Athabascan Homes

At the Native Heritage Museum we were able to see traditional Athabascan homes. This tribe hunted and trapped animals for food. At certain times of year, they left their homes and went to the mouths of rivers where salmon were running. They used a contraption called a fish wheel to capture salmon. They lived in the forests, so they made their homes of logs. The bigger cabin above is what their homes looked like. The other little cabin on stilts looks like a tree house, doesn't it? I wondered if they made tree houses for their kids, but that is not what it is for. Can you guess? It has to do with the fact that they would leave the cabin for weeks at a time to go capture salmon. These were called caches. When they were gone, they stored all of their food in the cache to keep it safe from bears that might wander by and want a snack.

Michigan's State Symbols

We visited the Alaska Native Heritage Museum and saw how people used to live here before the Russians and Americans came to explore and settle their land. The Athabascans, a tribe of people who lived near the rivers of Alaska, hunted and trapped animals for food. They used every part of the animal to make their tools and clothing, too. Here is a picture of a skin of an animal they hunted. It is a fierce predator and the state mammal of Michigan (I think!) Do you know what it is? Click on comments below this message to post your answer. Do you know any other state symbols for Michigan. Tell me the ones you find out.

State Symbols

Do you know any of the state symbols of Alaska? This is a picture of forget me nots, the state flower of Alaska. I am sure I will never forget Alaska, but I can't seem to remember the other state symbols. Can any of you find out what the state tree is? Or the state mammal? Or the state bird? Click on comments below and tell me. I will post pictures of any that I see on my travels.

Why is there an Iditarod Race anyway?

Yesterday we visited the Anchorage Museum of Art and History to find out. I had always thought that the race was started to remember the Serum Run when dog sled teams delivered medicine from Anchorage to Nome, but I found out I was wrong. Here's the REAL story. Dorothy G. Page and Joe Redington were the people who organized the first race. Dorothy noticed a big change happening in Alaska during the 1960's. A new kind of transportation was invented--the snowmobile. (In Alaska, they call it the snow machine.) People started giving up their sled dogs and using snow machines instead. She noticed there were very few dog sled teams left. She was afraid that they would die out altogether. She knew that Joe Redington, Sr. was passionate about sled dogs. He didn't want the use of sled dogs to be lost forever either. So they thought up an idea. How about holding a sled dog race with money--lots of money--for the winner? People would be interested and keep mushing dogs to compete every year. They announced the idea of a race to their mushing friends, found sponsors, and had people prepare a trail that followed the mail routes. Finally, in 1973, the first Iditarod from Anchorage to Nome was run. Dorothy and Joe worked on the race for many, many years making it better each year. I think their plan worked. Today, there are many sled dogs in Alaska and throughout the United States. While not all the dogs are used for racing, many of their owners train them to pull sleds. Do you think you might want to have a sled dog (or sled dogs) someday?

A Few Special Dogs

Do you know what kind of dogs are used for sled dogs? Most of the Iditarod mushers use Alaskan huskies which are actually mutts. They come in many different colors and can have floppy or pointy ears. They can look wolflike or a little like a hound. These are some pictures from Dream a Dream Dog Kennel. The one on the bottom left is Happy. He's only 2 years old and is part of the "B" mushing team because he still likes to play around. The top right picture is Cy, who is sweet and likes to cuddle up close. On the top is one of the older dogs, Chief. Chief might look familiar to you if you go to the Dream a Dream website. Look closely at his eyes. Do you notice something different about them? They are two different colors. Chief's eyes are also on the top of the Dream a Dream Dog Farm website listed on the right side of this page. If you click on it, you can also read about him.

Dee Dee Jonrowe

I just read a comment on this blog from Caroline R. (Thanks for checking in, Caroline!) I know she will be excited to read this. One of the best parts of coming to Iditarod Camp is meeting mushers who are famous. Dee Dee Jonrowe is probably the most famous of all women mushers competing in the race today. She came to the Dream a Dream Dog Farm just to talk to us and tell us about her life. She wanted to be a veterinarian, but ended up being a musher. Dee Dee has been in many Iditarod races. She has the fastest time record for any woman ever in the Iditarod, and has come in 2nd place three times in her career. Iditarod fans believed that she might win in 2007. She had one of her best dog teams ever. Unfortunately, she had a bad crash on her sled near Rainy Pass and had to scratch.
She stays in shape by competing in triathalons. Those are races where you have to run many miles, swim a long distance, and then run a bike for many miles. Dee Dee will start running her dogs again to prepare for the race in Septemeber when it starts to get colder here. I found out she doesn't just have sled dogs. She also has 3 friendly labs and 1 cute, furry pekinese which she brought with her.
We asked Dee Dee if she thought a woman would ever win the Iditarod again. She quickly and matter of factly said, "Yes!" It could be her turn to win this year, who knows? She also said that there are several other female mushers who are going to be tough competitors, too. Dee Dee had a great message for all of you, whether you are a girl or a boy. She believes that once you have a dream, you should work hard to make it come true. Do you have a dream? I hope you make yours come true!

Jon VanZyle's Kennel

Hi! Have you ever had a pet? I bet you did everything you could to do a good job taking care of it. I met some wonderful people who really love to raise huskies. That would be Jon and Jona Van Zyle. Their kennel is like doggie heaven. Their dogs have many of the things that you might have in your backyard like a little pool, a play structure, and toys. His huskies even have a ferris wheel to walk on to get excersise when they can't go out on the trail to run. Jona is a master dog trainer. I have never seen such well behaved and trained dogs. If Jon says, "Go to your rooms," all of the dogs go to their houses. Why do you think Jon and Jona gave the dogs umbrellas, a baby pool, and a play structure?

Videos and News

Hi! I just wanted to tell you I added a lot of posts for you to read today. Three of them have videos to watch--so, make sure you scroll down and keep reading. I have more fun videos to add tomorrow including one of a dogs running in a wheel just like hamsters. You won't get to see that until tomorrow, but you can see the dogs in action today. Just make sure to read all of the new messages below. Mrs. A.

Time for a Test

Vern wanted to make sure that we all were paying attention this week, so he gave us a test. We had to work in teams to harness and put booties on a dog as quickly as possible. My team came in second both times. We were proud because we improved our time, we worked well together, and our dog felt confortable and happy the whole time. (That means we didn't yank his head or legs into an uncomfortable position, and we put the booties on just right--not too loose and not too tight.) Guess what dog we got? His lead dog Ole! Have you been in any competitions this summer? How did you do? Did you feel proud? I'd love to hear about it. Just click on the word comments under this message and write about what you did. Mrs. A.

Last Puppy Walk

Today was my last day at Dream a Dream Dog Farm. I'll keep posting pictures over the next week of pictures I took here, but I am now going to be staying a few days in Wasilla at a hotel. Here are some pictures from the puppy walk this morning. Each day, we took the pups farther out into the woods to experience new challenges. I didn't realize until today that it took courage for this little guys to go new places. Vern knows just what to do to build trust in his dogs by doing this. Today was the first day the pups ever visited the top of the trail. All of the puppies stopped, looked down, and stopped wagging their tails. I think they were nervous about the steep downhill ahead. Instead of pushing the pups to keep going, Vern let the pups play around and get used to the view down the hill. (It reminded me of what the dogs will have to face during the Iditarod when they get to Denzel Gorge, right after Rainy Pass. Do you remember the steep downhill section with lots of turns? A lot of mushers tip over, wipe out, or lose control in this section of the race.) He didn't force them to go down. Instead, we turned back towards the farm. Each day they go a little farther. Tomorrow, when they are ready, Vern will take them down the hill. This will help get them ready for the big challenges they will face when it is their turn to be part of his competition team that does the Iditarod Race. I bet these guys will be awesome in the Denzel Gorge because they will have confidence in their musher and courage to speed down the steep trail. Did you ever have a challenge that made you nervous or afraid? Maybe, if you take it one step at a time and do a little more each day, you'll overcome it just like these puppies.

Mushing Equipment

I got to see some of the equipment a musher takes in the sled. Can you tell me what these tools are and why a musher needs them?

Love to RUN

Hi! Vern can only take 12 dogs out on the trail at a time, but he owns about 40. That means a lot of dogs are left behind who wish they could go. Here is a video of the dog yard after a dog team leaves for a run. What do you think the dogs are saying? Just click on comments below to write your idea. Mrs. A.

Off and RUNNING

Hi Everyone! I wish you could be here to feel the excitement of the dogs when they are going on a run. Here is a video of one of the dogteams at Dream a Dream Dog Farm starting off on a run. It is a team of all Siberian Huskies. (It is the third team here. The first two are made up of Alaskan Huskies>) I helped put harnesses on the dogs and connect them to the gangline. Watch how fast they go.

A Sled Dog Ride

At Dream a Dream Dog Farm, people come to take a sled dog ride. Because there isn't any snow in the summer, Vern hooks 12 dogs to a big, heavy 4 wheeler filled with people. I did two rides in the 4 wheeler. Once was with Vern's "Varsity" competition team. This team is his fastest team with older, strong, well trained dogs that know their job well. Ole and Sadie were the lead dogs. We flew through the woods, up and down little hills, around sharp corners and over rough, bumpy terrain. The 4 wheeler splashed through deep puddles. Even though the air was cool to us, the dogs got hot quickly so Vern would stop and rest them in puddles. Did you know that these dogs actually cool their bodies through their feet? This team followed Vern's commands perfectly. The next ride was with Vern's "B" team. These are dogs that are two years old and full of excitement, but not always so good at working together or following commands. This team also wasn't as fast, and when we stopped to let them rest, the dogs would play and goof around just like kids. (It sort of reminded me of normal Third Graders who start playing whenever they get a chance!) After the rides, I had a chance to interview a girl named Tina who took a ride. I think this sums up how it all felt.

Way to go, Joel!

Hi! I just wanted to say hi to Joel and great job at finding out what ailerons are. They are the flaps on airplane wings that cause the airplane to go up or down. He found the answer on Wikipedia. Do any of you know why airplanes are important to the Iditarod Race? I am sitting at dinner right now with one of the teachers who was lucky enough to go on a flightseeing tour of Denali. Does anyone know the other name of Denali? Can you find out how tall it is? Mrs. A.

Running the Dogs

Yesterday was a busy and fun day. We started with a puppy walk. Then we did an activity in which we had to design a race strategy for the Iditarod. I learned that mushers need to give their dog teams a lot of rest during the race. If you run your team for 4 hours, you should rest them for 4 hours. If you run them for 8 hours, you should rest them 8 hours. He thinks that Takotna is the perfect checkpoint to take your 24 hour rest. Where would you take your 24 hour break?
After this, we helped Vern with a group of middle school students who had come to the kennel. We had to put harnesses on some of the dogs, connect them to the gangline, and hold them there until Vern was ready to let them pull his big 4 wheeler full of kids. I felt like I was at the start of the Iditarod--the dogs were so excited. They took off from the dog yard and headed off into the woods on a trail.
When the team returned, we had to meet them with bowls of water. You know how important it is for athletes to stay hydrated? Well, these athletes need water too. As soon as they returned, Vern gave each dog a snack, we unharnessed them, and gave them lots of pets and affection, then made sure they went back to their kennels and clipped them onto their chain.
After this, we met together and learned lots of things we can do with our classes to make studying the Iditarod fun and educational. I learned some cool ways to start the year off with a stuffed husky that goes home with each student for a weekend. Would you want to take home a stuffed animal husky dog for homework? I think I will do this in September and see how my new class likes it.
Later, we went to a town called Talkeetna where I met a famous musher who runs a really good restaurant. His name is Jerome Longo. Can you find out what years he did the Iditarod and how he finished?
Oh my--I have to go. It's time to do today's puppy walk. Bye for now! Mrs. A.

Vern and Susan

These are the owners of the Dream a Dream Dog Farm, Susan Whiton and Vern Halter. Vern is standing next to someone you probably have heard of, Gary Paulsen, who is in the overalls. Go to the Dream a Dream website on the right and meet Vern and Susan's dogs. I will send my pictures of their dogs soon. Are there any you would like me to meet?

Ole

Hi! Ethan said he liked Ole the best. Here is a picture of the dog yard. Lead dogs get the best spot--right up in the front on the right hand side. That's where Ole's kennel is. Here's a picture of him just sitting nicely, looking like the steady leader that he is.

Puppy Walk

I'm just back from the puppy walk. Vern and Susan have 5 puppies this summer. They were born May 3 so that makes them about 7 weeks old. Each one is named after an airplane part. Their names are Strut, Aileron, Wing, Fuselage, and Prop. (If you don't know the parts of an airplane, I bet you could find out. Can anyone tell me what part of the airplane is the aileron? How about the fuselage?) They love to romp and play. The reason for the puppy walk is to get these young ones used to following a trail and used to being with people and other dogs. Vern always heads out on the trail with a few grown up dogs keeping the group together. Sometimes pups get tired and try to head back to the kennel or get distracted and run off the trail. Vern's border collie, Jessie, went out with us today and seems to keep track of the pups when all of us humans got chatting and lost track of a stray puppy here or there. The picture is of the pups playing along the trail.

Good Morning!

Hi Everyone! Thanks for reading this blog. Noah--I can't believe I saw a grizzly that close up either. I was definitely thinking of you and how much you would like that! Ethan-wow-you went to the dog farm website and read about the dogs. Guess what--Ole was the lead dog on the team that took me for a ride yesterday. Right now it is 7:30 AM and I have to go on a puppy walk with the 5 puppies. I will write about the puppy walk as soon as it is over--in about an hour. Bye!

Meeting New Friends

I made it to the "Iditarod Teacher's Camp" and am making many new friends. First I met the people who own the Dream a Dream Dog Farm, Vern Halter and Susan Whiton. They are both great mushers who have done the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest dogsled races. Now, Vern and Susan raise and train sled dogs that other people use in the Iditarod. Susan is a veterinarian, too. When I arrived, she had just finished doing a small surgery on one of Gary Paulsen's dogs who had a hurt tail. Guess what? Gary Paulsen is one of their neighbors and is going to sign up to do the Iditarod this Saturday at the annual Volunteer's Picnic. Guess what else? He came and talked to all of us teachers here at the camp. Do any of you remember what books we read by Gary Paulsen? (If you haven't been in my Third Grade class yet, you will hear some of his books outloud next year.) Besides Gary Paulsen, I also got to meet some of Vern and Susan's retired dogs. These dogs have done lots of hard work over the years, and some of them don't have to sleep out in the dog houses anymore. That dog on the couch is Fiddle, a retired dog. Boy, isn't it nice the way Vern and Susan reward their dogs for all those years of loyal service?

Denali Dogs

Hi! Another place to visit in Denali National Park is the Kantishna Road House. they have a team of dogs that I got to meet. All of their dogs are rescued dogs. That means other people didn't want them because they didn't work out for some reason. Here is a picture of Salmon, their lead dog. The musher who owned Salmon thought she was too slow for his race team. He gave her to a family who wanted her for a house pet and she didn't work our for them, either. She would have been put to sleep if not for the Kantishna Kennel. It turns out that Salmon fit in perfectly here. She is an awesome working dog and loves pulling a sled for the people who live here to get around in the winter. Kantishna also had some darling pups. I wish you could hold them! Mrs. A.

Big Animals

Can you figure out these big animals I saw in Denali? Go to the "Mammals of Denali" at the right to learn about them. Add a comment if you can figure out what they are.

Small Animals

Hi! In Denali, I saw some small animals that I have never seen in Michigan. Can you guess what they are? Here are their pictures. To find out what they might be, go to the website called "Denali Mammals." Click on any animal name to see a picture and learn some facts. Once you think you know the animals, post a comment below with your answers. I'll tell you the animals tomorrow.

Up Close with a Grizzly!

Hi! I saw and learned so much today on the bus "safari" into Denali--but none of it was as exciting as when we saw a very large, male grizzly strolling ahead of us next to the road. Our bus driver turned off the engine so we wouldn't frighten him away. We slowly coasted down the road towards him. When we were within 20 feet, the bear turned, looked at our bus, and then decided to come take a look at us! He had a bloody spot on his nose and a torn ear. This is the time of year when the male bears like to make friends with a female in order to mate. I think this old guy had been been checking out a female who had rejected him with a slap on the face and a big bite on the ear! The bear came very close to where I was on the bus. I was no more than 3 feet from him as I looked down out of the front windshield of the bus. He looked straight back at me and the driver who quickly started the engine. Our driver said he decided it was time to go because he sensed that the bear was ready to try to get into the bus with us. I have a great picture that I will post tomorrow. The internet service here is terrible, but tomorrow I will be at Iditarod Camp where the internet service should be better. Wait til you see it! I also have lots of other wildlife pictures you will enjoy. Mrs. A.

Anchorage to Denali

Hi boys and girls!
I arrived in Anchorage at 10:00 PM Alaska time on June 19. Can anyone figure out what time that is in Gransd Rapids, MI? (Hint: it is way past Mrs. A.'s normal bedtime.) Peter, my nephew, picked me up and took me on a drive to Flat Top Mountain where we could see Dnali (Mount McKinley) 180 miles away! In the morning, I boarded the Alaska Railroad and headed to Denali National Park. Today, I am off to see the park.

My First Activity

Regan asked what I am going to do first. I get to Anchorage, Alaska at 10:00 PM. My nephew, Peter, is picking me up at the airport. Then, I will go to sleep at his house. (By the way, out turtle, Pierre, is named after Peter's friend, Pierre. He stayed with Peter when Peter was in Third Grade. Now, Peter is out of college. Both Pierres--the person and the turtle--are a lot older than my third graders!) In the morning, I ride a train to Denali National Park and then go on a white water rafting trip. Can you find out where Denali National Park is? What direction is it from Anchorage? What animals do you think I will see there? (Spencer told me to pack a camera. It is on top of my list so that I can put pictures on this blog.) What else should I pack? He said it is 54 degrees there. Mrs. A.