July 10, 2009

July 10, 2009

Besides being the home of Sarah Palin, Wasilla, AK is the headquarters for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race. “The Last Great Race on Earth” stretches 1049 miles through wilderness from Anchorage to Nome. The original trail was used in Alaska’s early days to deliver supplies to remote mining camps. The race was staged along this historic trail to celebrate the role of dog mushing in Alaska’s history. In good conditions a sled team can cover the span in nine days. The first race in 1973 took twenty days. Winners must endure extreme cold, deep snow, whiteouts, and gale-force winds. Brutal! For the totally insane there is also a Yukon Challenge that runs 1400 miles from Fairbanks to White Horse, YT.

Besides race information, the site also has Alaskan Husky puppies to hold and a short sled ride around the block. Aimee and I both like dogs and we seem to stop everywhere dog sledding is mentioned. I had no interest whatsoever before, but now I am contemplating returning to Alaska to watch an Iditarod start (and maybe see the Northern Lights).

Before leaving Wasilla, we visit the local Walmart, the largest in the state. Its second claim to fame is that it sells more duct tape than any other Walmart in the US. I guess when things break in the cold, duct tape is the only solution.

From Wasilla, we head south where traffic suddenly comes to a standstill because a car ahead is engulfed in flames. Luckily the driver got out in time. We pass right through the center of Anchorage. We don’t stop but continue past, and around Turnagain Arm, a long narrow sea inlet that experiences some of the highest tides in the world. On the south side we hit the Kenai Peninsula and drive south towards Seward. The drive thru the center of the Kenai is gorgeous despite being overcast and foggy. After only an hour, I am already thinking that the Kenai is Alaska’s best part. A few miles north of Seward we turn onto Exit Glacier road and find a gorgeous spot on a pullout off the road. We are literally feet away from a rushing glacier melt river. Something we would pay big money for, but since it is national forest land it is absolutely free. We read about this option in “Milepost”, the bible of Alaska travel. Don’t leave home without it!