Lance Mackey to
speak
at VFW Post Eagle River, Alaska
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Two time Iditarod Champion and 4 time Yukon Quest Champion,
Lance Mackey has been invited to talk about his past
race season and future race plans. Last years invitation
was standing room only, so we have doubled the capacity
and moved the location to the Eagle River VFW Post 9785
Iditarod Checkpoint #1, on September 6th 6pm-9pm.
Located across from the police sub station on Eagle
River Loop Road. Please park in the lower parking lot.
Enter at the lower level entry (downstairs).
Sponsored by the Chugiak Dog Mushers (Tenative Times)
Slide presentation and question answer session - Open
to public. Autographs available. Small donation may
be asked at door to support Lance Mackey's 2008/2009
race season. You can call the Chugiak Dog Mushers hotline
for updated information at 689-7899.
Chugiak Dog Mushers Board
Meeting
– Tuesday, August 5, 7pm, at the clubhouse All
members are welcome to attend. Board members please
RSVP. See you there.
Trail
Work Update - Three pieces of heavy
equipment are now at the trails. A backhoe, loader and
dump truck. The boys are currently over at the trails,
the plan for today was to get the culverts out onto
the trail where they will be placed. I am hoping to
get the materials for the bridges, so that the rest
of us can work on that this weekend, depending on weather
and how far they get with the other work. We need to
be able to get the materials and us to the places. If
you cannot help this weekend, or during the week, please
feel free to drop the boys off snack food if you are
in the area. They get working on the equipment, and
sometimes forget to stop and eat. More info to come
Thurs. afternoon.
TRAIL WORK
TO BEGIN
Monday July 28th, 2 or 3 pieces of heavy equipment will
be delivered to the Chugiak trails. I believe there
will be a loader, cat, and possibly small dump truck.
There is already several piles of gravel that ER P&R
has donated. We will have this equipment for one full
week.
I have Ed Wood, Bill Waddell, Gary Markley, and possibly
Nathan Sterling to help with the equipment work. The
plan is to get the 2-mile, old 3-mile, 4-mile, and the
connection from the alternate side to regular side (incoming
16-mile) trails in good cart training condition. The
ultimate goal is to have these trails good enough to
hold cart races on during our regular season if we do
not have snow. This will give us about 12 miles of trail
without going onto Fort Rich.
There are three 10 foot culverts by the clubhouse. One
is to be used on the old incoming 16-mile trail, which
will need a bridge built on top. The 2nd is to be used
on the alternate side after Beach Lake where the creek
crosses the trail, making it difficult at times to get
to the inlet. The 3rd is yet to be determined.
Bill and Ed will be working during the day. I work M-F
from 6pm to 1am this week, so I will be helping during
the day also. I will coordinate with the guys, and see
if we can possibly get the material for the bridges
toward next weekend, and possibly get those built and
in place next weekend.
So, if any of you have the opportunity this week, or
next weekend, feel free to go out and help. They should
be able to direct you if you are not sure what to do.
I will try to send an update out each day to advise
what was done, and what still needs to be done.
If anyone knows of anyone training, please advise them
to be aware, as the equipment will not be able to get
off the trail during this week for dog teams.
I think an obtainable goal would be to get this trail
system runnable. Get the culverts and bridges done,
and fill in all the swampy areas we can. Since we have
had so much rain, I am not sure they will be easily
runnable, but hopefully much improved. If anyone has
any other ideas or suggestions, please feel free to
send them out.
In
memory of Dave Berg
On Friday July 11th, 2008 at 4 PM there will be a grave
side blessing and tree planting for Dave Berg at Valley
Memorial Park Cemetery. Highway to Old Glenn exit (back
way to Palmer and past Eklutna) then turn left at mile
12.8. Look for the big Arch. A reception will follow
at 5:30 at the Berg's house. Go north at the North Eagle
River Road exit. Make the first right onto Terrace Lane.
The house is on the left (14417 Terrace Lane.) Call
Lynn for directions at 696-8096.
Jamaica Federation first to enter 2009
IFSS World Championships
Duluth,
Minnesota USA, July 3, 2008
The Jamaica Sleddog Federation is the first IFSS (International
Federation of Sleddog Sports) member to send in its
entries for the IFSS World Championships in Daaquam,
Quebec Canada, January 16-25, 2009. Jamaican Damion
Robb will be competing in the 4-dog and 6-dog sprint
classes with dogs from the Elfstone Kennel of Ken and
Donna Davis in Duluth, Minnesota USA.
Robb, age 22, has been
training sled dogs in Jamaica for over three years,
thanks to the imagination of Danny Melville of Jamaica,
who took a hodgepodge of dogs from the local shelter
and trained them to pull a wheeled cart filled with
tourists. These dogs, having been bred in Jamaica,
are acclimated to the Caribbean island’s tropical
weather. However, they are not adapted to the snows
and temperatures of Canadian winters. Therefore, Robb
has been training with Davis’s dogs. In the
2008 race circuit in the USA and Canada, Robb accumulated
enough race points to put him in 13th place in the
ISDRA (International Sled Dog Racing Association)
rankings in the 4-dog class. He plans to return to
Davis’ kennel in early December, 2008, to resume
training for the 2009 event in Daaquam and other sled
dog races.
Robb is officially sponsored
by the Jamaican Board of Tourism. Also a major sponsor
is Margaritaville, a restaurant chain owned by famed
singer Jimmy Buffet. Sorel and Anamaet Dog Foods are
also sponsoring Robb. Buffet was instrumental in producing
a movie of Danny Melville’s creative tourist
attraction, titled “Sundogs,” which is
now available on DVD (www.chukkacaribbean.com).
Ken Davis will travel
with Robb, acting as his coach, and will be accompanied
by Danny and Carole Melville of Jamaica. Says Davis:
“Damion is very excited. It’s going to
be a big deal for him, probably the highlight of his
mushing career.” IFSS (www.sleddogsport.com)
welcomes the Jamaican musher and wishes him well.
DOG
GONE ADDICTION 2007
DOG GONE ADDICTION 2007 is a great stocking stuffer.
Same Day Shipping- It's not too late for Christmas!
WINNER of BEST ADVENTURE SPORTS FILM - Taos Mountain
Film Festival OCT 07SPECIAL JURY AWARD/ HONORABLE MENTION
MOUNTAIN CULTURE - Whistler FilmFestival Nov 07RUNNER
UP PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD, Wanaka Mountain Film Festival
NewZealand Jully 07
View Teaser (2.5 min) at http://www.wildsoulcreations.com/
Hang onto your dog team and join three women tackling
the grueling Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race. Michelle Phillips,
a young Canadian mother; Agata Franczak a 48-year-old
Polish adventurer; and Kelley Griffin, Alaskan veteran,
test their limits racing their huskies 1000 miles through
the Yukon and into Alaska's frigid Interior.Get an insider
view and find out why they continue to race despite
seemingly insurmountable odds; treacherous icy and unmarked
trails,steep descents down mountain passes, record cold
temperatures andmental exhaustion. Feel their pain as
they question their abilities,and celebrate their triumphs
when they overcome obstacles small andlarge. The awful
realization of our insignificance and theawe-inspiring
hugeness of the Great White North are recurring themesthat
hit you in the head like a Northern wind chill. Tempered
by the beauty of her camera's eye, the struggle of thesewomen
to challenge themselves to overcome fear and fatigue
in thisvast, lonely land, Bristow captures a humanity
that never flinchesfrom the truth. This spirited and
uplifting account of what can be achieved when you face
your fears will reveal why the lesser-knownYukon Quest
is considered by many to be the toughest sled dog race
onthe planet.
."Bristow puts her viewers in the mushers boots.
Funny, touching and
visually smart, DOG GONE ADDICTION is a dog gone good
movie."
-Donna Quante Film
Maker, Producer
Please see more testimonials
and DVD Reviews at http://www.wildsoulcreations.com/
DVDs include a feature length film, and 55 min of
Special Features (more on the Yukon Quest trail, the
veterinarians, the dogs, and more on each character)
Cold Hands Warm
Heart
Book or Audio CD by Jeff King
- Order
your copy today!
Known as the "winningest
musher in the world" Jeff King is one of the
top endurance sled dog racers competing today. His
record includes championship finishes in the legendary,
1100-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race, the 1000-mile Yukon
Quest International Sled Dog Race, and the Kuskokwim
300 Sled Dog Race, among many others. King moved to
Alaska in 1975 and began his inspirational racing
career by 1980.
These autobiographical
short stories offer a glimpse into the heart of a
champion, the rugged Alaskan lifestyle and the charismatic
world of dogs. King opens his heart and mind to reveal
an intimate view of himself and his unique life as
he shares over thirty years of experiences. He sculpts
an image of the true Alaska depicting the spirit of
adventure and self-sufficiency. From a wall tent on
the trap-line to the Iditarod trail in the heat of
competition to the tragedy at his homestead near Denali
National Park, he will carry you along in his sled
and give you the ride of a lifetime.
Donna Gates King' s
brilliant images of Alaska assist in rendering clear
understanding of the life and challenges of the north.
Iditarod Champion Joe
Runyan blends his own expertise to enhance your voyage
through the pages of Jeff King' s life.
All book and audio book
orders purchased through Husky Homestead will be autographed
by the author and feature a trading card insert.
Pre-order books available
by March 2008 - Audio CD available
NOW click
here
GENERAL
MEETING DEC 18:
We will have a general member meeting this Tuesday,
December 18 at 7pm to discuss the following:
-
Businessperson race & Eagle River Classic
-
Possibly
hosting a fun day on the trails (even with 4-wheelers)
open house sort of thing
-
-
RACE UPDATES:
There will be no races this weekend
(Dec 8 & 9) at Beach Lake trails. In addition,
unless we receive at least a foot of snow between
now and next week, there will be no general member
meeting on December 11. Thank you and everyone
hope for snow!
2007 Ft Richardson
rules for access update
Ft Richardson has updated the access to
the trails within the base property
Click
here (PDF) Please be sure to read and follow
these guidlines to insure we have additional trails
to train on.
Race Purses:
We do need to discuss purses. We have not yet
voted on them.
The club still needs
to decide race purses for our upcoming season.
Is the past several years, club expenses have
risen and income has not kept pace. From 2004
to 2006, our cumulative expenditures were $11,008
greater than our cumulative income. Since 2004,
insurance has more than tripled; the fees we pay
Parks and Rec have more than doubled, and we all
know how gas prices have increased, raising the
costs of trail maintenance and grooming.
The club has taken
some steps to increase revenue, such as the new
trail fee portion of the membership. However,
we also need to look at those expenses we can
control, and purses are such an item. In some
brief and informal discussions about this issue,
several ideas have been suggested: (1) pay out
no more in purses than we receive in entry fees;
(2) increase entry fees; (3) for preliminary races,
award either purses or trophies, not both; (5)
secure sponsorship to fund the race purses. The
CDMA membership, especially those who compete
for purses, needs to discuss these issues.
Given current snow
conditions, we do not have to decide tomorrow
night, but we do have to decide this year’s
purses within the next couple of weeks. While
everybody agrees that getting sponsorship to fund
purses is the nicest idea, the board is working
hard already, and has very little capacity to
do additional fundraising. Other members will
need to step up if this is the direction we want
to pursue.
Please come to meetings
or contact me or any of the board members to let
us know your thoughts on this issue. E-mail
Lexi
HOLD ON Junior
CHEEKCHAKO'S
The jr cheechako race is postponed until
December 1st. It will be scheduled before the first
heats in the Junior one and two dog classes. Let's
hope the weather cooperates. Dude dog do your dancing!
Long time musher
& volunteer passes
Mushing lost a long time friend last week
with the passing of Doris Lake. Doris was a musher
who enjoyed the sport, but she gave most of her
time to timing races for ASDRA and other statewide
events. She would be near the start line of any
race and in more recent years could be found in
the time tower at Tozier Track. Beyond the timing
Doris contributed our race history with her record
keeping. Doris kept accurate records of ASDRA races
beginning in the mid 40’s and until she retired.
All these were carefully preserved in a notebook
which has been turned over to ASDRA, Doris’s
50th year of timing coincided with her 80th birthday.
Doris could tell stories of all the old timers in
the sport and enjoyed sharing tales of early mushers
including Doc Lombard, the Reddingtons, George Attla,
Gareth Wright and her late husband Orville Lake.
Doris retired to live near her daughter in Phoenix
and spent several vacations in Hawaii.
In 2006 she came “home” to serve as
the Lady Trapper in Fur Rendezvous. She made short
visits in 2004 and in 2005.
Dave Berg memorial
donation set up
Dave Berg passed away Friday Oct. 26 from pancreatic
cancer. Memorial donations may be made to a fund
for his daughters',Kelly, Kairi and KayeTori's,
education at Alaska USA Federal Credit Union or
to Lyn Berg 14417 Terrace Lane, Eagle River, AK
99577.
Trapper Creek
Race planned Nov 24 & 25
Great snow conditions
make great mushing. There is going to be a a 35
mile race the 24th or 25th of November up in Trapper
Creek. Contact info for anyone who would be interested
by e-mail
or 907-978-0424 Matt Calore/Becca Ross
FT RICHARDSON UPDATE: November
- 14, 2007
We are in the final steps of restoring access to
Ft Richardson for mushing. In order to show CDMA
is doing our part to inform mushers (members or
not) about the regulations and promote compliance,
we will be providing information and recording folks’
attendance at two meetings – one this Friday
evening at 7PM and next Tuesday’s regularly
scheduled meeting at 7 PM. Both meetings will be
at the Club House at Beach Lake mushing trails.
Mushers who want access to Ft Richardson
need to do the following:
-
Get a recreational permit form the Main Gate
on Ft Rich (if you don’t already have
one).
-
Bring it to one of the two meetings.
-
Listen
to the information!!!!
-
Sign the form that we’ll have at the meeting
with your name and permit number, and initials
for each of the main points we’ll be covering.
It doesn’t
matter if you’re a CDMA member (although,
of course, you want to be!)
Come
to the meeting to help us regain and keep access
to Ft Richardson. We’ll
be faxing the list to the base. Once
you’ve attended the meeting, you’ll
be able to sign on and off by phone to the main
gate. If you
can’t attend either meeting, then we’ll
have this information at our weekly meetings through
December; you’ll just have to wait until you
can attend one of those.
Things to be aware of:
You will need a DOT-approved
helmet if you’re operating an ATV or snow
machine on base. That’s a motorcycle helmet,
not a bike helmet. You won’t need one if you’re
on a sled. Ft
Rich put up some new barriers last week, and we
don’t know if any or all of them will be moved.
We’ll try to have that information by Friday.
Early Sign
up for the All Alaska Alaska Sweepstakes pays off
Thursday,
08 November 2007 - The
All Alaska Sweepstakes would like to remind mushers
that entry race fees will be going up as of December
1st 2007. The race entry fee jumps from $1,750 (U.S.)
plus 1oz of gold to $2,000.00 (U.S.) plus 1oz. gold.
The All Alaska Sweepstakes sled dog race is a commemoration
of Alaska's colorful past. A celebration of Alaska's
official sport. Centennial re-run of the famous
dog sled race between Nome & Candle. Be part
of the history. For more information visit their
web site at www.allalaskasweepstakes.org
Santa needs a dog team!
Elmendorf AFB needs our help with their children's
Christmas Party. They are holding a holiday celebration
on Dec 8th from 10 am - 2 pm. They were hoping
to offer some sled dog rides for the children
and to have Santa arrive in a sled. It is their
hope that a few dedicated club members could help
out our military families with a memorable event.
They can provide access to the base and any support
needed. Please contact Robert Beachler, Contractor,
GeoBase Administrator 907-552-1722 or 907-350-4338
(cell) if you can help.
RABIES VACCINATION CLINIC
It is that time of year again, if you have dogs
& cats in need of their rabies shots there
will be a rabies clinic Dec 2,
2007 at the Knik Bar 1-3:30. $4.00 per shot.
FT RICHARDSON UPDATE: 10/26/07
Dog mushing on Ft. Richardson is suspended.
This includes both access from Beach Lake Park
and access through the gate. There
are multiple issues, including the fact that our
land use agreement with them expired three years
ago. Mushing on base WILL NOT be permitted until
a new permit is developed and signed. The base
has assigned someone to update the old permit,
and he and I have talked and will talk again.
It is likely
that this issue will take a couple of weeks to
resolve. I understand that for some mushers this
is a real inconvenience. However, be aware that
violating this suspension will likely result in
its being make permanent. If the military cannot
be confident that we will abide by the restrictions
they impose, they will not allow any access at
all. I hope that all mushers using the trails,
whether CDMA members or not, will refrain from
risking everyone's access for the sake of their
current training needs. We'll
try to keep everyone informed through e-mail,
the web site, the voice mail, and signage at the
trail head. Lexi
Hill - CDMA President
FT. Richardson Training Area Closed 10/23/07
Effective immediately all dog mushing activities
on all areas of Ft Richardson have been suspended
until further notice. For current updates, call
the message number at 384-3181.
APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2008 SERUM RUN!
Have you ever wanted to see Alaska's
back country? Travel from Nenana to Nome? Here's
your chance. Snow machiners and dog mushers travel
this route every year in late February commemorating
the 1925 Serum Run.The Serum Run is accepting
applications for the 2008 Serum Run. Applications
will be due by Oct 30th, and selections made by
Nov 15th.Visit the Serum Run web
site for details & applications.
FILL THE FREEZER
There is approximately 20,000 # of Frozen whole
chum in cold storage this week. Price is .40 cents
a pound and they are in 1000# fiber totes. It
will be held at Sysco Cold Storage on Seafood
Drive in Anchorage and will be released when paid
for. They would like to have it picked up by the
middle of October. Contact information is: Middy
Johnson Norton Sound Seafood Products Unalakleet,
AK Phone 624-3014 E-mail: middy@nsedc.com
All the
adventure, none of the cold
Looking for a great place to take out of town
guest? The Bear and Raven Adventure Theater is
designed to be an interactive 60-minute total
experience. Their 30-minute movie takes you on
a journey into Alaska’s rarely seen back
country to experience the Iditarod Trail that
takes you from the modern city of Anchorage to
the villages and hamlets of a by-gone era. Revel
in the celebration of surviving one of the world’s
greatest races which teams man and dog vs. the
arctic wilderness. Not only will you see and hear
the sights and sounds of the Iditarod Trail, but
you will feel them too as snow falls from the
sky and the stars twinkle and Aurora Borealis
shimmers above you. In the few minutes before
or after the show, you can take the opportunity
to mush behind nine sleddogs, your very own dog
sled, catch an Alaskan King salmon, and admire
Alaskan scenery from a hot air balloon on our
various interactive displays. Call 277-4545 for
more information.
"COYOTE"
Available now! |
Good things happen at the
Second Chance League
The Second Chance League is a group of Fairbanks
mushers focused on finding permanent homes for sled
dogs. They work with dogs exclusively from the municipal
animal shelter in Fairbanks, evaluate them, foster
them, and train them with their own dog teams. Many
of these dogs have excellent bloodlines. Their goal
is for the dogs to be successful. They strive to match
the right dog to the right owner. Please visit their
web site - click
here
|
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