Susan Butcher has her own day in Alaska. The first Saturday in March marks the start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race that Susan made famous, and the State of Alaska has officially made it her day. She was a very special person and, for those of us who knew her well, there is a void since her untimely passing that can't be filled...except with memories.
Late summer holds one of those memories for me. On September 2, Susan married David Monson at their dog lot (that is what they're called) 140 miles or so northwest of Fairbanks. The wedding was a grand Alaskan affair and it marked Jane's first-ever trip to America's Last Frontier.
Jane says that her parents worried when I took her from the Other Washington to Seattle that she would ultimately end up in a snowbank in Alaska. Despite my many trips there and my love of the wild country, she has managed to stay comfortably at home in our Magnolia neighborhood, with this unique exception.
I could not resist taking her to Susan's wedding which I was sure would be a once-in-a-lifetime occasion...and it was.. After some considerable coaxing, Jane packed her party dresses, stacked heels, fine coats and scarves and said "Ok, I'm ready."
When we landed in Fairbanks, the rental car counter was the next stop. "Where're you headed?" was the first question from the counter person. "Susan Butcher's wedding." was my proud reply. "Not in our car, you won't!" as he snatched the contract right out of my hand. "You're on the haul road for the pipeline for over a hundred miles. that's nothing but rocks and mud."
So it was on to try the next rental company. "Where're you headed?" "Just in town for a few days," I replied. "First time up here?" "Nope. I know where I'm going," Success! Off we went...very carefully...headed for Milepost 149.
Not far behind us was one of Susan's sponsors...an east coast gal who was bringing Susan's wedding gown...she blew all four tires on her rental somewhere North of town and showed up late that evening in the back of a pick-up full of good ol' boys.
Trail Breaker Kennels was on part of an old goldmine claim that Susan and David leased from a prospector. The place was decked out for the wedding and the guests had already begun to arrive the evening before. Most were sleeping in their pick-ups or in tents. Jane would have none of that. Part of my negotiation for the trip was a hotel room. Susan thankfully made a reservation for us at the Manley Roadhouse, about 25 miles away.
We met a lot of the folks, mostly Susan and David's friends from all over the state, helped feed the dogs, ate some very fresh jerky and then went off to check in at the hotel.
The Manley Roadhouse is in Manley Hot Springs and, yes, there are hot springs, beside a scenic creek. A few houses, a post office and an airstrip make up the rest of the town. When we checked in, we got the "Northern Exposure" Cicely-Alaska-eye from the locals, until they connected us to Susan, then the smiles came out. "Don't worry about a key. We're always here. Just take your stuff upstairs." Jane was feeling pretty good as we climbed the stairs...until she saw that "upstairs" was an open dorm full of cots. Oh, well, so be it. We're inside under a roof.
We walked around town and Jane mailed a postcard at the post office, where she struck up a conversation with the post mistress, who was also the bush pilot who flies people around the area. She was going to the wedding too. Jane said she hoped the dress she brought for the wedding would be appropriate. Her new friend said it would, " if you don't mind the black flies carrying you away.Honey, cover up everything but your eyes or they'll eat you alive." Perhaps a little overstated but it's Alaska you know. Jane decided to change her outfit.
Back to Trail Breaker for a spaghetti feed that night. Susan asked Jane how she liked the roadhouse and Jane said fine. Susan said that was good to hear because it's taken them a while to come back from the ax murder. (Seems a guy from Michigan checked in earlier in the year, got up in the middle of the night and hacked up a few of the sleeping guests before someone stopped him with a shotgun.) I could have done without that story for Jane's well being but somehow she soldiered on. Some good singing and drinking took the sting out and finally we were off to bed...after carefully planning our escape route.
Wedding day was a bit overcast but still a nice fall day. Susan looked lovely in the dress that her sponsor Allied Fibers had designed and made for her. Don't tell the New Yorkers but Susan fed her dogs in the dress that morning before the ceremony.
A hundred or so of us were privileged to be there for the nuptials. Susan and David had a friend who was their "Marryin' Sam". Her maid of honor was her main Iditarod rival Rick Swenson and her dogs were the ring bearers. They wrote their vows and, as you might imagine, the words had great meaning.
The toasts and party after were a blast. Susan's father and grandmother were on hand and her honored mentor Joe Reddington, who started the Iditarod Race, gave them a heartfelt wish for lifelong happiness. The days are still long in September with sunset near 10 pm. The payoff for the day was the show that the Northern Lights put on as we partied into the night. Magnificent.
Brunch in Manley with Susan and David the next day and then a soak in the hot springs got us ready for the trip home. It was quite an adventure for Jane and it lived up to most of the billing. The exception, and Jane won't let me forget it, was the wildlife. I had given her a big build-up about the moose, elk, bears, wolves and eagles we would see. A chipmunk, a squirrel and a crow were all we could forage. Even I was disappointed.
Still we were lucky to share a piece of Alaska of which only a few people can be part. When Susan's native Alaksan friends from across the state rolled in before the wedding with a Salmon they had caught that morning, we know we were in a place where the right things become important to life. It took three us to lift it out of the truck. We smoked the huge King Salmon and ate it that night. with a fine brew chaser and a sky filled with Aurora Borealis. Alaska is a special place. Incredible!
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Six program administrators have come and gone during my 25 years and they've ranged in temperament and approach from Mr. Chips to Principal Vernon in the Breakfast Club and even Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher. Somehow the program has survived and been very successful. We've turned out over 700 graduates during my time here and they have ended up in many far flung places in some very interesting jobs. The two key communications people from FEMA during the OSO Landslide, both were in the program. Some of the media types who have come over to have a look at this side of the communications business have stayed...while some have gone back (scared them, I'm sure).
I'm still teaching two of the courses, one in the fall and one in the winter. The fall course is about the news media and it gives me a chance to bring out the wonderful examples that "West Wing" showed us on the small screen. The trials, tribulations and successes of a public relations person have never been more clearly portrayed. Aaron Sorkin is a masterful writer and a hero of mine. He was at his best on WW. The program concluded its run in 2006 but the situations, examples and wisdom of building relationships with the media are even more true today than they were back then.
