Robert Forto

south dakota

30 Days About Me. A Photo from 10 years ago and a current one

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I am participating the a blog challenge this month called 30 Days About Me brought to us so graciously from a Daily Dose of Toni.

Today topic: a photo from ten years ago and a current one holds a special place to me. For the past ten years I have been chasing a dream that I thought would never materialize.

That’s what dreams are for right? To dream of something just out of four reach so you always have something to strive for–right?

In 2000 my wife and I are not even married yet and we began to think of our future. Sure, some people think of settling down and maybe buying a place saving for retirement.

Not us. We think big!

At the time I was an up-and-coming-wanna-be musher and had this crazy dream to one day run the Iditarod. If you are unfamiliar with the Iditarod it is a 1,049 mile race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska with a team of 16 sled dogs. To put in it perspective that is about the distance from Denver, Colorado to Minneapolis, Minnesota standing on runners about the width of a yardstick.

Michele and I packed up the family and the dogs and gear and headed to Hilly City, South Dakota to run a sled dog race called The Black Hills Race for the Gold.

We came across this sign at the entrance to the Crazy Horse Memorial near Mount Rushmore.

It speaks for itself…

Robert and Ineka 2001

The second picture is ten years and four months later taken at the exact same spot this summer when Michele and I took a road trip from Alaska to Minnesota to South Dakota and back to Denver.

Robert 2011

While a lot is the same many things are different. I am still chasing the area, but I am so very close. We have bought a home in Alaska to run sled dogs that is only 3 miles from the start of the Iditarod trail. I have trails out my back door that you can literally run on until you fall off the earth.

Sadly my buddy Ineka, has passed on but he runs with me in spirit as I run under the Team Ineka banner and will carry his ashes with me to Nome when I run the race.

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Never forget your dreams…

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“Never Forget Your Dreams”

–Korczak Kiolkowski

It was a decade ago with a dog truck full of a rag-tag team of rescued Siberian Huskies, three kids barely old enough to be in school and a dream that was just begining.

Michele, the kids and I were heading to the Black Hills Race to the Gold sled dog race in Hill City, South Dakota. It was one of our first races and first road trips as a family. I had recently moved to Colorado and shared my passion of dog sledding with all of them. I told them about my Iditarod dreams and they supported my decisions.

As we were driving we saw this sign: “Never Forget Your Dreams” at the Crazy Horse Memorial near Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills.

I will never forget–I slammed on the brakes, drove into the parking lot and jumped out of the dog truck with my dog Ineka. Michele snapped the picture, and if you look real close you can see three little kids in the back seat.

Who would have known that a decade later that this sign would become the mantra and driving force for everything that my family and I do.

A lot has changed over the last ten years. And many things have remained the same. I am still mushin’ down the dream but that dream has changed our lives. We have a successful dog training business, and all three kids have worked with us since 2001. An experience that have taught them valuable life lessons and how to be motivated and go-getters! Our oldest son, Kyle is in line to take over Denver Dog Works soon. He is 19 now. Our youngest, Nicole, is almost 14 and wants to go to school to become a veterinarian. Tyler, now 16, is coming up to Alaska with me next week to work in a dog yard with 50 sled dogs for his first “real” job.

Speaking of Alaska. We have bought a place in Willow and this crazy dream has brought us there. The dream that we thought about under this arch a decade ago is much closer to reality with me planning on competing in a few Iditarod qualifiers next season.

Sadly Ineka (the dog in the 2001 photo) passed away in July 2010. His legacy will be with us on the trail every day in that we named our kennel Team Ineka and I will race under that banner. It is amazing how much a dog can teach you over a decade and where he can take you. Ineka did just that.

So when we drove to Hill City and Crazy Horse this past weekend we realized something: No matter how big or how out of reach your dreams may seem never stop reaching for them. The sculptor, Korczak Kiolkowski started this great monument in 1948 and over a half century later it is far from completion. But you know what, the dream is still alive and all of his children are continuing the legacy.

Sounds like a story very similar to mine.

“Dream Big and Dare to Fail”

–Col. Norman Vaughn

Road Trippin: Deadwood Thyme Bistro and Winery

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When people think of Deadwood, South Dakota, they think of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, gunfights, brothels and gambling.

But tucked away a couple blocks from the famous main street where Seth Bullock administered justice and Al Swearengen entertained at The Gem, you will find the Deadwood Thyme Bistro and Winery.

Michele and I have a practice that whenever we can we stay away from the chain resturants and the same ole dining fare that you can find in any town in the country.

We were in Deadwood for the first day of our road trip and we were looking for a place to grab breakfast and/or lunch. We went into the historic Adams Museum and asked the curator for a good place. She suggested the Deadwood Thyme Bistro but warned us it might be a bit pricy.

The little bistro was tastily decorated and had the air of a little french cafe. They weren’t too busy. Just one other table was taken and it was about 11 am on a Friday.

I looked over the menu and a lot of things sounded delicious. There was quiche, omelets, salads and soups. I decided on the Parisian.

The Parisian is an open-faced ham and swiss topped with béchamel and served over greens drizzled with vinaigrette.

It was wonderful! I am a sandwich guy but I don’t think I have ever had béchamel. This sandwhich was the perfect blend of all my favorites. It had exceptional flavor and it’s prestantion was perfect.

We had a wonderful meal at the Deadwood Thyme Bistro and I would highly recommend it to anyone. The staff were courteous and the prices were not that high. Remember I am used to Alaska prices. Our meal was less than 25 dollars an that included tip and soft drinks.

So the next time you are on a road trip, do yourself a favor and stay away from clown burgers and advertisers that are based on the forbidden fruit (apples). Sure those places have their place for a quick meal on the go but when you are on vacation you are supposed to do things different. That’s why they call it vacation.