For those who are new to the mushing world "scooping" is our endearing term for the at least twice daily "cleaning" of the dog yard! Oh, and by the way, this will not actually be a "daily" update, the name was just catchy! Remember to scroll down to read past entries. Thanks for stopping by!
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May 17, 2012
Well Hello There!! As some of you may know, Andrew, Christa and the gang are working up in Alaska this summer on the Denver Glacier. We just completed our first week of work and got a day off and access to technology! When we are on the glacier we are up there about 6 days a week and then get to come down to town for a day off. The glacier is only accessible by helicopter so the weather is a huge factor for the summer. So far since we have been up there (since last Thursday), we have had snow everyday! It seems like we have seen more snow in the last week than we had all winter!
We did get the first tours out of the way and everyone is starting to get into a routine and learning the ropes around dog camp. The dogs are settling in also and enjoying the snow. Something that is new for us with the glacier is keeping an eye on sunburns for not only ourselves but the dogs also. The reflection off of the snow is stronger than we think. It hasn't been too sunny yet but what sun we have seen we are noticing freckles and getting a little bit of color. We have a few dogs where the sun is bothering their eyes so we are treating them with drops and ointment to ease with the transition.
I will continue to keep you all updated with our adventure, but please be patient as I do have limited access to internet! The pictures above are from the drive up and also our first couple days on the glacier.
Saturday, March 17th, 2012 Happy St. Patricks Day!!!!
It's officially spring and mud season is upon us. We have had temps in the 60's all this week and the snow is melting quickly! We have been busy with spring clean around the dog yard and the house.
The 2011-2012 dog season is officially coming to an end. There are not any other races around here and the Iditarod is finishing up as well. Mushers are reflecting on the past season, thinking about things they could've done different, what they are doing to do different next year, etc. Even though we are a year away we are certainly looking forward to next year as the dogs have matured this year and the kennel continues to grow!
We were contacted for assistance with a student's Stanley Husky Project. Above Rat is playing nice with her new friend!
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Tuesday February 28th, 2012
I do apologize for the delay!!! We were busy getting ready for the UP 200, then running it, and now unpacking. Thank you to Rich & Jude who came to help us out and to everyone who was apart of putting on the race!
The season is quickly & sadly coming to an end. For most of us mushers, we only got a couple of races in this season due to lack of snow and of course now at the end of the season we (Duluth/South Shore) is supposed to get hit with snow. They are saying 7-15 inches for some areas!!! The "heavy, wet" snow is supposed to start tonight and continue into tomorrow. Let's hope we don't get too snowed in; but once it gets packed down it should be nice for a trail!
As the season comes to an end we will give the dogs some time off and make sure everyone is back to 100% and then will do some fun short runs with them. We were fortunate to have one of our friends out for a ride before she leaves for Thailand. I have put in some of the photos that she took from her crazy adventure out with us!!
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
Well it looks like our last minute decision paid off! BRR and gang ended up taking 2nd place this past weekend!!!! The weather was a little warm for the dogs but great for spectators. We saw temps in the 40's both days but with the cool down at night the trail set up very nice. Saturday led for a little "drama" as over half of the teams either took a wrong turn or got lost. This was due to signs that were moved (not by any mushers) or signs that had fallen over. So Sunday was the day, the one shot as they threw out the times for Saturday.
We want to thank all the volunteers that helped put a successful race! And also to all the spectators that came out and cheered everyone on! Check out AsurImaging.com for great photos from the race (Check out page 2 for photos of BRR)!
Trace is looking forward to the UP200
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
With the Beargrease being cancelled, our plans have changed a little bit. We are now officially signed up for the UP200 (http://up200.org/), but sure to check their website for updates along the way! We are thinking about putting a team in the Apostle Islands race, stay tuned for the official decision. Our area did get a solid snowfall earlier this week so the trails are looking good. We are just looking for some cooler temps. It was 37 last night when we were doing chores!
Tomorrow marks the start of the Wyoming Stage Stop Race!! Good Luck to both Ryan & Erin as they both are running a team! Safe travels and Happy Trails! To check day by day results: http://wyomingstagestop.org/
The team with Andrew in front leading the way.
Andrew and his team
So beautiful in the woods
Sunday, January 15th, 2012 I can't believe the race was just a week ago. We had a great time in Michigan and we thank all the volunteers and others who made the race possible. It was a great weekend with Andrew, Matt, Ryan and Erin all running teams. We had a few dogs where it was their first race and they all did great. Ryan and Erin headed out earlier this week for West Yellowstone to get some training in. We wish them the best of luck out West!
Thankfully we got some snow this week. Everything is white and beautiful again. Andrew and I both took out teams on Saturday. We just went for a short one but it was so quiet and peaceful in the woods. We saw a couple of snowmobilers but not many are on the trails yet. Hopefully winter is here to stay! Right now we are waiting for the final decision about the Beargrease. They were meeting today to discuss either running it, postponing it, and/or cancelling it. We can just hope for the best!
Thursday, January 5th, 2012 It's official, we are packing up and heading out to Newberry, Michigan for the Tahquamenon Country Race!!! Andrew ran today and will be making the final line up tonight. It will be a fun filled weekend as this is the first race of the season and we will get to see many familiar faces. Final line up will be posted later tonight!
Monday, January 2, 2012 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. We finally got some snow and Ryan & Erin made it safely home too! It's a good start so far to the new year! We are SO thankful to have some snow. The team had to break trail for most of their run but they will be ready for it in races. It's just good to have snow. These are pictures of Andrew's first run in 2012!!
Some happy dogs!
One Happy Musher!
Monday, December 19, 2011
We had a fun filled weekend again. On Saturday, Doug, Amber & the kids came up and ran the trails. Yesterday we ran again and it was another 45 degree day around here. We are still praying and hoping for snow! Even though we may not have a white Christmas, that doesn't stop some people from getting into the Christmas Spirit! We pass by this house everyday on our way to work and we just had to stop.
Rat, Andrew's retired leader, is enjoying life in the house. She gets to come in when we get home and relax on the couch next to the wood stove. Even though she is one tough sled dog, she is loving the retired life. Safe travels to everyone this weekend!
Christmas time in the Northland
Shes only 35lbs but she sure knows how to take up space on the couch
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Well its officially Christmas in the Letzring household!!! Though it may feel like Christmas in the house, it was 44 degrees when Andrew left for his run today. Training is going GREAT, but these hot temperatures and lack of snow are making things a little difficult. We've been blessed with enough snow so far but if we don't get any more soon we will have to break out the four wheeler again.....THINK SNOW! We are getting excited about the races coming up and hope you are too!
Sunday, November 27, 2011 What a weekend! The dogs got to go for a field trip. They ran new trails, visited Grandma, a few of them traveled for the first time, and the team also worked on passing with Mike B. Everyone did VERY well. It was a good and productive weekend but all are happy to be home. Hope everyone had as great a weekend as we did!
Thursday, November 24, 2011 Happy Thanksgiving from Trace (above) and the gang at BRR. We are going to be heading to St. Cloud this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving with Christa's family. We wish everybody a safe and happy holiday weekend!
Fava playing in the snow
Sunday, November 20, 2011 Here goes nothing! We had the first "real" snowfall of the season this weekend. Dogs and humans are happy. Sleds are out & booties on! (a HUGE thanks to Louise at dogbooties.com) Its opening hunting in WI this weekend, but that won't stop us. We will wait until all the hunters are out of the woods and run at night. Good Luck to all the hunters out there! We are getting geared up for the race season. Can you believe its just over a month away for some of us? Updates and more to come!
The boys playing and enjoying the snow
Keep it coming!
Sunday, November 20, 2011 Today is a very special day for BRR!! Andrew and Christa have now offically taken over the Bark River Racing Kennel!! Matt and I will be close at hand if needed, but we know that the Kennel is in very good hands!! Please wish them the best of luck as they begin this new chapter in their lives!! Visit often as Christa will be updating the site for you - pictures to come soon!! Matt and Paula
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September 17, 2011 What a wonderful fall day! Zach, Abbey, Grandpa and Grandma even took a ride in the 4wheeler in the woods! Picked some apples along the way for applesauce. The photos are from Abbey's 7th birthday which was celebrated last weekend, and also, a few from this weekends visit to the kennel. The dogs have the morning off but Andrew and Christa will be on the trail tonight.
September 3, 2011 Nothing like a crisp, almost fall, day to get into the woods for a training run. The dogs look terrific and really enjoyed each puddle, hill, and corner they were asked to take on their adventure. Herbster is a buzz with people up to enjoy the Lake shore and their cabins one last time for the summer and the hunters are up to get things ready for the fall hunting season as well. This can only mean one thing - cold weather and colored leaves are just around the bend!! Thought you might enjoy this Youtube video of Finnmarkslopet a dog race in Norway. Keep track of the booties on the dogs - look familiar? Almost every bootie is made by our dear friends at Dogbooties.com, Yeah to Louise and the gang!!!
Monday, August 22, 2011 So just what are you doing at 3:30 am every morning? Well your BRR athlete (some with two legs, most with four!) are up and training - yes at 3:30am! The temps are best for the dogs very early in the morning and so that is what must be done. Starting as usual with the two mile loop and increasing by about two miles every week or so. Before you know it the team will be ready to run a marathon - or two! Our friend Karen called to say that Gypsy, the newest member of the BRR family to make the trip to Australia, just had seven beautiful puppies!! Mak you old dog you, you and Gypsy can be proud of yourselves! Can't wait to share a photo or two of the newest Aussies!!
Saturday, July 23, 2011 It is that time of year when the temps don't allow a whole lot more for the dogs to do than lay around and enjoy the summertime. So we took the time to attend the Spooner Rodeo and thanks to our friend Todd for securing us such great seats! From calf roping to be entertained by buffalo it was just too much fun. Of course "get'r done" is the favorite, by that I mean bull riding! As much fun and excitement as there was at the rodeo, we decided that mushing really was the right choice for us! For the most part our sport happens when the temps are below freezing, not headed towards 90*+! click on the photos to enlarge
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Tuesday, July 12, 2011 Hello all! Below are photos from a gathering we had at BRR in honor of daughter Sonia and her groom, Adam! Grandbabies Abbey, Zack, Izzy, and Liam all attended! A fun time was had by all - and the dogs really liked all the company! Click on each photo for a larger photo
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Saturday, July 2, 2011 Hello all! After another brief down time period "we're back"! So much to share and talk about, but we will start with explaining the recent photos above (okay, so some may notice that I have trouble changing the date/time setting on the camera!) Many BRR fans already know about our Sibs that are now living in Florida, yes, Florida, but just in case here is the scoop - Almost a year ago we were contacted by a professional animal training company and asked what we thought of helping them to acquire and train Siberians to be the newest "stars" of a major theme park show! At first we deleted the message because, com'on, who sends Sibs to Florida!? After another email and several phone calls we determined that the company was really on the up and up and totally serious about the venture! We were in! Four beautiful Siberians came to stay with us for several months, learning how to, well, not run. They were able to play of course, but when in harness they needed to know they had to "walk" as they pulled the sled. It just wouldn't do to have them sprint across the ice at the show in blazing speed - no one would even get to see how cute they are! Well they are in Fl now and continuing the training for a show that will open in January. The photos above are of some of the new neighbors (look closely at one of the training photos and you will see the most amazing "on by" training we have ever seen, a Siberian Lynx watching them go by!) that the Sibs have and also a pic of a similar show at Sea World (the same trainers that work with those animals are working with the Sibs!). Rest assured that they are living in airconditioned comfort and the trainers, are amazing to say the least!! What an adventure! We will share more about them in the coming months!!!
Click on the photos to enlarge!!!
Booties are a good thing - even dirty ones!!
Thanks to dogbooties.com for keeping our dog's feet safe and students happy!
Saturday, April 30, 2011 Can't you just see a future John Beargrease and Iditarod musher in this group?! The photos come from Lincoln Elementary School in Merrillan, Wisconsin, from Ms. Helynn Schufletowski. Ms Schufletowski, together with Ms. Esser, use mushing to help make math, language and social studies more fun to learn about! The mushing community owes a great deal to teachers like them for presenting our sport in such a wonderful and enlightening way. And you will never guess who finally has shown up after playing hide-n-seek for the past month - TOODLES!! Toodles belongs to students in Ms. Jamie Carviou's class at Park Elementary School in Marinette, Wisconsin. Toodles flew from Marinette to Dubois, Wyoming at the end of January and traveled on our ventures with us. He met many fascinating people such as the legendary, Lance Mackey and Ryan Redington, grandson of Joe Redington - Father of the Iditarod!! Again, thank you to all of our teachers for allowing us to be a part of your classrooms!!
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Sunday, April 10, 2011 Up until the past couple of hours this weekend has been warm and beautiful. The photos above are of the teams out for a few springtime runs. The "Bean Pups" are really growing and love being part of the team. The hollyhocks are already coming up and there are some pussy willows out as well. The sounds of birds in the trees and the stream bubbling behind the dog yard really make it hard not to want to get out and work in the yard. Problem is it is still very wet! All the inches of snow this season are melting away but the lawn is saturated, now we just wait I guess!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 It is officially springtime, but a snowstorm is knocking on our door! Time to pull out our sleds again maybe!! Don't you just love the bright booties in those photos!! Thanks Louise!! Kennel life is a bit hectic right now as Matt is out of commission for a while - knee surgery - Microfracture Surgery to be exact. The surgeon says he will be off of the runners for a while as they didn't want to replace his knee as he is so young (yes, I said young!). This procedure will hopefully give him a couple more years of using his own knee, once he heals. God is in charge so not to worry! Andrew and Christa purchased the house just down the road from the kennel this winter in preparation to take over the kennel in the future, so they are right next door. Matt is in good spirits but itching to get out in the dog yard. So, rather than being our primary musher, Matt will now be Head Coach for next season and Andrew and Christa will be taking over the runners, and the lions share of the kennel responsiblities. With 10 or so under a year to begin training this spring, coaching from the sidelines might not be all bad!! We have several good, young, dogs for sale if you are in the market. Gypsy and Shot Gun are still in Herbster, awaiting the perfect time to head to their new homes in Australia. The perfect time will be after Mak and Gypsy, well, have a bit of together time!! That is going to be one terrific breeding.
Our team at rest...Photo from UP200
Tuesday, March 1, 2011 A 4th place finish at the UP200 was really a nice way to finish out our 2011 race season! The snow conditions were not perfect which doesn't often happen in the UP but all in all it was a nice race. The best part of our 2011 season was watching our youngsters, just over a year old, grow up right before our eyes! When we left for Wyoming we had five 15 month olds on the truck and several others two or under, we really were not sure what was going to happen! Sure they loved to pull and were good with each other, but there were sooo many unknowns! We should not have worried, they did amazing. Can't wait for next race season! As our trails are in a bit of rough shape, patchy ice in many places, we will be getting out the ATVs to keep on training. Late winter and spring are perfect for continuing the training on those young dogs! We aren't going to let a little melting snow get in our way!
Sleepy Liam
Charlsie and Hattie in the lead... Photo by Kacee Thacker
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 So yes it has been a while, but many of you have followed along on Facebook, thank you for allowing me to blog in just one spot for a while! Next season I will invest in an electronic "gadget" that allows phone, internet, and updating in one small package so we won't have these down times! Liam is doing wonderfully as you can see, and his Mom and Dad are enjoying him!! Isn't he beautiful??! What can we say about our trip to Wyoming but WOW! Running with Buddy Streeper, Lance Mackey, and other top mushers in the world was amazing. The countryside is like noneother and the sun shines in Wyoming almost everyday - thus very nice and cheerful people! The race organization was great to work with and the communities welcoming and accommodating, we hope to return next year. The dogs all did great and are ready to rock and roll again this weekend at the UP200!! Believe it or not we are excited to get back on the road and to yet another race start - remember the Stage Stop had 8 of them! Marquette MI is one of our favorite places. You can follow the race at http://www.up200.org/!! I'll post more information on Tuesday!!! Congrats to our friend Dallas Seavey for winning the Yukon Quest and it was his rookie year to boot!!
Special thanks to Kacee Thacker for sharing her wonderful photos from the Wyoming Race with us!!
Monday, January 17, 2011 So many are asking just which dogs are on the Wyoming team, well here they are: Panther, Flake, Charlsie, Xini, Gretchen, Keri, Mak, Toby, Trace, Garth, Gedikiwe, Fly, Brock, Forrest, Vargus, and Hattie!!
Monday, January 17, 2011 Had the best pie we have ever eaten yesterday at a little place called The Cowboy Cafe! Homemade soups, lunches...yum! Dogs looking good this morning and we will head out around 10:00am to run. The people here are so nice and friendly, the snowmobile maps even insert a caution about snowshoers, skiers, and dog sleds, and ask iron dogs to slow down or to move off of the trail if needed - how musher friendly is that!? Remember if you facebook Bark River Racing you will get a few more updates as that is so much easier to update!
Hello all! We have arrived in Dubois, Wyoming and are getting settled in. The area is so beautiful and the roads dry for our travels. We have been assured that there is snow in the mountains which are only a 20 mile drive up the highway, but here in town the ground is bare and the temps in the high 30's! Below is the facebook link for the race in two weeks, and our facebook address is Bark River Racing! I will post photos as soon as we get a bit of rest and go out for a training run. Oh and by the way, Liam has arrived!! Sonia and Adam are so very happy as are all of us!! He is a blessing that is for sure, 8lbs 8 oz and 21 inches long. HIs birthday is 1/12/11, Happy Birthday Grandson!
Monday, Jan 10, 2011 What a fun filled weekend!! We are so happy with our dog teams, Matt took 7th place and Andrew took 13th. The race was our tune up for heading to Wyoming and now we are set. The young dogs all did well and traveled (some for the first time in the truck!) without a problem, remember that four of them are only 16 months old and another three are only two! Ryan took 2nd place and we are so proud of him and his team. It is so nice to visit with our friends and to catch up on what is happening in their lives and to run and train with Erin and Ryan is very special to us. Special congrats to our friend Amber who took 4th in the Rec Division! Many thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors of the White Oak Classic! Photos are thanks to some of mushings newest fans Wes Bailey and Courtney Kerns!!! No, still no Liam sightings!!
Friday, Jan 7, 2011 Okay here we go:
BRR's 8 Dog Teams for the White Oak Classic
Matt: Charlsie, Hattie, Vargus, Mak, Gretchen, Fly, Zini, and Garth Andrew: Flake, Panther, Brock, Gedikwe, Keri, Trace, Earwig, and Toby
Monday, December 27, 2010 Hey, young BRR Team members (and not so young ones too!), need a good sled dog book to read? Try "Dogsled Dreams" by Terry Lynn Johnson. Terry sent me an advance copy of her book and I really liked it. It is now available to purchase on line. She gives us a great story about Rebecca, a 12 year old, who has goals of one day being a great sled dog musher and the details of her life while she reaches to achieve those goals. The book paints a picture of what life is really like in the dog yard, training sled dogs, entering her first race, and the highs and lows of this wonderful sport! Terry's web site can be found at this link: http://www.terrylynnjohnson.com/
Sunday, December 26, 2010 Merry Christmas!! Our Christmas celebrations started by visiting Bentleyville on the waterfront in Duluth, MN. This wonderful "city" of lights appears for the Holiday season and is worth the trip to the Northland to see. There is a huge Christmas tree who's lights flash and dance with the beat of the Christmas music, there of course is Santa and Mrs. Claus, the twelve days of Christmas, sledding children, skaters (both real and in lights), and even sled dogs headed toward the Post Office (a nod to John Beargrease no doubt!) and all of this is done with lights!! It was a perfect way to start our Holiday. We then went to celebrate with family and friends. Ate too much, laughed a lot, and enjoyed each other's company. We were able to see most of our children and grandchildren, although that gets harder to do as everyone's lives are getting so busy. Ryan and Erin begin their journey to Wisconsin today (pray for dry roads and safe travels if you all would), and then we begin our race season! First to the White Oak, then off to Wyoming for the Stage Stop, back for a week or so and then off to the UP200 and finishing up with the Copper Dog in Michigan. Follow along on line as we will try to post information for each race as we go. I had better end this and get out to the dog yard! Our prayer for all of you this Holy-day Season is that your celebrating continues long into the New Year and that your lives are filled with peace, joy, and love.
Vargus and Toby
Life is good!
Rounding the corner
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Tuesday, August 3, 2010 Life in the dog yard is getting a bit rowdy! The dogs can just sense that training time is almost here and are really getting excited. It is almost time to register for the races we plan to run and to turn on the walk in freezer again!! (we feed a lot of extra fat and protien in the fall and winter months) The puppies are growing like weeds and even at only about 6 weeks starting to get on each other's nerves. May be time to seperate the girls from the boys already! I will take some photos this weekend of the puppies out getting exercise!
Sunday, July 18, 2010 If you click on Jelly's photo you will find a lengthy video (it will take a bit to load). Matt says it is too long but I say you can never have enough puppy photos! It is for everyone, but especially for our young friends at the Evan's household as they have been wanting to see the puppies! Just heard from our friends in Australia and they are heavy into training for an up coming race - The Altitude 5000! Malcom will be on the runners for this race and is planning on competing in the eight dog race. Good luck with the training! If you view the video you will see that it is a very hot summer day here in the kennel. The dogs are doing just fine laying in the shade, drinking lots of water, and sleeping all day - you guessed it, then they are awake all night! Oh well, it is summertime!!
The pictures above are from the drive up and also our first couple days on the glacier.
