Iditarod Musher Eric Rogers - R North Bound Dogs

IDITAROD 37
March 7th, 2009

::: Part of the Team, Part of the History, Part of the Greatness ::::

DIRECTORY

DOGS FOR SALE

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ABOUT THE MUSHER

ABOUT OUR
KENNEL

RACE
SCHEDULE
& HISTORY

OUR 2008 DOG
SPONSORS

"ROSEMARY"
Sponsored by
Rosemary Dunn

"DiJon"
Sponsored by
Mary & Irving Horowitz

"ROM"
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"JEWELS"
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"DUKAT"
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"BASIL"
Sponsored by
Dale & Patricia Keefe

"DASH"
Sponsored by
Barbara &
Jerry Lake

"SISCO"
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Kathy and Terry Weaver

"KEIKO"
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The Journey Continues
July 17, 2007
“There is in every American, I think, something of the old Daniel Boone - who, when he could see the smoke from another chimney, felt himself too crowded and moved further out into the wilderness.” - Hubert H. Humphrey

Eric, Governor Palin, and Trish Keefe
at the volunteer picnic

Thanks to Trish and Dale Keefe, we did it. I’m signed up for the 2008 Iditarod. I’ve been telling people that for an Iditarod musher, going to the picnic and not signing up is like an alcoholic going to the bar with his friends and not having a drink. It can be done, but it takes more “won’t power” than I have ;-).

It was a good day. Governor Palin was there and I had my picture taken with her and Trish. It was cute watching Lance get his picture taken with her also. Lance is not very political, and when the governor called him in Nome to congratulate him he assumed it was the previous governor.
Remember when I signed up for the first race I lost my job. When I signed up for the second race Marti lost her job. We are waiting with baited breath to see what happens next ;-).

Eric having his paperwork checked and notarized prior to signup. The paperwork is in the Ziploc bag on the table to protect it from the weather.

We were getting the house ready to sell, even talking to a realtor when Bill Borden told me he thought he could offer us another option. We met at the picnic, and then gathered at Bill’s Wasilla home, as opposed to his Atlanta home, to discuss matters. Two years ago when I lost my job I started R Northbound Dogs as a business and got a license from the State of Alaska so I could work the Sunday market in Anchorage. Because I have good credit and two years in business Bill has managed to get me pre-approved for a loan to re-finance the house. We still have to go through the appraisal and things could still fall apart, but this is really encouraging. The re-finance will allow us to fix the house (and sell it for more than a “fixer”) and to continue to live here until after the race in March. We still need to move – this is too big a house for Marti and I and without jobs in Anchorage we don’t need to live with all the crowds. Bill’s idea is for us to buy a place (we are looking in Willow) this winter when prices are depressed, move after the race, and rent the house we are currently in. I just need to be careful not to go through all the money from the house. I need to make this business turn a profit.

Bill is licensed as a mortgage broker and realtor in both Georgia and Alaska and seems to enjoy a challenge. This isn’t the first time they have helped me out – remember Bill loaned me his dog trailer after I wrecked mine before the 2006 race. And I’m not the only Idita-nut in Alaska Bill and Brenda have helped. Good people. checkpointmortgage.com

Eric digging out his master card to sign up.
Can you hear the poor card cry for relief :-)?
Thanks to Trish and Dale Keefe of the Northern Restaurant Group the pain was not nearly
as bad as it might have been.
That is June Price over Hugh Neff’s shoulder.

Speaking of earning money, I just got my first paying personal appearance gig. I’m going to be local color at an event in Anchorage on August 8th. It sounds like a lot of fun. Basically I’ll sign autographs and answer questions about Iditarod and mushing. The event is a corporate thank you to clients. If the company that hired me likes my performance, this could be the start of a profitable relationship. It sure beats 8 to 5.

Bonnie Foster has been helping me place dogs that are not making the team. She is a wonderful socializer and teaches these guys house manners and check their reaction to cats among other things. Bonnie took Quark to see how he would react and I got the strangest message. Quark decided that he liked life on Bonnie’s couch and talked her into keeping him. What a con artist! This isn’t the first time that has happened either. I dropped Belle at McGrath in the 2006 race. Bonnie picked her up from the dropped dog people in Anchorage and took her home to wait for me. Belle was no dummy and knew a soft touch when she saw one. She convinced Bonnie’s husband Jim that he couldn’t live without her and invited herself to move in permanently. Bonnie and Jim have warned me that I’d better not drop Throttle or the same thing might happen. Both Belle and Quark (and the other dogs Bonnie adopted from me) are very glad to see me when I visit, but none of them want to come home with me anymore. Ah, the tough life these dogs lead… ? For information about dogs available click here

Quark did decide to give Bonnie a scare. He had not been at her house for a week when he panicked and jumped the fence. Bonnie and Jim looked for him late into the night. I came over the next morning to help search. It was a long and harrowing experience, but we did catch him and all is well. He was one tired, sore sled dog. I’ll let Bonnie tell you the rest of the story.

Keep ‘em Northbound
Eric
© 2007 All rights reserved

OUR 2008 RACE
SPONSORS

8025 Schoon Street
Anchorage, AK 99518

Northern Restaurant
Group, LLC
Dale & Patricia Keefe

DAILY'S WEB DESIGN

Mary E Curtis

Knights of Columbus

Have you ever wanted to be part of the Iditarod adventure but didn't
know how? Help support Eric Rogers Iditarod team by joining the
2006-2007 season Rogers Rangers. Just $30 buys you a bootie worn by the
team, a 2005-2006 Rookie season musher card, and a signed certificate of
membership. All funds go to support Eric's 2007 Iditarod. For your
convenience we now take credit cards through PayPal. All donations
gratefully accepted.

Thank you for your support.

SPONSOR INFO

OUR 2008 DOG
SPONSORS