This time, a Fan

The Last Great Race officially started today! The 37th Iditarod is on its way to Nome, and for the first time I saw the Restart in Willow, around 30 miles north of Wasilla. I joined my photographer friend, Rod, and is wife Barbara for the big husky show. Only 67 mushers starting this year and also for the first time, I'm not interviewing any of them. It's kinda weird.

Lots of these trucks seen on the highway lately as mushers from all over arrived in our territory:

I didn't have any "credentials" to enter the limited access area of mushers, that is, until Rod borrowed a musher handler's badge for me! I thanked that handler and he gave me this 3 1/2 month old puppy in return...The two-colored eye puppy belongs to this four-time Iditarod Champ, Jeff King!

Definitely a Fan, not a Reporter this time!

Then the mushers took off. Here's my bud and contender, Paul Gebhardt:

And now a crowd favorite...this video clip is dedicated to my Grandparents...

(read with building drama) Will Lance three-peat? Will Jeff give his runner-up revenge? Will Hans Gatt pull off his big expectations? Will Paul G.'s new lease on life give him a boost? Will Bjorner Anderson get his time representing Team Norway? Will Sven Haltmann bust a move as a non-rookie? Will the Zirkle/Moore kennel finally taste victory? Will Mitch Seavey conquer the Nome trail again? Will the deep snow lengthen this run? Will the coastal trail ever be storm free?!

So much to learn in the next 9+days...Happy Trails!

*Amy

Boy, do I love a Curd

Judy's back in Wasilla. Know how I know? There are Wisconsin cheese curds in our fridge.Judy is Andy's mom and she's on her latest trip to Alaska. First in Nome to G2 &  family and now in Wasilla with us! It's great having her here although today we're in a Winter Weather Advisory. It's been snowing the good FLUFFY stuff since we woke this morning. Andy estimates we have 10 inches on the ground and it's expected to keep snowing for five more hours. That means we're enjoying the indoors and snacking A LOT. 

Judy is our cheese curd hook up. She feeds our Midwest-dairy-lovin' cravins'. Cheese curds are the yummy original pieces of newly made cheese:

Know what I love more than poppin' these squeaky nuggets? WHEN THEY'RE DEEP FRIED. In my world, cheese curds are what you buy at the Minnesota State Fair and eat until you're sick. At the fair, they're deep fried.I CRAVE them year-round in this form. And let me tell you, an authentic basket of fried curds are harder to come by because places are now opting for the pre-made "cheese nugget." Not the same thing, no way. Doesn't this make your mouth water?! If not, then you've never been to the MN State Fair. 

Well, given this snowy day, Judy and I have decided to try our own! We're sacrificing the original curds she lovingly packed and will coat them in beer batter and attempt the frying on our own. She's mixing ingredients right now!

So if you're interested, try the dairy section of your midwest grocer's. There are many recipes to Google, but here's an easy one I found:

3 12 oz. cheese curds

vegetable oil for frying

Batter: 1 cup flour

1/4 cup corn meal

1/4-1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

3 oz. (1/4 can) of beer

Mix batter (adding beer a bit at a time) until it's a thick liquid consistency.

Coat cheese curds in batter and drop into oil (about 375 degrees F) about 5 at a time.

Cook curds for about 1 minute (until they start to turn golden) and place on paper towel covered plate.

Enjoy (don't worry, we will!!)

*Amy

Times for Unity

Living in rural Alaska is unique, beautiful, hard and sometimes heart-breaking. Two events have happened these last few days that I wish hadn't. And to read about these two "incidents," through the news online, is hard because my heart is still very much in NW AK where I was supported. I wish I was there to give support right now. First, is the story about a plane crash near Nome. Not only did a plane go down in a blizzard on a route I've flown, but an  acquaintance of mine was in the crash and suffered the most serious injuries. Because she's been flown to Anchorage for medical attention, my Nome friend Liz--visiting Andy & I this weekend--went to see her at the hospital today. I fought the tears as I listened to her describe the plane crash rescue and the Nomeites who always work and fight to keep each other safe during hard times.

Second, I read about a dear village to me and my KNOM experiences that suffered a deadly house fire, affecting people I know and have met. Again, my care and concern remains afar but the circumstances hit me closely. 

A reminder that life is precious. Be safe and act lovingly.

*Amy

Share-Ride Saves My Life

I could not possibly commute every day between Wasilla and Anchorage (about 90 miles roundtrip) without my Share Ride van. The Municipality of Anchorage has a fleet of hundreds of passenger vans that travel between the Valley and Anchorage. Lots of people prefer living out of the City but the City has the jobs. So these vans save wear and tear on the Parks/Glenn Highway as well as the individual's car, reduces traffic, conserves gas consumption and helps the environment, and almost most importantly, saves my sanity and mental stress!

Here's the van picking me up one afternoon at my building door. Ardie is the driver and she's steadfast and my highway hero.

There's a waiting list to get in these vans so I was lucky to join 67042 within my first weeks of working. There's another woman at my office who rides and hooked me up. So what's the big deal about driving an hour each way every day? Well, this is Alaska and that highway gets icy, snowy, slushy, curvy and crazy. Every week during the winter we witness cars in the ditch, stuck in the snow, crashed for going too fast or hitting an ice patch, and law enforcement secures the scene. These accidents and poor stranded drivers slow us down all the time too. It's treacherous, but I usually end up driving myself at least once a week for whatever reason-a change in work hours for a meeting, seeing friends around Anchorage, etc. Slow and steady when needed is the key.

There is not ONE traffic light in Nome. Most essential driving can happen within several miles. That's what I knew for six years before me and the RAV4 (I had never driven a manual in traffic before moving down here) were thrown into pavement and more pavement. I was a bit rusty and hesitant when moving down.

So for a fee per month--much cheaper than buying gas--I load up with about 8 other people every morning and...sleep. It's a snooze cruise! I turn on my iPod and sleep until I'm dropped off at the office. We have a little route around downtown as we deliver other riders to their places of work. Sometimes I also write on my computer or read a book. The schedule isn't ideal but when you're devoting two hours of your day to driving, it's never perfect. I get to the Wasilla Wal*Mart parking lot at 6am to park the RAV4, we load up & leave within minutes, and I'm usually at work from 7am-4pm. During clear and clean road conditions, I'm home by 5:15pm, as is Andy.

Thank goodness for the vanpool! Here's my view as I wait for a 4pm pickup--the long building is a Post Office.

When the sun is out, the drive is incredibly gorgeous, I must add.

*Amy

And...the announcement!

Andy and I have decided to get married! He got this huge ball rolling on Valentine's Day when he proposed with this beautiful ring:It's odd to have and then post a picture that shows your finger that close-up! It's a "hearts on fire" diamond considered the "ideal cut." The solitaire is set on a simple band of white gold. I have pretty chubby fingers but through some investigative work, Andy got my size perfectly. I've never worn rings frequently, but I'm sure getting used to this one quickly!

Did I mention that he's had this ring since OCTOBER??! What a guy! Either he wanted to make sure he wasn't making a mistake, waiting for the right time or hoping it would grow (his step-dad's guess!). Well, let's set the scene for our big Saturday:

Not too shabby, huh? We were staying in Girdwood at the Alyeska ski resort. Instead of skiing we went snowshoeing into the Chugach National Forest:

The afternoon activity was warm, picturesque with a hard-packed trail:I found a clearing that went toward the mountain and tempted us with a lot of fresh powder. We bounded up the snowy hill and into the trees, hidden from the trail. We crouched with our snowshoes and took a moment to rest and watch snow cascading off the treetops high above. Even the birds twittered and I thought we were in a Disney movie set in which a talking bunny would approach us! Andy dug some water out of his backpack, looked for snacks and asked what else was in there. Then he asked me if I loved him and I said "Yes." He asked me how much I loved him and I looked off and said dramatically, "as deep as the oceans and as high as these mountains!" I laughed and turned back to him. At this point he was holding a purple box, smiling and asked, "do you love me enough to be my wife?"

I was speechless, which is pretty hard for me! I was offered a box with a box with a ring. I started thinking, "am I supposed to open this box to the ring or will he do it?" I just stared at him happily but didn't make a move (I think I said, "really?"). He finally took the box and pulled out the other box and opened it for me. I forgot that I hadn't said yes so then I blurted it out. Literally, my answer to the question was, "Yes, I love you enough to be your wife!" It would have seemed to an outsider that the pause and wait for an answer was so I could see the ring before agreeing! Ha!

Andy told me he called my parents the day before which was great news to me. Again, I marveled how he got it to fit my mitt and then, POOF!!!! A bunch of snow fell from a tree and landed at our backs! We could have been COVERED but instead we laughed and wondered if that meant anything...the Gorn behind was getting wet in the snow so we got back to the trail.

Then I realized I wanted to put my gloves back on and felt weird about covering the ring. Andy said, "We live in Alaska, that's how it goes." And we enjoyed the hike back.Thank you to all for your enthusiasm, support and numerous Congratulations! WOW! The internet is a crafty tool for spreading the word too. 

So the questions are coming....WHEN, WHERE, WHAT...

We're merely brainstorming at this point; no answers to share.

WHERE: leaning towards Alaska

WHEN: if Alaska, then summer time to enjoy....so, summer 2010?? (I'm part of/going to two weddings this summer)

WHAT: on the smaller side

HOWEVER: I will endure Andy's pressure to go to a courthouse or make it happen when we go to Vegas next month!! I will endure, but not crack :)

Again, thank you everyone for your love and happiness!

*Amy and Andy

PS - Guess who isn't getting a new 4-wheeler or boat this Spring?......Andy, that's who.  but it's worth it.  - AAG

Bottling Birthday Beers

For his 30th birthday this fall I got Andy a beer brewing kit. After many good intentions, the process is now rolling along for his IPA mix. Last week Andy reached the exciting bottling process!His buddy Pat is part of the brewing action too, along with his daughter (yes, that's right!).The beer mix had been going through its "process" --burping yeast and so on--in this carboy for the last couple of weeks. Its home is usually in a warm spare bedroom, covered lovingly with a blanket.So here's the product of Andy's first batch of beer...We've been collecting the right kind of bottles for awhile--someone or some people had to sacrifice emptying those bottles in the first place!!The bottles are tenderly covered in the spare room right now. They should be ready to sample next week! 

Cheers!

*Amy

Irondoggin' It

The Irondog Snowmachine Race--the world's longest and toughest snowmachine (mobile) race--started today on Big Lake, near Wasilla. I've seen & covered the race the last five years from the half-way point in Nome, before racers finish the feat in Fairbanks. I was excited to see the start portion and volunteered my presence to KNOM for coverage. 

Anna (former Nomeite and KNOMer), her boyfriend Garrett and his bro, met up with me and we hugged the chute fencing for our awesome spot at the start line. 

As part of opening festivities we heard "distinguished speakers" like the current Mayor of Wasilla, who's seen here with a former Wasilla Mayor and former VP candidate. 

We were REALLY close to the action that included 70 pro class snowmachine racers (35 teams). Palin also waved the green flag for the first team leaving the chute and of course for her husband, "First Dude," Todd Palin. He's a four-time champ of this extreme race. I'm sure you could imagine the press that appeared  out of nowhere to capture any and all images of Alaska's First Family. 

I covered the racers' start (while eating a lot of exhaust!) via my cell phone. I think the transmission worked well for back in Nome. 

Anna and I kept warm for the couple of hours outside today. When you're outfitted with bunny boots, how can you NOT stay cozy?!Good luck to the Nome racers!!! Andy couldn't join us as Sunday is his "Monday" at work.

Ps-THANK YOU for all the Las Vegas suggestions we've received so far. We're booked to stay at Treasure Island the week of March 16th. Now we need to decide what shows to buy tickets for...still opem for those recommendations.

*Amy