I ran into a musher participating in Iditarod today. I saw him get out of a truck with all of his dogs kenneled up in the back. We were both going into REI at the same time. I would like to say i've always thought mushers looked like the nicest people. As i approached the front door of the store he waited for me and the opened the door for me. I thought i'd strike up a conversation, asking first if he was here to race? He said yep, he has traveled here from Idaho with his dogs, but was originally from Wisconsin. I told him i was from Minnesota and here to see the the race, he was very thrilled! He thanked me so much for being here. I also found out that he'd flown up with his dogs and is using his sisters truck that lives here in Alaska. Wow, imagine the cost of that plane ticket! He said that he has driven up here before but it's a major pain in the ass. We talked for a couple minutes then shook hands and went our separate ways. While i was in REI i wanted to check out the "SPOT" device. A beacon and emergency transmitter about the size of a digital camera. I found out that they had been recalled to repair something internally and wouldn't be available until later this month. That would explain why i couldn't find one a the REI back home. I hope i'll be able to come across one when i'm in the Fairbanks area. With it you should be able to track my position on the net, when i am unable to stay in contact by phone and/or internet.
Today i have a pic from my hotel room here in Anchorage. In the foreground to the right of the green building is 4th ave. The street the Iditarod starts on! There are no parking and road closed signs sitting everywhere waiting to be put into action. They will truck in snow to cover the street all the way through town! I'm not sure when but i'm keeping my eyes peeled. Also in the background is Mt. Susitna about 35 miles away across the Cook Inlet. Just a 4400ft. peak but still a beautiful sight to see out my window.
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