Location: Nome
Time: 11PM
Hello again from Nome!
Unfortunately, the weather continues to be hindering our progress. The
low ceiling (lots of clouds) prevents small planes like ours from flying. So,
here we were in Nome for another day without mushers! They are moving slowly
on the trail, slowed down by the lack of snow. The lead musher, Doug Swingley,
is due into Nome early tomorrow morning. He left White Mountain about 9 PM,
and it’s about a 10 hour run from there to Nome. What time do you think he
will get here, with the facts I just gave you?
I took a few pictures for you of Front
St. in Nome. That is the business street in town. Most important is the
famous burl arch finish line in front
of the hotel. Right now it’s pretty empty, but tomorrow morning it will begin
to be a busy place!
You can see the City Hall in Nome, which
is across the street from the Carrie McLain Museum. I found out that Carrie
arrived in Nome in 1905 when she was 10 years old. When was she born? She
lived the rest of her life here. She was a teacher, homemaker and City Clerk
of Nome. She collected photos all of her life, and helped to start this museum
in 1967. She died in 1973.
You can also see my hotel entrance.
It’s like an old time hotel right out of the frontier days. Do you remember
that Alaska’s motto is "The Last Frontier"? One person that was here
during the Gold Rush Days is Wyatt Earp. Your parents might know about him.
I included a photo of a roulette wheel
that was in the museum. This was used often during the Gold Rush. You
could say that it is an antique.
I wandered around the shops again and included two photos so you could see
the beautiful crafts that are made by local Native People. Their work is so
beautiful! The beadwork and the ivory
carvings are outstanding. The ivory is from the tusks of the walrus. I
am trying to buy some more things, but it’s hard to decide which to get!
After lunch I went to Iditarod Headquarters and talked with Dee
Dee’s mom and handler. They are here to greet her when she arrives. I
found out that Dee Dee lived in Massachusetts for a year, attending 4th
grade in Shirley. See if you can find it on our class map. I’ll give you a
hint. It’s west of Belmont.
We were talking about the hardships of the trail and how kind the mushers
are to each other, regardless of the competition between them. She told me
that John Baker lost one of his dog harnesses, and Dee Dee gave him one of her
extras. How about that?
Late this afternoon we decided to go for a dogsled ride, so we could feel
like we were here for the Iditarod. It’s been so long since we’ve seen the
mushers! We took a taxi to Aaron Burmeister’s kennel,
which is here in Nome.
In the taxi was a young girl with her grandma. She announced that it was
her 4th birthday, and she had just picked out a doll at a local store.
She was just glowing, as you can see in the photo of
Norrie.
The kennel was a few miles out of town. The landscape was fascinating.
We felt like we’d been dropped on the moon! At the kennel we met Calvin,
one of the dogs that had been dropped from the race.
Buster and Daisy were two of the dogs on the eight-dog team that took us
out.
The ride was beautiful! It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere with
not a care in the world. I sat in the sled most of the time and marveled at
the dogs running in front of me. I love the precision with which they work
together and listen to the commands. I asked if I could lead them, and the
trainer said yes! I was nervous! He got into the sled, and off I went leading
the team! He gave the commands. I loved it! What a wonderful feeling it was
to be going through the wilderness with those beautiful dogs leading the way
in the silence. All that could be heard was the sound of their feet and the
runners of the sled gliding across the sparkling snow. I think I’ve found
a new career for after I retire!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t take a picture of myself leading the dogs, but
I did have someone take one of me on the snow
machine. No, I didn’t drive it. I just posed.
Well, so goes another wonderful day filled with experiences I love sharing
with all of you. Tomorrow the mushers will begin to come in and the excitement
of the Iditarod will continue! I have to be up very early so good night until
tomorrow.
By the way, let me tell you why my journal gets posted almost one day late.
I put it together in the morning, because I’m just too tired at night. After
writing it and choosing the pictures of the day I take it to a prearranged place
(school or office), and then I send it to Belmont. It goes to my wonderful
webmaster – Natasha Bochkov. She posts it for me on the webpage, which she
designed. I could not be doing this without her! Thank you, Natasha, for helping
to make my dream come true.
Now I’m off to dream … good night from Mrs. McClintock |
