Thursday was a busy day for the crew with lots of things happening!
The dogs took their picturesque trip down the Parks Highway to Anchorage and are safely here, thanks to Karolyn and Mark. They stopped half way near Cantwell and arrived mid afternoon. They’ve eaten, stretched out and are settling in for a good night’s sleep now.
The Musher Meet and Greet was good fun! Hundreds, even thousands of selfies and signatures on posters, books and caps later, Aliy had met people from all over the USA and many international visitors, all here to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Iditarod. She was given so many gifts and hugs and best wishes – thank you to all who attended. Here’s a few pics from the event.
At the Start Banquet Aliy drew bib number 19 and will leave the chute for the Ceremonial start at 10:36am local time and at the Willow Restart at 2:36pm. For those that couldn’t see the live feed – watch her thank yous here.
There were some fabulous table centre pieces from two different classrooms around the country – Sunrise Elementary School in Orlando and Camanche Middle School. Thank you for your artistic efforts!
Here are some photos from the banquet.
We’ll attach the tags to the dog collars tomorrow so they can be tracked through the race by the veterinarians. Even though we know our dogs well by sight, there will be over 700 dogs out on the trail so they are best tracked by bib number then their own individual letter. As with the Quest, we have fun matching the tag letter to their name where possible A – Amber, B – Bruno, C – Commando etc. Violet never gets her own letter though, they don’t go down that far (like those of us with unusual names that never find personalised mugs or pens or keyrings).
On the way home we found this. You know you’ve made it when you and your dog team are on the side of a building! Thanks Northrim Bank for your sponsorship of Iditarod.
The banquet looks like an exciting event! I wish I could of been at the Musher Meet and Greet to meet Aliy! I hope the race goes fabulous, and I will be cheering for Aliy all the way from North Carolina!
Thank you for the pictures.
Good bib draw! It’s almost here….so exciting! I will have my Saturday chores done and ready to watch the ceremonial start. You can feel the excitement from thousands of mikes away as you watch the fans and dog teams along the route…it’s infectious. Thanks for getting the precious cargo safely to Anchorage Karolyn and Mark! Good luck Aliy! Go SPKennel.
19! Nice number. Seriously wishing you safe FUN trails Aliy and team. It’s just 3.2.1 around the corner.
Loved the video on Insider. Go team Go!
So much fun!!! Looks loke everyone had an awesome time….those Meet and Greets are so important to the fans and Mushers alike! Now its Friday….enjoy the quiet today…its about be get really crazy!
Safe and fast trails Aliy and doggies!! Mush on – GO SPK.
#19 for 2019 – GO RED TEAM!!!
That looked like a very busy day! I loved your interview and speech at the draw. Take time today for a little bit of rest. We will be watching the live shows this weekend and following along with the Insider from the start to the Banquet. Have a great time and safe trip. So exciting!! Good luck! Go, SPKennel!!
I am emotional watching Aliy speak. This is the first year in a lot of years when I won’t be at the Iditarod start. But I will be watching the live feed or TV on Sunday at 10:36 – absolutely.
Alright Ref Team, time to go out there and have a ball! Of course I will always be cheering for you to be near if not AT the front of the pack, but you will ALWAYS be my FAVORITE Musher, Aliy Zirkle and Allen is right there with you! What a THRILL to have met you guys in person at Name 2 years back for Iditarod 45! I love you guys and wish you the very best! GO ALIY GO!!! May you special Red Team Doggies fly to Nome!🌟💞🥰💐🎊💗😃🌟
Go Aliy! Your huge heart really comes though in your episode on Netflix…wishing you the very best for this year’s race!
Great Number!! Thanks to all the family and crew for all you do!!! Safe Travels to you Aliy and the Great SP Dogs! Go SPK!!!!!!