Friday before Iditarod, a day of relaxation or ?

            All is quiet on the Alaskan front. I haven’t heard a peep from Jan all day. The mushers had no obligations - no meetings or vet checks or banquets. I’m hoping Jan's sled is packed and everyone is resting because a whole lot of fun begins in about 12 hours. Okay, I take that back. For a spectator, there is a really fun thing to watch happening right now in downtown Anchorage. When I was there for Iditarod 2012, I knew this really cool thing was going to happen, but I didn’t think much about it until the noise of it drew me over to our hotel window. And then I put my clothes on over my jammies and went outside to experience it all first-hand! 

            The route of the Ceremonial Start tomorrow morning goes along 4^th Avenue, a major downtown street. Even if it snows 8 feet in Anchorage over the winter, 4^thAvenue is kept plowed. But in the morning, 66 dog teams need enough snow on the road to keep the sled runners off concrete! Where does all that snow come from? And how does it get there? I can’t answer the first question, but I can show you in pictures the answer to the second question. These Alaskans really work hard to create fun!    CindyK




Truck loads of snow arrive along 4th Avenue the night before
the Ceremonial Start of Iditarod



 

They need enough snow to cover 5 city blocks
 

Little by little the streets are covered - it's an all night process!