In May, Aliy presented an informational talk at the Horizon Lines Town Hall Meeting for the Dallas management center. Horizon Lines, a domestic ocean shipping and integrated logistics company, is a major SP Kennel sponsor and friend. Aliy makes presentations annually for the Anchorage Horizon Lines Terminal. It was a great honor for her to be recruited as a featured speaker in Texas.
In June we welcomed 8 new puppies to the SP Kennel family. The proud parents of this litter are Chacha and Oddball, both accomplished racers and multiple Iditarod finishers . The pups are named after Ole Time Country performers: Willie, Waylon, Scruggs, Lester, Hank, Reba, Bubba and Boondocks.
Lester, Bubba, Scruggs, Boondocks and Reba wait eagerly for breakfast!
Sign ups for Iditarod 2009 took place in Wasilla on June 28. Both Aliy and Allen were among the first to register. The cost of entering the race has risen significantly this year, due mainly to the increases in fuel and transportation costs. At this writing, 70 teams have signed up, down from about 90 this time last year.
Each Monday, since the middle of May, Aliy and Allen have welcomed about 500 tourists to Denali National Park as Alaskan ambassadors for Princess Cruise Lines. On the Alaskan Railroad trip from Whittier to Denali Park, the SP Kennel team introduces the travelers to Alaska’s state sport, dog mushing, and to the dogs and mushers of our professional racing kennel. By mid September they will have spoken to over 8000 visitors.
Aliy, left, greets Princess Cruise Lines employees after Monday afternoon presentations on the Alaska Railroad.
Aliy and Allen usually build a spec house every summer to generate income for living. This summer is no exception and, fortunately, the Fairbanks vicinity housing market has not suffered like the rest of the US. They are now completing the building of a small “Alaskan style” cabin on 4 secluded and forested acres. It is located in Two Rivers, Alaska.
But summer is about gone. The days are shorter, the temperatures are cooler and the training of both our canine and human athletes is about to start in earnest. Stay tuned to this blog for updates on the 2008/2009 mushing season……training, racing and living in Interior Alaska.
