Iditarod 2009 - Official Start Willow, AK and Crystal Lake, AK

We decided to truck up to Willow, AK this year for the official "re-start" of the Iditarod 1049 mile sled dog race to Nome.
Jam packed rows of people cheering on over 60 mushers out of the starting gates.

Matt and Meg watch from Crystal Lake.

We were lucky enough to crash a party at Terri and Stephen's cabin to catch the teams several miles from the starting gates crossing the numerous lakes surrounding Willow and the Susitna River drainage area.

The best way to keep warm is too fill up with a nice local micro brew!

Bush plane fixed with ski's takes off from the lake

It's going to be a long 1000 miles for some of these teams...

definition of a lazy dog

this is an example of how i feel every morning, "just hit the snooze... i dont wana go to work!"

Bluebird Ski Day with the D80

Bluebird day up at Hatchers. Air temp around 30. Not a cloud in the sky, great slope angles, good friends, crazy dogs, it was a good Alaskan day in the Backcountry.

Friends Matt, Mark, and Kurt getting ready for first descent.
Matt rippin up the first descent.

Mark, droppin the knee, freeing the heel!

Kurt gettin in his turns.
So Kurt, how much crap can you strap to the outside of your pack?

Going, goin, gone.
Matt gettin his second descent of the day

Dogs doin cheetah flips as Matt passes out Chex mix for trix.

Tele Lesson BC Style

Despite the window of really cold weather over Christmas and New Years, followed by warmer temperatures and some rain; I had to test out my new climbing skins.

In the Uptrack.
Trying to drop the knee in a combination of snow, powder, crust, frozen rain, shrubs, etc...

Thankfully the cold weather brought some spectacular views of Denali!

And the entire Alaskan Range!!! This was about 10 minutes from my garage...

Christmas 2008

Jasper looking for the good stuff.

The Chamberlain Family of Eagle River.

Back from midnight mass at Church.

The most awesome-ist christmas gifts ever!!! Thanks Beth!!!

Hawaii: Appendix 1 {Underwater Photographs}

These are just a few of the shots we took while diving along the Kona Coast.
All photos taken with Kodak disposable underwater cameras. Obviously not the greatest, but with a bright sunny day and the 100ft visibility in the Hawaiian waters, they do all right.

One of the many "caves" along the rock volcanic Kona Coast.

A pod of spinner nose dolphin cruising overhead.

CHRISTMAS CARD 08'

Third shortest day of the year; Christmas Eve BC Ski @ South Fork

Gretchen making her way up to the saddle.

Samuel, Jack, & Jasper happy its Christmas Eve, happy to be in the Snow, and happy to be out Skiing.Gretchen with an awesome sunset falling on the shoulders of Temptation Peak, Anchorage in the background.

We even saw Santa Claus flying overhead!!!!!And then he actually landed his sled on the ridge and got some sweet turns in the fresh powder on North Bowl!!!!!

If you were wondering where Santa rips it up, its in Alaska; he loves to get Chugached!!!

Hawaii: Conclusion - Honolulu, Oahu; 26.2 miles to the End

Honolulu, big city Hawaii. You can't really tell where Pearl City ends and Honolulu begins, or where they meet up with Waikiki, its a continuous band of suburbia and cityscape's spread across the entire southern end of the island of Oahu.
We began our visit to Oahu with a stop by the Honolulu Marathon Expo to pick up our race packets for the race in two days.

Pearl Harbor.

USS Arizona memorial, still leaking oil over 60 years later.

Gretchen on the Waikiki Beach, unfortunately it was a rain jacket day instead of Bikini's....

More tourist-ness at the Dole Pineapple Plantation.

North shore, a Mecca for surfers. Basically in the winter months some monster 20-30 foot waves hit these beaches coming strait from the North Pacific (thank you Alaska) nearly 7000 miles away.

What an eclectic group of surfers and travelers. We saw numerous Volks Wagons and old school buses converted into campers parked along the strand. Eat, Sleep, and Surf...

Gretchen "scoping" out the perfect "set" before she goes into "hang ten"

Sam says "I'll stay on the beach, i prefer snow to water any day of the week"
The perfect ending to 9 days in Hawaii, running 26.2 miles with 25,000 people in the Honolulu Marathon!!!