Today was our last day in our 49th state. We slept a little later with daylight saving starting and got a quick breakfast at the Country Kitchen. The Zirkles picked us up at 11:30 am to make the drive to Willow for the official start of the 2009 Iditarod. The weather was cloudy when we left Anchorage, so I was surprised when we arrived in Willow to see Mt. McKinley in full view directly in front of us. Before long it was hidden by the cloud cover. We made our way out to the lake where the race begins and found a spot along the fence to watch the teams come by.
The mushers and teams cross over the Willow Lake before entering the woods on the opposite side . Many houses dots the edge of the lake with the snow making a Christmas card scene. We watched and photographed the teams as they passed by cheering on each musher. The favorites, Dee Dee Jonrowe, Martin Buser, Jeff King and Lance Mackey, were in the middle of the pack. A total of 67 mushers made the start. The dogs had to be held at the start until the musher could leave they are so anxious to run. It seems like a lot of work for the dogs, but they all seem eager to run and pull the sleds.
As the last teams were starting out, we returned to the car and started the drive back to Anchorage. It was a slow go taking about 2 1/2 hours to make the trip. This was about an hour longer then it took to get there.
Tomorrow we say good-bye to Anchorage and Alaska.