Apparently the Iditarod is a weeks long camping trip. The Fur Rondy World Championship Sled Dog Races are apparently the cats meow when it comes to competitive dog sledding. Kudos to the cameraman and the director of photography for making Tozier track look so sexy. Nice editing and coloring of the sky. Enjoy the trailer, then check your pulse.

In other news (and something that I’m excited about), Alaska’s oldest road race, the Grand Prix is officially returning to the Fur Rondy roster of events in 2009!  For me, this was the single most exciting event at the Fur Rondy in the previous years and likely the only reason I would even attend the winter festivities in downtown Anchorage.  Unofficially, I know that the Alaska Sports Car Club (ASCC) is planning to introduce some new rules and a slightly different format for the races this year.

Since the event has been scheduled for a Friday and Sunday, intentionally surrounding the ceremonial start of the Iditarod – this will change the nature of how the race is conducted.  Details are still being planned and the ASCC has several volunteers working to bring it all together.  Although the official press release and event is not scheduled until the first week of December, the ASCC has posted a special announcement and I just had to share my excitement about the return of the Fur Rondy Grand Prix!

History of the races

One thing that I found to be a huge disappointment was the lack of historical information available online about this road race.  Only the ASCC seems to have a good summary of when this event began back in 1960. Several famous racing names such as Bob Bondurant and Chris Cook have even taken part in this race.  I’m hoping to do a little more digging on the history of the race, but until then check out the history on the ASCC site.

Video

Here’s a little taste of the race from inside and outside the car. Thanks to Daniel Hertrich for posting his video online!

Race Course

And now for something completely non-techy. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center near Portage Glacier outside of Girdwood, Alaska is having an open house for Mother’s Day. Admission is FREE on May 11, 2008.

Press Release:
Two First Time Mothers

Baby Abigail Miller and her mother Kelly live and work at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage. Caring for the animals, they develop special relationships with wildlife residents. This caribou calf named April and her mother named Autumn, look forward to their daily feedings and visits. Abigail and April will grow up together with the scenic Portage Valley as their home. These two first time mothers share an indescribable joy only a mother knows.

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center wishes all mothers a very happy Mother’s Day and is offering FREE ADMISSION on May 11 to all visitors. Bring your family, friends and mothers, to see the new animal moms at the wildlife center! New mothers this spring already include caribou, plains bison, wood bison and musk ox.

Activities for the day include story time at 1:30pm, Mother’s Day craft for kids at 2:00pm, and guided walking tours at 11:00 am, noon and 3:00pm. AWCC hours are 10:00am-6:00pm.

Call 783-2025 for more information.