Pete and the Team left the Home Yard this Morning, but in Rural Alaska, you never really leave home, as the extended Rural Alaska family is always there.
From Janet this evening:Ryan Air flew the team into Unalakleet today to compete in the second running of the Paul Johnson Memorial Race. It’s the hometown of the Ryan family and is an always friendly community.
Pete’s getting to know it pretty well too as an Iditarod checkpoint and from racing last years Paul Johnson race. He’s staying with good friends of ours, Clarence and Linda (Ryan) Towarak. Son Donald Towarek is working on the Paul Johnson trail crew again and is caring for his own dog team. Pete said he really liked hearing about Clarence’s dog mushing days and stories from running the Kuskokwim 300 and Iditarod in the 1980’s while Linda’s cooking and offer of trail food made him feel so welcome.
The Towarek’s hospitality last year made him ask us, “How do you know them?” The answer is the state we live in is actually small and people in rural Alaska are pretty well connected after a couple generations of flying, National Guard, basketball and more.
Kaiser Racing family sends a big thank you to Ryan Air, Linda, Clarence and Donald, the Paul Johnson family and all the volunteers who are putting on this exciting race up the Norton Sound coast to the finish line in Nome. Good luck to all the mushers!
