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!
Thanksgiving Day 2009 God has blessed us with each other, an understanding family, food and shelter, and all of you! We have much to be thankful for - Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
That was great! Now, how about sharing some pumpkin pie?
Opening weekend of White Tail Deer hunting here in Wisconsin so it was the perfect time to take the Beauties in for rabies vaccinations. Usually our Vet (Dr. Steve Myer in Ashland) will come out to the kennel, but I decided it would be a good opportunity for the yearlings to get their first ride in the dog truck! Although we want to think we have the smartest and most talented pups in the world, when it comes to first truck rides it is sort of like herding cats! Actually they didn't do all that bad. Sled dogs, for the most part, are like little children in one way. When they get put into their spot in the dog truck they are all excited, wiggly, and noisy, but once the truck starts moving they are usually very quiet and often just fall asleep! Many thanks to Dr. Steve, Rachael, and the whole crew for yesterdays visit.
A very happy Libby!
A beautiful morning!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Well, Friday the 13th has come and gone, and nothing unlucky occurred we are happy to report! Yesterday we spent some time moving dogs within the dog yard. This may not sound important, especially to those of you with one or two dogs, but a lot of planning must go into how the BRR dog yard is setup in order for the day to day functions of our kennel to go smoothly. Time is a valuable commodity. If we can feed and care for the dogs efficiently, we save precious minutes for more important things, like training and playing, rather then chores! Where the dogs live within the dog yard also contributes to their training.
First and foremost, our dog yard is divided between males and females. No non-authorized, extracurricular visiting is ever allowed!
As puppies grow here at BRR they go from being with their mother, to having the puppy pen to themselves, to the puppy dog yard (no adult dogs near by) and then finally to the real dog yard.
The adult dogs also move about the yard from time to time. As fall training progresses we slowly determine which dogs will run on which team. The dogs that make the "A Team" are moved to the front rows. This team will more than likely have more training runs and having them close to the exit chute helps us to hook them up to the gang line quickly and efficiently. By the time a BRR athlete is promoted to the "A Team" they are well behaved and confident.
So that puts the "B and C (puppy) Team" in the next rows. Although a bit farther for we humans to walk when collecting the athletes for their training runs, the walk actually is part of their training. Even though the dogs live with their teammates they still need to work on socialization skills. The usually younger "B" and "C" team members must be taken through the rows of more senior dogs. A lot of sniffing and barking in excitement is going on all around them, but they are trained to pretty much ignore the other dogs and to stay focused on the task at hand - getting ready to go for a run!
Following the run the socialization lesson continues. Once their harnesses are removed the dogs are allowed to return to their houses on their own. The dogs quickly learn which home is theirs and they happily return to their spot in the dog yard. We are right there to watch the interaction between all of the dogs and friendly visits with neighbors is allowed. If a dog is not happy with their neighbor for some reason, we are there to encourage them to get along or at least to ignore them! (If only people could learn these lessons!)
In the spring, dogs who are shy or young are often moved to the front rows. We have many visitors to BRR during the spring and summer and the interaction with people is a great way to help build the dogs confidence with strangers.
The dogs don't seem to mind the time to time relocating of their homes, and really seem to enjoy getting new neighbors once in a while. When attending a race or watching a mushing video have you ever wondered how so many dogs can be in one place at the same time and everyone gets along?! Now you know how training for that begins!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 Now that was a puddle!! Africa is in lead and she loves going right through the middle of the biggest puddles!! Training is going well and life is good!
October 31, 2009 Happy Halloween! The forecast is for temps in the 30s and that is no trick, just a treat! Bundle up when you go trick-or-treating today. Training is going well and puppies are all growing and happy. We have names for our newest members: Troubadour, Chester, Major Payne, and Shot Gun Willy! They are named after PBR (Professional Bull Riding) bulls!
Saturday, October 24, 2010 Okay, let's see what mushers are paying attention shall we? Announcing the newest addtions to the BRR kennel: four, healthy, happy, beautiful, Pistachio and Calvin pups!!! We get excited around here about all puppies, but these puppies have everything going for them - both mother and father are great, gee-haw leaders AND they have amazing pedigrees! The temps are cold and the dogs look great. Training with our Extra Mile Mushers continues and we have just posted our race schedule for 2010. It is going to be a wonderful race season!
Sunday, October 18, 2009 BRRR opened our October training weekends to new mushers and mushers looking to work on training issues. Mother Nature has cooperated with us for our training sessions (so far!) and tons of fun, and a bit of training, has been going on. I couldn't resist snapping a photo of these adorable, newest members of the mushing family! Only about a 1 1/2 years old these young Sibs already know that they love being sled dogs!
10/10/09 Yes, that is right! A sign of the winter ahead??
Happy Bride!
Katie found her Mr. Right (that would be Wright!)
Abbey and Grandpa
...no sore feet for this bride!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 This past weekend our daughter, Katie, became, Mrs. Andrew Wright! The wedding in South Eastern Wisconsin was beautiful, with just enough sunshine and rain to fulfill whatever lucky bride phrase you pick: "If it rains on your wedding day, it’s good luck" or "If the sunshines on your wedding day, it's good luck"! Friends and family gathered to celebrate and wish the best to our bride and groom. Katie and Andrew are off to a wonderful start! Oh, yeah, the dogs are doing great by the way! I will be sure to take photos this weekend for you.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 What a weekend! This past weekend we attended a mushing symposium in Michigan's UP. We had the privilege to travel with our friends at dogbooties.com, Louise and Therese, and had way too much fun! Karen Ramstad was the keynote speaker. Karen raises champion show dogs, Siberians, that also are Iditarod sled dogs, amazing athletes, and pretty to look at too! She was interesting to say the least. There was a panel discussion on dog food which was very interesting, and those who attended also had the chance to bend the ears of knowledgeable Veterinarians. There was an Iditarod presentation, kennel tips, dry land mushing information and tons more. We had a chance to visit with old friends and to make a bunch of new ones. A good time was had by all and we encourage everyone to put it on their calendars for next fall. Daughter, Katie, is getting married this weekend so we are getting ready for that and very excited. The following three weekends are filled with Extra Mile Musher Training and we are looking forward to spending time with other mushers, sharing tips and working on training issues with them. Fall is here and life is busier than ever!
Saturday, September 19, 2009 Surprise!! Yes that is our beloved, Rat, with her three little pups. The dad is Calvin and the puppies, are named : Simon, Theodore, and Alvin (we will call her Ally, because she is a girl!)!! Get it - Calvin and the Chipmunks! Andrew's idea so groan at him. We didn't let on to everyone due to the last time we thought she was going to have puppies and didn't. This time all went according to plan and we are pretty excited.
Click on this photo for some fun!
Sunday, September 13, 2009 Okay, so 80* is not the ideal weather to run dogs in! It is just fine however to, play with puppies, get sawdust, clean out the dog trailer, and even take time to go out to dinner! Cousin Jude made this short, cute, video of the County Boys for you, aren't they cute!? We are working on a really fun surprise for our students this year - ??? We are not telling just yet, we are going to let the suspense build for a while. Get your teachers to contact us asap so that your classroom can be a part of Bark River Racing's 2010 race season!!
Friday, September 4, 2009 As you may have noticed, we have been busy! Sorry for not getting to update the Scoop but life has been moving in fast motion for a couple weeks. I did find time to update our Educational Page for the wonderful teachers who use mushing as a tool for teaching however. At work, it is the time of year when the students return to campus. UMD comes to life, first with Freshman and their parents, then the Football team (ah, looks like the Bulldogs lost last night first time since 2007), and then the rest of the campus. At home, a dear friend of ours has decided it is time, at least for now, to turn his focus and energy to things outside of mushing. So, we have a few more furry friends in the kennel for a while! Whenever we bring new sled dogs into the kennel there is a wonderful energy that takes over as they, and ourselves, all get to know each other. We will be placing many of them in new homes, if you need a great new team member let us know, but for now we are just enjoying every one of them! We hope you all have a wonderful Holiday weekend, and at the end of it, finally, begins the unofficial fall season!! Fall colors, cooler temps, and running dogs!
Sunday, August 23, 2009 God blessed us with a wonderful morning and a great "puppy walk"! This was the first time that the Country Boys (Garth, Trace, Tobey, and Kid) and the UFC Fighters (Brock, BJ, and Forrest) had a play date. There is 2 weeks difference in their ages but it is getting harder and harder to notice as they continue to grow like weeds. They played together for over an hour and once back to their kennels they were all sleeping within minutes. It was a great adventure for all. We have been busy in the dog yard getting ready for fall. It is hard to believe that summer is close to an end and soon we will need the ATVs, lines, and harnesses to be in perfect working order so that fall training can really gear up. (Click on the photos to enlarge)
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Hello from Garth and Trace!
Taking advantage of the sitter, Rich!
We sure are cute!
Monday, August 10, 2009 The past two weekends have come and gone so quickly that I really have not had time to update the Scoop, sorry! The Herbster 5K Walk and 10K Run was on the 2nd and the Game Fair was last weekend. Both events were a great success. I will post photos from both this weekend, but just had to share these with you that Jude took of the Rich and the pups. Max held down the fort Friday and Saturday, and Rich and Jude had the Sunday am shift - thanks to all of you! When you go away for a couple of days it seems that the puppies grow several inches! Hope to also here how Ryan did at the symposium in Michigan and I will share that as well. See you this weekend!
Sunday, July 26, 2009 God's handiwork at its best! Christa is in the lower 48 again in plenty of time to get ready for her brother's wedding, school starting, and to plan her own wedding! She brought back all sorts of photos to share with us, but this one really is something. Not only is the scenery beautiful to look at but this same stream, which is glacial run off, is also the water source for the kennel operation that they work at! Skagway is pretty remote, the mountain tops pristine, and glaciers provide plenty of cold, clear water. All is well with the kennel here in Herbster. Puppies sprouting like weeds and the dogs are getting a lot of naps in the sunshine.
Friday, July 17, 2009 Three more bundles of joy and hopeful members of a 2013 Iditarod team! No, they are not here at BRRR, rather out in Oregon with our friend Scott! Scott sent photos and news that Tswana and the pups are all doing great. There are many ways to put together a dog team, but by far the most rewarding is to research the mom and dad, looking for the qualities you feel are the very best in a dog, and then breeding them. We wish Scott, Tswana and those pups, all the best! And before long we hope to see you on the trail! We said goodbye to one of our very best friends this week - Venture. Venture was our mentor and at close to 16 years old, the matriarch of the kennel. We purchased a rather plain looking black female in the spring of 2000 . She was a Jamie Nelson dog and even though we had been in the sport for a couple years, she knew more about the sport than we did! She was bred and we soon had 8 beautiful puppies. Prior to Venture our successes were hit and miss and our mistakes many! She knew commands, always hugged the right hand side of the road (gee'd over) as she was taught for safety reasons, and brought tears to my eyes the first time she "came Haw" on command - leading a string of 11 misfits (Matt and I included!) in a smooth semi circle to the left ,in the middle of a country road, without a single tangle! It was her, not ourselves, that trained that litter of pups, leading them on excursions (one even over night!) into the woods when they were little. She continued teaching them, other team members, and us, for many, many years to come. We loved her and thank God that she shared her life with us. She was a blessing.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 So maybe she is cute, but her and her kind just have to stay out of the dog yard! Every spring we have a doe with her fawns that feel living on the edge of the dog yard makes a great home - NOT! They seem to know that the dogs can only get so close to them and they stay just out of their reach. That of course makes the dogs go crazy, at noon, at 7:00pm, at midnight, at....you get the picture! Puppies are all doing well and getting fat. Charlsie is a great mom and taking very good care of her little all man brood.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009 Well, the puppies are about a week old and cute as can be. There is one in particular that look EXACTLY like his Grandma Pistachio (except he is a he!). Charlsie wants nothing to do with sharing her puppies with all of you, and each time I try to take a family photo she curls into a tight ball and shields the puppies from our view. She will let us pick them up and love them however, and even at this early age they are in training! No, not putting on a harness or booties, but rather we play with their feet! If you start when they are very young once they are old enough to have nails cut and booties put on they think nothing of it, as "petting" their feet is normal! Our 4th of July extended weekend starts today and we have only fun planned: visiting with friends & family, grilling out, and heading to the beach.
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Thursday, June 25, 2009 So just what do Kid Rock, Trace Adkins, Toby Keith, and Garth Brooks have to do with Bark River Racing & Rides??? Why they have the same first names as our newest BRRR team members!!! Charlsie and Mak became the pround parents of four little boys this week. We are so excited about these new arrivals and we will share their photos this weekend. Mak is an Iditarod finisher at age 2 and brother to beloved, Africa. Charlsie is Pistachio's daughter and has the best of Swingley's old line and new. These pups may just be the best thing since sliced bread, but only time will tell!
The happy couple!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 Matt and I are getting something that has been on our wish list for some time - a Daughter-In-Law! Andrew has asked Christa to be his bride and she has said "yes"! They have not yet decided upon a date.We could not be happier for them and so glad she is going to be officially part of our family! Ahhh, life is good. God Bless them both as they plan for the next chapter in their lives.
Friday, June 12, 2009 Although I was feeling a bit guilty for not jumping out of bed and getting to the chores, sometimes it is a good thing to procrastinate! If we had gone outside first thing this morning we would have frightened off this little visitor. He doesn't appear to be this years cub, perhaps from last year. He stayed around just long enough to see we didn't have anything worth eating and off he went into the forest. The dogs, only a few yards away, didn't even notice him, or perhaps, they are used to him being around when we are not!!! Oh the joys of living in the forest!
Click on the bear to see more of him!
Click on the photo to view Ms. Lindberg's Iditarod Surprise!
Sunday, June 7, 2009 It has been soooo hard not to mention what we were going to do this past Friday to all of you, but it needed to be a surprise! We were contacted some time ago by a very excited parent from the Summit Elementary School in Oconomowoc, WI, as she was looking for a used sled to gift to a very special teacher who was retiring. One thing led to another and Matt's Iditarod story became part of Ms. Lindberg's retirement gift! For many years Ms. Lindberg has used the Iditarod and it's teachable moments to teach her classes. The parents, students, and staff felt that it was very fitting to gift to her a sled signed by her students and an Iditarod presentation given by an Iditarod musher. We were happy to be invited and Matt was glad to give the presentation. We have family and friends in the area so we were able to connect with them as well and a wonderful time was had by all! Congratulations, Ms. Lindberg, and thank you for sharing your love of the Iditarod and mushing with your students for all of these years!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009 Andrew called to say all is well in Alaska and they are busy, busy, busy. Andrew was offered and accepted the Manager position with the Skagway operation for Alaska Excursions for the summer. He asked that we put out a "call" for those mushing minded individuals looking for summer employment as they are looking for a few more hard working, like minded, fun people to work. There is an ad on Sled Dog Central http://www.sleddogcentral.com/classifieds/handlerswanted_2.asp#Murphy .
Zach
Abbey
Sunday, May 31, 2009 What a beautiful day! Our Grandson, Zach, was baptized today and God blessed us with sunshine and warm temperatures for our travels. Following the service we had a nice brunch at our daughter, Melissa and husband, Bryan's home with friends and family all around. He and Abbey are thriving and bring us such great joy. Thanks for indulging these proud Grandparents! We also learned that a wedding date has been set for daughter, Katie and her fiance, Andrew - May 15, 2010!
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Monday, May 25, 2009 Time to take down the pirate flag and begin flying the Stars and Stripes, hope you are all having a nice holiday. Summer fun can officially begin! This weekend has been spent visiting with friends and family, getting sawdust and chips for the dog yard, planting, and enjoying the great outdoors. There is a deer that has decided the back half of the dog yard is "home" and the dogs don't like it at all. She likes to eat the grass in the late evenings and into the night so you can imagine the commotion. Hopefully she will move along and find a neighborhood that is a bit more welcoming!!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
What a beautiful weekend. The temperatures yesterday were cool enough that you needed a hat and gloves but the sun found time to shine! Today is just as nice. Here is a Youtube link we found on Sleddogcentral. It is an amazing video of a sled dog race, but one with a mass start http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXN67wjYZWQ The energy of the dogs is something to behold! The races we enter have always been single starts with a minute or two between each team, this is just crazy! Our kennel is doing well, puppies are enjoying chasing butterflies and barking at bunnies, while the older dogs are just enjoying the peace.
Calvin
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Happy Mother's Day weekend! We hope you take time to tell your mom, or any mom for that matter, how important they are to you. My friend, Max, gifted me a bag of Amish Friendship Bread starter for Mother's Day, thanks Max! It is so fun to see how long I can keep the starter going. It has a pungent smell to it like yeast as that is essentially what it is. You must squish the baggie of gue for approximately 10 days, then you can share a portion with other friends and make wonderful sweet breads from it as well.
Okay, back to Mothers, or in this case just one - Tswana! This spring we had a "spring" kennel reduction sale and Tswana, a BRRR Iditarod finisher, was purchased by a very nice gentleman named Scott. Scott is realtively new to the sport and was looking for a lead dog that could teach his other dog(s), as well as himself, a thing or two. He expressed that he was looking forward to raising and training his own long distance team and Tswana was to be the official start.. One thing lead to another and Tswana will soon be headed to Oregon with "buns in the oven" - the ultimate Friendship Bread! Starting your mushing journey with a dog like Tswana to help you along is a very smart move, and then adding to the kennel with proven bloodlines like Calvin's (he is a Prophet son and BRRR superstar) is even smarter. It is going to be fun to watch the pups (from a distance!) grow and learn. Best of Luck to you Scott.
Tswana
Sunday, May 3, 2009 I looked out to the dog yard today and every dog was sleeping peacefully in the sun. I quietly left the house, camera in hand, to get a few shots of everyone resting. However, they are light sleepers! Before I could get even close to the dog yard everyone was up to greet me! They sure didn't seem to mind that Mom interrupted their nap. Happy Dogs! The dogs are Tswana (hello from Tswana to Scott!), Africa, Gediwike, Gypsy, and Nikia. Christa made it home safely and just in time to go celebrate her father's big "50"! Happy Birthday Dave!
Sunday, April 26, 2009 Andrew and Christa just called and they made it safe and sound to Alaska, yeah. Now Erin and Ryan are making their trip from Knik to Juneau, if you remember a big portion of that journey is on a ferry boat! Yikes! I will be glad when everyone is in their places. Hope you have all had time to look around the new web site. There are still some pages that I am working on and hope to finish those within a couple weeks. Matt will be our Administrator of the Message Board so this should be fun. If you notice we have a Classified page now. We have Beauties from time to time that we need to place in new kennels, or in some cases on someone's couch! But right now the page is filled with our Iron River property! Not to worry, it is a good business move and we are still doing the rides/tours, just out of our Herbster location.
Saturday, April 25, 2009 So what do you think?? Hope you like the new format and look for the Bark River Racing and Rides web site. We took your suggestions and requests and tried to implement them. Still working on some pages but it will all be up and running soon.
Many, many thanks to Lee and Claudia Nowak for coming up with a "fan"-tastic idea!! B.A.R.K. is a program they developed as a way for team supporters to help their favorite kennel by "Buying A Round of Kibble" for the team! You can find more information on our B.A.R.K. page and on Sled Dog Central www.sleddogcentral.com . What a wonderful way to give directly to "your dogs"! Thanks again Claudia and Lee!!
Andrew once again is answering the call to head to Alaska this summer and will be working for Alaska Excursions. He and Christa left on Wednesday afternoon and are making their way to Skagway. She will return to finish classes for the semester and then head back up to work there as well mid-May. Why would she go up just for the ride, come back and then return less than a month later you might ask!? Well, if you read Nature's Kennel web site you know that Andrew and Christa are not traveling alone - they are bringing 52 of NK beauties up to run for the summer! If any of you have traveled with small children or pets you can only imagine what 52 sled dogs - high energy sled dogs - are like to travel with!!! They are now in Fort Nelson, British Columbia,Canada, and things are going fine. Okay, so they did have a bit of trouble crossing into Canada! The Border Patrol just couldn't understand why someone named Mr. Steilstra would just hand over his truck, trailer, and kennel to these two travelers!
Friday, April 10, 2009 WOW!! What a day for our first run! I put the photos above on the website as "thumbnails" so you could click on them and enlarge. Seeing puppies run and have fun is great to share with everyone, but we really wanted all of you (especially you Ryan!) to see the tug lines on these 8 month old pups!! BOW STRING TIGHT! YEAH!! So if you really read the previous posting you already know that we are in the planning stages to compete in the 2011 Iditarod - some of these pups will be on that team!! It is going to be amazing to watch these athletes grow, learn, and reach their fullest potential!!
So, just what are YOU doing the first weekend in March 2011? I know I'll be busy!!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009 What a beautiful day, too bad we had to work! It was sunny and in the high 40's so the dogs all got to sun bath the entire afternoon. We got a call from our friends in Two Harbors and they actually still have enough snow to run sleds on. We also heard that in the UP of Michigan the trails are great! Good for you guys, enjoy that snow. We on the other hand have spent our free time doing such springtime chores as taking the dog boxes off of the truck (you can almost hear the truck groaning as the heavy dog box is removed!), raking the dog yard, and worming the dogs - no, I mean deworming the dogs. Okay, maybe time to learn about a not-often-talked-about lesson on taking care of your dog. Don't read on if your eating your breakfast, lunch or dinner right now!! Dog owners will often say silly things like "What wormer do you use" or "Time to worm the dogs". Don't those phrases imply that you are giving worms to the dogs!!! Okay, enough, like I said, I hope your not eating supper right now!! For those who are not in the know, deworming should be done on a monthly basis. This protocol usually includes a couple of the months having the process go over two or three days depending upon which medication you give your dogs. Giving them the dewormer helps control or kill intestinal parisites in various stages of their yucky little lives. Although you might keep your kennel spotless and your house immaculate, dogs will be dogs, and they can pick up nasties from not only bugs and other dogs, but from items they might eat. How do large kennels afford to do this? We buy in bulk! Now to see who really reads what I write, guess what we just started planning for? BRRR will be sending Matt and his team to the 2011 Iditarod! We will concentrate our efforts on the Beargrease Marathon for next season (running other races of course), with our young dogs beginning their training for the Last Great Race the following season!
Saturday, April 4, 2009 Okay, so it is a sure sign of spring when the Scoop is not updated on a regular basis! Sorry, but we really have been very busy honest. It is the time of year when one day we are complaining about the cold weather because we are looking forward to tulips and warm spring days, and the next day we are wishing that we were still giving rides like in the photo! The dogs are all doing well, however, it is noisy at times in the dog yard. For those of you paying attention you should know that right now in addition to our race teams and touring teams, there are 14 youngun's under the age of 1 year in our dog yard! This is the first spring for them so that means the first sightings of deer, bunnies, the neighbors cats, geese over head, and all sorts of other wonderful "springtime" things. With each new experience it is almost like they are saying "Mom, Dad, come and see!". With puppies in the yard there is never a dull moment.
Friday, March 27, 2009 All of our mushers are off of the Iditarod trail and now trying hard to get home! After close to 2 weeks out on the trail they got to Nome only to have to contend with a volcano! Mt. Redoubt decided that the finish of the 2009 Iditarod would be a great time to erupt and that caused flights to be delayed, canceled, and or rescheduled. Hopefully all are home or headed that way. It was a great race, filled with excitement, many challenges, some sadness, and great accomplishments. Congratulations to everyone who competed in the 2009 Iditarod! On Valentine's Day we had a group from UMD's Outdoor Rec program come to learn about mushing and have rides. We had a wonderful time and it was captured in photos by UMD's photographer, Brett Groehler. Many thanks to Brett for passing some of them on to us and I will share more later, but our favorites are of Hattie. Hattie is a member of our A team, daughter to Africa and Bots, and a kennel favorite. If ever anyone doubts that sled dogs want to pull a sled they have not met Hattie!! Enjoy sharing in Hattie's joy!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 Well, I didn't think it was possible for the weather on the Iditarod Trail to be equal to, or worse than, the year Matt ran (2007) but this year is really ugly. The Yukon River has been most unkind and past Champions like Mitch Seavey and Jeff King have had to turn around or "hunker down" until bad weather had passed. Cold and horrible wind chills are nothing new to mushers, but when there is no break in the weather to "regroup" or "catch your breath", it can take it's toll. There have been many scratches from the race and several reported accidents. Our Ryan is moving forward however and we are very proud of him and his team. He left Kaltag and is headed toward, Old Women Cabin, sort of the unofficial rest stop between Kaltag and Unalakleet. Ray is doing very well also, and is almost to Shaktoolik (a very windy place I'm afraid to say) several check points ahead of his brother at this point. Everyone thought that Lance was a shoe in to win, and of course he is still the leader and favorite, but there are some very determined and TUFF teams fast on his trail and it is very exciting to watch this unfold.
May God bless all the mushers and dogs, the Vets who tirelessly tend to our 4 legged friends, the wonderful volunteers out there working hard to get everyone home in one piece, and especially, please God, bless the families and loved ones that are waiting for news of those on the trail. Those mushers are trying to fulfill their dreams and doing the hard part, but I know it gets sort of hard waiting for that phone call or video message from the trail!
Monday, March 9, 2009 The Red River Dog Derby 2009 is over and marks the end of an amazing race season for Bark River Racing. (I will post a recap of the season later in the week). Your Pirates took home the 4th place trophy in the race and we were edged out by only yards by the third place finisher, Frank Moe. After 160 miles to have it come down to just a couple of seconds was very exciting. Strange as it may sound we are very happy for Frank and his team as they had some amazing runs and should be proud of themselves. The race was almost completely run on the Red River. The snow at the start/finish line was limited, sort of like here at home, but the diligent volunteers used front loaders to carry in snow for the teams. Once on the river the snow cover was much better, and not to worry, the river was frozen! The photo above of two teams shows how beautiful the river indeed was, but what isn't shown are the many deer, rabbits, and eagles that call the river home. Almost every musher came in with tails of running with the wildlife. Matt and the other teams were able to travel by moonlight Saturday evening as the skies were clear and the moon was full. The people of the Fargo to East Grand Forks area were very friendly and eager to learn about our sport. We will return next year! Son-in-law, Ryan and his team, are off and running in the 2009 Iditarod! This year the field is filled with mushers that we know, from Ryan and his brother, Ray, to friends, Tim Hunt (his rookie year) and Ed Stielstra. The race began Sunday afternoon and all of them are moving forward. It is way too early in this grueling race to make predictions or to comment on the different race strategies, but in a couple of days we will begin to see the 9-14 day race begin to really unfold!! The race season may be over but the real training now begins here at BRRR - puppies!! The puppies, all 14 of them, are now ready to begin some fun runs, the first part of their training for becoming a future race team member.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 With the spring weather of late, warm days and cold nights, we had to lean to the side of caution and rescheduled our rides for this weekend until some new snow falls. Still lots of winter left hopefully! On the upside of that, we can now go to one more race in Fargo, ND, this weekend! The race is the Red River Sled Dog Derby the link is www.redriversleddogderby.com They assure us there is snow and even if it begins to dwindle in the warm days this week, the race itself is primarily on a river! It is 160 miles, 8 hours mandatory rest, 12 dogs. We are excited to be able to let your athletes run one last race for this season. It has been such a great year we are glad it is not finished yet!! Thanks again to the "Ever Ready to Hold Down the Kennel" Max!!
***NEWS FLASH**** Matt Rossi and the Bark River Race team are the 2009 Champions of Wolftrack Classic! The race was held in Ely, Minnesota, this past weekend!! You can all be proud of your Pirates everyone! The conditions were perfect, the dogs "hot" and the results were, well, AMAZING!! We will have some photos to share with you later!!!
Monday, February 23, 2009 What a great weekend! We placed in the top 10 at the Midnight Run and you can be very proud of your BRR Teams!! The Midnight Run is traditionally a very fast paced, competitive race, and this year was no exception. It was amazing to see our four legged team members, many of which are our beloved Iditarod veterans, staying in the money with those very fast teams! We enjoyed the different format, fast and quick, rather than long and steady we are used to, but truthfully we enjoy the longer races a bit more. There was not much time to take photos but we did have friends throughout that did, and I will share those with you all as they send them. Huge congrats to Eric Morris for a great UP200 first place finish - Eric is also a South Shore musher!!! What a great year the South Shore teams have been having!! It is not done yet however, we are headed this weekend to the Wolf Track Classic in Ely, MN. and that is sure to be just as fun! Special thanks to our great handler, Sue Lyons, for her continued support and love of this sport and our BRR teams!
Sunday, February 15, 2009 What a fun day we had at BRRR yesterday! We were busy giving rides from 9:30 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon and everyone with 4 legs and 2 had a great time. What a great way to share our sport. The Midnight Run is fast approaching and the BRRR teams are getting ready as both Matt and Andrew will be running. The Midnight Run is just under 100 miles, with approximately 5 hours of rest required, and the field is very, very competitive every year. The race is run almost completely at night as well! It is always fun to compete in the UP of Michigan where there is never a shortage of snow!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 Hello everyone, we are all home safe and sound! First, thank you Erin for trying hard to keep everyone informed. Second, we are so proud of Christa bringing 7 happy healthy dogs across the finish line of the 150 race!! Now the info you have been searching for (Erin said there were tons of hits on the web link!!). Once the Beargrease leaves the city of Duluth, cell phone and computer access are extremly limited. When we could get a cell "bar" or two for some reason it just didn't go through!! Oh well, I'm told that people appreciated the bits of information that were provided. After a fantastic first half of the race, things began to get a bit trickier for all of the musher, and also for us. The temperatures stayed in negative numbers throughout, the trail was very hard and fast, which one might think was a great thing - not always. We train on sandy or snowy trails for the most part and a hard pack trail is new to the dogs "ankles" and shoulders. The dogs who showed stress in these areas are "dropped" from the race so not to injure them further. Those dogs will all be fine however and although part of the reason, not the entire reason that we "scratched", which means pulled out of the race. We had trained all year for the Beargrease, and were better prepared than we ever have been, but there was one problem, the training was better suited for last years race!! The Beargrease in past years was known for an abuntant amount of rest time so you could do longer runs and then rest for longer times. This year the manditory rest time was shortened, not a bad thing, just something that we should have really thought through a bit more as it played an important part in the race. Our dogs were trained to run fast and long but then are given a good amount of rest, taking too much rest in a race can mean the difference between winning and losing, but not taking enough can also mean the same things!! We should have rested more at the beginning and saved the longer runs for the end it appears. Oh well, hind sight is 20/20 as they say and there is always next year!! Hope this made sense and gives everyone the answers they have been looking for!! Matt, Andrew, Christa, and I, thank you all for your prayers and "hurrahs"! We appreciate each of you!! Special thanks to Smooze for everything she always does to help BRRR, Rich and Jude for working so hard on the trail with us, and Max for tending to things at home. Now, off for a nap!!
***SPECIAL 2009 JOHN BEARGREASE MESSAGE FOR BRRR FANS**
RYAN AND ERIN REDINGTON WILL BE KEEPING YOU UP TO DATE ON THE RACES AT THE FOLLOWING LINK! IT CAN BE FRUSTRATING AT TIMES TO FOLLOW ALONG ON RACE WEB SITES WHICH DO NOT PROVIDE THE INFORMATION THAT YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW - SUCH AS: WHICH DOGS ARE LEADING THE TEAM AND WHY DID THEY DO THAT ?? HAVING OUR "ALASKAN CONNECTION" WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE - MAYBE EVEN BEFORE THE COMPETITION FIGURES IT OUT! FOLLOW ALONG AS MATT, CHRISTA, AND THE TEAMS TRAVEL UP THE NORTH SHORE!!
Saturday, January 24, 2009 Boy how time flies when your getting ready for a big race!! Yesterday our friends at South Shore invited us for a wonderful Pep Rally and Awards Ceremony for their Winter Festival Week. Once again they have made us feel very special indeed. We have also heard from our friends at Hermantown Elementary, Hermantown, MN and Minnehaha Elementary in Two Harbors, MN as well!! Our Two Harbors classrooms will be making their way to HWY 2 very early Wednesday AM in the hopes of catching the team, some of them also will be coming along the trail to visit us as well! The photos are from Mr. Mark's class in Hermantown, thanks guys for all of your support!!! Vet checks were this morning and every dog passed with flying colors! I will post which BRR team members will be running in tomorrow's race and what bib numbers Matt and Christa picked later tonight!!!!
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BRRR's, Rowdy, makes a visit to South Shore!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 We would like everyone to meet our friend, Rowdy. Rowdy is the newest member of the BRRR Team and he has a very important job-to help get the students at South Shore Elementary excited about the race season and the upcoming Beargrease!! However, it seems that South Shore doesn't need a cheerleader like Rowdy, they are excited all on their own!! Rowdy arrived at South Shore, with a little help from Andrew and Christa, and was met by a great poster made to celebrate the BRRR win at the White Oak!! Captain Matt was glad to see that the Pirates were paying attention and following along on our adventures. Rowdy brought the students Beargrease buttons, brochures, posters for their classrooms (thanks Beargrease!), and two very special gifts - thanks to BRRR Sponsors - copies of both "Fearless John" and "John Beargrease - The Legend of Minnesota's North Shore". Rowdy will be visiting each classroom, spending time with the students and staff, and participating in Snow Week next week at the school. We will share more photos of Rowdy's adventure as the week goes on.
1st Place Finish White Oak Classic 2009
6th Place Finish White Oak Classic 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
****Matt Rossi and his BRRR team take First Place at the White Oak Classic Sled Dog 130 Mile Race****
**** Christa Kamphenkel and her BRRR team take 6th Place at the White Oak Classic Sled Dog 60 Mile Race***
Yes you heard it right, your Bark River Racing Race teams had a very nice weekend! The weather was perfect for both dogs and humans, we were all healthy, the equipment worked just right, our handlers (Sue, Laura, and Max) were wonderful at home and at the race, and the dogs, well the dogs, were amazing! They ran like they could have kept going forever. They ate everything put in front of them, passed other teams without any problems, were polite to their neighbors, and were humble in victory!! Life is good and we are now ready for the next race, the John Beargrease!!
Thursday, Janaury 8, 2009 Yes that is Zach! I finally had a moment to upload these for everyone. A new baby brings such joy. The first race of the season is this weekend and we are so excited. We are sorry to say that our friend and sponsor Duane, AMSS, will not be able to run in the 8 dog race for us, but we just found out that Christa will be able to fill in. With Matt running the 10 dog in this weeks race that makes 18 dogs getting the first taste of racing for the season, this is important as the Beargrease is only two weeks away!! From these 18 dogs, 14 will be selected to be on the Beargrease team!! Root for your favorite teammember: Matt is running: Africa, Anna, Panther, Mak, Charlsie, Vargus, Calvin, Gediweke, Hattie, Richard (yes Jud, Richard made the team!!) Christa's team is: Bots, Rat, Sha, Dimitri, Tswana, Coors, Guiness, Orville The race web site is http://www.whiteoakclassic.org/apps/joomla/ it begins Saturday am, Christa's race finishing that evening, and Matt's finish is the next morning. Andrew, Smooze, Laura, and I will be the handling crew, and Max will be holding down the fort at home (consoling the dogs who didn't get to go to the race!). If you are in the area please stop by the truck and trailer, look for the Pirates of the South Shore's flag flying proudly!! Arrrh, Go Pirates!!!
Christmas Day 2008 Merry Christmas Everyone! As we looked out the windows last night and the stars were brightly shining, we could not help but think that indeed ... all is calm, all is bright. Our wish for you this blessed season is that you may be filled with Peace, Calm and Joy. God Bless each of you on this Christmas Day!
Silent Night, Holy Night, All is Calm...
Erin and Sonia getting a team ready at the 2008 Iditarod
Sunday, December 21, 2008 Go, Erin, Go! Our daughter, Erin, on the left in this photo, is running in the Aurora 25/25 Sled Dog race in Wasilla, Alaska, this weekend. Although her husband Ryan is the primary dog musher in the household, Erin is pretty good on the runners as well. The race is 2 days, 25 miles each day, best total time wins. She is currently in 4th place but only 8 minutes out of first!! There is no web site for this race so we have to wait for word from Alaska on how she did. I'll update later. Go, Erin, Go! 3:26 Central Time - UPdate. Things don't always go according to plan or turn out successfully just because Mom wishes them to!! Knowing that Ryan needed some of her team for the upcoming Knik Race she carefully watched the team for any signs of them not having a great time out there. Two dogs just didn't seem on top of their game and she "bagged" them. That means she gave them a ride in the sled. With two less dogs pulling and the remaining dogs pulling an extra 120+ pounds, she decided to call it quits, turn the team around and head back to the truck. At -15* I would have done the same thing!! Good luck next time Erin!
Saturday, December 13, 2008 The first sled runs at the new land are worth getting a few photos of, and worth waiting for the video to load! Click on the link to the left to enjoy some of what we spent today doing. The dogs loved getting in the truck and going for an adventure, and so did we. They will quickly learn where their houses are at the Land and what it means when someone drives into the driveway! Time to go for a run!! We did come home a bit early, however, as we are getting ready for the first snow storm of the season - snow, high winds, sleet, and then more cold and snow - winter is here for a while I guess.
Sunday, November 9, 2008 "Tired Puppies"!! I just loved the photos that Christa took of the male pups all nestled in their tire! They are growing like crazy and bring us much joy. It snowed this weekend and the puppies seemed to enjoy the strange stuff falling from the sky, but the real hit was the fresh straw that everyone got for their beds! As we put the straw in the houses, the puppies pulled it out! As the nights get colder they will understand the importance of leaving that insulation inside!! The temperatures were well below normal this weekend and as I said we even got a bit of snow. The dogs always love to run, but as the temps fall their energy seems to rise. The down side of good, quick runs, on an ATV, is that, unlike training with a sled, it can get pretty cold just riding along!! Mushing with sleds provides opportunities to move around a little and even get off and "help" once in a while, while using the ATV those opportunities are few and far between. Yikes, we are hoping for more snow - quickly!
Monday, October 27, 2008 Hello there! Click on the link to the left, be patient as it may take a minute or two to upload, and enjoy a little video of puppies! Thanks to Cousin Jude for the footage! All is well at BRRR. We are having cold nights and not so cold days and there is no rain (or snow for that matter) in the forecast for the rest of the week - that is a good thing. The fire danger right now should read "impossible", it is that wet in Herbster! Don't forget to keep following the "Iditarod" on the Discovery Channel, Tuesday night at 9:00pm for us in the Central time zone, it is so exciting to watch!
Enjoying a beautiful fall morning!
Monday, October 20, 2008 What a great extended weekend we are having. Our daughter, Erin, and her husband, Ryan, have come down from Alaska for a visit. We have shamefully kept them to ourselves pretty much, not sharing with many friends or family, and have treasured every moment. The days have been crisp and cool for the most part and we have worked on the cabin, trained the dogs, did a bit of hunting, and even found time to pick a few pumpkins! Ahh... life is great. The puppies are growing like weeds and entertaining the rest of the dog yard with their puppy antics. I have not been able to catch it on film but Junior's pups, all seven of them, like sleeping piled upon each other inside a tire! It is very cute and I'll keep trying to sneak up on them to get a picture. Training is going very well and we will be bumping up the mileage again very soon. It is so nice that the daily temperatures are really cooling off because that means we can start running a couple teams at night, and no more 4:00 am runs!
The guys found something to do on a rainy day!!
Monday, October 6, 2008 Hi there. How does the saying go? "While the cats away the mice will play!!" Matt had the day off and Andrew, who works construction, got rained out. So what are two mushers supposed to do with an extra day? How about going for a mud run with a dog team and the new cart we got for giving rides! As you can see both dogs and men had a wonderful time wallowing in the mud!
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Monday, September 29, 2008 Puppies on an adventure!!! Have a nice week everyone!
Monday, September 22, 2008 No the puppies are not pulling yet!! Sorry for the delay with pic's of the pups. It is so amazing to watch the difference in the pups even with them being only a week apart. Andie's pups are starting to peek their heads out of the whelping box, while Jr.'s are still content staying close to mom. They are beautiful. We worked on the land this weekend and the most important part of the business is now complete - the outhouse is finished! Let the rides begin! The colors are changing and the views from the dog yard are amazing, can't wait to share it with everyone.
A very hungry Doo-da!
Sunday, July 27, 2008 To a puppy meal time must take forever to arrive! The puppies are growing like weeds and developing personalities. They are all beautiful but each is a bit different than the next. Doo-da is the most intense and the pup most likely to start a disagreement with her sisters! Day, is the largest and the bravest, she thinks nothing of heading over the gate and coming close to the "big dogs" in the yard. Zippy is very smart. She was the first of the pups to master the art of mealtime at BRR. Mealtimes are not just for eating they are also for learning. It is very important to begin good eating habits at a very young age. We are taking the time to teach them to eat out of their own dish, wait to be served, and to clean their plates! The cleaning the plates part they all have dow. It is the waiting to be served part that Zippy is the best at. And eating out of their own bowls, well we are still working on that!! As adults out on the trail, the mealtime training that they receive as puppies is extremely important. Beginning with fall training the dogs will often be fed right on the gangline, side by side with their running partner. A disagreement (that is an understatement!!) could occur if someone tries to finish off anothers bowl! The land is beginning to look more and more like we actually have a plan in store for it!! The dog yard is all marked off and you can clearly see the runs between where the rows of dogs will be. We spent most of this weekend working on an area behind the cabin. The Bobcat took care of the big stuff and now it is up to us to pick up the remaining sticks and roots, and to rake the area somewhat smooth. This particular area will be the "finish line" of the winter rides and also will have a nice spot where guests can roast marshmallows and watch the teams both exist the dog yard and come back again.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Even the dogs or leaders in this case, enjoy a beautiful sunset. The team is almost ready, however one very important step is still being determined – which dogs will make the 12 dog Beargrease team?? It is a good problem to have, having too many qualified team members. Maybe we should just flip coins to decide??
ARRHHH! A huge hello to our friends at the DoverStreetSchool in Milwaukee. We just received a large envelope filled with great pirate stories. For those of you who may not know, we are having a contest (sorry, limited to the classroom already “on board” for this season). The students are writing a “mushing pirate” story and the winner will win a pizza party for her or his classroom! The stories are great and filled with dogs, mushers, and good and bad pirates – even pirates who got lost!!
The next update to the Daily Scoop will be on Friday night when we report what went on at the Opening Ceremony of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon!! We will know what time Matt and the team will be leaving the starting chute!
Mailing Address for both BRR locations: Bark River Racing 16435 Bark River Road Herbster, WI 54844info@barkriverracing.com
715-774-3971
