Dallas Seavey is the winner of the 2014 Iditarod! He is the son of Mitch Seavey, two time winner (and presently in third place). Ally Zirkle was a close second. The teams still out will trot under the burled arch in Nome over the next several days.

Two coffee table books are part of today's post: Iditarod Glory, photography by Jeff Schultz, essay by Brian Patrick O'Donoghue and Iditarod Spirit by Kim Heacox. I love looking at these books with a cup of tea. The pictures are spectacular ... Alaska is a stunning and harsh land. There are behind the scenes photos (Jeff Schultz was the official photographer for more than two decades). There are pictures along the trail of the mushers and their dogs working so well together, of the volunteers who help each year along the trail, of the checkpoints and the tending of the teams, and of course, the finish in Nome.

There are lots of volunteers along the Iditarod trail, including pilots! These bush pilots transport food, supplies, photographers, and dogs to and from the various checkpoints in all kinds of weather (unless it's really, really bad, as it was a few years back when the supplies were brought in by, you guessed it, dog teams!) They take off on the ice, they look for missing teams in blizzards, and take dogs dropped from teams back to the start. Learn about these amazing pilots in Adventures of the Iditarod Air Force: True Stories About the Pilots Who Fly for Alaska's Famous Sled Dog Race, by Ted Mattson.

Iditarod Country: Exploring the Route of The Last Great Race, with stories by Tricia Brown and photography by Jeff Schultz tells a bit about each of the towns along the Iditarod route as well as stories told to Tricia Brown from several of the mushers. It's short, and a quick, fun read. The Iditarod Fact Book: a Complete Guide to the Last Great Race, edited by Sue Mattson, illustrations by Jon Van Zyle, photographs by Jeff Schultz has hundreds of facts about the race, the history, the mushers, the terms they use. It's great to read this book during commercials. ;-)

And finally, a delightful little book of quotes, tales and facts: Lessons My Sled Dog Taught Me: Humor and Heartwarming Tails From Alaska's Mushers, collected by Tricia Brown, illustrations by Amanda Brannon. You'll find all sorts of wisdom here, this one from Sonny King: "My dogs have taught me patience ... strength ... skill ... and determination. That's what it takes to get to Nome" as well as the old standby "The view never changes unless you're the lead dog" (Anonymous).

I once had a dog ... a northern breed mix. He loved the winter cold and snow. You also need to know, for this story, that my roof is designed to shed the snow. At some point during a snowfall there are rumbles and thuds and then there are snow drifts in my yard. It was after a particularly snowy time, but most of the snow was now gone and it was one of those rare 'spring is on the way' moments that last for maybe an afternoon and then disappear for several weeks. It was the weekend so many of the neighbors (of all ages) were home, and outside. The kids were riding bikes up and down the street, adults were getting a start on a yard cleanup, and the dogs, well, the dogs were gleefully romping and rolling in the new, tender, green grass. Except for mine. He was happily stretched out on that one remaining pile of snow. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog