A Little About Us
I live on the Kenai Peninsula near a little town called Anchor Point in Alaska. Anchor Point derived its name from a diary entry Captain James Cook made when he lost a kedging anchor while trying to disembark the beach after sending his crew ashore to get fresh water.
I have been married to my wife Debbie since 1977. We have six children; Starr, Ben, Will, Mark, Rebekah and Grace.
We moved to Alaska from the Nebraska
prairie in the fall of 1992. We live on a little ten acre plot in a small house that we are finally finishing up. Our dog team lives outside in the dog yard. They are close so we can keep an eye on them just in case a wandering moose or grizzly bear decides to visit.
When I started mushing in 1992 I had only a few dogs and was content to be a “recreational” musher. As the years went by, I continued to improve my team. A few years ago my son Mark decided that he wanted to participate in the Junior Iditarod so we decided to change the focus of our team from recreational mushing to racing. It was a good move. In 2005 Mark entered his first Junior Iditarod but had to scratch. In 2006 he was determined to do better and finished 16th out of 23 teams.
| |
|
Mark Ruzicka at 2006 Jr. Iditarod |
This year his younger sister Rebekah ran her first Junior Iditarod and finished 21st out of 26 teams. Rebekah is now preparing for the 2008 Junior Iditarod. Mark, meanwhile, has moved on to the adult races.
We try to maintain a smaller kennel of 18 dogs. "Big name” mushers can have several dozen to several hundred. We believe that a smaller kennel allows us to maintain a higher standard than other kennels because every dog in a small kennel must be able to rise to the team’s needs.
We have a wonderful life here in Alaska. The country is rugged and wild every where you go. The scenery is beautiful. The lifestyle is unparalleled.
We are fortunate to live in such a large and untamed wilderness. It is our pleasure to share just a little bit of Alaska with any one who is interested. It truly is the Last Frontier. |
I live on the Kenai Peninsula