Yukon Quest - 2010
Saturday, the Yukon Quest race started here in Fairbanks. You can read more about the race, and follow the progress of the mushers and teams at the website here: http://yukonquest.com/.
Here is information taken from Wikipedia (abridged):
The Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race, or simply Yukon Quest, is a sled dog race run every February between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon. Because of the harsh winter conditions, difficult trail, and the limited support that competitors are allowed, it is considered the “most difficult sled dog race in the world”, or even the “toughest race in the world”.
In the competition, first run in 1984, a dog team leader (called a musher) and a team of 6 to 14 dogs race for 10 to 20 days. The course follows the route of the historic 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, mail delivery, and transportation routes between Fairbanks, Dawson City, and Whitehorse. Mushers pack up to 250 pounds of equipment and provisions for themselves and their dogs to survive between checkpoints. They are permitted to leave dogs at checkpoints and dog drops, but not to replace them. Sleds may not be replaced (without penalty) and mushers cannot accept help from non-racers except at Dawson City, the halfway mark. Ten checkpoints and four dog drops, some more than 200 miles apart, lie along the trail. Veterinarians are present at each to ensure the health and welfare of the dogs, give advice, and provide veterinary care for dropped dogs; together with the race marshal or a race judge, they may remove a dog or team from the race for medical or other reasons.
The route runs on frozen rivers, over four mountain ranges, and through isolated northern villages. Racers cover 1,016 miles or more. Temperatures commonly drop as low as −60 °F, and winds can reach 50 miles per hour at higher elevations.
Lance Mackey is the only musher to have won the race four times. In 2007, he became the first to win both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a feat he repeated the following year. The longest race time was in 1988, when Ty Halvorson took 20 days, 8 hours, and 29 minutes to finish. In 2000, Aliy Zirkle became the first woman to win the race, in 10 days, 22 hours, and 57 minutes. To allow participation in both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod, the 2010 Yukon Quest began in Fairbanks one week earlier than usual—on February 6. Yukon Quest International, which runs the Yukon Quest sled dog race, also runs two shorter races: the Junior Quest and the Yukon Quest 300 (previously the Yukon Quest 250).
I went downtown with my friend Lori, and was hoping to get parked in time to visit the staging area and see the dogs and mushers, but with only about 25 minutes to spare before the 11am start, I opted to head right for the frozen river. We met up with our friends Jim and Moe, and were in phone contact with Stella and Jay but couldn’t find them.
It’s a challenge to take photos at the start, as spectators along the trail crowd inward in order to see over or around the people in front of them. This causes a tight “V” to form and you literally have to step onto the trail to get photos. Even then, someone can move into your line of sight and ruin the shot. It’s quite frustrating for everyone! On the other hand, I love to people watch, and I love the people of Fairbanks and Alaska. Especially the kids; red-cheeked and giggling.
I knew ahead of time that I was only going to stay downtown until Lance Mackey (the local favorite - and the musher I’m pulling for) left the chute. He was wearing Bib #11. After he went by, Lori and I walked back to my car and drove to the Nordale Bridge boat launch to wait for the mushers to come by. That part of the river is about 18 miles from the start, so the first team didn’t show up until after 1pm.
Although I saw +15F in my car when I left the downtown area, it felt much colder when we got to North Pole. My feet were warm downtown, but my toes were starting to get numb soon after arriving at the second location. I decided to hang in there until Lance came by again. Because of this, I didn’t get photos of any of the mushers and teams after Lance. There are 24 teams racing this year.
On with the photos…
This was taken about 20 minutes before the race started. There was still plenty of room on the river to get a good vantage point:
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Lance leaving the starting line:
We weren’t the only ones to leave the river after Lance left the start. I think many people had the same idea we did - to find a place that was less crowded to watch the teams run by.
When Lori and I got to Nordale Road bridge (about 18 miles from downtown Fairbanks), there were about 20 people already there. We had to wait more than 30 minutes for the first team to come by, but we enjoyed chatting with a couple of gentleman who were already on the river when we got there. We talked ‘camera’ and ‘lenses’, as one man was also shooting with a 40D and planning to upgrade soon as well. The conversation really helped to pass the time. I can’t say enough how much I love living here - where no one is a stranger!
The backdrop on that part of the river was so much prettier than downtown, but the light wasn’t as great with all the trees and the fact that it was already mid afternoon. Regardless, I managed to get some nice shots of the first 11 teams.
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And then Lance came around the bend:
Lori and I left the river then, chilled to the bone. It was a great morning!
I’ve been following Lance’s progress here: http://yukonquest.com/site/results-by-musher/?musher=79. He’s currently in 3rd position, with about 700 miles to go.
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On Saturday night, I met some friends at Ivory Jacks for dinner. Hobo Jim was also performing, so it was standing room only by the time he took to the stage. We got there around 7pm, allowing ourselves time to eat before the show.
This wasn’t my first time at Ivory Jacks but it was undoubtedly the worst meal I’ve ever had there. The service was terrible: the waitress forgot to take the order of two people at our table, salads didn’t come out until after the entree, one person ordered halibut and got chicken, my burger was burned to a crisp on one side, and drink refills were practically nonexistent. I don’t know whether they were just overwhelmed by the crowd of people who showed up, or they were short-staffed, but it was not a good experience. I really do hope that Saturday night was the exception rather than the rule, as I enjoy going to Ivory Jacks.
Here are some photos from the evening:
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Sunday was a lazy day for me. Steve was on night shift and had to leave earlier than usual so he could get gas. After saying goodbye to him, I took Sedona out for a short walk up our road and was mesmerized by the gorgeous sunset. We hurried home so I could get my camera and grab a few photos:
This was the reflection in my front door:
Steve’s off for the next few days and we’re thinking of taking in a movie. We haven’t been to the theater in a long time and we don’t even know what’s playing, so hopefully we’ll choose something good. We’d also like to go back to the Pump House (haven’t been there in years!) and have some dinner. I love when Steve’s off from work.
My thoughts are with my friends and family on the east coast as even more snow is predicted in the upcoming days. Stay safe and warm… and why not send some of that snow here. We really need it!
Until next time…
“why not send some of that snow here. We really need it!”
Oh how I wish we could send some of this snow your way! You’re used to a lot more than what we’ve been getting, of course, but having it all dump in such a short span is making things a bit challenging around here .
I just wanted to say thanks for sharing your wonderful photos and stories … loved the images of the Yukon Quest … next best thing to being there in person. Our next trip is scheduled for August 2010 (Kodiak/Katmai and Seward this time), but all your winter photographs have given us an incentive to plan a winter-trip as soon as we retire and can spend some meaningful time in Alaska.
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 12:20 pm
It’s amazing that the east coast (and elsewhere) has so much snow, and this has been such a slow year for those of us in interior AK. They’ve had to cancel all our local dogsled races because of bad trails and lack of snow. I’m glad there weren’t any problems for the Yukon Quest teams.
How exciting that you’ll be coming back to AK in August! We’re hoping to visit Kodiak this summer too - our first time. I’ve heard wonderful things about Kodiak, so I hope it works out for us.
I think everyone who has a love for AK should try to visit in the winter too. March is a perfect month, as there are sled races, the Ice Art Championships, the Outhouse Races in Chatanika, the northern lights (when active) and it’s usually much warmer.
Thank you for commenting. I’m happy you enjoyed the Yukon Quest photos.
Susan
[Reply]
Comment by Erin — February 9, 2010 @ 4:25 am
Thank you so much for the wonderful pictures of the Yukon Quest and of Alaska. I have tweeted this story to all my friends so they can enjoy them too.
Andy Cerier
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
I’m happy that you enjoyed them, Andy. Thank you for tweeting the story to your friends too.
Have a lovely day,
Susan
[Reply]
Comment by Andy Cerier — February 9, 2010 @ 5:09 am
Couldn’t wait until you posted the pictures. As usual they are wonderful. Love the picture with the solo dog. He looks so happy to be running. I really miss these events. Oh well. I’ll be back soon enough!!!!
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
The weather was wonderful this year - much better than two years ago, when it was -45F out on the river.
The dogs are my favorite part of the race. They have such joy on their faces!
Have a great week,
Susan
[Reply]
Comment by Tammy Kauffman — February 9, 2010 @ 7:05 am
Your pics are truly AWESOME today! LOVE the dogs! A BIG thanks!
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susanstevenson Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Thank you, Gloria! I’m happy that you enjoyed them!
Warm regards,
Susan
[Reply]
Comment by Gloria — February 9, 2010 @ 7:11 am
Hey Susan,
That looks like that same spot we went last year when I was there. I really enjoyed seeing the dogs, they are beautiful! Well most of our snow here has melted because of all the rain we had after it. The roads had alot of black ice from the rain this morning though. And the winds are horrible here today as well. I’ll be so glad when spring gets here, I love the sun and the heat. I do not like being cold. LOL But you already knew that.
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 10:57 am
That photo of the race chute is definitely where we took you last year, but last year the race started in Whitehorse so we were waiting for the teams to come back to Fairbanks.
Sorry about your black ice. I hate dangerous roads.
I hope it warms up over the next two weeks so we can feel like we’re on vacation. LOL
[Reply]
Comment by Kayla Melton — February 10, 2010 @ 8:07 am
Susan,
Excellent photos as usual. I enjoyed reading and seeing the pictures that you took of the Yukon Quest. Dog sledding is something that my family hopes to learn more about and become involved in when we move to Alaska. Thanks for the excellent update to your blog.
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Hi Owen! Glad you enjoyed the photos. I do hope you’ll have the opportunity to learn how to run dogs. It looks like so much fun. I’ve always wanted to skijor, but Sedona is too old to pull me around on skis now. What great exercise and a good excuse to get outdoors and enjoy some fresh air!
Thanks!
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Comment by Owen Miller — February 10, 2010 @ 5:52 pm
Susan once again great pictures! We were there at the Quest for a bit and then headed up to UAF to go to the Open House at the Museum of the North. I am going to have to get with you to get a few copies of the Lance pictures to send to my father in law- he would love to have them. We were lucky enough to meet him in person over the summer and he has been a Lance fan for years! When the weather gets nicer I am going to have to meet up with youto get some good pictures of my girls. Look forward to your next set of pictures!
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Thanks, Kerry. It was such a fun day! I love when the Quest starts here and the community gets to go out and see them leave the start. I wish I would have gotten down there a little earlier so I could see the dogs and mushers in the staging area.
Lance is such a friendly and approachable guy. Steve and I have run into him in town and he’s always being stopped by folks who are fans of his. He always has a smile on his face and a willingness to chat.
I would love to meet up with you sometime, and meet your girls too.
If you’re not doing anything tomorrow (in case you didn’t know), there’s a free Folk Fest at Pioneer Park (the Centennial Theater) from 2-11pm. It’s all-age appropriate. I’m going to try to get by there at some point. It sounds like fun!
Susan
[Reply]
Kerry Kirby Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
I just might have to go. The girls love to go anywhere that looks fun. I did not read about that in the paper this week- must have missed it. The Newsminer is my source to all things interesting to do.
Lance is a great sport. My FIL was so thrilled to meet him. We were on the Riverboat and he just happened to take the same tour that we were on. No one on the boat knew who he was- but we did!!! We waited until everyone left the boat to say anything to him- I think only a few other people after that realized who it was (we had a massive amount of tourist on the boat).
[Reply]
Comment by Kerry Kirby — February 11, 2010 @ 9:04 pm
Hi there Susan, time for Huskies isn’t it? Great writeup and photos , you know we all love seeing your images and thoughts of Alaska.
I am a big mushing fan, especially for any all Siberian team , which is rare these days!
Hobo Jim, what can I say, an Alaskan legend , may his music always be with us!
Take care and keep your feet dry!
Bruce in Virginia.
[Reply]
susanstevenson Reply:
February 12th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
Hi Bruce! So good to hear from you again. I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your comment when I was in Madison. I didn’t get a chance to respond to any of the comments during my visit with my sons and DIL. How are you?
I didn’t get a chance to see any of the teams after Lance, although I sure would have loved to. A friend told me about an all-Siberian Husky team. They are gorgeous dogs. I used to be “owned” by one when I was in my 20s.
This was only my second time seeing Hobo Him perform, but I really enjoyed the show. He’s got quite the following as indicated by all the folks who knew the words to his songs! Good fun.
Thanks for commenting, and be well.
Susan
[Reply]
Comment by Bruce Burnette — February 12, 2010 @ 5:45 pm