Flat Stanley's new friend from the village.

On a lighter note, my sister still has Flat Stanley with us.  Did I tell you she made a parka with a fur ruff for him?  Here he is with the Unalakleet dog lot in the background - and the hills across the frozen slough where the children are playing.

Karen is 34 miles out of Kaltag and has stopped - perhaps to snack the dogs, hopefully not because of her sled problems.  If she gets to Kaltag by 6 tonight then she can get her 8 hour mandatory rest in and still be in Unalakleet in the afternoon of tomorrow.  Oh the guessing we do trying to figure out what is going on.

Martin Buser is in 13th place at this juncture.  My guess is his dogs are still pretty tired from their gruelling 12hour + trip breaking trail into Kaltag.  The other news is the storm coming in.  It can be really, really wicked between here and Koyuk with high winds and whiteouts.  In the past the markers for the trail have been ripped out by the wind.  This is always an interesting race and it ain't over until the last leader dog gets to the burl in Nome.

This is the back of the Post Office and Community Center where the bags with food and gear that the mushers sent out last month.  It is just short walk - down hill - to the dog lot.  The community has losts of food for the mushers and 3 or 4 rooms set up with beds so they can crash is relative isolation.

I'm off to go watch some more dogs come in.