Alaska 2009

BRRRRRRRRRRRR

We had another successful weekend trip. Aaron and I are hope and have finally warmed up from our trip to Anchorage. It was a perfect weekend.

We got to spend time with our good friend Karen. She never got a chance to properly "check out" Aaron before we got married. Rest assured he got the official "nod" by the end of the weekend!

Highlights were ---

• Anner nearly froze. Okay, it wasn't cold for Anchorage, but cold for Seattle. We've been home for a week and I'm thawed out now.


• Aaron saw his first ever moose! Two of them, in fact. Mama and her yearling, munching on trees in some foothills in Anchorage.


• We saw the start of the Iditarod for many places. We walked around and wished mushers good luck. We watched the start on the street. We watched from inside some offices. We watched from a few blocks up the road to see the dogs in full stride. The dogs are SO excited to run. Most mushers hold them back with a fleet of handlers, multiple sleds, a lot of dead weight and a heavy foot on the break. The dogs still seemed thrilled to get to run. There's nothing like it. This includes a picture of us and Martin Buser, currently in 22nd place.

• We took dog sled rides and decided we'd like to come back for a real dog-sled tour someday. I can't wait for that! Anyone want to join us?

We had Jane's birthday party at an Anchorage institution: The Moose's Tooth, a wildly popular pizzeria. Happy 29th Jane! (not actually her birthday picture)

• We went to the mushers banquet and bid on Iditarod wine, and more importantly - we we're big winners.

• Aaron got his first pair of Carharts -- ooo la la!

All in all, we had a great time!!! I just love going up there. It was fabulous to see Jane and Karen. I'll visit good friends no matter how cold it is.

A parting shot, "a good day for a bike ride":