2009 Iditarod, Nature’s Fury

Yesterday our family FINALLY went to visit the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla.  There is not a lot there but it was a fun trip.  We also were there in the off-season so no sled dog rides for us but we will go back again.  We watched a short 20 minute video which had a lot of clips from this past race.  I had already seen most of them from following the race as an insider earlier this year.  I bought a few things in the gift shop, looked at the trophies and records, as well as a few of the famous sled dogs (stuffed & mounted).

I came home to watch the video I purchased, 2009 Iditarod, Nature’s Fury.  It was a great video journaling the race from this earlier this year.  It was neat to watch and be able to say, “Hey! I was there!!”   I do not know what it is about the Iditarod that I love so much!  My hubby makes fun of me but I really do have a love of sled dog races!  That love was again sparked from our visit.  Maybe it is the beauty of Alaska, maybe it is the love for this great state that you hear and see in the mushers, maybe it is the determination and dedication displayed, maybe it is the kindness amongst the competition, I am not sure.  One of the mushers on the video said something along the lines of, “God is evident out here, I would be sick inside if I was home watching the news rather than running my dogs out here!”

So all this to say, that is what we did yesterday, I love Alaska, I love the Iditarod, and get ready for the next one in March.  They have a lot of great things for teachers at their website so start planning to make this an unforgettable unit study!  We will make it a field trip!  We might even be volunteers this year!

Visit Iditarod.com!

The Last Great Race

This past weekend was one we will always remember.  Our family along with thousands of others went for the start of the Iditarod in Anchorage and then to Willow Lake for the restart of the race.  This is an event that not many can say they have witnessed.  It was loads of fun!  We didn’t stay for the whole thing, it was just too long in the cold for our preschoolers but we are already considering volunteering next year to help along the trail.  I thought I would share about what the Iditarod is.  Here is a snippet from the Iditarod website.

You can’t compare it to any other competitive event in the world! A race over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the Iditarod. A race extraordinaire, a race only possible in Alaska.

From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover over 1150 miles in 10 to 17 days.

The race pits man and animal against nature, against wild Alaska at her best and as each mile is covered, a tribute to Alaska’s past is issued. The Iditarod is a tie to — a commemoration of — that colorful past.

The Iditarod Trail, now a National Historic Trail, had its beginnings as a mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knik to the interior mining camps at Flat, Ophir, Ruby and beyond to the west coast communities of Unalakleet, Elim, Golovin, White Mountain and Nome. Mail and supplies went in. Gold came out. All via dog sled. Heroes were made, legends were born.

In 1925, part of the Iditarod Trail became a life saving highway for epidemic-stricken Nome. Diphtheria threatened and serum had to be brought in; again by intrepid dog mushers and their faithful hard-driving dogs.

The Iditarod is a commemoration of those yesterdays, a not-so-distant past that Alaskans honor and are proud of.

Taken from Iditarod.com.

We took a few photos in downtown Anchorage where they had the ceremonial start but forgot the camera battery when we went to Willow. Oh well…. When in Anchorage things are a bit different. The mushers and dogs are not out in the open wilderness they are in the midst of downtown so fresh snow has to be hauled in and put in the streets for them to run on. There is definitely a different feel to the event when you are out on the lake and not having to stop traffic. The lake was fun! We were out on the frozen lake and there were dogsled rides, tons of snowmachiners, fur vendors, and people wearing their parkas and furs. I think I even saw a few people in only t-shirts(brrr). It was a grand time!

The Iditarod is a great thing for any homeschooler to study as a unit study or for anyone to take some time and learn about. You can learn all about the Last Great Race on Earth and follow the race via video, photos, current standings and more. Visit Iditarod.com and if you really want the inside scoop you can become an Insider (which we are) or even better you can pay a little extra and follow the mushers via GPS. Have fun! Now I leave you with a few photos from the start downtown.

dog team

dog team

dog team

going right past us

musher going right by us