I am on my way to Anchorage Alaska to ride in my mother’s sled at the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. The Iditarod, called “The Last Great Race” is a long-distance dog sled race from Willow to Nome, Alaska. It spans over 1,000 miles and “mushers” have to sled over glaciers, through forests, past wild moose and make it in one piece to the finish line in Nome. If it weren’t for my mother racing I might never make it to Alaska. I am really excited about it, now that I’m going. I am a total wuss in the cold, which is why I usually go south or somewhere warm for the winter. But not this year. As I prepare to travel to Anchorage, I think about what Alaska means to me now. With every place I’ve gone it’s funny to recount the vast misconceptions that I always have. I want to take a moment to note the things I know about Alaska now, having never been there.

Photo courtesy of Alaskatourjobs.com

#1 It’s freaking freezing in Alaska. I know the temp there can get to -20/-30 degrees °F.  

#2 There is a huge finishing and seafood industry. Growing up in Seattle, I remember a bunch of my high school friends going up to make boatloads of money in Alaska during their Summer breaks.

#3 Moose. There are giant moose in Alaska.

#4 The Iditarod, this crazy dog-sled race that my mother runs started in 1973 in Alaska.

#5 Sarah Palin is from Alaska

Photo courtesy of Warren Ochu

#6 There is a cable car in Juneau that I would love to paint.

#7 The Northern lights can be seen from Alaska. This is my #1 thing to see there, besides my mother, of course.

And so here I go! Some 30 hours later I’ll be in Anchorage…

I’ll see what Alaska is really like n’ I’ll tell you all about it.

More soon~