures. I really like how quiet it is - I have always hated the rustling sound of many of the waterproof products. I think this suit will make a great 3 season outfit.

My Trans-Alaskan boots remain one of my favorite footgear, though with my access to Cabela's products, I do frequently try out other brands. Predator Boots are a new shoe that I have also incorporated into my gear. I love the support they offer and their light weight construction is a technological advance I have long awaited. I took them moose hunting last fall and frequently on mushing trips throughout this winter.

The sheared-beaver prototype mitts that I have been using over the last year are fantastic. Cali, being a young teenager running the Iditarod was interested in a "more Alaskan" looking mitt for her rookie year. Manmade fibers are frequently lighter, but there are times when nothing came beat the warmth of real fur. Between her desires for an attractive and yet practical hand gear, and my need of durability, I think we will have a great mitten soon available with "a more natural look."

THE DOGS

I am very excited about 4 new young dogs I will have on my Iditarod team this March. Tin is an exact replica of his superstar dad Conan who ran to Nome 5 times with me. As a young pup he refused to do ever slow down from a full gallop. Now that he is finally trotting, it is the kind of gate every musher dreams to see on his team. His brother, Pewter, has also made my team with keen focus on the task. The only time this guy looks anywhere but forward - is when I compliment him during a run

Bronte and Dickens - from the 'great authors' litter - are two talented sisters who have amazed the kennel staff since they were first harness broke. Stubborn and rock solid I had to earn the respect of these two and it was well worth the effort.

Kansas and Texas will once again be coming down Fourth Avenue for the fifth time this year. Amazing creatures, they have been such key components to my team I couldn't imagine going without them.

Tahoe and Lassen, sisters out of Uksi and Jenna, have had some of the best training months in their lives. Tahoe has been a beauty since she was born - perfect conformation, great coat and feet - serious attitude and her sister has been one of my favorites for bringing into the house. Like a cat on catnip - she never stops moving and I never stop laughing.

Jet black and built for speed, the cow litter will once again be represented by Angus, Holstein and Brahma. Rumba and Lindy have rock solid positions, and dance we shall! With my new Ipod I have been serenading the gang since Christmas and they seem to love it.

Salem still ranks as one of the finest, most exciting dogs I have ever owned. His only fault still remains his enthusiasm. The only reason he won't lead the whole race, is because I don't want to be first in EVERY single checkpoint. He is not only fast, but just plain fun to be around. After racing the Tustemena 200 this January, the handlers complained that he still wanted to play - though he should have been tired and sleeping. His brother Houston is little different - a bit cross-eyed but loveable, fast and dedicated. And then there is brother Concord who also shares the family superstar character.

Spaniel is the wild girl. She is the fastest, hardest driving leader in the team but still young. This will be her grand debut.

I'm looking forward to another exciting Iditarod Race!

Happy Trails,

Jeff

P.S. A quick word of direction for fans seeking information; the best place to check for updates is cabelas.com. Along with the current stats, this site also includes articles written by Jon Little from the trail. The other site to check is iditarod.com check the printable version). In addition, several of the mushers have websites that are updated throughout the race.