Patty and I took a weeks vacation from February 28th through March 7th. The Fur Rendezvous is a two week festival complete with a rent a fair, ice carving, dog sled races, fur sales all over town, and culminating in the start of the Iditarod. Just like Mardi Gras there were stands all over selling not only grilled hotdogs and reindeer sausage, but furs of all types, much of it made into all types of clothing. We stayed at the Historic Anchorage hotel downtown at the starting line of the Iditarod which we attended on Saturday March 6th. There were 89 teams from all over the world and most started with at least 10 dogs. The musher's were timed out at two minute intervals and the start went on for some time. The musher's went a few miles out of town then loaded the dogs back into the trucks for the drive to the real start the next day in a town miles outside of Anchorage.
Most of the dogs that are used today are not the husky dog. Most today are long legged, lean, and have short fur.
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Last updated:
08/29/05
/100_1719.JPG "No explanation needed.")
/100_1720.JPG "Just what it says. Anyone can bid on all kinds of furs, some home processed, some factory tanned.")
/100_1721.JPG "The rent a fair with the mountains in the background.")
/100_1722.JPG "Shawn, Patty, and Christy.")
/100_1723.JPG "These mountains are in view from almost everywhere in Anchorage.")
/100_1725.JPG "Getting ready for sprint races the first weekend we were there.")
/100_1729.JPG "Patty in front of the visitor center.")
/100_1775.JPG "Downtown Anchorage with the moon above the mountains.")
/100_1776.JPG "Getting ready for the start of the Iditarod at the starting line.")
/100_1777.JPG "The starting line.")
/100_1779.JPG "Anchorage police snowmachines.")
/100_1781.JPG "Fur and print vendors.")
/100_1782.JPG "Typical Iditarod sleds.")
/100_1783.JPG "Getting fueled up before the start.")
/100_1787.JPG "Some of the teams with their many acouterments.")
/100_1789.JPG "Carlo and his look alike. That's Carlo on the right (or is it the left?).")
/100_1790.JPG "The starting lineup.")
/100_1791.JPG "The first team getting ready to start.")
/100_1792.JPG "The race is on!")
/100_1840.JPG "There was a lot of media present.")
/100_1902.JPG "Eager for the start.")
/100_1904.JPG "The starting line.")
/100B1831.JPG "Some of the dogs were decked out in their finest-note the lead dog with the advertising.")
/100B1864.JPG "One of the Musher's with his passanger. The passengers bid money to ride with them at the start. This is how some of the money is generated.")
/100B1895.JPG "Running full out. Note the booties on the dogs.")
/100_1905.JPG "The road just outside of Anchorage. This is the view if you lived 15 or more miles outside of the city and had to commute.")
/100_1908.JPG "The Mat-Su valley, the bread bowl of Alaska.")
/100_1909.JPG "The view from the site of the Alaska state fair that takes place in late August.")
/100_1974.JPG "I do miss my truck.")