Dogs delight in days' run on dunes.Byline: REBECCA NOLAN NOLAN Nascom Operational LAN The Register-Guard FLORENCE - It sounded like a barking contest in downtown Florence on Sunday, though there was not a seal in Verb 1. seal in - close with or as if with a tight seal; "This vacuum pack locks in the flavor!" lock in confine - prevent from leaving or from being removed sight. Instead, dozens of dogs were gathered on First Avenue, wagging their tails, straining against their harnesses and barking, barking, barking. Perhaps they were celebrating the end of the 25th annual Oregon Dune Mushers Mail Run, a 72-mile endurance run in which dog teams pull their drivers from North Bend North Bend is the name of several places in the United States of America:
It's believed to be the world's longest organized dry-land run for dog teams. This year's run began Friday and ended Sunday afternoon with a parade in Florence's Old Town, where the mushers met with fans and the dogs barked and howled at each other. The Mail Run route from North Bend through Lakeside to Florence follows the path that horse-drawn coaches and ships carrying U.S. mail and passengers once took up and down the coast. These days, the Dune Mushers, based in North Bend, use the run to raise money. Proceeds from the sale of T-shirts and commemorative envelopes help send an Oregon team to the Iditarod Sled Dog sled dog Any working dog used to pull a sled carrying people and supplies across snow and ice. The breeds most commonly used are the Alaskan malamute, Laika, Samoyed, and Siberian husky. All are powerful dogs with a thick coat and high endurance. See also Eskimo dog. Race, held each March in Alaska, or to other long-distance races. It's a popular way for Northwest teams to round out the racing season, said Marlene Myers, who ran dogs in the Mail Run for four years and was named rookie of the year Rookie of the Year may refer to:
Still a member of the Dune Mushers, she sold T-shirts and commemorative envelopes from the back of her pickup Sunday. Dune mushers are divided into two categories: mini-teams made up of three to five dogs, and larger teams of five to 10 dogs. The slower mini-teams start a day earlier, and this year included a 14-year-old boy who borrowed dogs from his neighbors to complete his three-dog team. The weekend's rain packed down the sand, making it a better running surface for the dogs and their drivers, who are pulled along on 125-pound metal carts with pneumatic tires, steering wheels and brakes. "I had people doing rain dances from Seattle to San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden ," said Beverly Meyers of North Bend, who organized and participated in this year's run with her team of four Alaskan malamutes. "The nastier the weather, the better for the dogs," said Buck Church of Christmas Valley. "They don't overheat o·ver·heat v. o·ver·heat·ed, o·ver·heat·ing, o·ver·heats v.tr. 1. To heat too much. 2. To cause to become excited, agitated, or overstimulated. v.intr. when it's cold and wet." Church first got into dog mushing
Proceeds of a past Mail Run helped send him to Alaska last year for the 1,163-mile Iditarod race. This year his team of six Alaskan sled dogs has competed in several races, including a 300-mile stage race in Bend and a 350-mile continuous race in Montana. While you might expect the dogs to be tired after a long day of hauling their owner across the sand, Church's animals strained against their harnesses, apparently eager to continue the journey, as Church chatted with visitors. "They just want to run," said Church, who gets his team into shape by hitching them to his all-terrain vehicle all-ter·rain vehicle n. Abbr. ATV A small, open motor vehicle having one seat and three or more wheels fitted with large tires. It is designed chiefly for recreational use over roadless, rugged terrain. , putting it in neutral and letting them go. Meyers trains her giant malamutes on the dunes. Afterward, she cleans them off and lets them in the house, where they lounge on the furniture and sleep on the bed. "When they're not running, they dig holes and look at the neighbor's cat," she said. "They're house dogs." The endurance run was not competitive, so there were no winners or losers. The majority of the mushers are from Oregon, but some come from Washington and Idaho, too. "People know the different drivers and everyone has their favorites," Myers said. Stan and Lisa Carrell car·rel also car·rell n. A partially partitioned nook in or near the stacks in a library, used for private study. [Middle English carole, round dance ring, circle, stall for study of Coos Bay Coos Bay (k  s), city (1990 pop. 15,076), Coos co., SW Oreg., a port of entry on Coos Bay; founded 1854 as Marshfield, inc. 1874, renamed 1944. didn't have a favorite
driver, but were fascinated by the run. They made a weekend out of the
run, following the 17 teams up the coast through snow, slush slush n. 1. Partially melted snow or ice. 2. Soft mud; slop; mire. 3. Nautical Grease or fat discarded from a ship's galley. 4. A greasy compound used as a lubricant for machinery. and rain. "It's been great," said Stan Carrell. "We've enjoyed watching the dogs work and talking to the mushers." CAPTION(S): Tricia, one of 22 dogs belonging to Mark Klein, is ready to fly through the air, or at least over the beach, on Sunday during the Oregon Dune Mushers Mail Run. "I had people doing rain dances from Seattle to San Francisco." - BEVERLY MEYERS, organizer of the 25th annual Oregon Dune Mushers Mail Run |
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