Big Day for DeeDee & Details on the Ruby Award

Much has changed since this morning when I last posted, I kept trying to get to a computer to file another report, but things have been pretty crazy today for me as well…

This morning we reached the halfway point of the race, DeeDee Jonrowe was the first musher to reach Cripple, this years halfway point. She left about 6 hours later than Paul Gebhardt did the night before and when she reach Cripple she was shocked that he hadn’t gotten there before she did.  He came in just a few minutes later having gotten lost for several hours and turning around thinking he had gotten lost, when in reality he was only about 3 miles away from the checkpoint.  About the same time this morning thatDeeDee was getting into Cripple, Kjetil Backen, Lance Mackey, and Jeff King were are getting ready to leave Ophir after coming off of their layover in Takotna.  Looking at the current leaderboard , and who have already completed the first of their required rests along the trail, you get not only those three who have led the race for such a long time, but MitchSeavey have a very quick run out of Ophir and was able to catch up with Backen, arriving just about an hour after the Norweigen did.

The race will tighten back up here pretty soon, as Jonrowe, Gebhardt, Steer, Buser, Iten, Andersen, Neff, and Zerkle all get done with their layovers in Cripple tomorrow morning, not to long after Backen and King take off after resting their dogs.  Anyone who is even 6 hours behind the lead pack at the halfway point could easily walk away with 1st place by the end of the race.. and many of these expert mushers know that they still have a real chance at taking on the pack that was leading the race a few days ago before all the layovers.

Mackey was the first to leave Cripple late this evening, he flew through the checkpoint and onto the next checkpoint of Ruby 112 miles away, where the first musher there will be awarded the “first musher to the Yukon award”.  I promised yesterday that I would preview the award that is given away in Ruby and talk about why the mushers enjoy that award so much.  Sponsored by the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage, the musher who can beat everyone to the first checkpoint along the Yukon River is awarded a gourmet meal, cooked by the Millennium’s Executive Chef over a campstove, the meal is finished off with an “after dinner mint” of $5000 crisp one dollar bills.

Directly from the Millennium Hotel itself, here is the menu for whichever musher reaches Ruby first this year:

Appetizer:
Chicken and Wild Mushroom Terrine
with roasted red and yellow pepper coulis

Soup:
Yukon Potato Bisque
with shrimp ravioli

Fish Course:
Halibut Flowers
on a bed of peach chutney

Meat Course:
Filet of Beef
stuffed with Alaskan King Crab, asparagus and bleu cheese
blueberry demi glace and shallot roasted duchess potatoes

Cheese Plate:
Petite Brie en Croute
gewurztaminer poached pear and fig compote

Dessert:
Raspberry Crepes
with bittersweet chocolate sauce and creme de menthe

Grande Finale
$5000 freshly minted one dollar bills
Dom Perignon