One of the most common phrases that mushers say in order to describe the unique race-like culture of the Iditarod is: “There is only one Indianapolis 500 and there is only one Iditarod!” Aliy and Allen were in Indianapolis last week. They thought it would be a crime to be … Read More
The Hawaiian company, Matson, has acquired the Alaska service formerly operated by Horizon Lines. “ALOHA!” is the first word you have to know when you meet a Matson employee. Aliy and Allen were fortunate meet many of the Matson Board members and executives during an ‘Aloha to Alaska’ reception this … Read More
The training roster is finalized for September 1st. SP Kennel fans will notice a few missing names. Each off-season we make the decision to retire a number of dogs to “make way” for the puppies from the previous summer. In fact, Aliy and Allen are thinking about a retirement plan … Read More
This week, Aliy was invited to be a camp counselor at Mickey’s Camp in Indianapolis, Indiana. Bob McDonald, Aliy’s uncle, has been a Camper at Mickey’s for 10 years. Mickey’s Camp is a 3-day gathering of local business and educational leaders established by Mickey Maurer, a lawyer, businessman and dedicated … Read More
The Dog Box Artist has taken over the SP Kennel garage! Construction in underway on a new dog box. This luxury 20-Dog hauler will be in commission this coming Mushing Season on the flatbed of “Hollywood” (the Kennel Ram 2500 Pick Up Truck.) After engineering the “perfect dog box”, the … Read More
The grass is still growing and the afternoons are often sunny and warm. But, you don’t have to look very far to notice that Fall is just around the corner. August has been the traditional rainy month that it is known to be. We have had a few cooler nights … Read More
This week’s Flashback Friday is simply a photo. Aliy ran her first 1,000 mile race — the Yukon Quest — in 1998. She finished in 13 days, 21 hours and 40 minutes. This photo is of her team: (L to R): Flood and Rubia; Chip and Kronk; Roger and Cisco; … Read More
Long distance dog mushing is incredible. One of the most magnificent sights is watching a dog team come across the Iditarod finish line and under the burled arch in Nome. It doesn’t matter whether the team has won the competition, come in second place or even 50th… the emotional aspect … Read More
Later this month the Honkeytonk litter will turn seven! The Honkeytonk litter is Lester, Scruggs, Boondocks, Waylon, Willie, Hank, Reba and Bubba. As you may have guessed, many of them got their names from Ole Time Country performers: Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs (who sang the Beverley Hillbillies theme song … Read More
Princess Cruises has many land excursions across the state of Alaska. One spectacular option is to disembark from a Princess Cruise Ship in Whittier and get directly onboard a luxury railroad car that travels north up the Cook Inlet and into the heart of the Alaska Range. This train brings … Read More
