Training -- The Mud Flies!!

Took the A-team out yesterday on a 3.7 miler...boy did they come back muddy! Poor Booger...left a white dog, came back a brown dog! I wish I would have had the camera out, as the whole team came back just covered in mud. Manny said the dogs ran well, even through the mud and water. Skuuga didn't know what to think, as she's always been a sprint dog...hopefully she and Just will learn to trot as the season progresses. Devlyn rode along with Dad to help train. Temp was about 55F, which was a little warmer, but no troubles with the dogs. Luckily, there are plenty of mud puddles to go through...lots and lots of water with all of the rain. I'll be taking the B-team out tonight, so I'll try to remember some pictures. Luckily, I got to witness the mud soaked men yesterday; so, I'll be wearing coveralls tonight. Tee hee hee!

-Tammi

Meet Rondy, Bruno and Baxter

Rondy is a beautiful young girl with lots of speed! She is a Second Chance League Rescue. Watch for Rondy to make the team this season.

This is Bruno. He loves to "point" flying insects.


This is Baxter, king of the butterfly hunters!

Goodbye, Old Friend

Beano, 1994-2006

I received some sad news that my old leader, Beano, has crossed over. He was a rescue from AC 7 years ago. Beaner was so shy, that they didn't feel he could be placed. He had been a trapline leader all of his life until age 5, which is when we took him home. He led us on a merry chase, as we learned quickly that he could slip out of regular collars. We eventually lured him in the house with meat, and then we gave him a limited slip collar. However, soon we didn't need to worry. After the very first run with Beano, he became a different dog. It did take him a long time to really trust, and we had to teach him how to just be a dog and have fun...but he did learn that pets, hugs and kisses were great. We never did get him over the house tipping (fireworks or gunshots would set him off), but hey, that was Beaner-Boy. As he got older, he had a difficult time even keeping up with the pup team. So, when a friend needed a leader to fill in, Beano came to the rescue. He did come back after that winter, but because he just couldn't run with our speedsters, and that friend asked it, Beano went off to live at Lead Dog Spock Kennel, where he lived until his death. Beano, you were a wonderful dog and I feel privileged to have been part of your life. Now, you can run free of pain and keep up with those 'youngsters again. Love and miss you, Beaner-Boy!

-Tammi

Rain, rain, go away...

It has been pouring all night and all day. The dog yard is a muddy mess. It usually dries fairly fast, as it's pretty sandy...but it hasn't stopped raining long enough for the ground to soak up the water. Bleck! It has made Manny talk about building platforms for all of the dogs. Good news is that we got our new house!! :o) So we'll start putting in the new dog yard next weekend (hopefully) and then put up the new horse corral the following weekend. We want to get it all set up for the animals before we move in. Needless to say, we've added even more to our plate this fall...but that's ok...bring it!

I'm getting very excited about the race season. I never thought that I'd be running the CB300...so that's interesting for me. The GG120 will be my first race for the season (besides the Tune up) and will allow me to set the team up for Manny's Solstic 100 the following week. I'm hoping to get down and run on the Denali Hwy before these races, to get some quality hill training on the dogs. But, we'll have to wait and see how things go. Later all!

-Tammi

New recruits

Here are some new additions to RSK, who came to us last spring:

Just came to us from Daisy Acres, Lynn Orbison's kennel. Just is a powerhouse! I can't wait to see how he does in the main team this year.

Rocket is a 4 yr old team/wheel dog who came from Eric Butcher. Rocket ran on Eric's Quest team this year and did great! He's a real sweetheart and a hard worker.

Dusk is a beautiful 3 yr old up & coming leader from Eric Butcher. He is out of Solaris, a dog out of Susan Butcher's kennel.

Just and his buddies

Is it time to run, yet? Summertime at RSK.

Season Plans

Summer is beginning to wind down and now things will get hectic around our place. The fair is here, and I'm volunteering at the Quest booth a few times. It was pretty exciting on Saturday, the 1st day of signups! Twelve mushers signed up and today, there were at least 8 or so more. I'll be back at the booth, so I'll have a chance to look at the list of names. I was so excited after my first shift, that I rushed home to watch "6 On, 6 Off" and it just got me revved up and ready to start training. We're waiting until the temps start to cool a bit more before we begin training; but, we plan to start within the next 2 weeks. The dogs are more than ready, as are we. However, we really don't like to run when it's warm as we don't want to chance overheating the pooches. With the work schedule until Freezeup, we have to train in the evenings. This means that we have to wait until the temps get down around 50 degrees F to run. Last year, we weren't able to start until September...but we're keeping our fingers crossed this year.

Manny & I are discussing race plans for the season. We've been discussing the Quest 300; though now we're leaning towards the Copper Basin 300, as it's here in Alaska and only half the distance from home. This combined with it being during Winter Break for me at school really makes the CB more logical for us logistically and financially. The plan is to field 2 teams in it this year, which I'm all kinds of happy with that. :o) I originally thought the only race I'd get in would be the Gin Gin 120; so, I'm voting for 2 teams in the CB. Of course, I'd really LOVE another crack at the Quest 300...I truly want to do it from this side in order to overcome my shortcomings from the past attempt. Not saying that the other end isn't tough and challenging; but, after being out there and knowing that Eagle summit was still ahead, this end seems to be the more challenging of the two legs. Anyway, enough blabbering. For now, here's the line-up for the 06-07 season:
- Two Rivers Tune-up........November....Manny & Tammi racing
- Gin Gin 120.......................December......Tammi racing
- Solstice 100.......................December.....Manny racing
- Copper Basin 300.............January........Manny & Tammi racing (qualifier)
- Chatanika 200..................March............Manny racing (qualifier)

*Possibly the Percy for Manny, if time/finances/weather permit

We'll also do some smaller races in between, if we can. I love this time of year, the excitement, the exhilaration!! It gets even more exciting when you start seeing ice rinds in water bowls, mud puddles, frost on the ground. Tee hee hee! I'm like a little kid at times. Keep checking back. School starts for me in a week, and for the kids in 2 weeks; so, life is going to get very busy. However, I'll try to put updates up here from time to time. Thanks for taking the time to check in with us here at RSK. See ya soon!

-Tammi