Sunset over Hillside

I took this one driving back from the Flattop area (previous picture). Coming down this hill was a little bit scary. I don't have studded tires, and the melted snow was icing up quickly.

In one week...

...I'll be 3 years from turning 30. Oh the tragedy. To distract me from that sad fact, here's more photos of Alaska.





The Chugach Range in Anchorage. This particular spot is about 15 min. from home, going southeast.





The rest of these pictures were taken at Rachel's housesitting house. I won't take credit for the beautiful lighting. That was the sun.

Dogs and etc.

My final Iditarod-related post.



Dog handler fitting booties.





This lady seemed to be in charge of feeding and cleaning up. When I took the picture there was a huge pile of straw and dog poop next to the pickup.





More dogs. They're probably itching to pull.





Clare and someone else.

Iditarod 2007

I don't know her. She was watching the dog sled race.

Iditarod 2007

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, or "Iditarod", is Anchorage's most popular winter event. Mushers and dogs cover over 1,000 miles from Anchorage to Nome, in temperatures ranging from a lukewarm 30F to windchill -100F. The ceremonial start takes place in Anchorage, sometime during March, and the real start happens the next day in Willow, an hour north of here. Yesterday was the ceremonial start. I spent about 3 hours walking up and down 4th Avenue, freezing my toes in the 2F weather and wishing I was wearing real fur (apparently PETA doesn't have a presence up here, at least according to the fashionable furry clothes being worn by mushers and spectators alike - actually, I did see a PETA bumper sticker on an Alaska truck: "People Eating Tasty Animals"). Highlights of the day: 1) feeling like I was in a real city, thanks to the large crowd of tourists (downtown is never that busy), 2) free hot cocoa at the Anchorage Tourism Bureau log cabin, 3) hearing and seeing all the lower 48ers and feeling like an Alaskan.



Dog handler waiting for his team's turn.



Dogs are brought to the start line in wooden dog cages mounted on trucks.

More to come.