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Subject: Fw: PLEEEEEEASE REEEEEAD! IT WAS ON GOOD
MORNING AMERICA TODAY SHOW

>
> Read carefully....
>
>
>
> THIS TOOK TWO PAGES OF THE TUESDAY USA TODAY - IT
IS FOR REAL
>
>
>
> To all of my friends, I do not usually forward
messages,
>
> But this is from my friend Pearlas Sandborn and she
really is
>
> an attorney.
>
>
> If she says that this will work - It will work.
After all,What have
>
> you got to lose?
>
>
> SORRY EVERY BODY.. JUST HAD TO TAKE THE CHANCE!!!
I'm an
>
> attorney, And I know the law. This thing is for
real. Rest assured
>
> AOL and &nbs p; Intel will follow through with
their promises for
>
> fear of facing a multimillion-dollar class action
suit similar to the one
>
> filed by PepsiCo against General Electric not too
long ago.
>
>
>
> Dear Friends: Please do not take this for a junk
letter.
>
> Bill Gates sharing his fortune. If you ignore this,
You will repent
>
> later.
>
>
>
> Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet
companies
>
> and in an effort to make sure that Internet
Explorer remains the
>
> most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are
running an e-mail
>
> beta test.
>
>
>
> When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft
can and will
>
> track it (If you are a Microsoft Windows user) For
a two weeks
>
> time period.
>
>
>
> For every person that you forward this e-mail to,
Microsoft will pay
>
> you $245.00 For every person that you sent it to
that forwards it on,
>
> Microsoft will pay you $243.00 and for every third
person that receives
>
> it, You will be paid $241.00. Within two weeks,
Microsoft will contact
>
> you for your address and then send yo u a check.
>
>
>
> Regards. Charles S Bailey General Manager Field
Operations
>
> Ext. 1085 or or RNX
>
>
>
>
>
> Thought this was a scam myself, But two weeks after
receiving this
>
> e-mail and forwarding it on. Microsoft contacted me
for my address and
>
> within days, I received a check for $24, 800.00.
You need to respond
>
> before the beta testing is over. If anyone can
afford this, Bill gates is the
>
> man.
>
>
>
> It's all marketing expense to him. Please forward
this to as many
>
> people as possible. You are bound to get at least
$10, 000.00
>
> We're not going to hel p them out with their e-mail
beta test without
>
> getting a little something for our time. My
brother's girlfriend got in
>
> on this a few months ago. When I went to visit him
for the Baylor/UT
>
> game, she showed me her check. It was for the sum
of $4,324.44 and
>
> was stamped 'Paid In Full'.
>
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>
>
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>
>
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Day 26 February 27 - Flying to Fairbanks

An early morning up to plan for the end of our adventure. Due to all of our weather delays we will have to cut our trip short. We were able to do 18-village presentation and reach over 1400 people along the way. We gave away over 150 helmets and safety equipment with a value of over $25,000. We passed on information about the latest safety equipment available to save lives in the backcountry. We passes along information on grant programs and Search and Rescue information. Most importantly we met some fantastic people that inspired us with their stories of life and death in rural Alaska. It was truly an experience that I will cherish. Our message of safety will hopefully make people think before they travel. We spend the day with logistics to get ourselves and our equipment back to Fairbanks. Everything comes together and we will be on the 3:30 flight out. Our machines will depart at 2:00 and should be at the airport waiting for us. Rod gets us to the airport with all our gear and we make all the connections. We arrive in Fairbanks get Kyle’s car and head to the freight office. Our machines went to Anchorage and will not make Fairbanks till the next day. Kyle needs to be at work the next day so we opt to have the machines stay in Anchorage. Lisa and I will go to get them after we get Kyle back to Valdez. Kyle has maxed out his days off and he will be in BIG trouble if he is not back.

I am very proud of Kyle and Lisa. We have done a good thing for these communities. I could not have done this without their help. Their dedication and determination inspire me. This was a team effort. Our presentations flowed well with their help. Lisa presented health and food information that was very well received. Her professional attitude and exuberant personality provided a special touch to our presence. Kyle has a great connection with the kids and helped keep equipment organized and ready as the presentations moved along. He also found his inner techie self as he flipped our PowerPoint presentation slides. He was also the game show host for all of our giveaway door prizes. On the trail I felt totally comfortable in even the most demand situations. I knew that if things got difficult, as they did several times, that Kyle and Lisa had the skills to get us on down the trail. It was a pleasure traveling with these two fantastic individuals.

If you get a chance, check in with this site at a later date. We may add some new info about the trip. We also have many pictures to add.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Snowmachine Alaska

Day 25 February 26 - Buckland to Kotzebue

An early morning start. We pack and get ready for a long day. We have about 90 miles to travel with no trail and new snow. We also have the threat of wind and overflow on Kobuk lake (Hotham Inlet). This is the area where the two people from Buckland got stuck on their trip to Kotz. We get an escort out of town with Percy to hit the trail to the coast. We hit the coast and head out onto the sea ice. It is a little windy and we less than ¼ mile visibility of nothing but flat ocean ice and snow. We have bright sun but we are in ground ice fog and wind. We can see land out in the distance at times. We soon get across the sound to land and a short hoop overland to Kobuk Lake. We were told that the overflow would be close to shore and we should stay out toward the middle of the 10-mile wide lake. The lake has 12 to 18” of new snow that is wind blown. The ride is rough and the visibility is pretty good most of the time. We are staying about one or two miles off shore. We check the GPS often. We were told that we would pick up a trail heading into Kotz from the lake. We get within 15 mile before we hit tracks. The wind is about 40mph and we start to see more tracks as we get 10 miles out. We pass a pilot grounded in a 185 outside of town on a small lake due to the winds. I will bet he had an exciting landing. We arrive in town and go to the Hospital to meet with Ted Renolds. Ted was our contact person that helped with housing and presentation location arrangements. We get set with a room and get settled in. The presentation will be at the school at 7pm. We set up about 6pm. We are concerned about attendance. It seems that there are several things happening around town and the wind in cranking at about 60+mph. Not a good evening to be out. We end up with a group of about 12 people. It was a great group however. We had Chris Busk’s Aunt Cheryl and Rod in the group. They were a fantastic help to us. They were able to help us get organized the next day for departure. The presentation went very well and we had some great input from the group. We were able to give helmets to each person in the group. We went back to the hotel for a good night sleep.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Snowmachine Alaska

Day 24 February 25 - Deering to Buckland

We get up to blowing snow again. We get packed and ready to depart. Chris shows up and we head out. The visibility is about ¼ mile. The trail is rough but we make good time. The area near Candle has some serious overflow so we make a turn inland for several miles to skirt that area. The lighting and wind get better and the sun comes out. Chris decides to turn back to Dearing and send us along to Buckland. The trail is well marked and the sun warms the day to about -10. We arrive in Buckland and meet Richard Dennis the school principal and get settled in. We have a few hours before our presentation. Richard invites us over to meet the staff at a small gathering at his home. Some good food and some story sharing. We go back to the school and set-up for the presentation. Two days prior to our arrival two people traveling to Kotzebue by snowmachine had trouble. One person died of hypothermia and the other will lose feet and maybe hands to frostbite. I am a little nervous about presenting so close to such a tragic event. We announce the presentation over the VHF radio. The gym starts to get a few people then more and more. This is our biggest turnout of the entire trip. 165 people show up for our presentation. At the end of our presentation a local elder stood and spoke of the importance of what we had said. Many people thanked us and asked questions about equipment and how they could get info on the Trac grant program. A hot shower and a soft bed were a welcome end to a very good day.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Snowmachine Alaska

Day 23 February 24 - Deering

We get up to blizzard conditions. Checking the forecast and asking locals for their advice we decide that travel would be dangerous for today. We visit with the locals and get some much-needed rest. An invitation to Chris Busk’s house for dinner is a nice thing to look forward to. It has been a long time since we have had some home cooked food. Kyle heads out with Chip for an afternoon fox hunt in the blowing snow. They have a great time. Lisa and I organized some gear cluster and spent some time in relax mode. The evening is spent at Chris’s house eating some good food sharing stories and enjoying some guitar music. Chris’s daughter Elizabeth was a joy as well. It is nice to see happy young people that enjoy the amazing life in bush Alaska. Chris offers to ride with us to Buckland the next morning. Even in poor weather Chris can show us the route and the danger spots.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Snowmachine Alaska

Day 22 February 23 - Deering

We get up early to go to Chips to repair our sleds. We arrive as Chips family is preparing to go to school. Chips wife Agnus is a teacher of native language in the school. She is also an amazing native artist. She has produced many pieces of art, some of which are on display in museums and corporate offices. We were invited into the kitchen with our broken sled to do repairs. Chip had all the tools and equipment we needed to make a great repair job on both sleds. I felt very confident we would have no more trouble with them the rest of the trip. We spent the entire day enjoying Chips stories of the subsistence lifestyle that he and his family enjoy. We finished one sled before we went to the school about 4 to fix dinner and prepare for the evening presentation. The turnout was fantastic. We had about 100 people and some great participation from the crowd. We had a big group after the presentation asking questions and sharing information with us. It was nice to get feedback from community members expressing their appreciation for what we were doing. We went back to Chips house to finish the second sled. We finally finished at about 1:30am. Chip said the family was use to the hammering cutting and drilling noises into the late night and it would not bother them. I felt a little bad hammering with all I had, at midnight, with the little ones sleeping 15 feet away. A great family with a heart of gold. They made us feel like family.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Snowmachine Alaska

Day 21 February 22 - Cottonwood Creek to Deering

Sunshine, clear and cold. We build a fire and get breakfast. Not sure when the fuel will arrive so we hang out cutting wood, eating, reading and watching Kyle sleep. That boy can power sleep. It should be about 3 hours or less to Deering. I would expect to see someone about noon. Noon comes and goes with no sign. At 3pm I get a little concerned and decide to call Ron. Ron is not around but the word is that someone did depart with fuel. About 6pm Chip and Connell arrive with 30 gallon of fuel. They come in for some hot drinks while we get our stuff packed to ride. We are quick to get the gas in and boxes strapped down. These guys are fantastic. They are experienced outdoorsmen and Search and Rescue veterans with the local organization. We are soon on the trail heading for Deering. The trail is rough and our sleds often cause us to stop and re-strap equipment. We slow Chip and Connell a little but we get in to Deering about 8:30. Chris is a teacher at the school. He meets us and helps us settle in for the evening. It is good to have a nice warm classroom to sleep in and a hot shower.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Snowmachine Alaska

Day 20 February 21 - Serpentine to Cottonwood Creek Cabin

Early morning start. We are up at 6:30 to get things packed and ready. A good breakfast of oatmeal, protein shake and hot drinks. A high-energy breakfast will be needed for a long day of no trail, GPS travel. We have a basic route selected but we know that we will need to call Ron in Deering at noon to get a fuel delivery set-up. The travel is very rough and our broken sleds are a very serious concern. If our boxes begin to rub on the ground and start breaking open we could be in a very difficult situation. We are maxed out on each sled and no more space is available to carry gear. Our travel is slow due to rough terrain and overflow on all of the rivers that we cross. We are seeing big herds of caribou everywhere. They are having a very difficult winter because of the ice-covered tundra that was caused by the warm weather melting and re-freezing. We are getting close to noon and our call time to Ron. We hope to get as far as possible so we can tell him a little more accurately about where we will be. It looks like we can make the shelter cabin at cottonwood creek with our fuel. I make the call and Ron agrees cottonwood creek will be the best place. Ron sounds a little unsure about when the gas will arrive. We get to cottonwood creek cabin. It is a NPS cabin for emergency use. It has a wood stove and some wood ready to warm a weary traveler. The floor is dirt and ice, the interior walls are canvas and there is quite a bit of snow on the floor. As we get the fire going and cut wood along the creek bank the fire starts to warm the interior. It is very important to leave more wood than you use. The next visitor may need lots of wood if they have an emergency. We soon discover that the walls are full of ice. We soon have very damp air in the cabin. It is a sauna with a mud pit floor. It is about -10F outside and the damp air inside is very uncomfortable. We cut some dead wood along the stream to get out of the damp air in the cabin. Opening the door for short periods of time lets the dampness out. At 6pm I call Ron to find out that the fuel will not come till tomorrow. We settle in for the evening. The northern lights come out to perform for us. The dampness is getting better and we are comfortable in our bunks. We spend the evening reading and playing Alaska Trivia. Who was the president when Alaska became a state? A candle
in the window, good friends, and a warm fire.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Snowmachine Alaska

Day 19 February 20 - Serpentine Layover

We wake to blowing snow. We need to make some important decisions about our situation. We will not have enough gas to make Deering. Shishmaref is possible if all goes well and the overflow situation there has improved. We decide to call Ron Moto(search and rescue) in Deering and let him know our situation to see if a fuel drop from their end would be possible. I make several calls and finally get Ron. He said that a fuel drop would work from his end. I will call him with the sat. phone when we get close to set the meeting location for the fuel. We will stay in Serpentine for another night. This place is amazing. The surrounding area has rock tors that look like stone hinge. Lisa and I go for a walk up to a nearby hilltop. We spot a herd of 15 caribou about 100yrds away. They spot us and run off only to return about 15 minutes later. We turn to look at the cabin and see a large moose walking 50 feet from the cabin. On our return to the cabin a red fox walks up to us as though he owned the place. We are happy to be able to visit his great little community. This place is beautiful with a magical mystical feel. It has been a place for native shaman training and healing for over 10000 years. The National Park Service now lays claim to it. It is a place that needs protection and the NPS seem to be treating it with some degree of respect. It was sad to hear however, that the NPS pulled out the reflective trail markers that locals had placed over the years to lead travelers into the cabin. Maybe they will put them back when someone dies in a blizzard trying to find the place. The cabin is well maintained with everything a traveler would need. All you need is a sleeping bag, food, and some fuel for the stove. Shishmaref residents mostly use the cabin in the spring and fall. Summer brings people by foot and by plane. The logbook is fun reading. People from around the world come to this remote hot spring. They all write of the great time they have had here. It was amazing to hear that native healing groups come here to provide healing to people with a wide array of injuries and diseases. They have a very high percentage of positive effects at these retreats. There was no doubt in my mind that there was a positive soothing effect on my poor old aching muscles. We will try for an early start for our trip to Deering. We had a very relaxing evening with a hot soak, a good dinner and a good game of Alaska trivia by Coleman lantern light.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Snowmachine Alaska

Day 18 February 19 - Nome to Serpentine Hot Springs

We decide today is the day to depart for Serpentine, even though the wind is still high and it is snowing. The forecast is for improving weather and we have about 40 miles of the trip along a road. Departing town along the road is a little difficult with side hilling along the ditch. We sometimes have enough snow on the road to get on it and ride. As we get to the end of the road maintenance section we are getting very high wind and snow. It is often hard to stay on the road as the blizzard intensifies. The wind has swept the road bare in many places and the sleds are taking a beating in the gravel. We get some small breaks in the wind that allows us to make better time but we are very slow due to the blizzard conditions. At midday a break in the weather and a moment to turn the sleds over and check the condition of the bottom. DISASTER STRIKES we have worn the bottom out of two of our sleds. This is big trouble. We are 50 miles from Nome and 100 miles from Deering. If the sleds get worse we could have a very difficult time getting our equipment anywhere. Turning back to Nome would be a major setback. We have already been delayed for 3 days and we need to keep moving. We are now using more gas than I had expected and our destination will be tight on the gas we have. We travel on. I am hoping that we will be able to get some gas in Taylor. It is a gold mining community in the summer. There will be cabins and equipment but no residents this time of year. We are in hopes that someone will have an open cabin or building and we can borrow some fuel. As we arrive we find several cabins but all are locked. Our only option is to siphon gas from a four-wheeler at one of the cabins. We get about 4 gallons. We will try to find the owner from our Nome connection to get them some gas money. We are not going to make Deering on our fuel and Nome is no longer an option. We will need to head to Shismerif or get someone from Deering to come and meet us with fuel. We head on to Serpentine as night falls and the weather starts to deteriorate rapidly. We spot a herd of Muskox as it starts to blow and snow. We get within 75yrds as they circle to protect the young. We watch for a few minutes and they soon run off into the night blizzard. We are now traveling by GPS to get to Serpentine. We have about 20 miles to go and the blizzard is intensifying. We check the gps every 10 minutes. Finally 2 miles to go. Travel is very rough and visibility is only a few feet. The lights of Kyle’s and Lisa’s machines are often not visible in the blowing snow. We are stopping every 200yrds to check the gps. We finally arrive according to the gps but we do not see any buildings. We can only see about 50ft with our headlights and we are close to a creek where we think the hot springs are located. We have snowdrifts that we get stuck in. We get hot pulling sleds out but the wind chill is -20f. This is a bad situation being hot with such cold wind chill. We pull out the GPS readings that Evan Booth (iron dog veteran from
Nome) gave us for Serpentine. We need to go a short distance according to these readings. The wind and snow are getting the paper wet and we can barely read it. We may need to set up our tent for the night. The situation is not good. As we are pulling our sleds out of another snowdrift we get a small break in the wind. I look up and see something that looks like it could be a building. We quickly head that direction. It turns out to be a large rock tor. We check the gps again and find that we are headed in a good direction. Suddenly a windsock, then a building, then another, then steam rolling into the calming night sky. We arrive to find a large building with three large rooms. Two rooms are set-up to stay in. Each of them has about 6 beds, a cook stove, an oil drip stove, a wood stove, and Coleman lanterns. The hot spring tub is in a separate building with a wood walkway between. The night sky calms and the northern lights dance across the sky. The magic of this amazing place gives us a warm feeling as we settle in for the night. The hot tub is a welcome relief after a difficult ride.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Snowmachine Alaska

Day 17 February 18 - Blizzard in Nome

Woke for an early start. Got packed as the wind outside increased and the snow started to fly. Turned on the weather channel to Blizzard Warnings. Called Evan Booth of Iron Dog fame for advice. DON’T GO he said. We decided to take his advice and get some things done for an early start on Sunday.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Safety Alaska

Day 16 February 17 - Regrouping in Nome

Had a quick ride into Nome in the AM. Spent the day organizing our gear and planning our departure. Picked up a few gas cans for the long distance rides to come. Talked to some locals about the trail to Deering.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Safety Alaska

Day 15 February 16 - Solo Ride Koyuk to Nome

Woke to good weather and lower seawater. I decide to ride back to Nome. The trail was still watery in many places. Much more water skipping than I wanted to do. Made ok time for most of the trip till White Mountain. Had a close encounter with a skip. Had to unload all the stuff from the sled and carry about 50yrds up hill. Had to dig a trail for the machine and on and on. I ended the night up Solomon River in a miner’s cabin. No light and overflow prevented me from reaching the road. Had a good sleep in a cozy cabin with a wood stove and candle light. Kyle and Lisa informed the other schools down the line about our delay.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Safety Alaska

Day 14 February 15 - Layover in Nome

I flew back to Koyuk in the AM to get the broken down machine that Jacob repaired for us. Jacob is an 18 year old high school student that is an ACE mechanic. He did a great job of fixing the machine with a new piston and cylinder. RAIN RAIN and WARM. The conditions look very poor for a return ride. I am considering shipping the machine so I won’t have to ride a dangerous trail solo.

The Iron Dog teams will ride together back to Unalakleet to restart due to the unsafe conditions. Had to stay the night in Koyuk. Kyle and Lisa spend the evening with the Iron Dog boys at the halfway dinner party awards. They got to check out the Iron Dog machines at the City shop. Got word today that the White Mountain School burned to the ground the night after we stayed. Sure glad we were not in it. We are very sorry to hear. The school was an amazing little place

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Safety Alaska

Day 13 February 14 - White Mountain/Nome

Rain and warm for the ride to Nome. The rain stopped and the trail was ok. Still riding double with Lisa. Hope to fly back to Koyuk from Nome to get the machine as soon as possible. Had a red fox visit us at Topkok Cabin. He was very friendly and came within 15 feet of us. The beach had no snow in places. We had to search out small patches for the sleds and the hyfax. A large storm surge has brought high water and covered the trail in many places. We are water skipping some areas and going around others close to the hills. Many extra miles of bumpy, no trail riding. Amazing sea ice being pushed up over the beach by the surge.

In to Nome with the Iron Dog racers. Two teams pass us at mile 10. We place third???? Charles gets us in a room and we present in the Old St. Joe Church in town square. A small crowd for such a big place, but we had lots of kids and some great questions from the group.

Tags: NACE Snowmobile Safety Alaska