Location: McGrath (again)

Time: 6 PM

Hello to you all!  Before I tell you about today, I just wanted to let you know that I’m not supposed to be here in McGrath, but, the weather got nasty and we couldn’t fly out today.  So, here we are for a fourth night.  Hopefully we will get to Unalakleet tomorrow morning.

Any time you try to find the latest journal for the day and it’s not there, just check back.  Sometimes it takes me a while to find a place to hook up.  Eventually, it will appear!  Also remember that there is that four hour time difference, too, so if I write at night and can’t send till morning, then it won’t get to you till around noon.  Sorry for the delay!

So, this morning, we went to see what was happening at the McGrath checkpoint.  They will be getting set to shut down for another year soon, since every team that was coming was there or gone. 

There are now 60 teams left in the race.  Ryan Redington, an 18 year old rookie, scratched this morning here in McGrath.  His team was down to 8 dogs.  Too few to go ahead safely.

Rob Carss and Stephen Carrick also scratched here this morning, but I’m not sure why.  I did notice that both had scratched in previous races.

I finally had some time this morning to go and visit the school.  It was very much like ours, as you can see in the pictures I took.  You won’t see any children – it’s Iditarod vacation time.  Notice their mascot outside of the school.

What a  great idea – a knight on a snow machine!  Our mascot is a beaver.  Maybe you can think of a vehicle that it could connect with!

This school has K/1, 2/3, etc., all the way up to 12^th grade.  In the K/1 class, you’ll notice a book loft and a bucket of skis!  They ski for gym.

In the 2^nd/3^rd grade they have a bucket of roller blades.  They use those for exercise in the all-purpose room.  I bet that sounds good to you!  Ask Mr. Trodden about it.

In the hallway they had lots of nice artwork.  One thing I really liked was their impression of the northern lights. My camera didn’t do too well on it, because it was dark in that hall.  Ask Ms. Rockland if she has a suggestion for materials so you could design the northern lights.   By the way, I keep trying but I haven’t seen them yet.  Too warm.

There were several displays of the 100^th day at school.  One was with toilet paper rolls making a huge snake.  It looked great!  Another was using 100 mini marshmallows and tooth picks and making sculptures.  Nice projects!

In the gym I saw a wonderful statement on a banner.  Here is what it said:

Ask not for victory but for courage for if you can endure you bring honor not only to yourself but to us all.

Think about that and what it means.  Maybe you can write it down in your own words.

I spoke to the K/1  teacher and she was telling me about the Iditarod that they will be having at the school soon.  The whole school participates.  Kindergarten kids ride in the sleds, and the 1^st graders are the mushers.  They have one dog pulling the sled.  They go for one mile around the school yard and there are a few checkpoints.  

They have to make the needed supplies for the sled, like an axe, sandwiches and a sleeping bag.  They even have a pretend 24 hour sleepover. 

The 2^nd and 3^rd graders are the judges, and the 4^th and 5^th graders are checkers.  The older kids are trail sweepers, chute handlers and media.  They even have a banquet before the race to get their bib numbers.

There are prizes but not for the winners, since there really aren’t any.  It’s just for fun.  So, the prizes are for fun too, like a plastic truck and fool’s gold. 

This afternoon we went back to the checkpoint and took a few pictures of the dogs that were dropped and waiting to be sent back to Anchorage.  The vet was checking them and writing reports to go on the plane with them.  We watched as they got loaded. 

I asked the vet what happens to them when they arrive in Anchorage, and he told me that the musher arranges ahead of time for a vet to pick them up at the airport and keep them until his/her return.

I was surprised at how calm the dogs were.  It seems to me that they are so used to being handled with love and kindness that they don’t worry when someone they don’t know handles them.

We watched the plane take off with the dogs, and then I hopped on an ATV that was parked by the airport.  I asked if it was OK to do it, of course.  I didn’t drive anywhere.  It was just for a fun photo.

On the way back to our lodge I stopped to get stamps so I can send you all a postcard!  The postmaster told me that this is the warmest winter in McGrath since 1936.  He also told me that there’s no such thing as a snow day here, but school is called off if the temperature is –46 degrees. 

Well, it’s time for dinner so off I go.  Hopefully I’ll be writing to you from Unalakleet tomorrow!

Lots of love from Mrs. McClintock