The calls are few and far between from Travis, so I know things are going well and he is having fun. The dogs, he said, are enjoying the trails which are mostly soft clay. “Good for their feet,” he told me. “I can run them further.” 
He’s been putting on longer mileage, slowly taking the dogs further and further. It sounds like he’s camped quite a bit and has run in to many other mushers out on the trails. That’s the nice thing about Willow known as “the dog mushing capital of the world” there are mushers everywhere. It’s fun running down the trails and passing other teams rather than just passing cars. 
They’ve mostly been running at night, using the lights of the four wheeler and a head lamp to light the way. The weather is still pretty warm and with the longer runs he’s been doing it doesn’t do the dogs any good to run them during the heat of the day. These pictures look like they were taken early evening on a somewhat rainy day. I’ve had a few calls around 10:00pm just before he heads out to run though. I hope the weather there is as nice as it has been in Seward! 
Mostly, It sounds like it’s going well. When he isn’t running dogs he’s been visiting with friends in the area, no doubt talking dogs and the upcoming race season. 
And that’s how things go. One run and then another and then another. 
Back at home I’ve been staying busy catching up on projects. I finished painting our living room which I started during Iditarod and also somehow found time to paint my office. It’s amazing what a little bit of color can do to a room. The puppies have enjoyed plenty of play time too. It’s been fun letting all the dogs here run loose for an hour or so each day. Anyways, back to work for me!
