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Day 7
March 8, 2002
Ruby
Hello Everyone!
We spent today in Ruby. This is a really quaint Athabaskan village right on the Yukon River. There are 198 people who live in the village, about three-quarters natives. The village is surrounded by hills, which provide incredible views down to river.
Looking down to the Yukon river from one of the hills
This is the Ruby community building used as a checkpoint
After sending my letter off to you I headed down to the checkpoint. It is in the most beautiful building, the community building. The building is a log structure in traditional Athabaskan style. Inside it was divided into two sections by a tarp, one side being used for sleeping quarters for the volunteers, and the other side a dining room for the mushers.
Here Ramy Brooks and Dee Dee Jonrowe talk about he race.
There is also a table for the Iditarod officials to keep track of the race. In the very back corner was a small table with candles and flowers. This was used for the seven-course meal that the first musher into town receives in addtion to $3,500 in new one dollar bills served on an engraved gold pan. This ought to buy his booties for next year's race! This year the recipient was Martin Buser. Unfortunately I overslept and did not get to see him arrive and share his dinner with many of his friends. I'll try to find someone with photos to show you later though. Are you wondering what he had for dinner?
o Smoked Chicken Pecan Salad
Tender morsels of smoked chicken topped with crunchy pecans and served in an artichoke bottom
o Chilled Roast Pork Tenderloin
Dry rubbed with the chef's special seasonings, served with a whole grain honey mustard sauce
o Portobello Bison ConsommeŽ
Grilled portobello mushroom bowl filled with bison consommeŽ, lentils, and crowned with porcini parmesan ravioli
o Honey Lemon GraniteŽ
Refreshing and light graniteŽ served in a lemon crown
o Mammoth Prawns
Large prawns stuffed with lobster and gruyere cheese, wrapped in prosciutto accompanied by Yukon Gold lyonnaise potatoes
o Yukon Fruit Tart FlambeŽ
Flaky pastry filled with sauteed apples, pears, peaches and strawberries flambeed in courvosier cognac
o Marge's Own Bread Pudding
Pan-fried bread pudding filled with rum soaked raisins and sun-dried cherries drizzled with Yukon Jack caramel sauce and caramelized pecans
o After Dinner Mint
There was also a different glass of wine served with each of the courses. I can only imagine how heavenly the meal tasted after so many long hours out in the cold. I was told that Martin went up to the church and took a long nap after completing his meal.
After Martin arrived there were many other mushers to arrive to - Ramy Brooks, DeeDee Jonrowe, Linwood Fiedler, Bill Cotter, and Vern Halter, to name a few. I had some fun with the mushers today. Charlie Boulding was telling me about how he lives just up the river from Ruby, and that all of the villages along the river are like one big family. He also introduced one of the village women as his wife to me. He made me chuckle. He sat massaging the pectoral muscle of one of his dogs until, as he said, it had turned to Jello. That dog sure looked like it was in heaven having this special care.
Mitch Seavey was very chatty too. He had gotten a pretty good sunburn along the trail, and explained that it was just too hot to run his dogs any more that day. He also showed me his "heart warmer" that he wears around his neck. It is a little pouch on a string in which he keeps a hand warmer. The pouch sits next to his heart and he sounded as surprised as I was that it really worked. He thought it kept his whole body toasty warm.
I had fun delivering mail to all of the mushers. I had a package for Mitch Seavey, Ray Redington, Jr., and Raymie Smyth. I felt like Santa Claus delivering little gifts to each of them, and did I make their day! They were all smiles.
Musher postman on the trail, Mrs. Holmes
I didn't stick around to see what was in them but one of the mushers said they were expecting more ointment for the dogs' paws.
Linwood was so sad today. His dogs have been very sick, both diarrhea and vomiting. They have not been eating either. He finally made the decision to scratch so he could take good care of his dogs. This broke his heart, but he knows it is for the best. Sometimes mushers just have to put their dogs first. Linwood had a good attitude though. He said that you never know what cards you are going to be dealt each year, and that he had just not drawn the best cards. I really felt for him. The good news was that at least a couple of his dogs were feeling well enough to eat, so I'm sure they will be okay. Linwood didn't know if it was food poisoning or a virus. Please wish our Vermont friend and his dogs well on their journey back home. He lives in Alaska now, so he does not have that far to travel.
I have some new mushers for you to keep an eye on. The Norwegian mushers are doing incredibly well. Harald Tunheim ran the race a couple of years ago, but his two country mates, Robert Sorlie and Kjetil Backen are rookies. I've done a bit of reading about them. The longest sled dog race in Europe is the Finnmarkslopet race. Tunheim has run it 10 times, and won his last three. Sorlie has won the race six times, and Backen won it once and came in second another. They are looking very strong, as are their dogs.
Robert Sorlie was the first Norwegian into Ruby
Kjetil Backen was right behind Sorlie and was all smiles
Harald Tunheim came into Ruby after Sorlie and Backen, but was ahead of his fellow mushers after he left
The Norwegian dogs wear a pretty blanket to keep the wind off
Jerry Riley was chipper as could be when he arrived in Ruby.
Jerry Riley arrives in Ruby
The mushers slept in this tiny church, while the dogs napped outside.
Church in Ruby
Here is a quiet place for the mushers to rest without distractions, unless a fellow musher is snoring! I actually have heard two mushers talk about not being able to sleep due to snorers. One musher was even asked to roll over on his side because he was snoring so loudly! I didn't think anything would keep these tired mushers awake!
The dogs rested outside of the church
Kim is the teacher on the trail for the Iditarod Trail Committee. We spent some time together in Ruby. Here is a silly picture of Kim standing near one of the bathrooms along the Iditarod trail.
Kim having a laugh about yet another flushless toilet
It has been great fun running into her along the trail. We always have great stories to share.
Would you rather travel by dog team, or iron dog?
I thought this looked like fun for kids! Boy could that sled go. Their mom could actually steer it down the hills like a mushers sled. She said that a dog or two could also pull it.
Dee Dee had spent the night and was raring to go the second she was allowed to go. She counted the time by the minute. Here she is as she leaves the checkpoint and heads off down the hill to the river.
Dee Dee heads back to the trail
That is all of my news for the day. I'm eager to hear more about these weddings that are going to take place in Nome. Wouldn't it be neat if I could actually celebrate the happy couples' big day?
On last thing...have I mentioned how difficult communication can be from the villages? I spend between two and six hours each day attempting to write and send my letter out to you. Some days I have sent the information out, but it never made it to you, so I'd have to send it out again the next day. So if you are wondering why I am so sporadic with my letters, it is because it can be so very difficult to send. Please continue to be patient. I'm doing my very best to keep you updated!
I'm still loving every minute of it!
Mrs. Holmes
Ruby, - Saturday, March 09, 2002 at 22:43:12 (EST)
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Mrs. Holmes
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Webspace for Mrs. Holmes Iditarod 2002 project was provided courtesy of
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