October 12, 2012

Iditarod Start and Finish

Posted by Evelyn Mervine

When my husband Jackie and I were working in Alaska back in late July through mid-September, we spent time both in Anchorage and in the little town of Nome. While we were in Alaska, we learned a fair amount about the famous Iditarod sled dog race. This is probably because the Iditarod starts in Anchorage and ends in Nome. We traveled to Nome by airplane, not sled dog, but we did make a point of visiting the start and finish points of the Iditarod.

Here’s a map showing the Iditarod race route:

The route for the Iditarod sled dog race. Image taken from Wikipedia Commons here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alaska_iditarod_route.png

Here I am at the Iditarod’s starting point in Anchorage:

Start of the Iditarod. I'm not sure that I'm at the exact starting point, but we were close and there was a sled dog statue. Note how Anchorage is warm and sunny in late July.

And here I am at the Iditarod’s ending point in Nome:

Finish of the Iditarod. Note how the weather in Nome (also in late July) is a bit colder and more dreary than in Anchorage.