Photos

Zoom Lens: Order From a Boot

Fans gather to soak up the energy and enthusiasm of the Last Great Race that is abundant at the much-celebrated Thursday night banquet.  After dinner the mushers were called to the stage to draw their starting position from a boot. It wasn’t just any boot; it was a traditional mukluk made of seal skin. One …

Zoom Lens: 4-Runner Sled

Musher and musher mentor Vern Halter is into making a better sled, a 4-runner sled. Toyota makes a 4Runner SUV but I’m sure it wasn’t Vern’s inspiration. Halter who operates Dream-a-Dream Dog Farm and Training Center is always considering ways to make sleds faster, steer better and more agile. Thus He designed and built a …

Zoom Lens – Pretty Faces, Happy Hearts!

Siberians may not have the speed necessary to win the Iditarod but they have the character to win your heart.  These handsome Siberian Huskies reside with Jon and Jona Van Zyle at their kennel and art studio.

Zoom Lens – Talking Siberian

Teachers attending the Winter Educator’s Conference had the opportunity to visit the Van Zyle Kennel and Art Studio.  During the visit teachers enjoyed conversation with Jon and Jona Van Zyle as well as their handsome Siberian Huskies.

Zoom Lens – Tennis Anyone?

Who’s My Daddy, a Siberian Husky from Jon & Jona Van Zyle’s Kennel is ready for a game of tennis. Jon is the “Official” Iditarod Artist.

Zoom Lens – Athletes of the Junior Iditarod

It’s all about the dogs! These canine athletes have just completed the 2014 Junior Iditarod and are standing under the finish banner at Happy Trails while their musher/coach signs in and produces the required equipment for bag check.

Zoom Lens – Portraits of Piglet

Seven-year-old Piglet runs with the Klejka family from Bethel Alaska. Piglet, a winner of Junior Iditarod gold is a veteran of many Junior Iditarod races.

Zoom Lens – Humanitarian

Ben Harper left Yentna Station two-minutes behind the lead musher and finished in second place by the same margin of time. Out of Yentna, Ben passed the leader more than once on the sixty-two mile return trip to Happy Trails but needed one more pass for the Championship. For his excellent and spirited run to …

Zoom Lens – Sportsmanship

Kevin Harper left Yentna Station ten minutes behind Jimmy Lanier but passed Jimmy on the trail. Harper was became aware of a pair of dogs approaching him from behind. The pair of footloose dogs were connected by their tugs to a very short piece of gangline. Without the resistance of the sled, this pair was …

Zoom Lens – Piglet

Joshua Klejka who placed 8th was extremely happy to have had the opportunity to run on such good trail. There’s way more ice than snow around his hometown of Bethel so while his dogs didn’t have enough training this year to be really competitive, musher and canines enjoyed the 124-mile run immensely. Piglet is a …