Race Finish

Coming into Deerton; homeward bound

Today we woke up pretty exicted, knowing Tim was doing so well. We called race headquarters to find out what time he left Wetmore to return to Marquette. He left around 6:00 AM, still with a 40 minute lead. Armed with this knowledge, we packed up and left, heading to Deerton so that we could see him pass through on his way to Marquette. Fortunately this vantage point was at a school, so Emmaline could play in the park while we waited for the first musher to come through. Just as we expected, it was Tim. We cheered him on and then waited for the next musher to come through. About 40 minutes later Rick Larson came by. Excited by his lead, we headed off to Marquette to find Tim's family and friends at the finish line. We let them know that we had seen Tim, and we all anxiously awaited his arrival. Shortly before 1:00 PM, Tim Calhoun became the first Wisconsin musher to win the UP 200. We only just met Tim and his family and friends this weekend, but we were so proud of him.

Coming in to Marquette

Way to go, Tim!

Winner of the 2007 UP 200, Tim Calhoun from Tomahawk, WI

Ever since Peggy contacted me about making booties, she kept telling me that Tim was the "real deal." I really didn't have any expectations for how he would do; I was just looking forward to meeting him and encouraging him along the trail. What a treat this weekend was! We really had a fabulous time. It was great to follow somebody we knew, and to be able to share the experience with new friends. Oh, yeah, and it was nice to see my booties in action (and they held up!).

Congratulations to Tim and all of the mushers! For more pictures and race information, check out www.up200.org

Saturday Checkpoints

Tim and the pups arriving in Grand Marais

Today we headed out to follow Tim and the other mushers' progress. We first stopped by the Wetmore checkpoint where the mushers spent several hours overnight. After checking the stats board, we found out that our suspisions were correct last night--Tim was the first through Deerton. He was also first into Wetmore and the first to leave Wetmore for Grand Marais around 6:00 this morning. Our little entourage was now on its way to Grand Marais to try to see Tim coming into the checkpoint.

Heading to the rest area

As is usual for this area along Lake Superior, there was a snow warning out, and we drove through heavy whiteouts for nearly the entire 60 miles. Fortunately, we all made it safely and arrived just in time to see Tim arrive first in Grand Marais! We spent some time watching him feed the dogs and bed them down. Emmaline was particularly interested in the vet check and the fact that some of the dogs refused to lie down and take a nap--just like her!

Nap time!

We took off, knowing Tim would be resting there for the rest of the afternoon. Back at our hotel, Emmaline got out her four stuffed dogs, "hooked" them up to the the "gangline" (DSL cord for a computer), and mushed around the room!

Our little musher

This evening we called race headquarters to find out if Tim left on schedule. He did and had about a 40 minute lead. As we cuddled up in our hotel room watching his interview on the local news, we thought about him and the other teams out in the continuing white-out conditions.

UP 200 Race Start

Tim's kennel logo, Tim with wife Jenny tying on his bib before the start of the race

We headed up to Marquette, MI, today to watch the start of the UP 200. The first thing we did was find Tim Calhoun. We found him by his "Seek Wilderness Adventures" truck. I introduced myself to him, and with him being a man of few words, I let him get back to his race preparations. I was also able to meet his wife Jenny and his children Katie, Gunner, and Cody. Such nice people! Then I met Peggy, whom I'd been talking to on the phone for so long, her husband Bob, and their good friends. They all made us feel so welcome and a part of the extended family.

Emmaline & Jon petting Greta

After petting some of the dogs, especially sweet little Greta, we went to find a vantage point along the chute--not an easy task considering how many people turn out for the start of this race. After seeing Tim off, we moved a little further down the trail to watch the mushers coming down a hill and around a curve. That was a little more interesting than the straightaway!

Tim and the team are off and running!

We watched all of the mushers leave, and then we headed to our usual post-start vantage point at the Michigan Welcome Center along Lake Superior. This is a great place to watch the mushers going by in the dark. After this stop, we went to the Deerton school, half-way between Marquette and Munising. This is a checkpoing for the Midnight Run, and a great spot to view the UP 200 mushers go on by. The plan was for the Calhoun supporters to meet there so we could let Tim know the time so he could check his pace. The Midnight Run checkers gave us the names of the mushers that had been there before we got there--no Tim. We stood there and watched musher after musher go through, but no Tim. Since he was bib #3, we eventually figured that he must have gone through before any of the Midnight Run checkers got there--after all, they didn't need to check the UP 200 mushers. We may have missed Tim, but we enjoyed a nice bonfire and new friends.

Making Booties and Making Friends

Last fall I was contacted by a woman in Tomahawk, WI, who had read an article on the Iditarod website about the Bootie Brigade. I was quoted in the article, and this was the fourth time I was was contacted as a result of someone from Wisconsin reading it. Anyhow, she was the one who put together the musher gathering I wrote about in a previous post, and wanted to know if I would make booties for an up-and-coming musher from Wisconsin named Tim Calhoun. I immediately volunteered to make 1000 booties for Tim. As it turned out, he only needed 500 this season, but I will be starting on the other 500 for next season soon. Too bad it's not closer to spring. I had quite a system going for making the booties last summer. I took the yards and yards and yards of material outside, spread them out across the backyard, and measured and cut the strips of fabric I needed. Then I cut out all of the booties and Velcro while sitting at the kiddie picnic table while Emmaline at lunch outside. And of course nobody wants to sit in a basement and sew on a perfectly beautiful summer day or evening, so I spent a lot of time sewing booties on the patio while watching Emmaline play. There were even some gorgeous summer nights that seemed just perfect for sewing! I had the full moon, a patio light, lanterns with candles, classical music, and my water fountain to set the mood for sewing! In the spirit of quality control, I saved the wine for after the sewing session!

Since that initial conversation, Peggy has stayed in contact with me, sharing stories of Tim's progress in startinig up his kennel, as well as information about his training and racing. As we got closer to race season, I found out that Tim was going to be running the UP 200, the race we go to every year. I was very excited to meet "my musher" and see my booties in action. I also couldn't wait to meet Peggy since I'd been talking to her so much.

Check out that good-looking bootie!

Matt, Tim's handler, is putting booties on the dogs before the start of the UP 200.

Finally!

Emmaline got the first ride.


After ten years of following the Iditarod and being a fan of sled dog racing, I finally got the chance to ride behind a team of dogs on a sled. High Cliff State Park had a family Winterfest today with one of the events being a sled dog demonstration. They hooked 14 dogs up and gave the kids short rides. I didn't think it was fair that my three-year-old was able to ride and I wasn't given the fact that I've been a fan a lot longer than she's been around, so I asked the musher if I could have a ride too, and he graciously obliged me. What a thrill!

The view I've been waiting for