Seward, AK 2014 - Day 3

Waiting for the Iditarod Tour

This morning while the kids slept, Chad and I drove to the shipyard because he had to work. On the drive I must’ve mentioned thirty times how gorgeous Seward is. And thirty times Chad said, “You should see it when the sky is blue.” The fog hung thick and low, but even so, I felt a physical reaction to the beauty. I think blue sky might actually kill me. You know how in “Sunshine on My Shoulders” John Denver sings about the sunshine almost always making him high? I get what he's saying.

If you could only see his face

After dropping Chad off I drove home and woke the kids, made them breakfast, and we were out the door by 9:30 to buy rain coats for the four of us (Chad let me know that our sweatshirts just weren’t going to cut it in Alaska). Ali and Jackson got matching black raincoats and the whole day, Ali kept shouting, “We’re twins! We’re twins!” and forcing poor Jackson to spin with her in the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-music type circles.

We spent some time on the shores of Resurrection Bay and I was astonished at the color of the water. It reminded me of the color of a swimming pool that has too many chemicals in it and the water is cloudy, but still sort of greenish-blue. A color that is disgusting in a pool but incredible in nature.

I saw a pair of animals swimming along the shore that I think they were Dall’s porpoises. They would come up simultaneously exposing short stubby dorsal fins and they’d submerge again only to come back up about 6-feet away. I watched them do this over and over until they were out of sight. I heard Jackson yell, “Oh, MAN! Did you SEE THAT?” and I thought he was watching them too and had been touched by the moment. Nope, he had just skipped a rock “like, eight times!” and was thrilled with himself. I was the only one to experience the porpoises, and I’m inexplicably thankful for that.

After lunch at the apartment we took a short drive to The Seavey homestead kennel for a sled dog tour. The Seaveys are three generations of mushers and have won multiple Iditarods. The family members also run the tours. If you have been following my blog, you will know that I have a less-than-one-week old dream that I myself will someday be the reigning Iditarod champion of the world. And after this afternoon I think I’m actually pretty close. All I need to do is buy a parka, some earmuffs, ChapStick, and sixteen dogs and I’ll be ready to sign up. Oh, and I think I need a sled. I've already chosen the title for the book I will write when I win: I Did It, God! How Jesus Helped Me Win the Iditarod in Just Six Days. Like Creation. 

The tour we chose was 90-minutes long and included a 2-mile dog sled ride, some time with the puppies, and an informational portion (which I LOVED). Our group consisted of the kids, me, and a couple with their two children (ages four and six). I was bugged that there were little kids in our group because I thought they might try to hog the puppies during the puppy-cuddle portion of the tour, but I couldn’t let myself worry about it. Besides, I know how to subdue a four-year old.

The tour started at the fenced in location where the dogs are kept. We were introduced to Hugo, the husky who starred as Shasta in Snow Buddies. We learned that the Seaveys do not use pure bred huskies because purebreds tend to suffer problems like hip dysplasia and start falling apart at eight years old. They use mixed breed huskies and they have the breeding down to a science. I made a quick note not to stock my team with huskies.

Hugo, the celebrity on the left

We then boarded our “sleds” for the tour and I admit I was a little nervous for this part. I was concerned this place might be like Sea World and the dogs are kept in unnatural environments and forced to perform. I thought I might end up trying to free them the way Elliot freed the frogs from their impending dissection in E.T. But what I saw was absolutely unbelievable. These dogs only want to run. They can’t not run. When the mushers bring the sleds all 90 dogs start barking and freaking out and pulling on their chains. It’s because they want to be picked. When a dog gets picked, he or she cannot get into the harness fast enough. And when the sled pulls away, all the remaining dogs lift the heads to their sky and howl because they weren’t chosen. It's an awesome thing to witness.

I got to stand next to our tour guide/musher, Spencer, on the back of the sled. I think he sensed that I’m preparing for the next race. On the two mile ride, I asked him a thousand questions and he gave me ten thousand answers. And I want to share every fascinating detail with you. But I won’t. Because now it’s time to talk about the puppies.

Oh my word—the puppies. Tiny, brown-eyed, sad-faced, little balls of fur that licked and nipped and buried their perfect heads in my neck. The kids and I were elated. But my kids were very concerned about the four year old in our group that didn’t quite know how to hold the puppy. They become livid when people hold animals incorrectly. You should see them at the pumpkin patch when the kitties are on display. They’re like police officers.

The cutest! And a puppy

It all has a specific function.
Except the hat--that's just silly.

When we were able to pull ourselves away from all the puppy goodness, we went inside where we were shown an actual sled (so THAT’S what they look like), the gear the mushers use, and how the dogs are cared for during the race. After the tour ended, I was so ecstatic and so filled with energy that I kept driving 20 miles per hour over the speed limit. Jackson reminded me about cruise control. And then proceeded to teach me how to use it in this Impala I’ve never driven. 

Then a bunch of boring stuff happened: Home, laundry, snacks, pick up Chad, blah blah blah.

When we got back to the apartment, Chad introduced me to a woman named Janeal who works at Sweet Darlings. She makes the gelato that Chad loves so much. After a bit of small talk, whereupon she learned that we had a business dinner to attend and the kids were staying home, she pointed at them and said, “Tonight, when it's dark…We’re goin’ on an adventure. Bring your flashlights.”

I said, “Are you gonna take my kids to the woods and murder them?”

“I’m taking them to the basement,” she said.

Well, that’s better.

(The kids actually had a blast. When they got to the candy shop, they watched bourbon cherries and gelato being made, Jackson got to whip the cream, they were given free chocolate dipped marshmallows, and we all get to go back to tour the creepy basement. We are all incredibly excited because we are easily amused.)

Chad and I went to Chinook’s and joined Vigor employees and their spouses for dinner. Vigor just purchased Seward Ship’s Drydock and this was a chance for the owner and some old Vigor employees to meet the new Vigor employees. We had Alaska razor clams, chipotle lime chicken wings, poutine (fries with cheese curds and gravy. I know…it’s Canadian), and risotto balls. Those were just the appetizers. I ordered fresh king salmon that was caught in Cook Inlet, brought directly to the restaurant, and prepared. It had blueberries on it. Um. We usually just put Johnnie’s on ours.

Our view during dinner

After a long, enjoyable dinner, we were ready to come home to the kids. They were watching cartoons and told us that before their candy shop adventure, they had walked to Zudy’s Café for dinner. They sat at a table, ordered their meals, and enjoyed a night out on the town together. They're growing up, that's for sure. Which means I can now fully concentrate on next year's race.

Alaska Fact #3:

The beginning of the Historic Iditarod Trail is in Seward, AK. The 1,000+ mile trail extended from Seward to Nome and was originally used to bring supplies across the frozen land. Here is the monument that marks Mile 0.

The Niemeyers