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I absolutely cannot believe that my last post was in July!?! It did seem like a while and I knew things were over due but holy smokes.
SO, a couple of weeks ago I took a trip to Dawson...
And then of course, what goes up must come down. The next day I returned back to Whitehorse...
This is River Quest Week - 2009. It is a very intense week for volunteers and organizers and racers alike. Here are some pictures taken at Registration on Tuesday, race start on Wednesday and Thursday at the Check Point in Carmacks.
I have recently started uploading some of my images onto Picasa on-line. If you click on the image below it will open up a series of photos that summarize the race from registration to Carmacks.
Unfortunately this year I could not go to the finish line in Dawson City. The full race results can be viewed at www.yukonriverquest.com . I heard today that Texas won, finishing just a few minutes ahead of Dene.
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| River Quest 2009 |
The night of February 14th I had the pleasure of volunteering for the Yukon Quest. I drove out to Braeburn, an hour or so north of Whitehorse, at around 9:30 p.m. After making a quick stop at my cabin along the way, I arrived at the check-point just before 11:00.
The sky was crystal clear with the stars twinkling bright. It was minus 31 celcius with not a breath of wind.
When I arrived the first few teams had already arrived. Actually the first team was in at around 9:00 p.m. when I had figured they would begin arriving about two hours later. The trip from Whitehorse was fast since the trails was packed and cold.
Although I volunteered for the Quest two years ago in Dawson City, this was a different experience. This time I was kept very active outside. I helped check teams in as they crossed the check point finish line, helped guide the dogs to their resting spot, gathering the prearranged food into a sled and taking it promptly to the respective musher, and best of all, updating the standings board in the Lodge and calling the same results to Fairbanks for the web update. I was kept busy and warm and involved. It was a great experience.
The pictures here were all taken near the end of my shift at 10:30 a.m. just as the sun was coming up. Anything that my camera would have taken throughout the night would have been disruptive to the teams with a blinding flash, and I wouldn't have captured anything.
A few weeks ago I spent time in Montreal. The juxtapositions of old and new, English and French were striking to me.
There are signs around my space, which indicate where my head is at. Examples inlclude the state of my office, the state of my home/cabin, and now I see, the state of my blog - I'll spare you and myself any life like images here.
Family challenges have been my focus for quite some time... and time stops for no one. This collection of minutes, hours, days, months is now moving into years... Illness just doesn't go on a holiday.
There are only so many hours in every day, and I have kept none aside for house keeping, none for office beautifuication, and none for posting. There has been little in the way of art, art appeciation, or just time out.
Tonight I sit in my disasterous cabin, which I was thinking tonight, after shoveling my way into the drive-way, that using tornado for a description just doesn't describe things accurately. Rather, I would say it appears that a strong wind has blown through the place piling stuff here and there. It is amazing how a small place can be tidy one minute and appauling the next.
And then I remember that it is just the way it is right now and that I need to give myself a break. The decision to live in town (ackkkk) to decrease the stress of travel time amongst other 'time' related factors, means that... my Laberge home is more of a cabin... my Dawson home sits cold, still, and a work in progress... and time keeps moving as it will.
After logging on to my link of any social world for me these days:Facebook tonight, and clicking on John Steins link... I was reunited with my thirst for my art, my blog, and I guess, my life.
A visit to Dawson would not be complete if a stop was not made to Bombay Peggy's. It is currently an Inn and Pub, although during the gold rush of the late 1800's it was a brothel. The restoration has been beautifully done, the artwork inside is incredible, and the ambiance is lovely. Check out their website at Bombay Peggy's.
The signage photographs were taken back when I was there in February with some friends. We stayed in a gorgous room (every room is unique and incredible) above the pub. The martini photographs were taken two nights ago.
Today I returned from Dawson City. I went there for work meetings. The weather was beautiful = crisp and cold. The arctic sent some air on down and chilled things a wee bit. Although it is now warming up, the temperatures were down to minus 31 celcius over the last couple of days. Just the way I like it.
One of my good friends took me up in his lovely little plane. We flew over my place a couple of months ago before the leaves turned colour...
And then we came in for a landing right over the college:
And then we landed:
