The Race is On

I fully acknowledge and admit, I am an Iditarod junkie! I have been following the race closely as usual. There have been many exciting things in this race so far. We have witnessed a missing dog, mushers crashing & being knocked unconscious, bold moves, mushers loosing 5 hour leads because they thought they lost the trail,and other ups and downs of the trail. There are so many big names in mushing running the race this year and it is hard to pick a favorite. This year is a record breaking year as well. I have some favorites out there but I don’t think I could be disappointed with anyone who wins, there are some amazing mushers and dog teams out there!

Some of my favorites this year are Newton Marshall, he is a Jamaican. He is not in contention to win but he just seems to be a great guy and always with a big smile as he goes by! Dee Dee Jonrowe in her pink parka is always a cheery site. She is raising money for a small village boy with autism to receive a service dog. Then there is Sebastian Schnuelle. He has a bold character! I love the crazy hair! He led the way for a long time. There are greats like the Seavey family, Hugh Neff, John Baker, Hans Gatt (this year’s winner of the Yukon Quest), and many others. The two front runners are battling it out trying to reach Nome first. It doesn’t matter which of the two wins, there will be a record broken. Lance Mackey would be the first to win four Iditarod races back to back. Jeff King, who sadly, has announced this would be his last Iditarod, would tie with Rick Swenson with the record holding high of five Iditarod wins.

Ok, enough for now, back to check more stats. The Iditarod rocks!

For some awesome images from the trail, head here.

Common Sites in Alaska

Image by Star's Fault via Flickr

There are things I see every day here in Alaska that I have come to love.  There are some things that are common to see here on regular basis that just are not so common in other places.  Here are some of those daily or almost daily sightings that I just love!

• Snowmachines and ATVs running along side the roads.
• Kennel Trucks with musher sleds on top.
• Dog mushers racing their dogs.
• No matter what season it is, people are out and about using the trail and climbing the mountains.
• Bush planes.
• Ice Fishing tents on the lakes.
• People wearing only jackets and sweaters when it hits 30 degrees because it is warm.
• Moose, bear, and dall sheep along the roads and in yards.
• Bald Eagles are as common as robins in other parts of the country.
• Wearing real fur is not only acceptable but almost expected!
• Homemade ice rinks in people’s yards.
• Paragliders jumping off the mountain tops.
• Mountains, mountains everywhere you look.
• The most AMAZING sunsets I have ever seen.
• Trees that literally lay down under the weight of the snow.
• Great big and rugged beards!
• People checking out each other’s rifles in the Fred Meyer parking lot.
• Dip nets.
• Downtown murals in Anchorage.
• Beluga Whales swimming in the Cook Inlet.
• The unbelievably long days of sunshine in the summer.
• Fireweed, ferns, and arctic poppies.
• More outdoor trails than you could ever imagine hiking.
• Diversity of the scenery(tall pines, scrawny pines, rain forest, ocean side, tundra, majestic mountains, volcanos, hot springs).
• Snow & Ice sculptures.
• Whalebone carvings and native Alaskan art.
• Gorgeous Alpenglow.
• Snowshoes….I especially love the old wooden ones.

What is it that you love about where you live that maybe isn’t so common elsewhere?  Other Alaskans, can you add some more?