Sarah Palin in 2012: alaska

Showing posts with label alaska. Show all posts

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Tesoro Iron Dog Race Begins Today!!!

Video of Sarah Palin Starting the Race

Tesoro Iron Dog Race

It's cold, it's fast and it's here! The mechanical version of the Iditarod begins on Big Lake, Alaska, this Sunday, February 10. You can show up at 10:00 AM and join the party until the teams of two start taking off at 11:00 AM. They go all the way to Nome and back again. That is over 2000 miles of stark white wilderness at the coldest time of the year. Brrr. This Iron Dog race is the longest, furthest, craziest snow mobile race in the world.

Todd Palin (A.K.A. "Mr. Sarah Palin" or "First Dude of Alaska̶ and Scott Davis won the event last year. In fact, Todd Palin has been on the winning team 4 times in the last 15 years, coming in second 3 times in that same time period. Rest assured our "hottie" Alaskan governor is married to a real Alaskan man. They are an Uber Arctic couple for sure.

If you want to follow the race, see who is competing this year, or look at results from past years, check out their website at www.irondog.org.

http://www.hotelsbycity.net/blog/usa_alaska_anchorage/2008/02/08/tesoro-iron-dog-race/

Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Tesoro Iron Dog race begins Sunday

The field this year is the fourth largest in Iron Dog history.

The Tesoro Iron Dog racing field

Seventy snowmachine racers will pair into two-man teams and begin the trek Sunday from Big Lake to Fairbanks in the Tesoro Iron Dog. Read through racer bios and team bib numbers in our interactive driver gallery, and check back throughout the race for updated standings.

Duct tape keeps Iron Dog racers' faces fresh

Photos: Snowmachines

Video: "Blood, Sweat and Duct Tape" (nytimes.com)

Sunday, February 1, 2009

I Can See Clearly Now............

by Janet Crain

When Tina Fey cracked her famous joke during her impression of Sarah Palin that she could see Alaska from her house, I laughed. Because it was perfect satire. So ridiculous that no sane person would take it as the truth. But a lot of people got it confused with the real Sarah Palin interview when she said; "You can see Russia from Alaska". Since then there have been many jokes made about her stating that Russia can be seen from Alaska. Note she never said from her house. Reportedly, reporters were even sent to Little Diomede Island to check this out and said they could not see Alaska. This just sounded fishy to me. Why would so many prominent Alaskans assert this if it were not true? A web search quickly turned up this article. I'm sure there are many more. I am inclined to believe the residents of Alaska, not some greenhorn reporters. Like so many other Sarah myths, this one bites the dust. Or the permafrost.

Fascinating Facts: Alaska & the Russian Far East

"Divided Twins" – Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko describing Alaska and Siberia.

"At the dawn of the 21st century, Alaska and the Russian Far east can join hands across the Bering Sea to build on our long history together, cooperate in ventures that can benefit the economies, environment and peoples of both regions." – Alaska Governor Tony Knowles

Alaska and Russia are a mere snowball’s throw away. On a clear day, you can see from here to there, from today to tomorrow – and you can even walk!

At their closest Alaska and Russia are 2.5 miles apart – the distance between Little Diomede Island, Alaska, and Big Diomede Island, Russia. The two islands straddle the U.S.-Russian maritime border in the middle of the Bering Strait. In mid-winter, when the Bering Strait freezes, it is possible to walk between the two islands – from American to Russia, from today to tomorrow, or from Russia to the United States, from today to yesterday. It is even possible to stand on the frozen Bering Strait, with one foot in America and one foot in Russia, straddling the frontiers of distant boundaries and time travel. But don’t try it. You can be taken into custody by border guards. And the frozen Bering Strait can have huge ice ridges as well as open holes of water (polynyas). 55 miles separate the Alaska and Russian mainland at the point where Alaska’s Seward Peninsula and Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula reach out toward each other. Alaskan and Russian Eskimos travel by walrus skin boat between the Alaska villages on St. Lawrence Island and the Chukotka villages near Provideniya. The prevailing theory is that America was first peopled by a land migration across the Bering Strait more than 10,000 years ago, when sea levels dropped in the last ice age leaving a wide swath of land – Beringia or the Bering Land Bridge – connecting the Asia and American continents. The Bering Strait has long served as a lure for those seeking to pursue geographic, travel, cultural and even political adventures that span one of the world’s most out-of-the-way boundaries. People have tried to cross the Bering Strait – and some have succeeded – by walking, swimming, wind-surfing, hot air balloon, skiing, dog sled, kayak and even, unbelievably, by driving (and failing). Gennady Gerasimov, Gorbachev’s spokesman, in one of his many visits to Alaska, once stood on Little Diomede Island in the middle of the Bering Strait, and with great emotion, remarked on being able to stand on American soil and see the Motherland. The 150 residents of Little Diomede Island, Alaskan Eskimos and American citizens, live on a slope that faces west, which means that from their homes, they cannot see Alaska and the United States, but on a clear day, they can see Big Diomede Island and the Russian mainland.

http://www.gov.state.ak.us/trade/2003/tad/russia/facts.htm

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Sarah Palin: The case for drilling in ANWR

Last update: January 31, 2009 - 5:07 PM

Let's not forget: Only six months ago, oil was selling for nearly $150 per barrel, while Americans were paying $4 a gallon and more for gasoline. And today, there is potential for prices to rebound as OPEC asserts its market power and as Russia disrupts needed natural gas to Europe for the second time in three years.

As I traveled throughout the country campaigning for vice president, I was glad to hear politicians, including Barack Obama, promise that "everything was on the table" to address America's great challenges. I also found that when Americans were apprised of the facts, most people became supporters of responsible oil and gas drilling in Alaska. So, I want to remind our national leaders of this promise and make the case against this legislation:

•Oil from ANWR represents a huge, secure domestic supply that could help satisfy U.S. demand for more than 25 years.

•ANWR sits within a 20 million-acre refuge (the size of South Carolina), but thanks to advanced technology like directional drilling, the aggregated drilling footprint would be less than 2,000 acres (about one-quarter the size of Dulles Airport). This is like laying a 2-by-3-foot welcome mat on a basketball court.

•Energy development is quite compatible with the protection of our wildlife and their habitat. For example, North Slope caribou herds have grown and remained healthy throughout more than three decades of oil development. Most of the year, our coastal plain is frozen solid and thus characterized by low biological productivity.

•ANWR development would create hundreds of thousands of good American jobs, positively affecting every state by providing a safe energy supply and generating demand for goods and services.

Cont. here:

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/38719737.html?elr=KArks:DCiUBcy7hUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Last Great Race on Earth

The famous Iditarod Race starts March 7th, 2009 in Sarah Palin's home town, Wasilla, AK. Born from an effort to avert a tragedy, it attracts the interest of people from all walks of life. But only the very toughest dare compete. JC

You can’t compare it to any other competitive event in the world! A race over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the Iditarod. A race extraordinaire, a race only possible in Alaska.

From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover over 1150 miles in 10 to 17 days.

It has been called the “Last Great Race on Earth” and it has won worldwide acclaim and interest. German, Spanish, British, Japanese and American film crews have covered the event. Journalists from outdoor magazines, adventure magazines, newspapers and wire services flock to Anchorage and Nome to record the excitement. It’s not just a dog sled race, it’s a race in which unique men and woman compete. Mushers enter from all walks of life. Fishermen, lawyers, doctors, miners, artists, natives, Canadians, Swiss, French and others; men and women each with their own story, each with their own reasons for going the distance.

The Iditarod Trail, now a National Historic Trail, had its beginnings as a mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knik to the interior mining camps at Flat, Ophir, Ruby and beyond to the west coast communities of Unalakleet, Elim, Golovin, White Mountain and Nome. Mail and supplies went in. Gold came out. All via dog sled. Heroes were made, legends were born.
In 1925, part of the Iditarod Trail became a life saving highway for epidemic-stricken Nome. Diphtheria threatened and serum had to be brought in; again by intrepid dog mushers and their faithful hard-driving dogs.

The Iditarod is a commemoration of those yesterdays, a not-so-distant past that Alaskans honor and are proud of.
Cont.
http://www.iditarod.com/learn/

How Diptheria Gave Birth to the Iditarod: History of the Biggest Sled Dog Race
February 09, 2006 by W. Richard Reegan

Only the dogs could save the people. The city of Nome had been hit with a deadly epidemic - diptheria. Without lifesaving vacine, many, if not all, would die. It was 1925. Anchorage had a supply, but it was nearly 1200-miles away. What could Nome do? It was winter, the ports were blocked by sea ice. Primitive airplanes were no match for the vastness of Alaska. Train tracks hadn't even been laid yet. That left only one possibility - sled dogs. Huskies would pull a sled guided by a man (known as a "musher") and in relay fashion - one team to the next - speed the medicine across the frozen tundra to the people of Nome.

cont.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/19498/how_diptheria_gave_birth_to_the_iditarod.html

Related:

http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2009/01/north-to-alaska-2009-iditarod-starts-7.html

© Janet Crain

Click here to view all recent Sarah Palin in 2012 posts

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Snowzilla rises from the dead

Anchorage Daily News

Published: December 23rd, 2008 09:39 AM
Last Modified: December 23rd, 2008 10:25 AM

Snowzilla, the giant snowman city officials tried to prevent from being built this year, appeared suddenly this morning at his usual winter home in East Anchorage.

Someone built Snowzilla overnight despite a grinchy ruling that the 16-foot construction was a public nuisance and could not make its now traditional appearance on Columbine Street in front of the Powers family home.

http://www.adn.com/front/story/632231.html

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Alaska: Home of Sarah Palin

Now that the elections are (almost) behind us, I plan to learn more about Alaska, it's geography and history.

I found this interesting article today:

.....on a whim, I decided to look at the Alaska Travel Industry Association, and sure enough — there she was. Granted, Sarah Palin is the governor of the state, but she and her family are mentioned more than once (apparently her husband, Todd, is a four-time winner of the snowmachining race “Iron Dog.”) She also graces the cover of the state’s tourism brochures which are now in wide distribution. Although they were printed before she was selected to be John McCain’s running mate, a spokeswoman for the association said, the group decided not to send the majority out until after the election to “be safe” and not affect voting.

Cont. here:
http://industry.bnet.com/travel/1000399/hawaiian-tourism-banks-on-obama-and-sarah-palin-helps-alaska-too/

In this November Travel News Bulletin you will find:

1. Volunteers get a taste of the Iditarod without driving a sled
2. Speed demons get their fix at Alaska’s snowmachine races
3. Nome musk ox tour offers new snow-cat alternative
4. Countdown to Alaska’s 50th birthday: Celebrate with Cruise West

1. Volunteers get a taste of the Iditarod without driving a sled Last month, Alaska’s Last Great Race went prime time with the premier of the Discovery Channel’s newest extreme reality series, “Toughest Race on Earth: Iditarod.” Now the same fans riveted by the likes of Captain Sig Hansen of the Deadliest Catch can follow Alaska legends like Lance Mackey and DeeDee Jonrowe along the 1,150-mile sled dog race to Nome. Those not content to sit on the sidelines can join the action by volunteering with the Iditarod Trail Committee with assignments as diverse as answering phones, dog handling, sorting food and supplies, race communications and more. With so much activity surrounding the race — from media conferences, race starts in both Anchorage and Wasilla, the musher’s banquet, food drops and more — volunteers are sure to find an option to suit their skills and interests.

(snipped)

2. Speed demons get their fix at Alaska’s snowmachine races Drawn to harrowing speeds, snowmachine racers brave Alaska’s harsh elements and test both machine and human stamina during the Tesoro Iron Dog and Alcan 200 races each winter. Nationally, more Americans than ever are aware of Alaska’s long-distance snowmachining races (as well as the fact that we call them snowmachines, not snowmobiles) thanks to the sudden notoriety of Todd Palin, husband of Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin and four-time Iron Dog champion. Beginning its legacy in 1984 as the “Iron Dog Iditarod,” the Tesoro Iron Dog travels from Wasilla to Nome, then on to Fairbanks through 1,971 miles of some of the most remote and rugged terrain in Alaska. Teams of two battle for a hefty purse upwards of $165,000 and crown of the world’s longest, toughest snowmachine competition. Fans not able to attend the race can follow the action through GPS tracking or the DOG BLOG,

Cont. here:

http://www.travelalaska.com/Media/WhatsNew.aspx