Who We Are--Meet Ed and Tasha and our 2008 Summer Glacier Guides, Meghan and Cindy

Winter Adventures

Idita-diary--what's going on with Nature's Kennel??

Mutt Club--New for 2007-2008!!  CHECK OUT THE NEW SHIRT DESIGN!

NK Gear--Cool clothing with cool sled dogs!!

Educational Programs

Links--Area lodging, sled dog equipment, and more!

JOURNAL

OCTOBER 2006 THROUGH APRIL 2007

April 02, 2007 "I know a man who gave up smoking, drinking, sex, and rich food.  He was healthy right up to the day he killed himself."  Johnny Carson

Our wonderful guide Johnny left the kennel to return to North Carolina yesterday and continue his college education.  Since Johnny is the only guide not returning next year I thought he deserves a special mention.  Johnny has to be one of the most interesting people I have ever met.  He was voted "Most Unique" in high school and it is a worthy title.  Even though he is in his early 20's he has already; ridden camels in Egypt, lived on a sailboat in Hawaii, and finished fourth in the 2007 Jackpine sled dog race (with a team consisting of an 11 year old leader and 4 dogs that turned one year old the week before the race.)  The picture above is Johnny with our 15 year old dog named "Trapper".  Johnny fell in love with Trap, although he referred to the old guy as "Moldy Bones".

We did get to add a few "firsts" to Johnny's life though.  One being a bonfire.  Johnny had never experienced a bonfire so he went around town collecting old pallets and then drove the backroads picking up downed trees.  He piled it high, added 5 gallons of diesel fuel, and had a beautiful experience.

Thanks for all of the help on your dogsledding adventure!

March 29, 2007.  The dog show has been on the road this week.  We headed to Charlevoix Elementary School to celebrate March is Reading Month.  As a reward for reading hundreds of hours, and for studying the Iditarod, the students got to meet our Iditarod sled dogs.  I did several teamwork programs in the morning, and in the afternoon several students took a sled dog ride (on grass!) and 500 kids got to pet the dogs!  Arlo and Harry said it was the best day of their lives!  Scooby Do even made a special appearance and pulled the top readers (and the librarian) across the field.  We then headed to Boyne City Middle school where the 6th graders had been studying the Iditarod as well.  They were thrilled to have Ed there to get some first hand information about mushing in Alaska.

Our dog placement program has been going well as we prepare for Alaska.  We have also been searching for a 16' enclosed trailer to haul the dogs with and have been gathering "glacier" items like new mud boots, SPF 22 chapstick, packing bins, and lots of sunscreen.  Our snow is nearly gone here and signs of spring (like skunks) are everywhere!

March 20, 2007 Congratulations Matt, Pistachio, Tswana, Mak, Mouse, Africa, Bots, Junior, and The Rat!  Tasha was quick on the draw yesterday and squeezed in an update before me but I wanted to throw my two cents in.  Matt, you are one semi-old tough dude.  I am really impressed with you and your dog team.  I hope you have enough energy left to celebrate in Nome.

March 19, 2007 Congratulations to Iditarod Finisher #51, "The Rat", oh and Musher Matt Rossi!  The Rat is Tasha, Boomer, Yooper, and Luke's sister.  Andrew Letzring, who was with us for several years, fell in love with Rat when he was here, and "dognapped" her when he left!  Matt is Andrew's step-dad. Matt must have done some serious negotiating to get Rat onto his team this year.  Also finishing with Rat was Junior, the sister of Pie Pie, who was one of Matt's "go-to" leaders.  Matt had a very tough race this year and we send him a big congratulations!!  

If you go to Grand Marais next year for the UP 200, watch out for this crowd!  The students of Burt Township School in Grand Marais came to see some of their favorite sled dogs today.  Many of the students have volunteered for the race, doing everything from carrying firewood, to cooking food, to helping with the dogs.  They have also been studying the Iditarod, so they got to ask Ed about all the checkpoints and meet the Iditarod dogs.  Thanks for your help kids...and thanks for giving our dogs some extra love! 

March 14, 2007 My hat is off to Lance Mackey and his dog team.  Amazing!  Nothing more needs to be said.

March 7, 2007 "Happiness is not a circus clown rolling around in a big tractor tire so that his arms and legs form spokes.  Happiness is when he stops." Jack Handey (Deep thoughts)

While some of my friends are getting challenged by storms as they cross the Alaskan range in the Iditarod, I have been giving sled rides at Boyne Highlands Ski Resort.  They are cold, I am warm.  They are sleeping on floors and plywood bunks, I have been sleeping in a big fluffy white bed with a pure white comforter.  They have been drinking Gatorade by the gallons and worrying about frostbite at night, I have been having an occasional cool-refreshing-beverage sitting in an outdoor hot tub that is kept at a steady 107.  The weird thing, I would trade spots with any of them in a second.  Nobody has ever claimed that mushers are the smartest of people.

March 6, 2007 Thanks Gary and Melinda for your thoughts from the start of Iditarod 2007!

 Speaking of Iditarod:

"When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe"

Maroon 5, "Harder to Breathe"

Broken ribs, dislocated thumb, battered and I am sure mad as hell, Swingley is out of the Iditarod less than 300 miles into the race.  Rumor has it that Dee Dee Jonrowe and Jacque Phillip may also be scratching.  In the glory of this race, it is easy to forget that this race is brutal.  I have only run the race three times and yet I have a stiff leg that reminds of my first adventure across unforgiving Alaska every time I sit in one place too long.  The picture below was taken in Nome about 8 days after I smashed my leg into rocks leaving Rohn checkpoint in 2004.  Fortunately my incredible dogs pulled me the final 700 miles because I was unable to help much on the uphills with a broken leg.

March 1, 2007 “The future lies before you, like paths of pure white snow. Be careful how you tread it, for every step will show.”

(Alan and Sharon, thanks for the pictures of me coming into Nome last year.)

With the Iditarod due to start in a few days, we have been getting numerous e-mails asking why I am not entered in this years race.  To save a little time, I thought I would explain the situation again here.

We had full intentions of racing the Iditarod this year.  I flew to Alaska in June to sign up for the race compliments of ND Industries.  In fall training we had ideal conditions and logged more miles and more hookups than we have ever had.  Snow came on time and by the first week of December we had three feet of snow and perfect trails.  Then it melted and the area had its first brown Christmas since 1911.  We ended up with a month of conditions that limited our training to 20% of what we had planned.  Since we also lost our touring income during that time, I did not have the money to travel out West (the nearest snow) and train.  Our dogs lost a lot of their conditioning and I withdrew from the Iditarod in January.  I still feel it was the right decision for the dogs but with the pre-race banquet tonight and the race starting Sunday, I wish I was in Alaska.

The irony.  I write this as we have several feet of snow out the window, perfect trails, and another foot of snow expected in the next 24 hours.

I do want to thank all of you that have followed my dogs for the past few years and I promise that my dogs will be in Iditarod 2008.

February 27, 2007 A huge thanks to all of the people that have sent us pictures of the UP 200.  One of the problems with racing is we always forget to take pictures of ourselves so all of the photos are greatly appreciated.  Ellen, Darlene, Alan and Sharon, Aunt Lynne, and everyone else.... Thank You!!!

Tasha getting focused for her big race.  The gentleman to the left is Harry P. the man behind the building of our sleds this year.  Thanks Harry, hopefully we train the dogs to pull them faster next year.

This is the human "Vinnie" who finally took a day off of work and look what happened.....he gets on TV!  What a camera hound.

The only picture of Jake that we have from the race.  He looks guilty of something.

This is probably my favorite picture of the entire race.  Johnny, our first year guide, is being instructed by the famous mushing expert Barbie L.  At the time of this photo, Barbie was explaining to Johnny the inefficiency that Jacob (her son) would experience later in the race due to the disorganization and lack of cleanliness of his sled bag.  She also went in depth on how Jacob could finish hours faster if he had a college education.

Tasha says, "Racing is not much fun."

Hairy and Bert say, "Suck it up Tasha.  This is the best day of our lives, lets get going!"

Coming into the finish line!

Krister receiving his red lantern from our good short-haired friend Wally N.

February 21, 2007  "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea."-Robert A. Heinlein

Tasha's "retirement" is official....... and hopefully temporary.  I have gone over the numbers and besides having a slow second leg of the race and having to bag Hairy on the third leg, she ran a great race.  She is a natural on the runners and gets the most out of the dogs, most of the time.  Our hats off to the new champion, Tim Calhoun, who ran a perfect race with a wonderful dog team.  I would also like to comment on a beautiful moving dog team put together by Dr. Tim Hunt.  He finished with 12 dogs, a solid fourth place, and a smile on his face.

I am really proud of Jake, Krister, and Bouie.  They kept their composure through a crazy pre-race prep and a very difficult UP 200 race with dog care.  If Nature's Kennel is able to move back up in the standings in future races, it will be because of the effort that these three have made with the young dogs.

I should also mention Johnny who took our Valentine litter (who just turned one year old) and a 10 year old leader named Raven to the Jackpine 30 race over the weekend.  He finished with a stunning 4th place finish!!!!!  Johnny met back up with us at the finish line of the 200 and the fire in his eyes and his tales of the trail reminded me how cool racing dogs really is!  Also, great friend Aunt Lynne rocked the race by finishing 3rd!!!!!

Another huge part of the NK team this weekend was our handling crew.  Mike, Steve, Tim, Shelly, Emma, Jake, Jim, Abby, Reed, and Linda THANK YOU!!!!  With your help we got four teams of healthy dogs to the finish line of a grueling race.  Also, Darlene, Cliff, Barbie, and Sara Lynn thanks for the support throughout the race.

Joe, thanks for hauling Johnny around all weekend, and a tremendous thanks for fixing our computer.  Without your help, nobody would be reading this right now.

And a huge thanks to the dogs!!!  Tasha filled you in on her team and how they performed.  Here is the update on the other three teams:

Jake-  all dogs finished strong!  Jake had by far the best looking team at the finish line in the entire race.  There is a lot of potential in these dogs to go fast.

• Tops, male, 6 years old, finished
• Dash, male, 2 years old, finished
• Mr. Incredible, male, 2 years old, finished
• Martha, female, 2 years old, finished
• Barb, female, 2 years old, finished
• Jackie, female, 2 years old, finished
• Dill, male, 2 years old, finished
• Weiler, male, 2 years old, finished
• Tsunami, male, 2 years old, finished
• Jack Jack, male, 2 years old, finished
• Pie, female, 4 years old, finished
• Happy, female, 3 years old, finished

Bouie-  Sponge Bob was dropped at the second checkpoint with a tight shoulder.  Erie and Robi were dropped at the last checkpoint with mild shoulder injuries.  Sisu was dropped at the last checkpoint with an upset stomach.

• Goose, male, 7 years old, finished
• Sisu, male, 3 years old
• George, male, 2 years old, finished
• Jasper, male, 1 year old, finished
• Erie, male, 1 year old
• Patrick, male, 1 year old, finished
• Robi, male, 1 year old
• Hellboy, male, 1 year old, finished
• Onyx, male, 1 year old, finished
• Gus, male, 1 year old, finished
• Sponge Bob, male, 1 year old
• Melon, male, 1 year old, finished

Krister-  Duran was dropped at the second checkpoint because he missed a meal and was tired.  Hedgie got to ride in the sled bag for the last five miles.  Krister said he thought her wrist was hurt but I could not find anything wrong with her.  Since Hedgie is his favorite dog, I think he was giving the queen a ride in her carriage.

• Hedgie, female, 7 years old, finished
• Butter, female, 6 years old, finished
• Kar, male, 1 year old, finished
• Coach, male, 1 year old, finished
• Rhu, female, 1 year old, finished
• Clair, female, 1 year old, finished
• Ontario, male, 1 year old, finished
• Caullie, female, 1 year old, finished
• Duran, male, 1 year old
• Sprout, female, 1 year old, finished
• Art, male, 1 year old, finished
• Huron, male, 1 year old, finished

February 20, 2007  I noticed that Ed announced that this UP 200 MAY mark my retirement from distance racing.  So, I decided to "evaluate" my feelings through out the race this past weekend to see if I really wanted to exchange my musher position for that of handler.  Yep.  I definitely do!  I just realize that I don't care for long runs, little sleep, deep snow, and blinding blizzards.  So, I'll hand over the "reins" next year to him, and become the handler!  The dogs ran fabulous this weekend!! Even though I was a little disappointed with 7th place, there is not anything that I can think of that I would have changed.  I had one long run the second leg of the race (guess the dogs weren't crazy about the deep snow), but all the other sections they did great on.  I finished with 9 dogs, and realized that now is a great time to retire along with several of our most famous dogs...Vinnie and Mouse (dropped in Wetmore downbound).  They were just tired, and could have made it, but we thought it was in their best interest to ride in the truck to the finish line.  Hairy was also dropped there due to a sore shoulder.  He had to ride several hours in the sled bag, but loved talking to me on the trail! 

Jake's team was outstanding, and all 12 dogs made it to the finish line!  He definitely showed us that he has exceptional dog care skills and actually does listen to us on occasion!!  Bouie and Kirster did outstanding as well.  Bouie finished with 9 dogs, and Krister "won" the red lantern with his team of 11 (and Hedgie riding in the sled bag!).  We are proud of all the yearlings and are very excited about the future. 

I'd love to add a few more details about the race, but we are in the midst of a few computer glitches, so I'm going back to saving all the files on our computer.  If there isn't an update in the near future, it's because I'm pulling my hair out and repairing what was lost. 

February 14, 2007 "I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day.  When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon." Author Unknown
Not only is it V-day but it is also time for the UP 200!!!  My lovely bride was riding the sled last year that was pulled by the dogs who won the race.  Rumor has it that this year's UP 200 will be her last "distance" race so she is fired up to hang on to a team that has never been better.  Her team consists of:

• Bert, male, 4 years old
• Big Ben, male, 4 years old
• Gimli, male, 3 years old
• Clark, male, 3 years old
• Vinnie, male, 7 years old
• Luke, male, 4 years old
• Yooper, male, 4 years old
• Hairy, male, 3 years old
• Mouse, male, 7 years old
• Boom, male, 4 years old
• Razzle, male, 4 years old
• Maple, male, 7 years old

The team has 10 solid leaders so she is not sure who will get the up front starting rotation nod but my guess is Big Ben and Bert.

Razzle, seen to the left at the start of last years Iditarod,  has held onto the lead cheerleading position for one more year.  I think he will have a hard time keeping it through next season though due to a spirited two year old named Feta that has her pom-poms all fluffed up.

The rest of us have teams that are good but not "Tasha good".  We hope to finish before Tasha has all of the Champagne gone.  Our teams:

Ed

• Bonfire, male, 4 years old
• Arlo, male, 3 years old
• Mick, male, 7 years old
• Hoover, female, 2 years old
• Sage, female, 2 years old
• Feta, female, 2 years old
• Ladybird, female, 2 years old
• Cheech, male, 2 years old
• Chong, male, 2 years old
• Rott, male, 2 years old
• Sebastion, male, 4 years old
• Violet, male, 2 years old

Jake

• Tops, male, 6 years old
• Dash, male, 2 years old
• Mr. Incredible, male, 2 years old
• Martha, female, 2 years old
• Barb, female, 2 years old
• Jackie, female, 2 years old
• Dill, male, 2 years old
• Weiler, male, 2 years old
• Tsunami, male, 2 years old
• Jack Jack, male, 2 years old
• Pie, female, 4 years old
• Happy, female, 3 years old

Bouie

• Goose, male, 7 years old
• Sisu, male, 3 years old
• George, male, 2 years old
• Jasper, male, 1 year old
• Erie, male, 1 year old
• Patrick, male, 1 year old
• Robi, male, 1 year old
• Hellboy, male, 1 year old
• Onyx, male, 1 year old
• Gus, male, 1 year old
• Sponge Bob, male, 1 year old
• Melon, male, 1 year old

Krister

• Hedgie, female, 7 years old
• Butter, female, 6 years old
• Kar, male, 1 year old
• Coach, male, 1 year old
• Rhu, female, 1 year old
• Clair, female, 1 year old
• Ontario, male, 1 year old
• Caullie, female, 1 year old
• Duran, male, 1 year old
• Sprout, female, 1 year old
• Art, male, 1 year old
• Huron, male, 1 year old

January 31, 2007 What a day!.........

Wrapped up one of our best tours ever!  In the tour we had a race car driver, a man who did not eat for over 5 days in an effort to get his son to quit smoking, an incredible musician, a guy who drove from Montana to see our dogs, and ...........

the current reigning Miss Michigan!!!!!  It is Krister's birthday, so for his present he got his picture taken with Miss Michigan and super sweet Hera.  He claims that we should give her to him for his birthday.  (Hera that is.)  Then, after the tour we changed gears and rushed over to see......

our main man Jake finish a 300 mile qualifying event with really happy dogs!  We were able to meet Jake at the finish line....

and share our team spirit and a bottle of champaigne.  His team of Bonfire, Happy, Dash, Weiler, Tops, Incredible, Dill, Tsunami, Jackie O, Lucy, Barb, and Martha looked great!  Jake was happy and appeared well rested.  The only casuality being......

HIS FEET!

I am still really proud of him though!!!!!!!!!!

January 23, 2007 Time flies when you have snow!  Dog sled tours at Nature's Kennel and dog sled rides at Boyne Highlands are in full swing and it is a blast!  At the left is our wonderful (and patient) group from Indiana that are now new professional dog mushers.  They do have to work on their puppy kissing techniques though.  Thanks for the e-mails reminding me Allen.

January 12, 2007 "If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."  unknown

The picture on the left shows 2x4 and Treedog (on the right).  Treedog passed away last night.  He had been sick for a few days, visited the vet, and lived with us in the house.  The past few nights he had been sleeping on my chest (to help keep him warm) and was a great little buddy.  Along with the happiness of 100 dogs comes the sadness of losing them.

January 7, 2007 "A successful coach needs a patient wife, loyal dog, and great quarterback- and not necessarily in that order."  Bud Grant

In my case I also need some snow and it just isn't happening.  With only 20% of my  target mileage completed in the month of December due to poor trail conditions, Jake and I have withdrawn from the 2007 Iditarod.  Bummer?  Yes!  The end?  No!  The beginning!

Positives:

-Jake has agreed to return next year and help me train a 2008 Iditarod team that will probably be one of the best the Midwest has ever seen!  I will lose two seven year olds due to age and gain 18 soon to be 3 year olds!  Jake will run the B-team to complete his Iditarod goal and help set NK up for 2009.

-Johnny, Krister, and Bouie are putting dozens of 10-20 mile runs on our 26 one year olds and have almost all of them running lead.  That is 2010!

-We get to RACE the UP 200 this year.  The past three years we have approached the 200 as the last training run for the Iditarod.  This year it will be the last run of the year and we can let the dogs go all out.  Will it make a difference?  Let's find out.

-Our dogs have never been healthier.

-This weather has not happened in 100 years, what is the chance it will get us next year?  Zero% because even if it does happen again we will be prepared and have the money set aside to travel and find snow.

-I get another full year to test the equipment changes that I have implemented this year.

-Besides a few momentary breakdowns with four letter words directed toward Mother Nature, we are all still having fun!

-Tasha has grown the best winter coat I have ever seen in a human, see below..........

January 2, 2007  Happy New Year!!!  We have decided to find a new winter sport since dog sledding just does not seem to be working for us this year.  We will now be the Nature's Kennel Canoe Racing Team.  We think that Jeff King is definitely onto something by doing swim training with his dogs in the summer.  So, we are going to do one better than him, we will teach our dogs to canoe.  Anyone want to take on a challenge?? 

It appears that we are not alone in this wild weather predicament this winter.  I recently got word that La Grande Odyssee has been cancelled this year due to such low snowfall in the Alps.  Hopefully this is just a crazy dream and we will all wake up from it soon!!  Luckily, all of our tour guests have been very understanding and everyone has re-scheduled their trips for later in the season.  One of the biggest disappointments to us the past week was that we were unable to give any rides at Boyne Highlands ski resort.  In fact, it's been so warm, that they have even struggled to make snow.  We know the staff and guests were all looking forward to having the dogs around...be patient...snow will (it MUST) come! 

In order to keep from going insane, I have decided to take the optimistic approach to the less-than-ideal-dog-sledding weather and make a list of the things that the weather HAS allowed us to do for New Year's:

1.  Canoeing.  Yes, this IS what the Tahquamenon River looks like this winter (notice the lack of ice and snow).  Lynne and I went on a New Year's Day paddle.

2.  Playing with the puppies.  We have LOTS of time for puppy walks, puppy sunbathing, and puppy love.

3.  Sewing.  I have the touring sled bags all finished (6 of them), and repaired all the chewed harnesses left over from fall training.  Yes, that is a large bandage on my finger, my scissors are quite sharp and cut human flesh well.

 4.  Playing games.  We even have the time to customize board games for our friends who forget their glasses :)

 5.  Dog sledding.  What, having dogs pull us on sleds in this weather?  Well, ok, we admit it, we got two inches of snow one night so we quickly called the Rish family from Alabama, who had been in Grand Marais all week waiting for it to snow.  We told them to come immediately, we could take them on a short ride so that they would not have to drive 1700 miles home without enjoying one winter activity.  They came at 9 am, dog sledded until noon, and at 1 pm it started raining and continued for the next 12 hours.  So, no more snow. 

Oh, but look close, that IS Momo hooked up to run lead!!

Enjoy the non-snow plowing, don't have to shovel, good-to-play-games-in weather. 

December 27th, 2006  This winter is becoming a lesson in patience!  Santa did NOT pull through and deliver snow, so we must sit and wait.  If you know anything about Ed's personality (and mine for that matter), sitting and waiting is NOT easy.  The ground is frozen and the trail is full of jagged ice...too abrasive for the dog's feet, toenails, and pads, even with booties on.  SO, instead of injuring dogs, we have given them a few days off.  We keep trying to find other mushers to share our sorrows with, and have found out that everyone from Michigan to Wisconsin to Minnesota is facing the same turmoil.  I talked to our friend Ward Wallin last night and he's going pheasant hunting the next three days because he's so tired of sitting around!  We were supposed to be at Boyne Highlands giving rides this week, but it's so warm down there that they are having trouble making snow and only have 11 of 50 ski runs open.  Yikes...we are not alone in our misery. We've given up feeling sorry for ourselves and decided that we'd use this "down" time to the best of our ability.  I have finished the six sled bags for the touring sleds, Ed has made new ganglines, we've repaired harnesses, made new tuglines and necklines, made home-made Christmas gifts, taken puppies for long walks, visited family over Christmas, tweaked the racing sleds, organized the kennel shed....we are going to be SO ready for the snow when it finally DOES come!  We would have NEVER (in 95 years according to the weather data) expected THIS to happen...so it sure does feel better sharing our winter (or lack of winter) woes with all of you!

December 25th, 2006.  Merry Christmas!! The dogs and humans will both be up late tonight waiting for Santa, the reindeer, and a sleigh full of snow.  The last time there was a brown Christmas in Newberry was 1997. The last Brown Christmas at Munising was in 1911.  Looks like this will be another record setting Christmas, unless, of course, Santa pulls through. 

December 23rd, 2006 "I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts."  John Steinbeck

Finally!!!!  It snowed!!!! and it snowed!!!! and it snowed some more!!!!!  Everything is white and beautiful again!!!!  The puppies are playing, the dogs are howling (the happy song), and the humans have put away the eggnog that was being used to drown the memories of the rain.  The timing is perfect as the Christmas season is upon us.  The Christmas tree lights are reflecting off the brilliant pure ground and carols are being sung!!!!  What a fine day!!!!

Then I woke up.

December 18th, 2006 With the recent warm weather we have traded in our dog harnesses for bikinis.  The dogs do not seem to be as amused as I am with the idea.  (It looks like I will be borrowing pictures off of the Internet for a while as we are struggling to find a camera that works in our real world.  We need a camera incredibly engineered and well made and are open for any ideas.)

Latest developments:

We are still running sleds!!!!!  If we truck the dogs about two miles away we have mostly snow covered trails.  Some of us are still running sleds out of the kennel.  The trail is a little wet, mostly dirt, and bumpy but definitely doable.  I am not sure if some are doing it for the adventure or the lack of desire to load and unload dogs in the dogtruck.

Jake has a new journal entry!

I talked with my senior year high school football Coach last night.  The man is an amazing motivator!  Thanks Coach Jensen!  One of his sons, Murphy, is hosting the tennis channels' show Open Access, check it out.

Latest dog numbers: Still 20 of the main crew contending for the competitive Iditarod team (no injuries or weak spots), 21 in Jake's incredible two year old squad, and 25 one year olds hanging tough for the 20 yearling UP 200 spots.

Overall: life at NK is HIGH (and dirty)!!!!!

December 14th, 2006 "Which way did he go?  Which way did he go?"  Elmer Fudd

A lot has happened in the past 12 days since my last entry; a wonderful easygoing tour of new professionals (hopefully Tasha will write about the three crazy ladies from below the bridge), a ton of snow fell, a ton of snow melted, a million tail wags, and my heart beat 1,209,600 times.  But, and it is a large BUT, what is consuming my thoughts at this time is our trail situation.  We are surrounded by a wonderful spider web network of "Seasonal" county roads that make an incredible trail system for long training runs in the wintertime.  This year we have a different situation.  Somehow in the past 12 months, "Seasonal" has been changed in loggers lingo to mean "Plow Me".  The non-stop plowing along with the our week long melt have resulted into miles of mud.  I have some re-re-re-rerouted trails established but they are too rough to use with minimal snow so........... this morning I moved the tractor out of the "hump" (our storage building) in order to bring the ATV's back out of storage.  YUCK!

Ironically, I was reading "Ask the Optimist!" by George Saunders Dec 18th, 2006 The New Yorker this morning as I was dreading another day of trail nonsense when I came across this response to a saddened reader:

"Dear Judy (or Ed);

There will be no problems whatsoever, Judy (Ed), if you simply acknowledge my absolute supremacy in a way that continually pleases me!  And this is not a bludgeon!  It is a bouquet of flowers!  Right?  Right, Ed?  Well, that's all the space we have!  Not that I'm complaining!  See you next time!  Never doubt yourself, and, if you start feeling down, castigate yourself, and, if others try to put the slightest trace of doubt in your mind, rebuke them, and, should your rebuke not alter their speech, you may bring harm to them, even unto death, and, after they have died, feel free to arrange their rictus-stiffening mouths into happy hopeful smiles!  And that's an order!  Believe me, you'll be doing them a favor!  Just kidding!  You are special!"

Have a happy day!

December 6th, 2006  I'm back to take over the "office duties" as Ed called them last week.  It's amazing how little time there is when working at home.  I remember a conversation Ed and I had a few years ago about mushers we knew who ran their kennel full-time.  We used to think that they had it all--no demands from work, no commute, and all the time in the world to "just stay home and run dogs".  Boy, were we wrong!  My day is nearly consumed by answering emails, phone calls, and keeping up with paperwork (answering inquiries about dogs for sale, taking touring reservations, following up with marketing contacts, writing articles, working with the guides, etc.)   I always make it a point to either do the puppy chores or a short dog run, just to be sure I get outside!  When I spend my weeks "on the road" it takes a few days just to get caught back up with things.  Ed does a great job, but since it takes two people during the day to keep things afloat, he gets a little overwhelmed!  I like to make sure he is able to run dogs rather than worrying about answering the phone and getting the mail (which is at the post office 9 miles away!). 

I did come home to wonderful piles of snow!  Although it's great to have it, it makes doing chores a lot longer.  We like to keep the kennel areas blown out to make hook up and tours easier.  Blowing the kennels and driveway takes about two hours.  Luckily, our guides learn fast...so they will be expert snow plowers after the "tractor lesson" tomorrow afternoon! 

December 2nd, 2006 The long relaxing puppy walks with my wife that I wrote about a few weeks ago have ceased for a while.  As you know from her journal entries, Tasha is in Chicago promoting our touring business and our sport.  My days at the kennel get busier while she is gone because I take over the office.  To add to the length of the day, Jake is in Alaska for his Iditarod rookie meeting so I get to take care of his 24 dogs as well.  Most would say it is good for me because I have life too easy.  Most are probably right.

Yesterday was a doozy though.  Up at 2:45 a.m. to make sure Jake got on the road in time to make his flight.  (Which was unnecessary because Jake is 20 years old going on 50 in the responsibility category.)  Then two hours of office work, one hour with my dogs, five hours of driving to central Wisconsin to pick up 2500 pounds of beef, load, return in a mild snowstorm for six hours of driving, snow blow the 1/4 mile driveway, unload the meat, an hour with my dogs and a great nights rest.  Today will much more enjoyable, time to run dogs!

The picture above is of our unbelievable guiding crew.  Although skuzzy and unkept in the photo, they actually clean up rather well.  The significance of the photo is the first ever "Red Cup" being awarded.  Krister (on the left) was the overjoyed recipient and got to indulge in a delicious blend of creativity.  You see, we started a weekly contest that tracks how many necklines each of their teams was chewing.  Whoever's team had the most necklines chewed at the end of the week was the "winner" of the Red Cup.  What goes in the Red Cup is decided by all of the other participants.  Food grade items only of course, don't be gross.  The first annual Red Cup contained; mayonnaise, a raw egg, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, vinegar, chili, granola oil, cheese dip, and garlic.  And yes Krister drank it, well at least gave it his best shot.

December 1st, 2006.  The dogs and I are snowed in this morning in Chicago!  I'm staying with friends, Tony and Sheila Urban and their three kids, Elizabeth, Caitlin, and Sean.  Elizabeth skipped kindergarten this morning to go dog sledding up and down the street. Momo and Tasha Canine made several trips around the block and were quite a sight for the city folks! 

Our programs have all been very successful.  We are headed into the city tonight to the Adventurer's Club.  Tomorrow we get to visit Pegasus, our Nature's Kennel dog friend, who lives downtown.  I think there will even be enough snow to give her owners a ride in the park...Pegasus will have to remember her pulling skills!  I should have brought a bunch of dogs down and charged for rides!  Looks like we'll have to move the touring business from the U.P. to the Windy (Snowy) City.

November 27th, 2006.  The girls (Momo and Tasha Canine) and I are headed to the Windy City for a week long stint of presentations.  Ed is in charge while the girls are out of the house...so if you hear of any emergencies, please call my mother!  She will be here in a flash to rescue any distressed puppies!  This is my last week of the "dog show on the road" as business here at home will really start to pick up.  By the looks of the forecast, I may even come home to SNOW!  We have had unseasonably mild weather the past week.  I have to admit the sunshine has been wonderful.  The ground is still cushy for the dogs' feet, we all have our late-fall suntans, and the puppies have loved romping in the leaves.  Looks like we'll make it through another long winter!

November 22, 2006.  To celebrate Thanksgiving, Tops has written a short poem:

November 21, 2006 "If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish." Sam Walton

Two of the last three nights I have dreamt about me returning to the "real world".  Once as a Menard's employee and once as a Walmart employee.  What is even stranger is that I had dreams.  Usually if I get less than 6 hours of sleep a night I do not dream, or at least remember the dreams.  Is it prophecy?  For those of you that were wondering, Walmart is a nicer place to work than Menard's.  Much more organized and structured.  And no, I did not get to sing the Walmart song in the dream, maybe next time.

November 16, 2006 Big Ben gets voted sexiest man alive!  Well maybe that is an exaggeration but he did just get featured in Traverse Magazine along with my sexy wife.  In fact on the third page of the magazine there is a picture of Big Ben next to a picture of James Earl Jones!  You will be happy to know though that superstardom has not ruined BB's (as he prefers to be called now) work ethic.  The picture at the left was taken two days ago after an incredible long training run.  Goose struggled a little bit and Happy was her usual self (more about that on a later day), but other than that the team rocked.  Even though BB looks a little dirty, the conditions have been perfect for long runs.  The ground has stayed soft and there is plenty of water on the trails to keep the dogs hydrated and cool.  Snow would be better but we will take the mud for now.

November 13, 2006 I did not realize that a week has passed since my last entry.  I guess I have been falling behind on my paperwork.

On today's run Micky and Goose led all 21 of us through some crazy trails.  I did some exploring and made a couple of wrong choices at corners.  Goose and Mick listened perfectly to my commands but I bet they were laughing on the inside.  The dogs have a memory for trails that is unbelievable.  I swear that they even know trails that they have never been on before.  We ended up making it through all of the tight spots today but a couple of days ago I got on a trail that dead-ended.  I had to let all the dogs loose in order to turn the ATV around and it was a blast.  I ended up staying there for an extra 10 minutes or so and just playing with all 20 of them.  It is kind of funky having 20 dogs loose running around with at least 5 of them trying to jump on you and get your attention.  They are such a nice crew.

November 6, 2006    November 6, 2006  Breaking news from Hellboy the News Hound...an Iditarod 2nd Sled Driver, New Puppies,  Deer Velvet from New Zealand and a Michigan Blue Magazine...

Richard Wallace will be driving my 2nd sled during the Ceremonial Iditarod start!  Richard has been a key supporter of Nature's Kennel and our desire to win the Iditarod.  He is also a world class skier and has experience on the runners.  The Iditarod requires two sleds to be driven during the ceremonial start as the teams maneuver through the city streets of Anchorage.  The 2nd sled is connected to the gangline via a rope that runs under the first sled and is intended to provide additional security for the dog team.  It's actually more difficult to drive than the first sled because it gets flung around turns and corners like "cracking the whip."  We hope Richard makes ND Industries proud and uses his graceful skiing skills to stay upright! 

Willow surprises us with adorable tiny puppies!  We had hoped that Willow (daughter of Momo, sister of Hedgie, Maple, Mouse, Goose, Vinnie, and Mickey) would cooperate and give us a litter of puppies this fall.  She "lived" next to Yooper for a few nights 61 days ago but we never witnessed anything special. Well, she must have had some midnight romance because on Sunday night she had five puppies! Willow had been running with Krister's team earlier this fall, so I've given him and the guides the honor of naming the pups.  Don't worry, the names will be carefully censored!  The good news is that Willow comes off the "For Sale" page...I guess dogs will do just about anything to stick around here! 

Pure Vitality of New Zealand will be providing Natural Deer Velvet to our dogs this winter!  Several weeks ago I received a very long distance phone call from David in New Zealand asking if we would be interested in testing deer velvet with our sled dogs.  The company is looking for feedback on how this product can affect the performance of extreme (canine) athletes in regards to recovery time and stamina.  We are thrilled to be testing Pet Vitality Natural Deer Velvet this season! 

A big thanks goes to Byron Goggin (one of our favorite kennel advocates and producer of the Your Wild Weekend Weekend TV show) for his submission of an article about Nature's Kennel to Michigan Blue Magazine. There is a fabulous 4-page article with great photos in the Holiday edition of this upscale Michigan Lifestyle magazine.  Thanks Byron!

November 4, 2006  "We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun"  While I was out running my dogs Jake set the frio trio up with sleds, ski's, and skijoring harnesses.  Johnny is the natural on the sled at the left.  "Mr. November" (aka Bouie) made an appearance in his speedo and sunglasses (something that has been talked about since a hot April night in the Bahamas).    And on the right, Krister was a skijoring maniac taking all 12 of his dogs out for runs two at a time.  Look out Aunt Lynne you have competition (the skijoring division and the bathing suit division.)

November 3, 2006 Good morning real world!  While Tasha and I were in Marquette looking at generators our guides were dressed up in their costumes acting as ambassadors for the Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race and handing out candy.  Shown on the left is Bouie dressed as Flash (for less than $2 outfit from the Newberry Senior Center Thrift Store) and the real Flash!  Bouie tried to race him around the parking lot and perform other Superpower abilities but the real Flash did him in.  I have some great pictures but I can not find our camera this morning.  I also can not find our stapler this morning?  Our house is not that big!  Anyway, the dogs are doing amazing!  The number of hookups and miles for my main team in October far exceed any previous year.  Jake's two year old team is actually still ahead of our previous main team numbers, and our yearlings have almost all run lead and are running 7-10 mile runs 4 to 5 times a week.  Our injury count is still at zero for all teams.  Top all that off with the fact that we have enough snow on the ground right now to run a dogsled tour!  Life is pretty good!  Tasha found the camera...she was taking snow pictures.  In photo #2, Jake, Johnny and Bouie.  In photo #3, the sweet Miss Krister. 

November 3...more from Tasha.  Bouie has been dreaming about snow since he arrived from Alabama three weeks ago.  His dreams have come true…we have more than a foot of snow on the ground today!  Time flies around here; it only took three days to get from Halloween to Christmas!    The southern boys were so excited to see snow that they went for a midnight ski last night.  There’s enough snow to run with a sled, but there would not be enough packed snow for the snowhook to grab.  And, we don’t think it should last.  So, we’ll stick with the four wheelers for a while longer before making the official switch.  We may be able to try some skijoring today.  That would be a great introduction to chaos, snow, and sled dogs!

November 1, 2006 The plans for the winter may be changing.  It looks like we may be faced with putting money into our generator instead of into the French economy.  Ed and I came home Monday to the sound of the generator sputtering and immediately we knew it was not good.  We were both hoping it was just an early Halloween trick. 

As many of you know, we have an off-grid power system; the closest power line is 4.5 miles away.  Living this far from “civilization” allows our dogs the freedom to be a little noisy during play time and for us to live where there are endless miles of fall and winter trails.  The drawback is that we must produce our own power.  We currently use a 7.5 kw Kohlar propane generator that runs about once a day.  It charges 12 deep cycle batters which are connected to an inverter to convert the energy into 110 volts so that we can plug in our computer, lights, telephone, water pump, etc.  The generator was expected to “live” for 3,000-5,000 hours of run time.  Ours “lived” for 3749 hours.  Since it’s death was unexpected, we got to spend the night playing cards by lantern and getting water out of Deadman’s Lake on Halloween (yes, that is the real name of the lake) for the dogs.  Instead of joining our guides in the trick-or-treating fun, Ed and I spent the day in Marquette discussing our generator options.  Our power system was installed and is maintained by Mike and Brian at Superior Electric.  They specialize in off-grid systems and always know what to do next when we get into “power panic mode”.  After some discussion, we have decided to have our current generator re-built (to the tune of $3000) to get us through the winter (we hope!).  In the spring we’ll invest in a new diesel generator and update our batteries. We’ve dodged the $12,000 power-system revitalization project until April, but at this point we really need to prioritize our expenditures.

Unfortunately, the major expense for France comes as one big bill, and comes soon.  The cost for flying the dogs to Paris this year is $8500.  I still have not resigned my self to the fact that we won’t be traveling in the Alps this winter, but I think I need to face that fact very soon.  We had hoped for Ed to race so that I would act as handler extraordinaire.   I was looking forward to watching him push the sled up hills, hearing his version of the mountain descents, and getting to see the race from a different perspective.  It was also awesome for our kennel to receive all the publicity (both in the U.S. and in France) that surrounded the race. But, we did make a promise to ourselves that we could not afford to go to France without the support of a major sponsor for that particular race, and now is the time that we need to be true to our word.  On the other hand, maybe we just need to get more creative with income…anyone interested in purchasing a bag of nitrogen-rich, purified, organic, kinda-smelly lawn fertilizer…trick-or-treat!!

 Ed-itors note:  We are not giving up on France yet.

October 30, 2006 Pumpkin carving day last night.  Here are the works of art done by our extremely talented Guides:

Tasha and I took a vacation yesterday.  We purchased a snowmobile last winter and with the purchase received a free night's stay at a lodge in lower Michigan.  Since the certificate was to expire October 31st, we figured we better make it a priority.  The lodge was huge and beautiful and we were one of two cars in the parking lot.  It felt like we had our own private 3,500 acre get away for the night.  The vacation was highlighted by a warm room that was obtainable without adding wood, a 20 person hot tub reserved just for the two of us (just like in the picture), and a video type box in the room that showed people (I think it is called a TV).  Using this video box we were able to watch our President speak.  I am not ashamed of him because at times he sounded brilliant, but really, he just doesn't get it.  He has lead this country into a war in Iraq that has lasted almost as long as our time spent in World War II and there still does not seem to be a plan for victory.  I reread the speech this morning just to make sure I did not miss something important.  He said, "I know the American people understand the stakes in Iraq. They want to win. They will support the war as long as they see a path to victory."  You are right Mr. President we support our soldiers and our country.  As far as supporting this war, what is the "path"?

October 24, 2006 "My husband and I are either going to buy a dog or have a child. We can't decide whether to ruin our carpets or ruin our lives." Rita Rudner 

October 19,2006 "Help me out here
All my words are falling short
And there's so much I want to say"

In addition to hanging out with all the girls, I've also been training our new guides (Bouie and Krister) the art of puppy training. We are working with a combination of forty eight dogs aged nine months (the Valentines) to eleven years (Badger).  (Thirty-six of the dogs are less than 18 months old!)  "Uncle Badger" is in charge but I think he's more "puppy" than any of the others as he literally throws himself on the ground and scratches his back in the dirt.  This group of young dogs is totally different from the group last year (the wound up Hockey Players, bossy Cheech & Chong, and the Spices and Incredibles).  This group is much more relaxed and focused...they are almost a joy to work with! The training I do with the young dogs is very similar to the training I did with my kindergartners.  Every run is set up to encourage the dogs to have fun and achieve success.  I never set the young ones up to fail or get frustrated.  Just like a young child, everything in a young dog's life is new and can be either a positive or negative experience.  Some examples of encouraging success that I have shared with Bouie and Krister include:

• Leaving the kennel with two adult leaders, and switching in young leader once the dogs know we are headed home
• Keeping the speed to a minimum...we know the young dogs like to run fast, we want to teach them to pull
• Keeping the mileage to a minimum...we want them to have fun, not get stressed out
• Stopping a LOT along the trail to give praise and stopping when everything is going RIGHT! 
• Pairing the youngest dogs (the Valenties) with the calmest dogs so they don't get nervous or frustrated. 
• At all times remaining CALM and CONSISTENT with the dogs. 
• Being patient, patient, and more patient!! 

October 16, 2006

There is one in every crowd.  On this particular day it was Gimli.  Gimli has developed from raw talent two years ago, to a good sled dog last year, to incredible this year.  After the picture above was taken he did lie down and fall asleep with the rest of the team but it took him a few minutes.

My team is doing great.  In fact too good.  I have them trained to stand calm when hooking up until I give a signal.  When I give them the OK they go nuts!  Last night I had them all hooked up to go for a run and had given them the signal.  In an "Incredible Ed" maneuver I got my my finger caught between a post and the rope that I had holding the ATV in place.  In case anyone has ever wondered, 20 dogs pulling against a rope that is pinching a finger against metal really hurts..  I have very little pain sensation in my hands, for whatever reason I do not know, but yesterday I felt A LOT!  In fact today, I am still feeling A LOT!  After getting my finger out of the pinch hold, still attached to my hand thank goodness, I had to cut the rope due to the incredible tension.  The dogs then pulled the ATV for about 50 feet, running over a dog house in the process.  My fair maiden Tasha rescued me by hopping on the out of control ATV and riding it until it stopped.  Needless to say, I will never do that again................at least not today.

October 13, 2006 "There in misery, There on fire, In the veins of man, Left for to see"

Danzig, "Long Way Back"

Yesterday we held the first annual "Get in Touch with Nature" 2 mile run. I am not sure which one of the Guide's came up with the idea but I am sure it started as a bare suggestion and then developed from there.  It was decided that Naturel's Kennel needed some way to celebrate the first snowfall of the year.  How it developed into something as buff as running two miles I have no idea.  Krister "Starkers" Raasoch ended up winning the event in record time.  I thought I was going to catch him in the home stretch, but he was streaking toward the finish.  Bouie was right behind me running like a jaybird, but to no avail.  Jake, clothed in shame, finished strong but dead last.  Maybe next year we will turn this unadorned event into a world class race.

Speaking of running:

Big Ben (the white guy), age 4, 2 Iditarods, brother to Starman, when he retires from politics would like to try his hand at Sumo wrestling

Luke (the cute puppy), age 4, 2 Iditarods, brother to Boom and Yooper, has dreams of someday outgrowing his reputation of being the cutest puppy ever at Nature's Kennel

Having these two in lead together during training is almost cheating.  Both are perfect command leaders.  The reason they get to run together is because Luke is the calmest dog in the kennel during hook-up and Big Ben is out of control.  My goal is for Ben to learn from Luke not the other way around.

October 12, 2006 "Some things in this world, Man, they don't make sense , Some things you don't need, Until they leave you, And they're things that you miss"

Matchbox 20, "Bright Lights"

Sometimes in life I get smacked in the forehead and I don't even see it coming.  It leaves me wondering, "What in the Heck just happened!"  The pictures above were taken only three days apart less than 30 miles apart geographically with no elevation difference.  What???????????

In an effort to change the subject, here are some cute pics:

October 7, 2006 "2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake, Can you help me unravel my latest mistake"

Anna Nalick, "Breathe"

I am usually the first one up at Nature's Kennel, except for the dogs of course.  I really enjoy getting up early, no distractions, get the computer work and all day/week planning finished long before sunrise.  This morning though, Jake was up at 4:30 running his first team and Bouie had coffee going before the computer had time to boot up.  I think this is a good thing?.

October 6, 2006 "I'm such a man for a short while, And promises be, The world just spins faster than me"

Collective Soul, "Energy"

Cool logo huh?  Our fantastic "Summer Julie" drew this for us and with a slight variation by Jim's Kim out in Pennsylvania, Vuala, NK Super Dog!  Speaking of super dogs:

Gimli (on the left), age 3, 1 Iditarod, brother to Clark and Harry, currently holds the position of Attorney General with aspirations of being President lead dog when Vinnie retires

Mouse (on the right), age 7, 3 Iditarod's, from Mo's first litter-"The FAB FIVE", admires my Dad's workaholic lifestyle

This is probably the oddest pairing on my team.  Mouse listens to every word I say and is perfect in harness.  Gimli is physically amazing and brilliant but his never-ending energy needs to be focused at times.  Usually, all the time.

October 4, 2006 "You cant write if you cant relate, Trade the cash for the beef for the body for the hate"

Beck

"Loser"

The man who likes to eat more than anyone else in this world, did not eat or drink anything for 25 hours!

One of the fascinating things about having people come and share our dog sledding adventure with us is, well, the people.  Jake, our second year guide, is Jewish and he was informing all of us about Yom Kippur.  I still do not understand a lot of the Holiday but Jake told us that he would be fasting for 25 hours.  In addition to food the fast also includes all beverages, toothpaste, etc.  Bouie( more about Bouie later) and I thought that Jake could use some help so we joined him in the fast.  To sum it up, our "Break-fast" meal tasted soooooooooooooooooo good!!!

 Bouie (on the left, my older brother on the right), age 23, no Iditarods(yet), when not wearing his pirate's eye patch he enjoys driving a tractor in Alabama while listening to Ozzy Osbourne and Lynyrd Skynyrd

We met Bouie in the Bahama's after last years Iditarod.  Bouie along with two other great men, The Professor and Captain (so does that make Bouie Gilligan?), were our "Guides" on a week long sailing adventure through the Exuma Islands.  A natural with people and an alcohol stimulated conversation in which he declared his dream of running "The Last Great Race" have brought him to Nature's Kennel.  Being from Alabama though, I don't think he has ever seen a snowstorm yet.

October 1, 2006 "Wanna be silly and sing and shout, Gotta get legless and fall about, Turn the music up nice and loud,
Cheer me up don't bring me down"
Rod Stewart

"Better Off Dead"

It is starting to warm up again and Big Ben is not happy.  On the bright side, we have more training runs and miles than we have ever had by October 1st.  A LOT more!  A few days of rest will probably all do us good.

Sebastion (on the left), age 3, 2 Iditarod's, brother to Bonfire, current President of the Ed Stielstra fan club (there are only four legged members)

Bonfire (on the right), age 3, 2 Iditarod's, brother to Sebastion, enjoys showing off his "Most Improved Attitude" medal that he wears proudly

Those of you that followed my team last year know that B and S were my "Gladiators".  They ran, they ate, did not care to be petted, and were even anti-social to other dogs.  They were incredible sled dogs, both finishing the Iditarod for the second time, but they were not very enjoyable to have in the team.  Well that has all changed.  They are now "Gentlemen" and have found new inner peace.  Through yoga, meditation, and most importantly calm-submissive training (special thanks to Cesar Milan) they are playful members of the pack.  (I should probably mention that getting rid of Sebastion's Testosterone producers didn't hurt the cause either.)

Please support these fabulous Nature's Kennel Partners!   If you are interested in joining the Nature's Kennel Corporate team, please email Ed or Tasha.