Reflections (Not the titty bar on South Cush.)

I'm home! Put the tea on kids, I have stories. I arrived at 3:30 this morning with more dogs than I left with and a renewed enthusiasm for the winter months ahead. OK, not really. More dogs, yes, but I'm tired as shit and am on my way out the door to have our old biddy Ruffles put down. She hung around 'til I got back, but needs to go to sleep now.
Peace.

You loved me more when I was sober and you were kinder

Well then. Another week, another myriad of cool and demonstrably uncool tourists. It's really slowing down now and the end of the season in Skagtown means all the cruise ship passengers that are coming to the dog camp to take a tour are the ones that have either a) done their research and planned one getting a discounted Alaskan cruise or b) won the trip on The Price is Right. Either way, the tips have suckity suck sucked as of late.
I don't have much time, so here's a quick rundown: Things are good. Dogs are good. Life is good. Weather is cool but nice. I leave here on the 28th. Anonymous commenters are spineless fuckwits.
OK, more on Sunday.
Peace.

I'm bankrupt on selling... myself

A few words about me:

I'm messy and I don't care.
I'm clumsy.
I'm a bad sled driver.
I'm thoughtful.
I love mushing dogs.

Well, the season is winding down and I have mixed feelings. It's all very melancholic. I feel sad that all my new two- and four-legged friends are going to go away sooner rather than later, and in a weird way, I'm actually going to miss the tourists. Some of them, anyway. The summer is over. The leaves are turning, the weather is shit and there's nothing I'm loving more than going to my cabin and curling up by my wood stove after a day of running dogs in the rain.
The dogs are in great shape but are getting bored and therefore starting to fuck off on a regular basis. I've got piles of harnesses to repair (bored dogs equals chewed harnesses) and nothing else to worry about. Not bad.
So, to all the tourists out there who asked insightful questions and offered sincere well-wishes; thank you. To the others, and you know who you are, go back to Texas or Arkansas or wherever the hell you were hatched and never, never return.
I'm looking forward to getting back to Fairbanks, my Sam and my home. I'll give the dogs a few days of loose running before we start fall training in earnest. My first big race will be the Gin Gin 200 at the end of December in Paxson, followed by the Quest 300 in Whitehorse in mid-February. Upon completion of those, I will be qualified (on paper at least) for the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest and/or Iditarod. Yikes.
I have a lot of trips planned for the winter and am looking forward to long runs and solo camping trips with the dogs.
Here are some pics from the past couple of weeks.
Peas.

Skagtown.

Rainbow over Lower Dewey Lake. Rich and I hiked up there last weekend.

The leaves, they are a changin'.

Handlers hard at work as usual.

Sewing harnesses. Bully was no help.