Alaska - July 2012
43 degrees below zero in Fairbanks! Well, at least in a small room set up for tourists to see what that temp feels like (we'd last about 10 minutes dressed like that in the open at those temps!).
From here on, photos are pretty much in chronological order. The first thing we did in Fairbanks was go on a riverboat tour, which stopped at this sled-dog kennel (sled dogs are a BIG thing in Alaska). Here, they are hooking dogs up to an ATV, which they use to train them when there's no snow.
The riverboat stopped at a native Alaskan "village" (visitor center), where several native Athabascan guides (including this young lady, who had an adorable sense of humor - "This is the traditional Athabascan moose call.....'Here moosey moosey!'") explained traditional ways of doing things. On the rack are hides from a reindeer (i.e., domesticated caribou), a moose, and a brown (aka grizzly) bear.
Alaskan huskies seem almost skinny, at least compared to what you think of as a "husky" (the word itself just means a dog that pulls). But think of the physique of the humans that win endurance races, like the Boston Marathon. They're "skinny" but superbly conditioned. Same thing here.
Alaskan huskies have a very special double coat. The outside layer is water-proof and wind-proof, like Gore-tex. The inside layer acts like goose down, trapping and holding in heat. That's important in winter when they often have to just curl up and rest on the trail, exposed to temps of -20 to -50, and windchills twice that!
Salem has two gold harnesses hanging on the post by his house. Like "MVP" awards, they were given for his being the top lead dog in Iditarod races that he (and Jeff) won. Sled dogs keep training - and can actually keep racing - well into their teens. When they're finally too old, there are always people wanting them as house pets.
