Fur Rondy

We were excited for Fur Rondy this year--and found a few ways to celebrate with the rest of the town in this wonderful cultural experience. In years gone by, this was the time of year the fur trappers would come to Anchorage to sell their furs. Now it's just a fun week, packed with activities over the course of 10 days. The last day of the celebration is the Iditarod start. (In recent years they combined the Fur Rondy and Iditarod celebrations to happen with a combined effort).

Where else does the city center close down for dog races?!?

We watched the Fur Rondy dog race--which is a sprint of just a few miles around town. These dogs were really running fast! It was a very different race from the ceremonial start to the Iditarod we've seen the last couple of years--that's more like a parade.

But Fur Rondy is the real deal. It's for the sport, not just for show.

It was cold outside--right around 10 degrees--but we were so grateful for that brilliant sunshine to keep us warm in its rays in spite of the cold. It really made all the difference in our ability to endure the cold. The shade was miserably cold, the sunshine was wonderful!

The race is such that every 2 minutes, another team leaves the start line. This year there were 25 teams. They race down town, around a small lagoon, then back to where they started. Each team is individually timed.

We stood next to a man and his snow plow, who happened to be part of the work force to create the trail throughout town. He explained to us that they build up the snow berms on either side of the trail, then clear it away after the race (this race is on city streets), then do it all again the next day--build up the snow berms, let the dogs race, then clear away the snow. Between the dog teams, David found plenty to do with the snow and hills we were around.

Then he went back over to wave at the racing dogs.

This year particularly, I have been grateful for our exposure to the culture of Anchorage with all of the dog mushing. More to come soon on the Iditarod ceremonial start.