I’ll have to tell you that when we awoke this morning to a literal deluge of rain, I wasn’t so motivated to put on the ‘ol Bunny Boots and head out to the Start Line! But after a bit, a bit of blue sky was to be had, and by 11:48am, when Team Kaiser left the 2015 Iditarod Ceremonial Start Line, it was a beautiful day!
This is Pete’s 6th Iditarod and the mood this morning was markedly more relaxed than previous Starts. We had coffee and Pete spent time chatting with fans and sponsors as they came by to offer support. It was just a real relaxing morning and I think everyone had a pretty good time!
There is no snow in Anchorage and trucks worked through the night to put down a layer of snow that turned into an icy soggy topping to the asphalt below 4th avenue. The surface wreaked havoc on the dog booties and most were shredded by the time Team Kaiser reached the line. It was all smiles as they left the chute with bib number 54 and those smiles were tempered a bit as they headed through Anchorage on the trip to Campbell Creek Airstrip.
As Team Kaiser and their Iditarider, Allen Dobson, traveled through town, the weather took a turn for the worse and it was a driving rain storm as they reached the Campbell Creek finish to the Ceremonial Start. Our poor Iditarider didn’t stay around long, but had a good time. I’m sure he wasn’t sure what to expect, but rain probably wasn’t what he was planning for! Thanks for riding Allen!
Here are the photos from today: