Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon - Part 1: Getting There

As you might imagine, I have a dream of attending the Iditarod. But a trip like that is just not in the budget. Plus I have this strange fear of traveling. No, it's not a fear of flying. It's just a fear of being away from home and being out of control.

But when I heard about the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota, I thought, "That I can afford. And if I can handle traveling there, and if my budget allows, maybe I CAN go to the Iditarod in the future." My friend Jackie and her two sons (who are all big Iditarod fans) agreed to go with me, and the plans were set. I booked a hotel room on-line for myself. It so happened that the only non-smoking room available had two beds, and somehow I managed to make nonrefundable reservations (still getting used to doing things on-line), but I was set.

Then a few days before we were to leave, Jackie's plans changed and she was unable to go. Now I was experiencing my pre-trip stress out, so if those motel reservations had been refundable, I would have cancelled the reservations with a sigh of relief. But they were nonrefundable, so I found another friend to go with me. Miraculously, my friend Marcy was able to clear her schedule at the last minute, and we made plans to go. Now, I was glad I had those nonrefundable reservations, AND that the room had two beds.

Highlights of our trip out there: Staying with Marcy's friends in Austin, Minnesota, and seeing the pens that her friend made out of cast off wood.

Having lunch with my old friend Barb in Minneapolis

Having pizza with an Idita-buddy from the forum named Pete and his daughter, Faith, on Friday evening.

Click here to see more photos from the trip. (Click on the first photo to make it larger, then you can click "next" to see each photo.)

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