One of the World's Great Sporting Events...
...is underway: the Iditarod, an 1,100 mile dog sled race from Willow to Nome, Alaska. The Iditarod's official website is here. I wrote a year ago about my own brief experience with the race, and Gary Paulsen's book Winterdance. The beauty you encounter everywhere in Alaska is stunning; by way of example, if you follow the link, blow up the photo of me and three co-workers at Hatcher Pass.
This photo of 2004 winner Mitch Seavey and his team was taken yesterday:
And this one, of Clint Warnke's dog Chili, was taken earlier today:
It's a great race, and a great tradition. Alaska may be the only place in the United States that really is still different from the rest. That's how it seems when you're there, anyway.
