Iditarod XXXVIII

The 2010 Iditarod started yesterday, with the official restart happening today in Willow at 2 p.m. Alaska time. So far we are following Zoya DeNure, Jeff King (who announced this is likely to be his last Iditarod), Hugh Neff, and Judy Currier, who was the very last musher to leave. Find my 2009 posts with many, many related resources here.

Sorry about the formatting problems. Will look into it.

And they're off. . .

The ceremonial start of Iditarod XXXVII was yesterday. I watched some of it with my Iditarod Insider subscription, but still shots and some video are also available via the blogs listed in my sidebar, plus I've included a video from Alaska Daily News below.

The real race begins today in Willow. The reason behind the restart, as best I can tell, is firstly, an attempt to allow more people in on the fun (Anchorage being more populated and easier to get to), and secondly, to create the best trail conditions for the dogs and their mushers. Lack of snow and more roads and driveways crossing the trail have pushed the trail north to Wasilla since 1995, and, for many if not most of those years, to Willow Lake. Here's a bit from Lisa Maloney of Alaska Outdoor Recreation Examiner and the Anchorage Press:

The Iditarod's ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage has become more of a carnival than a racing start, with mushers saving their teams' strength for the real race. Look for higher tension and more game faces at the official Iditarod restart at Willow Lake in Willow, Alaska.

The ceremonial start used to be the real deal, but the always-open waters of the Matanuska River meant that teams had to run on the highway bridges if they wanted to run all the way from Anchorage to Nome. Increased highway development means this option is no longer feasible, so instead the teams run as far as Eagle River and are then trucked to Willow for the restart.

So there is still some time to join in on the fun!

2009 Iditarod starts tomorrow

Just a reminder that the ceremonial start of the Iditarod is tomorrow, Saturday, at 10 a.m. Alaska time (2 p.m. EST). The restart from Willow is on Sunday at 2 p.m., Alaska time (6 p.m., EDT). Most of Alaska does observe Daylight Savings Time (the exception being the western most Aleutian Islands which are in their own time zone, the Alaska-Aleutian time zone), so the four hour delay between the race and those of us here on the East coast will stay the same after our clocks "spring forward" early Sunday morning.

2009 Jr. Iditarod starts today

The thirty second running of the Jr. Iditarod begins on Saturday, February 28th at 10 am Alaska Time. Twenty one Jr. Iditarod competitors will be carrying some very high tech equipment with them in this year’s race; the 2009 Insider GPS Tracker. The Tracker is being tested during the Jr. Iditarod and The Iditarod Trail Committee is offering a free preview of this state of the art technology on www.iditarod.com. Just click the 2009 Jr. Iditarod Mapping window on the home page and check out a whole new dimension of race coverage. The Insider Tracker displays distance traveled, time traveled, coordinates and ambient temperature.

From yesterday's special e-bulletin from Iditarod.com

Find out more about the 154-mile race here. There are twenty-one mushers (all between the ages of 14 and 17) competing this year. The race begins at 10 a.m., Alaska time (2 p.m., EST).

More Iditarod resources

Electronic ones, this time. Here's a list of DVDs we've either seen or plan to see, relating specifically to the Iditarod or in general to Alaska or the Arctic (or at the very least, snow and dogs):

Nature: Alaska. Disc one contains two episodes: A Mystery in Alaska and Sled Dogs. We learned so much about the Iditarod by watching the Sled Dogs episode last year that we decided to watch it again this year. Learned even more this time. Highly recommended.

Animal Planet: Growing Up Arctic. This whole series is well worth watching, but this particular dvd has polar bears, arctic seals, and walruses, plus a bonus Antarctic episode (penguins).

Snow Buddies. Yes, this Disney movie is what started the whole obsession for our family. My two youngest still love it, even though they've seen it at least fifteen times.

Balto I, II, III. I watched the first one, which was actually pretty good. The other two were not memorable to me, but my kids liked them.

Iron Will. Not about the Iditarod, but a shorter race, the 1917 Winnipeg-to-St.-Paul sled dog race. Gorgeous scenery.

White Fang. Set in Alaska during the gold rush. This movie was too intense for my (then) six-year-old and three-year-old.

Eight Below. The right sport, a different continent--Antarctica. Good film. I don't think the younger two watched this one, either.

Pretty Sled Dogs. Review coming.

Eyewitness: Arctic & Antarctic. Great companion to the book. My kids (all three) love this series of science & nature episodes. Available in VHS only, I believe. Got it from the library.

National Geographic: Masters of the Arctic Ice. We enjoyed this look at arctic animals.

The Wild Arctic. 240 minutes of polar animals on our "to watch" list.

Over Alaska. In our Netflix queue.

Arctic Tale. Enjoyable.

Alaska: Spirit of the Wild. If I'm remembering correctly, this one had too much fighting between polar bears in it for my sensitive kiddos. It was either that or the whale hunt. But the scenery was downright breathtaking.

I know there were more we watched last year, and if anyone reading this list has more suggestions, please feel free to share them via comments.

Back to books--here is an excellent website for books and other tidbits (reading logs, bookmarks to print, etc.), even if you don't join the project: Idita-Read

One more blog to add to the list: Josh Rogers' Iditablog, now in its fifth year.

e-Iditarod

For those of you who are interested in following the Iditarod as part of an online project, visit eIditarod 2009 for more information. Joining gives you access to an email list with lots of information on it. The list owner and project head, Walter McKenzie, has some new blogs with photos along the southern route of the trail:

Iditarod
Shageluk
Anvik
Grayling
Eagle Island

Hopefully he'll post more soon!

Music Monday - Pretty Sled Dogs

Is it considered ADD when you are hyper-focused on one thing at a time?



From the DVD, Pretty Sled Dogs, a film by Donna Quante, starring Karen Ramstead, which "my children" got for Valentine's Day. It's on tomorrow's docket. I know you're waiting for my review with bated breath. ☺

Iditarod on GMA

Idita-blogs

I'll keep adding them as I find them.

Eye on the Trail, an official Iditarod blog with frequent news updates

Zuma's Paw Prints, an official Iditarod blog from canine perspectives

Four-time Iditarod winner Jeff King's blog: Husky Homestead

Four-time Iditarod winner Martin Buser's blog and website: Happy Trails Kennels

Skunk's Place Kennel Dog Log's Iditarod posts, written by husband-and-wife mushers Aliy Zirkle and Allen Moore, which include information about dog health and other concerns animal lovers may have about mushing

Crow Village Iditarod Blog

Happy reading!

Iditarod resources

Here it is, a partial list of the books we used last year to follow the Iditarod and learn about Alaska, the Arctic, and the Inuit people. I'll post again once I compile other, non-book resources, and possibly remember more book titles.

The Bravest Dog Ever—the True Story of Balto, by Natalie Standiford (Step into Reading, Step 3)

Togo, by Robert J. Blake

Dogteam, by Gary Paulsen

The Great Serum Race: Blazing the Iditarod Trail, by Debbie S. Miller

Storm Run: the Story of the First Woman to Win the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, by Libby Riddles

Moose Racks, Bear Tracks, and Other Alaskan Kidsnacks, by Alice Bugni

Born to Pull, by Bob Cary (Scholastic picture book)

Akiak, a Tale from the Iditarod, by Robert J. Blake (Acton Picture Bk Blake)

Big-Enough Anna, by Pam Flowers with Ann Dixon

Kiana’s Iditarod, by Shelley Gill

The Polar Bear Son, an Inuit Tale, by Lydia Dabcovich
Mystery on the Iditarod Trail, by Carol Marsh (plus teacher’s guide)

Woodsong, by Gary Paulsen

One Small Square—Arctic Tundra, by Donald M. Silver

Look Who Lives in the Arctic, by Alan Baker

Under Alaska’s Midnight Sun, by Deb Vanasse

Arctic Lights, Arctic Nights, by Debbie S. Miller

Eskimo Boy—Life in an Inupiaq Eskimo Village, by Russ Kendall

Being Caribou, by Karsten Heuer

Iditarod XXXVII

Now that Valentine's Day is (almost) over, it's time here at our house to focus on the main athletic event of the year, which begins in less than three weeks: The 2009 Iditarod.

Last year we followed the Iditarod for the first time. Each family member chose a musher to track, and when the race began we moved Staples brand "stickies" page flags from checkpoint to checkpoint on our Iditarod trail map. All three kids rated it as the most exciting homeschooling we've ever done. We learned about the state of Alaska, the Arctic, and the Inuit people, as well as quite a bit about sled dogs and mushing, and, of course, the Iditarod itself. As soon as I have an uninterrupted moment (or nearly), I'll post the resources we used last years with links. Until then, be sure to check out both the human and canine blogs over at Iditarod.com.