Fireweed 400 -- 2009 CW 24/7-11

So it's not THE Tour, but there is a major bicycle race in Alaska taking place yesterday and today...the Fireweed 400.

There are several levels...from a 50-mile fat tire roll to the 400 mile race from Sheep Mountain Lodge to Valdez and back. The longer races started yesterday. The winner finished at 8 this morning with a time of just over 20 hours.

Saturday is usually my day off. But at 5 am I was over the breakfast flattop making pancakes...and more pancakes...scrambled eggs...and more scrambled eggs. The lodge went with a buffet last night and this morning. There are more than 800 people between the racers and spectators...and 11 employees.

The major breakfast rush was over by 7:30 and the usual breakfast cook was in, so I popped over to the other side and made several dozen big cookies.

My work day finished at 10. I walked around checking out people's bicycles and watched a couple of the races 100-mile events start.

I then decided to have a lazy day. Sometimes people forget about those days when they first plan to go to one of these seasonal places. Sometimes your butt has been kicked for several days in a row and it just wants to rest when it can.

But there were a couple of things I did for my winter gig. I'll be the Head Chef at the Kay El Bar Guest Ranch in Wickenburg, Arizona. Joe Beattie, the owner, wanted me to make contact with a person he is looking to hire as the second cook and give him my opinion. Did that. Also I have been going through my notes and ideas that I was developing at the end of last season and sent Joe and Teri an email about possible changes for dinner service.