Every year people have the option to have mail delivered via sled dogs up the Gold Rush Trail and then their mail enters the regular mail system. It's a pretty cool thing. This year a team from Oregon came so that the dogs could get a real "snow" experience. But it was also the first time that Oregon had record snow, that the team missed. Shout out to @Pacnorwest - your team was here....when it had enough record snow to be there. https://www.wells.ca/visitors/winter/gold-rush-trail-sled-dog-mail-run
That is very interesting, Mel. I had never heard of this. That sounds like great fun. of course when I was working in Alaska, we had the Iditarod Race and naturally Your posting made me think of that. The names and faces today are not known to me, whereas back in my day over there the participants were household names. https://iditarod.com/race/2023/mushers/ Thanks for this very interesting posting.
Me too Netty, me too! I once sent myself a letter from the un building I thought it was pretty cool at the time. I think I still have it somewhere.
@Sjoerd - I loved seeing all of those young fresh ( and a lot of female) faces on the Iditarod site. 26 years ago when Iived in Northern BC, I helped a friend with his team at our local race. It was a qualifier for the Iditarod. There were many familiar Hero names, and a local family of racing names. Time sure does fly by and change.
That was interesting to read, Mel. When we worked in Alaska, we had a Husky and it was an unmissable companion, especially for the Bride when I was away for two weeks at the time.
I lived in AK for about 15 years. My brother was born in Wrangel. What were you about then? I learned about dogsleds when I lived in Bethel. I learned the dogs go around the camp so you know which way the bear comes.
We lived in several places, DM. We lived in Wasilla, Valdez, Fairbanks and North Pole. It was a wonderful experience there. I took mant slides of the landscapes, flowers ans animals. I’ve never been to Bethel. What in the world took your folks out to Bethel? It seems so isolated, but perhaps it isn’t. Small world.
My family initially moved near Fairbanks from Alabama. I was a kindergarten graduate. Mom is a biochemist and took a position with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Later she ran the hospital laboratory at Bethel. Dad is a biologist (boilologist really in potable water systems) and worked with the robust AK biology structure. Ever go to Fox Springs for the mountain water? My brother finished high school in Wasilla. I was working construction by then. We lived in a neighborhood off the road going back to the sledding mountains behind the town. I worked my first job at Mikey's machine shop, the arcade with the restaurant under it. It was still there on my last visit years ago. My buddy Chuck Nichols had a hotrod dodge in a dark metallic blue paint. He had skinny tires for the front and big drag tires for the back and so we spent summer times cruising Benson and Northern Lights Blvd with all the other gearheads and interesting people.
