Nature's Kennel Sled Dog Racing & Adventures

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Friday, September 10th, 2010

Nature's Kennel

PO Box 5
McMillan, MI 49853
Tel: 1-906-748-0513
Email: info@natureskennel.com

Journals

Adventure Journals

Welcome to our life of adventure! Check out the latest kennel news, stories of your favorite sled dogs, and more!!
For more journal photos, click on the racing photo gallery.

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 I'm taking advantage of the motel and internet access today...we had a great afternoon with the students at Greenbrier West High School. Ed and I have been sharing the presentation duties with the middle and high school students. I do the first part of program, which includes a short introduction to the dogs and dog sledding, the "rules" of the kennel (being safe, kind, and responsible), and "sled dog language" (gee, haw, easy, and whoa). We then switch gears and Ed highlights the Iditarod and some of his experiences along the trail. Mrs. Tincher, who teaches algebra, geometry and other math classes that I'm sure I struggled with, organized the presentation today. She had her students follow the Iditarod this year, incorporating high school mathematics into the Iditarod. They did a lot of statistical analysis, created scaled maps of the race route, and next year have the desire to design a build a sled. (We shared a bit of Trent's sled building experiences with them..) After an early dinner with Mrs. Tincher and family, where Ed ordered the local specialty “brown beans and cornbread” we took a detour back to the motel to gaze (or should I say gawk) at the New River Gorge Bridge. This is the second highest bridge in the nation, higher than the Washington Monument, and two Statue of Liberties stacked on top of each other. That means nothing until you actually see the bridge and it’s awesome height. We drove the old road down the mountain and across the old bridge, accessible only by a small car with a dog hanging out the windows. As you can see, this was Tasha Canine’s favorite part of the trip! We also received a photo of Kathy and her Iditarod map (see below). She has the School House Rock jacket on...her brother helped write the show!!! Also below is a photo of Kathy's fish pond. While Gary is in the kitchen creating masterpieces, Kathy is outside gardening and creating a masterpieces in the backyard. She and Gary built this pond themselves, and in it is the largest koi fish (age 14 years) that I've ever seen! Posted by Tasha




Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 The road show continues...we are now in state #6 along the presentation route. We have traveled through or presented programs to dog-loving audiences in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and now gorgeous West Virginia. Our stay in the Chicago area with Pat and Melanie Moon included Ed’s Iditarod presentation at the prestigious Adventurer’s Club, visits to Pat’s landscaping company and the Maxwell Street flea market, and a taste of Chicago’s finest ribs and brats. We then headed east across the entire state of Ohio along the turnpike, to the Pittsburgh area where we were greeted by the enthusiastic students of Avonworth Elementary. A big thanks goes Ms. Backes, Avonworth librarian, for organizing both the presentations and a great lunch! Monday night we were hosted by Gary and Kathy Hogan to an amazing gourmet meal and wonderful dog-friendly lodging! Kathy is an Iditarod “junkie” (sorry Kathy, it’s true) who has read every Iditarod book, followed the race for several years, dog sledded near Denali National Park, and has even walked the Iditarod trail three times. Yes, three times! Kathy has a map in her basement of all the Iditarod checkpoints and mileages, and each day tracks the distance she walks with her dog, on her treadmill, or around the neighborhood. She said it’s great motivation to keep moving, because she, like Ed, does not want to be stuck in Nikolai! Kathy’s walking route does detour around the kitchen, an area she is “banned” from, as that is Gary’s domain. Much like our passionate hobby of mushing, Gary’s passionate hobby is cooking. We were treated to such delights as chilled gazpacho soup, Rivera pears with balsamic glaze, fresh salmon, crab cakes, asparagus, Crème Brule, and Meritage wine. It was such a treat to share a multi-course meal, learn about Gary’s passion, share our stories, and be welcomed into Gary and Kathy’s home. On Tuesday we were welcomed to Burkett Elementary school, also in the Pittsburgh area, by principal Dr. Joe Findley and his wonderful staff and outstanding students. Dr. Findley shares our love of dogs, having rescued and rehabilitated many shelter dogs. He is also passionate about education (and the Pittsburgh Steelers) and it was great to spend the day at his school. We are now relaxing a bit this morning in beautiful West Virginia near the New River Gorge. This area is well known for it’s white water rafting and natural beauty. We were hoping to take a hike with the dogs this morning before our afternoon program at Greebrier West High School, but it’s a bit rainy and foggy. We are at the Quality Inn, as it’s one of the few locations we could find that allowed pets. With three large dogs, it’s kind of hard to sneak into a pet-free motel! So, we enjoyed the free wireless, got a good night’s sleep, and are now headed out to our next adventure. Posted by Tasha


Saturday, April 25th, 2009 Livin' on the road my friends...our Iditarod programs have begun. Jester, Momo, Tasha Canine, Ed and I are traveling the country, visiting friends, and entertaining masses of children. Ed has gotten to meet several students who followed him in the Iditarod this year. Chris, a 5th grader from Lincoln Prairie, arrived to the program with his camera, smile and congratulations for Ed, his Iditarod musher (see Chris below as our "musher"). On Friday we spoke to 450 enthusiastic 7th graders from Moline, IL. The students had followed the Iditarod this year so came well prepared with a lot of questions about the race. We are now sporting t-shirts from John Deere and Wilson Middle schools, and have three exhausted sled dogs from all the entertaining! We are now relaxing a bit at Pat and Melanie Moon’s in Chicago, getting ready for the presentation at the Adventurer’s Club this evening. My parents are in town for the program so we are off to Pat’s landscaping company for the grand tour including rock picking and fish gazing. We left Jim Haibach at home working on his property and babysitting the 24 dogs at home, the 6 rambunctious pups, and Gremlin and new babies. Andrew is on the road with the rest of the crew (54 dogs). We haven't heard too much from him, so no news is definately good news. Posted by Tasha




Sunday, April 19th, 2009 Puppies are here...here's the long story (since it's cold and cloudy outside today, I'll take the time to share). We dropped off 17 dogs at Trent's house last summer on our way home from Alaska. They were all females. Trent called in January to say that after the longer training runs he had been doing, some of the girls were not going to make the cut. We kind of expected that, since Cheerio and Lucky were a couple of the "hopefuls". We had "hoped" that Cheerio and Lucky would be Iditarod material and that Trent could work his magic with them, but alas, they preferred to wrestle rather than run. So, Trent's dad and uncle picked up six dogs from us (all males) and transported them to Trent so he would have more depth in his team. You can probably figure out where this story is going...Trent teaches 4th grade and doesn't have to cover reproduction lessons with his students. He probably should. Cupid bred Gremlin, and sixty days later, we have 7 puppies. It doesn't end there...there was more hanky panky in Trent's team, and in May we will have Caullie puppies. The romantic mood along the trail near Yenta was just too much for Mr. Chocolate to bear. Thanks Trent, Cupid, and Chocolate, we didn't have nearly enough cute puppies around here. I will not blame Candida (Trent's wife), Gremlin, or Caullie. Us girls should never be held responsible for such acts. Notice that the "dogs for sale" page has changed, and now includes some puppies! I am also on a personal mission to get those not-so-good-sled-dogs-but-really-good-wrestling-dogs placed into family homes this summer. Please help my cause, and pass the word. Lucky, Cheerio and Count (all siblings), Piper (Hemi's beautiful blue-eyed sister), Pringle, and Hedgie all need some family love. Thanks! Posted by Tasha

Thursday, April 16th, 2009 I keep waiting for a cold, rainy day to sit inside and catch up some computer work, but it's just not happening. So, here's a quick update, and then I have to head out side to enjoy the 65 degree temperatures today! Yes, it's supposed to be near 70 degrees tomorrow...and believe it or not, there is still too much snow in the woods to walk on the trails. There are a few signs of spring here though... #1. There are flies in the poop pile! #2. The road and kennel is dusty where there is no snow. #3. The birds are not flocking to the feeders in search of food for survival. #4. We can scoop poop with a rake instead of a shove and sled. #5. There is no snow in the giant puppy pen. #6. The clothes line is up. #7. Momo is skinny becasue we are no longer feeding meat so there are no scraps to scavange. #8. I saw a robin! #9. The dogs are digging holes in the kennel since the ground is now thawed. #10. It's time for dogs to head to Alaska again! Andrew comes on Tuesday to pick up 54 dogs to head north for the summer. I'd write more, but it's just too nice! Posted by Tasha

Saturday, April 11th, 2009 The boys beat the Easter bunny home! They were all a bit rough and smelly as they tumbled out of the truck, but all dogs and humans made it here safe and sound. They arrived home ahead of schedule thanks to good roads, determined drivers, and a truck that finally ran well! The dogs were thrilled to see their barrel houses and have spent the past two days sunbathing. Mike and Pat are both back home, and it's just and Ed and I here to enjoy the birds and sunshine. It seems kind of strange to have the whole family back together. We have not had all the dogs here since last spring. We dropped 18 dogs off at Trent's house on our way home from Alaska last summer, so those guys weren't here all winter. We have a pretty full house for now (87 pooches) but will be (nearly) empty nesters in a few weeks when Andrew Letzring comes to pick up the 54 dogs that are headed to Skagway, AK for the summer. Andrew and Jake Berkowitz will be running our dogs at Alaska Excursions in Skagway. So, book that Alaskan Cruise and say hi to the dogs this summer for us. We are thrilled to have those guys running our dogs, and I'm sure the dogs will be more than happy to be getting some summer exercise. Oh...and Happy Easter from Momo!! Posted by Tasha



Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 Ed may make it here before spring, after all. He called from Montana this morning to report that they met up with Trent, have the rest of the dogs, and expect to be home by noon on Thursday! It was national neutering/spaying day here at the kennel. Ten boys are currently out in the dog truck sleeping after their ordeal today. I don't want them back at their houses yet in case they get a bit too rambunctious. Meanwhile, the girls (Hedgie and Hera) get to recuperate on the couch. It was a very early morning since I had to have the dogs to Dr. Tim’s office by 8 am, so I’m off to bed to get some rest before the wild circus pulls in the driveway tomorrow! Posted by Tasha


Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 Ed called this morning to let me know he may be home as early as Friday. Yeah!! They must have stopped at a place with internet service...here's his most recent message. “If things seem under control, you are just not going fast enough.” Mario Andretti The Taiga 300 was an absolute joy of a run. My team consisted of Gimli, Clark, Jester, Starman, Onyx, Jade, Erie, Kar, Coach, Luke, Ayn, and Ero. Pat Moon was also running a team of our dogs. His team contained Rhu, Gus, Jasper, Cupid, Lumber, Timber, Laney, Arlo, Prancer, Juneau, Alaska, and Superior. Pat was using the Taiga as an Iditarod qualifier so I decided that I would not actually race the race but instead run/rest at a pace so I could stay around him to observe, criticize, and compliment. The Taiga began with a 60 mile leg with some hills and gorgeous scenery. My team started (and would finish) at a steady 9-10 miles an hour Iditarod pace. I took a lot of pictures and the dogs performed perfectly. One of the things that immediately surprised me was how much slower the all the dog teams began the race compared to races in the Midwest. We worked out of drop bags for the first checkpoint and no handler assistance was allowed the entire race. I dropped Jester and Pat dropped Juneau at the first checkpoint both due to mild reoccurring Iditarod injuries. These two were our only drops the entire race but were unfortunate because I was planning on both of us finishing with 12 Iditarod seasoned dogs.After the first checkpoint, we had to carry everything we needed for the remaining 250 miles. This was new to me and I must admit pretty cool. Each of us were carrying over 100 pounds of dog food! The second leg was 110 miles of rivers and lakes. Not necessarily boring straight rivers, but ice bridges, zigs, zags, overflow, with a few boring spots thrown in so we could relax some. I ran 6 hours out, stopped at a bend in the river, and camped. Just when I thought Pat wasn’t going to join me, he showed up. We ended up staying for just over 6 hours and then continued up the river. Our teams were pretty evenly matched but when I felt like being alone, I would just call my team up and leave him behind. Our second official checkpoint was at the McClaren River Lodge. It was a mandatory 8 hour rest and then a 30 mile run up toward a glacier on a fantastically groomed trail. This was the first time I saw my team loping since the UP 200. After the 30 mile run we were back at the MRL for a mandatory 4 hours. I took over 6 hours of rest as I wanted to run behind Pat to see how he would do on the 110 miles back to the finish line. He did great! We ended up running about 7 hours, camping another 6 hours, and then the sprint to the finish. This was probably the most valuable Iditarod qualifier that Pat could have done. I was able to not only evaluate him in the checkpoints but also on the trail. We both agree he has a lot of improvements to make to be fully ready for the Iditarod but a very sound foundation is in place and he is now officially qualified. We are in Fort Nelson already (enjoyed the Liard hot springs this morning)! The drive home has been almost uneventful. The dogs are all beyond healthy, devouring everything placed in front of them and they all have really happy tails. The only glitch so far has been getting to one of the towns at 3 in the morning and the gas station did not open until 6 a.m. It was really no big deal as it allowed us to get 3 hours of good solid sleep without the truck rocking and rolling. We are headed down to meet up with Trent in either Idaho or Montana as he has 4 more of our dogs, we have one of his dogs, two of his sleds, and his drop bags. From there we will be on a mad dash home as we are all ready to get the dogs back in their houses and us back in the company of our wives. Posted by Ed

Monday, April 6th, 2009 Brrr...cool weather has moved back in. It's still bright and sunny, but definately feels more like winter than spring today. UGH! I had a great visit with my sister and 4 year old Ellen and 8 month old Rachel this weekend. It was "girls" weekend, so we let lots of girl dogs run around the kennel with us, go for puppy walks, and play in the yard. Ellen is in love with all the dogs and helps with all the chores, giving extra food to the dogs and telling me where I missed the poop as I'm scooping. Hedgie (who is now a permanent house/couch dog) loved the kids. She let Rachel sit next to her for ever, rubbing her ears and back. She even tried to sleep in the bed with Ellen. I thought for sure she would have moved away with the kids so close to her, but she was our babysitter for the weekend! Ed called yesterday and they are on their way home...yeah! They are going to meet Trent in Montana on Saturday to pick up the rest of our dogs from his house, and should be here Sunday night or Monday. I may have to have a new car waiting in the driveway for him, as I found oul my Subaru is on it's last life and needs more work than what it's worth. Ah, the pleasueres of living on a bumpy gravel road. Anyone have a good AWD vehicle for sale? Posted by Tasha


Saturday, April 4th, 2009 Another sunny day in McMillan. I just can't resist running dogs when the weather is so nice and the dogs so excited! I'm the only one on the trails up here, so it's my little piece of doggie paradise. Even though we live a long way from any other residence, we do usually have to avoid the snowmobile trails in the winter as there are droves of machines flying through the woods. Now I have them all to myself, and a raccoon, that just about got eaten by Max and Vixen. (See photo #2 of the team and look in the tree--it's a very high raccoon). My sister called tonight and is making a spontaneous visit with Ellen (age 4) and Rachel (the baby) tonight. Ellen is in love with the dogs, and this may be her last chance for a sled ride this winter. Ed just called from AK, and the finish of the Taiga. He said it was a great race, the easiest he's ever done. I think it's because he took 18 hours of rest in addition to the required rest time! He, Pat, and 22 dogs made it to the finish line. I think Ed and the dogs are in better shape than Pat, sounds like the trail got the best of him and he'll be practicing his sled driving skills this winter. Remember the Nordic-track, I wonder if they make a Sled-track he could use in his basement this summer?! Posted by Tasha



Friday, April 3rd, 2009 I read on Zoya's journal today that the temperature on the Maclaren River (where the Taiga 300 mushers are traveling) was -30 last night. Brrr...Ed has no idea how wonderful it is running dogs here at home right now. It's been about 35-40 degrees (above zero), sunny, and the trails are endless. Julie and I have been running in sunglasses and bikinis. Ok, maybe not bikinis, but we have worn sunglasses and fleece jackets. The snowmobile trails are no longer groomed and are pretty slushy and fully of moguls, perfect for dog sleds, not so much for snowsleds. We have the entire area to ourselves! The sad news is that my running partner (Julie) headed home today, so I’m on my own for dog running. Since I can go just about anywhere, I have been putting a steering wheel in lead (George, Lady Bird, Vixen or Boom) along with a young leader, and we zig zag all through the woods. It’s amazing how mature and enjoyable all my young boys are. We had quite a few issues early this winter with Judge, Tongass, Flynt, Banjo, Uke, Crazy (just to name a few) trying to establish their place in the “pack”. Well, after a few thousand miles of running this winter, lots of “getting along” practice, and a few days of “return of the kindergarten teacher”, they are quite an enjoyable group. We’ve even had a few stressful tangles (as George missed a couple turns and double backed into the team) and no blood was shed and no ears bitten. No necklines have been chewed, no has gone flying, and no one has cried. I’m almost afraid to run them tomorrow now. I talked to Mike in Alaska today to check in with the dogs he’s caring for while Ed and Pat are racing. He has been staying with Uncle Chuck in Anchorage the past couple days. Last night, he was out feeding dogs and on the way back across the yard (in a subdivision) he was, “whistling a tune and staring at the ground and literally walked into a moose.” See photo below for proof!! Posted by Tasha


Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 Ed called at 12:09 am today. I remember the exact time because he called to say, "Looks like Pat isn't going to finish the Taiga, he had a few things go wrong and he's going to drop out here at the first checkpont." I was in a groggy state of sleep, had no idea where I even was, and was trying to process the message when he said, "April Fool's". Ha ha, but it's already nine minutes past April Fool's Day...so quit bugging me! I did get some "real" information from him about the race...the trail is beautiful. Sounds like yesterday it was quite hilly for their 60 mile leg, and today it will be 100 miles of river running on the Maclaren River. The mushers must carry all the supplies they need in their sleds for the next 240 miles. They will have a few campouts and one checkpoint in that stretch, but no place to resupply. Ed mentioned this on the phone and said that he and Pat are using our small race sleds and will have the basket filled with dog food, and their cooker, sleeping bag, and other personal items hanging off the back. The weather is supposed to continue to be quite mild, with temps only dipping to -10 and highs in the 30's. Sounds like perfect dog running weather. The checkpoing last night was at a small lodge with a restraunt, and Ed and Pat were ordering cheesburgers and fries. Yes, you read that correctly, starve a vegetarian musher enough and he'll resort to a cheeseburger along the trail. Ed is out of "mama Phyllis" food that he carried along the Iditarod trail (and still ate a steak in Takotna, mind you) so he's depending on a few checkpoint lodges for warm food to supplement his Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers bars in his sled bag. Jester (on Ed's team) and Juneau (with Pat) were both dropped after the first 60 mile leg as their should injuries from Iditarod came back. Mike was there to take them into his care, so they'll be hanging out with him until the race ends on Sunday. They can drop another dog at the next checkpoint, but it will cost a $50 transportation fee to get it out of the remote lodge. The race is hosted by Zoya Denure and John Schandelmeir. Zoya is keeping some of the race information on her blog: http://dogsleddenali.blogspot.com/ and there's also standings at http://www.dogsleddenali.com/Taiga300.html This is a pretty low-key, relaxed event. There are quite a few "handlers" runnning the race--people who have been training with the big name mushers all year and now get to have their hand at a distance race. Cindy (who ran our dogs on the glacier last summer) is running, along with Ken and Gwen Anderson's handlers. I'm thinking Ed will be camped along the river somewhere tonight, so I should sleep more peacefully. Posted by Tasha

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 Good race morning to you!!!!! We got a great start to the morning today, about 10 below zero which got the dogs all jazzed up! They all devoured their breakfast and now it is Pat, Mike, and my turn to do the same. We are staying at the Wolverine Lodge on Lake Louise and it is incredibly welcoming. Very UP-ish, no money needed for deposit, no crazy registration, in fact, not even a room number on our door, just "your room is the third door on the left." I LOVE IT!!! The race hosts Zoya and John met us in the parking lot and gave us a warm welcome. This is going to be blast!!!! Posted by Ed

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