Iditarod 2008 - Willow, AK

Whoo-hoo! Here's Neil at the start of the 1049 mile race.



Here come the dogs right out the shoot!



Here is Emily on hill. Check out everyone behind her.



Look at all of the beautiful dogs. They're so close!

Today Emily and I journeyed 75 miles north today for the REAL start of the 2008 Iditarod race from Willow to Nome. The race is 1049 miles. There was a ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage yesterday, but we didn't go. The drive up was beautiful. It took awhile for us to realize that something was odd - there was no snow anywhere! It was a stark contrast to driving around Anchorage for the last month. But once we arrived in Willow, there was plenty of snow everywhere. We parked for $9 at a school, but it went to the PTA fund so we felt good. We both grabbed a quick Reindeer Dog before heading to the start line. It was the worst dog I've ever eaten in my entire life. The skin was so tough, I was halfway through the dog before I could actually put my teeth all the way through it.

There were a lot of people lined up on both sides of the course. It spanned all the way across a frozen lake, and then up a little hill. Emily and I made our ways from the start and towards the hill during the race. We stayed for about 47 mushers' starts (those are the people who are riding the sleds), but there were probably over 55 mushers overall. The whole thing seemed like a true Alaskan experience. There were people zooming all over the place with their snow machines. Lot's of people were "tailgating" with fires on the snow and meatballs on sticks. It was a great day and a fun drive.