Blogs from Anchorage, Alaska, United States, North America - page 3

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North America » United States » Alaska » Anchorage March 6th 2018

Today after my shift, I got a bit later start than I intended. I didn't want to drive all the way out Turnagain Arm, since I would have spent more time driving than enjoying the ares. Instead, I went to Earthquake Park, which is part of Kincaid Park, and is closer to downtown Anchorage. The park is part of a knob of land that protrudes south and west of the city. During the cold war, part of the what is now Kincaid Park was an Air Force Base that housed one of the first operational Nike missiles; and the base contained a barracks for over 100 men, as well as an advanced radar system. The site was deactivated in 1979, and in 1980, the Air Force deeded the land to Anchorage. Fire Island, across Knik Arm ... read more
Newspaper from 1964
Edge of the "New" Bluff
Path Through the Woods at the Bluff

North America » United States » Alaska » Anchorage March 5th 2018

Today I started my Comms job at the Anchorage Network Center. I am doing 6 hours of data entry functions, helping to track the racers along the 1,000 mile distance. The checkpoints record teams arriving and leaving, funnel the data to us, and we send it back out; we are the point where information comes in and goes back out. After "work," I drove down Turnagain Arm, a long narrow finger of Cook Inlet, which has the second largest Bore Tide in North America (the largest is in the Bay of Fundy). Bore tides occur in narrow inlets where the incoming tide pushes a large volume of water against water flowing against it, causing a rather large wave pushing inland. This week in the Anchorage area, the average difference between high and low tides is about ... read more
Kenai Mountains
Kenai Mountains

North America » United States » Alaska » Anchorage March 4th 2018

** sorry this has taken so long to post!** At last, the day I've been waiting for! I got on the 8 AM bus from Anchorage to Willow, about an hour and a half north and a bit west of Anchorage. As I walked from the bus to the registration cabin, the trees were sparkling and beautiful from the hoar frost. It must have been very foggy that night, and all the trees and bushes were covered with glittering velour. I had never seen anything like it. Surprisingly, the covering lasted throughout the day, even though the sun was out in the blue sky. What a beautiful day! I worked 2 hours at the volunteer registration desk, where we checked in volunteers and helped them find their assigned locations. There are so many jobs out there...security, ... read more
Hoar Frost Up Close
Lovin' My Dogs!
Start Gate

North America » United States » Alaska » Anchorage March 3rd 2018

Iditarod officially starts Sunday, but today was the Ceremonial Start, traditionally held the Saturday before the start. In common parlance, they refer to the two events as the Ceremonial Start and the Restart. Today's event started at one end of town and the Iditarod mushers each take one lucky passenger on an 11-mile ride down the center of town, then out of town and through the woods, finishing at a somewhat remote location. The selection process for "IditaRiders" starts in December the prior year, when people are invited to submit bids to ride in a particular musher's sled. The more well-known and popular the musher is, the higher the bidding price goes, maxing out at $7500! Anyone can watch the bidding to see who wins in January, and see how much each musher earns to support ... read more
Happy IditaRider!
Loved This Jacket!
Furry Man

North America » United States » Alaska » Anchorage March 2nd 2018

I started the day by meeting Dan Seavey, one of the founders of the Iditarod race over 45 years ago. He was selling and autographing his book, The First Great Race. Back in the '70s, dog sledding was on the decline because of alternative transportation via snow machine and airplane technology evolution that would allow planes to operate in a wider range of conditions. I haven't gotten far into the book, but he says he compares "then and now" in the race to show how things have changed, as well as mushing in general. I realize the book (as any auto-biographical work can be!) is slanted to his "dynasty," but I'm looking forward to reading it. Dan Seavey and his wife moved to Alaska from Minnesota in 1963, and then was one of the founding members ... read more
Stacks of trail gear, waiting to go!
This pair is READY!
Handlers are ready, too!

North America » United States » Alaska » Anchorage March 1st 2018

All of Anchorage is busy this week with the preparations for Iditarod, but they are also hosting their 83rd Annual Fur Rondy (Rendezvous) Festival - a week-long celebration of all things Winter and Alaska. Starting with a parade, they have a carnival, films, and sporting events (like curling, hockey, foot races, sled dog races, and ice bowling), as well as arts and cultural events. The entire town gets involved, and (surprise) the bars, stores, and restaurants have events and promotions, too! The thing I'm sorry to miss is the Running with the Reindeer, which looks like a hoot, but I'll probably be otherwise involved with Iditarod Ceremonial Start events. It sounds like it's just like the Running of the Bulls, except people are chased through town by Reindeer! One event that is part of the Fur ... read more
Ski Tracks
Mr. Susitna across Cook Inlet
Runway

North America » United States » Alaska » Anchorage February 28th 2018

I've met a few more volunteers today, and got my outer wear from a rental place. It's an interesting concept...this couple started renting outdoor equipment like skis and snowshoes, and branched into renting outerwear as well. I'm sure I paid for about half of an entire outfit by renting, but I know I'm getting stuff that will keep me warm. Plus I didn't have to lug all that stuff up here! If I come back another year, I'll know better what I should purchase, but especially this first time it seems a great way to do this. Michelle made a couple trips and brought different sizes of pants and a jacket, as well as a balaclava, several pairs of mittens, gloves, and liners, several hats, a couple extra fleece shirts, and boots! She has also been ... read more
Pillar at Gwennie's

North America » United States » Alaska » Anchorage February 27th 2018

This will be a shorter entry - It's about 1:30 am Eastern time, but only about 9:30 here - too early to go to bed, right? I just arrived at my hotel (The Lakefront), and I'm sure the bar downstairs has an Alaskan Amber with my name on it ~ Kathy got me to the airport on time, and when I arrived at the gate, I met a woman from Lakewood and a man from Canton who were heading up here too! It's her first year but he has worked the trail for several years, I think. I'll catch up with them and get the info in the next couple days. As it turns out, she and I are working the same shift on the Comm team. Small world! The trip up here was long but ... read more
Dinner on the Plane
My Friend, the Airport Moose
Shuttle to the Lakefront

North America » United States » Alaska » Anchorage February 22nd 2018

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History displays Balto in a glass case with a plaque to mark his contribution to history...but I had forgotten his Cleveland connection! In 1925, nationwide radio and newspaper coverage reported the news of the anti-toxin delivery; in Nome, mushers and teams were celebrated for their record-breaking 5-day journey through raging storms, frigid temperatures, and whiteout blizzards. Though each of the 20 mushers received a small wage and a citation from the governor of the territory, it was the team on the final leg that garnered most of the public glory. Understandably, there was some anger from other mushers, particularly Leonhard Seppala, a premier musher of the day, whose team had run a much longer and more dangerous leg. In addition to the team he drove for his leg of the delivery, ... read more
Balto in Cleveland

North America » United States » Alaska » Anchorage February 11th 2018

I have been thinking a lot about the race, and how hard it is to imagine what the teams go through. Saying, "The Iditarod is a thousand miles," is quite different from picturing the distance in more concrete terms. For example, the distance is about equivalent to the distance between Minneapolis, MN, and Bozeman, MT...imagine doing that at 5-10 miles per hour, with temperatures 20-50 degrees below zero, snow, and potentially gale force winds! Oh yeah, add in crossing the Alaska Range, too! I'm glad I'll be sitting in the Com Center entering data! A couple of weeks ago, I watched the DVD, Cold and Fast that I received after joining the Iditarod Trail Committee. The film is about the 45th running of the race in 2017, and gives a vivid feeling of what the mushers ... read more




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