So we went to Whitehorse this long weekend. It was a pleasant drive, we only saw the moose at Henderson's corner and then a coyote in Whitehorse. We did a little shopping, went for some walks, and found some beautiful drives to get us back out of the city. We spent quite a bit of time in the music store picking out a hand drum since I can get lessons from my friend Kim, the music teacher. I picked this cool Tubano which I started learning to play last night. While we were in the store Scott picked up a banjo and started playing it like he already knew how so we went back the next day and got it for him for his birthday. I know it's a little early but we don't plan on being back that way until school's over now. And if he has it now then he'll be making music by his birthday. I know our instruments don't go together but we'll have fun regardless. Besides, my drum and his didgeridoo or throat singing will be wicked. Anyways...hope you all are having as much fun as we are. One more week until Spring break here! Of course, at -31 it's not quite feeling like Spring yet.

Scott's early birthday present.

On the road again...

try not to be jealous

Milo in the van.

Carcross. South of Whitehorse. We're in love

In our room in Whitehorse.

The lake at Carcross. Couldn't be much nicer.

An old roadhouse outside of Carcross

My honey taking a smoke break

A lake near Carcross. Gorgeous.

We got so lucky. this was actually our second trip up Fish lake road on Saturday (trying to get away from the city) and we ran into a whole group of dog sleds.

dog sleds at Fish Lake

my sexy guy up (you guessed it) Fish Lake road

more fish lake road

Dog sleds crossing the road.

view coming down Fish Lake road

view coming down Fish Lake road

fish lake road

Can I take a picture or what. This one is taken at Fish Lake

An Impressive Victory

Two tries, two wins for Mackey in Quest
Last updated Feb 22 2006 07:41 AM MSTCBC News
Alaskan Lance Mackey won this year's Yukon Quest on Tuesday night – but didn't know it at the time.
Mackey made it two in a row when he crossed the finish line in Dawson City in the slightly-shortened race at 8:30 p.m.
"Until just now didn't know if first or third or 15th, no idea, until I got my bib," he says. "Finally realized what happened, now it's pretty exciting."
Mackey missed a trail marker on King Solomon's dome, a move that he figures cost him three hours.

Mackey explains his last hours on the trail to his wife and father."I thought I blew it, everything I worked for, never can tell … I just wanted to cry, literally, just an idiot, apologizing to my dogs," he says.
INDEPTH: Yukon Quest 2006 Despite the foul-up, Mackey's commanding lead held. It was another hour and 12 minutes before Atlin musher Hans Gatt arrived. He surprised many by resting his dogs for 12 hours at the last checkpoint until early yesterday morning and letting Mackey take the lead.
"Half my team are three-year-old dogs, but I'm not going to jeopardize their future by making one final push, that's for veteran dogs," he says.
Eight minutes after Gatt, William Kleedehn arrived, pleased with his third-place finish.
"To be frank, if I would have seen him appear behind me, for example, I would have stopped and let him go by," he says of Mackey's mishap on the trail. "That's bullshit, the fastest team is supposed to win, the best team. That kind of bad luck, not even Lance deserves that."
Both Kleedehn and Gatt were surprised Mackey was lost on the trail, but question whether they could have caught him.
Mackey says he got lucky this year.
He finished the race in 10 days, seven hours and 47 minutes. While that's a Quest record, it will be one with an asterisk beside it: it was made on a shorter trail with a different finish line.
Race officials changed the course last week to end in Dawson after it was decided a lack of snow made the last 100 kilometres of the trail into Whitehorse too dangerous for the dogs

And the Winner is: Lance Mackey!!!!!

lance mackey at about 8:30

and the winner is

some interesting quest news, as brought to my attention by north pole girl

Quest vets' ruling ridiculous, says musher
Last updated Feb 20 2006 12:45 PM CSTCBC News
A Yukon Quest musher told he had to give his dogs extra rest has withdrawn from the race, saying judges were being unfair.
Hugh Neff officially scratched from the 1,600-kilometre Quest on Saturday, after being told by race officials he had to let his dogs stay at Dawson City an additional 18 hours.
This is the second time in six years Neff has had to stop because of concerns veterinarians had with his dogs.
CBC COVERAGE: Yukon Quest 2006 "The team as a whole wasn't responding appropriately to treatment over the last 36 hours," says Kathleen McGill, the race's head veterinarian.

'I feel like I'm being totally disrespected'– Hugh Neff"The recommendation was made to hold team longer so they continue to get treated and then be evaluated again before they would launch out to see if these dogs would improve."
McGill refused to elaborate on the specific condition of the dogs, citing a doctor-client relationship. However, she did say the animals weren't responding to antibiotics or foot treatment.
Neff admits his dogs did need some work, but says that they were fine coming into Dawson City. He calls the race officials' 18-hour stopover order "ridiculous" and says his previous run-in with race officials may be a factor.
In 2001, veterinarians told Neff to stop racing when they found his dogs' paws were in poor condition. Despite the ruling he proceeded on the trail to Fairbanks, and he was disqualified.
Neff says the vets and the race officials aren't being fair.
"My earlier years I was like king of the mountain, 'you don't know my dogs, I know my dogs'," he says of his old attitude. "Where now I really look to the vets for information and I think they're worried about me not being credible for the race. Which I think is laughable, I feel like I'm being totally disrespected."
Neff says he would sue the Yukon Quest if he could afford to.

The Dawson Checkpoint

Another picture of Gerry Willomitzer leaving Dawson. I'm sorry we haven't gotten more pics. It's been hard with being in school (or in bed) during so many arrivals. However, it's a whole new race now with them having changed the course so the race will be ending in Dawson. Today I was at the concession at the visitor information centre volunteering and it was so cool to be meeting the different dog handlers and vets. Frank Turner was there-that was cool. Let me tell you, all the single girls I know should be here for this. There are so many hot guys involved in mushing! Wow! We'll keep snapping the pictures. We have to go back to town in a bit after I bake some more stuff for the concession so we might be able to catch a couple more mushers on their way out of Dawson.

Gerry Willomitzer just leaving Dawson this morning.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

okay, maybe one more sunset. We can't help it. This is what we see from our front window.

More Milo!

Our dog is wonderful. Except when we leave him alone. lol.

Here Is a fabulous site to follow the Quest

http://newsminerextra.com/quest06/news/2006/02/13/update-mushers-stranded-dog-team-lost/

All is well for all of the mushers. Check out the articles explaining what happened. This is an amazing race. I'm so excited.

International Intrigue Update/ A little Quest Coverage

Hey everybody. I've had a few people ask about our Polish visitor. Well, respecting her privacy I'll just let you all know that it's a very nice lady who's the same age as we are. She's in love with Dawson and was actually been here for a vacation a few months ago. She is totally into the Quest so I'm going to make an effort to take lots of pics and update the site as often as possible. I'm so excited to have a new friend in Poland. I love the internet, don't you?

And for those of you who've been following the Quest: Five of the mushers have arrived at the Circle City checkpoint. They are due in Dawson towards the end of the week. I'm signed up to volunteer at the concession (I have to work my way up the volunteer ladder, don't you know) but Scott will be out with the new camera snapping away. And today on the news they were saying one of the mushers apparently got caught in a storm and had to be medivaced out! We are waiting for updates ourselves but will fill you in as soon as we get them.

I'm sure you all are sick of us rubbing our sunsets in your faces but we couldn't resist. Note the lack of frost on the trees. It's like spring here, I swear.

Here is a picture of me having just got home from work (I was the learning assistance lady today). You can see how pink the sky is reflected in the window. It's so warm that it's no big deal to have the door open! -1 currently. We've had days where we got up to 6 degrees! Global warming is a scary thing, just ask the folks in Alberta. They haven't had any accumulation of snow this year as I understand it! Well...and here in Dawson it's February and it's no where near -30. I don't know about you but I am terrified at the implications.

International Intrigue

We've had someone from in or near Bialystok, Poland hitting our site regularly over the last few weeks. We respectfully ask this stranger to introduce him or herself cause well, how cool is it that someone from so far away would be interested in what we're doing on the other side of the planet?! Drop us an email! Say hello! Hope to hear from you.