Rendezvous, Come On!
The sled dog races happened to go right my by office, so I had a great view of them on my lunch break Friday. I love watching sled dogs run; they are so bouncy and antsy right before the race, wanting to get on with it already. And the dogs that get left in the trucks, oh the whining and howling.
It got its start as a big fur trade -- trappers from all over the state would gather and sell their goods. There's still fur auctions that take place, and the smell around them is special and heartwarming at the same time.
Steve and I went downtown on Saturday to check out the festivities because I had never been in Anchorage for the Rendezvous. We watched part of the dog weight pulls (dogs! pulling 400 pounds on a sled! crazy!) while sipping tepid cocoa.
The snow sculptures were still in progress, and the sculptors were fun to watch. They weren't as impressive as the ice sculptures in Fairbanks (blah blah blah Fairbanks is better / Anchorage is better), but still very cool.
I didn't take a lot of pictures: it was really too cold and I wasn't dressed for it like I would have been in Fairbanks. It's not that big of a problem taking photos in -30°F weather if I'm prepared and dressed for it. But taking photos at 0°F when dressed for 15°F (see all the photos)? Results in frozen fingers on top of the ferris wheel.
And that's the real meaning of the Fur Rondy: carcass smells and frostbitten fingers.
2007
2 Love Notes
and tepid $1.50 cocoa.
You have been to the fur rondy before, but I'm sure you don't remember - because you were probably 4 or 5 at the time.
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