Is It Is, or Is It Ain't?

Long-time readers and lovers of things Alaskan will remember that Anchorage has a winter celebration every February called the "Fur Rendezvous" or "Rondy" for short, although there's not much fur trapping going on anymore.

It's a mid-winter get-together with games, carnival, exhibits, handicraft and food vendors of all stripes, the World Championship Sled Dog Races, and culminates with the ceremonial start of the Iditarod.

The astute reader will have looked at the dates above, and ascertained that the Rondy began in 1936.

Now here's the 2015 Rondy pin:

One of these things is not like the other.

I get it, I really do. It looks good to have the Rondy's 80th anniversary during Anchorage's centennial celebration. But do we need to exaggerate to make ourselves look special?

I think ... not.

Sled Dog Racing: They're Off!

The World Championship Sled Dog Races started at noon (about one-half hour ago), and the teams are sprinting through a large circuitous route which begins and ends at 4th & D Street downtown.

Here's a webcam shot from a couple of minutes ago, showing a team staging for its "Go!" command:

click to enlarge

from the Rondy's Facebook page

The webcam updates every 60 seconds, and can be viewed here.

Early in the A.M.

We awoke at 0300 ... no idea why, but I'm up, so let's see what's going on around town.

The annual Fur Rondy starts today, and the World Championship Sled Dog Races begin at noon. There's been about an inch three inches of fresh snow overnight, with another 1" to 3" expected today. That's a good thing for the dogs, although with a forecast high of 29, it's also a good thing that the races are short-distance sprints of only a few miles. They can overheat easily in temps this warm.

There's a partial listing of events here; the complete listing of activities (there are a lot of them) is here.

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That 727 I wrote about is scheduled to land at Merrill Field next Tuesday. Merrill is a city-owned light-aircraft field, and FedEx has donated the 727 to UAA's aircraft technology department.

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Yesterday was Day 5 of the Iron Dog snowmachine race. It was also the restart for the final leg of the journey. Coverage can be found here.

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There's not much else of more-than-local-interest in the news. Y'all have a wonderful Friday, and thank you for stopping by.

Alaska Digest: Tuesday, 2/19/13

A controversial Alaska gun bill sponsored by House Speaker Mike Chenault that would put federal agents at risk of felony charges for enforcing certain future weapons laws cleared the lone committee assigned to hear it Monday, despite a legal opinion saying it is likely unconstitutional.

Chenault's proposal is immensely popular among Republicans and a few Democrats. It has 19 co-sponsors, so half the House is already signed onto it.

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Preparations for the 2013 Fur Rendezvous ("the Rondy") are underway. There's a pictorial here, including the snow-carving competition.

Here's another take.

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A plane following an Iron Dog snowmachine team that crashed near Rainy Pass Sunday afternoon, severely injuring both men on board, had turned around after it took off according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

from the story at www.ktuu.com

Full story here.

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"On day two of the Iron Dog race, five teams scratched, leaving 34 teams on the trail, as of early Tuesday evening.

"Iron Dog officials said mechanical issues hit three teams and injuries took two others..."

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Another light plane crashed, this time near Dutch Harbor (from whence springs the always-entertaining Police Blotter. No injuries were reported.

from the story at www.ktuu.com

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And that's the news from around Alaska this morning. Thanks for stopping by, friends; I appreciate it.

It's Rondy Time

The 77th annual Fur Rendezvous begins today. As the name implies, it was originally about hunters & trappers, who came into Anchorage to trade or sell pelts, while re-supplying themselves for the coming season.

That's no longer the primary purpose, although there is still an auction of furs & pelts that takes place each year.

The Rondy is now more of a winter festival with uniquely Alaskan events:  the World Championship Sled Dog Races, a reindeer run down 4th Avenue, native arts & crafts shows, the Miners' & Trappers' Ball ... you get the idea.

In my last job, my office was at 4th & D Street, literally on the starting line for the sled dog races - including the Iditarod. I miss the close proximity to all the events, and the excitement. It's a lot of fun.

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We got another couple inches of snow overnight, and the temp has dropped into the teens. It's about time it started acting like winter again. AccuHunch promises some heavier snow early next week, and that's okay too. All the snow, as well as the colder temps, are good for the sled dogs. Mushy & mushing don't mix.

Rondy's Leading Musher, Streeper, Disqualified for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

http://www.adn.com/2011/02/27/1725752/defending-rondy-champ-out-after.html

Read the article, watch the video, and judge for yourself. I'm tending toward believing the two mushers.

Let's Get Ready to Rondy

The 75th Annual Fur Rendezvous will begin on Friday in Anchorage.

The Rondy, as it's known, has been a fixture since 1936. It began as a celebration of the trappers and miners who came to Anchorage each winter for supplies. The "Trappers and Miners Ball" is still a featured event.

As the fur trade tapered off, the winter celebration continued. It features sled dog races (sprints, actually), a carnival, live entertainment, street vendors with everything from souvenirs to Rondy pins to food - some of the finest reindeer sausage available is served, and you can find those vendors by looking for the largest crowds. There will be craft fairs, Native artists, sales, fireworks, and something that was added only a couple of years ago: the Running of the Reindeer. Somewhat smaller than the bulls at Pamplona, it's still fun to see - and to participate.

Large portions of downtown will become a pedestrian mall, and the sled dog races always draw a crowd. My vantage point for watching won't be as good as in years past, when I managed property at the starting line - no rooftop viewing for me, but that's okay. Half the fun is mixing with the crowd.

Let's see, some of the favorite events: the Frostbite Footrace, dogsled rides, horse-drawn carriage rides, the Miner's and Trapper's Charity Ball (and costume competition - one year it was all duct tape), snowshoe races, outhouse races, beer drinking championship, snow sculpture contest, and I mentioned the reindeer.

A few years ago, the Rondy had grown out of proportion - forgetting its roots - and was spread out all over Anchorage. Events were taking place miles apart, attendance dropped off, and the organizing committee was in the red.

But with a change of leadership, and a new director (Hi, Susan!), the Rondy has come roaring back & is showing a profit again.

It's a good, clean family-friendly event, and runs from Feb. 26 through March 7. For many, the highlight of the Rondy is the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. This year, it's Saturday, March 6.

Be there or be ... well, you know.

Photos downloaded from www.furrondy.net, via their offer of photographic galleries.

Global Cooling Strikes Again

Good morning! It's six below zero at my place this morning, but AccuHunch is allowing as how we should get up to 21 above today, with copious amounts of sunshine. That would be nice - we had quite a bit of sun over the weekend, and didn't mind it a bit!

The Rondy is in full swing, having completed three days of sled dog racing, the running of the reindeer, snowshoe softball tournament, and outhouse races ... yes, it's been a long winter!

We're getting in excess of 10.5 hours of daylight already, and continue to gain six minutes daily. It's a wonderful time of year, even if we're shivering in Algore's "global warming." Yeah, right.

It's another day at the office, but I'll be moving around quite a bit - I want to keep my energy up, and need to walk a lot to prepare for the summer months. Those months are short, and we want to squeeze as much into them as we can!

TGIF, Alaskan Style

Good morning! It's the first day of the 74th Annual Fur Rendezvous (not about fur, anymore) which dates back to 1935, when it was a gathering of hunters, trappers, and the hardy souls prospecting, mining, and otherwise eking out a living in the last frontier.

The Rondy, as it's now known, is a gathering of folks from all over for food, gifts, shopping, carnival rides, shows, the Miners & Trappers Ball, eating, games, and fun. The World Championship Sled Dog Races will be taking place today through Sunday. My oldest girl worked on one of the "pit crews" last year - helping a musher to get her dogs hitched to the traces, and to keep them from taking off until the announcer says to "GO!"

The crowds and carnival atmosphere are lots of fun, especially coming three-quarters of the way through a long winter, with little else to do.

For me, the sled dog racing has been the best part. Now that I'm no longer managing property on the starting line, as I have for the last four years, I'll miss standing on the roof, 30 feet above 4th Avenue, watching the dogs run.

These pics won't capture the spirit of being in the crowd, with conversation drowned out by the dogs yelping & begging to run (they live for this!). But to be part of the crowd and excitement is a big part of the fun. And it will be cold - vendors will be making a fortune selling coffee and hot chocolate - but as one old sourdough told me, "You haven't been to the races until you've frozen your butt off." He's right!

Thursday Thoughts, Video, and Random Stuff

Thought of the Day: "Laws that forbid the carrying of arms, disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homocides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."
~ from Thomas Jefferson's "Commonplace Book", quoting from "On Crimes and Punishment" by Cesare Beccaria, 1764

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Random Stuff:
AccuHunch Weather is living up down to its reputation for guesswork. Yesterday they told us we might get two inches of snow. Last night, they guessed we'd receive one to five inches overnight. This morning? No snow, although they allow as how we might get some flurries before lunch.

Folks here are still grumbling about Gov. Jindal's diss regarding volcano monitoring. Apparently, he didn't realize that volcanoes threaten any populated areas in the U.S.

As far as I know, Alaska is still part of the U.S. ... at least, for now. And volcanoes have dumped ash at least twice on Anchorage in the last 20 years. Mt. Spurr, which last erupted in '92, is visible from Anchorage and only 75 miles due west of here. I appreciate the Governor's attempt at clever compare-and-contrast by saying we don't need to monitor volcanoes; we need to monitor the eruption of spending. However, his speechwriting staff should have checked a little more closely.

Speaking of Mt. Redoubt, the latest volcano to threaten this part of the state, it still hasn't erupted. Here's the latest update:

2009-02-26 06:03:35
Redoubt Volcano has not erupted. Volcanic tremor and occasional discrete earthquakes are continuing this evening. There was a brief period of elevated tremor yesterday between 3:45 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. Since that time tremor has been at lower amplitude. The rate of occurrence of weak earthquakes increased yesterday evening above the morning's level, but has been dropping for the past few hours.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ... one of the big oil producers is doing some grumbling of his own, telling Congress that the process of getting permits for drilling in Alaska is "clumsy." He's saying that there are too many agencies involved in the fight for progress; apparently this is news to lawmakers.

Video:
So the week is winding down, and folks are looking forward to tomorrow's kick-off of the annual Rondy, and the first of the World Championship Sled Dog races. It's fun, folks! Here's a short video of the first Iditarod racer leaving the starting line in 2006.