We missed Fur Rondy last year, but since Thomas has been learning about Balto (the most famous sled dog from Alaska) in class - we certainly had to go this year. Fur Rondy stretches over several days and there are all kinds of activities in Anchorage apart from the ceremonial start to the Iditarod!
It was a chilly day, so we bundled up and headed downtown. And unlike the last time we went, everyone was capable of walking around without being carried or pushed in a stroller. A win for the parents! : )
But we missed the dogs running today, so that was a fail for the parents. By the time we got there, they had moved on to "Outhouse Races". It was quite entertaining to watch, but the boys were not nearly as impressed. I was also really confused as to how these contraptions were outhouses. They all did have a toilet seat and roll of toilet paper hanging on them somewhere, but that was it for authenticity!
But the boys favorite part is really the carnival that is a street down from the main drag anyhow. And guess who is big enough to ride the helicopters with his brother now?!? Thomas maintained his usual stoic expression while "flying" through the air, but Henry threw us a few grins.
On to the construction truck ride. It's hard to tell, but the two of them were trying to give me a thumbs up. They picked out their truck and got in it all by themselves. What big boys we suddenly have!
Since Thomas was super bummed about not seeing the dogs on Saturday, we decided to try again on Sunday. We were running later than I wanted, but I figured we still had plenty of time. Unfortunately, we were at least a block or two away when I heard them announce "And our last rider for the day is..."
I picked up my eldest and booked it down the sidewalk as fast as one can in a down skirt and snow boots. We didn't make it to the starting line, but we did make it to a point where I could lean him over the fence so he could see. I made a big deal about how we managed to see the last one!
Henry didn't seem to care at all that he missed the dogs running, he was just concerned about when we were going to eat...!
We opted to avoid going to the carnival again, so we walked back to the car. Thomas had tons of questions about this dog transport truck, so his daddy explained all about the kennels and why the exhaust pipe looks so weird and long (to keep the fumes away from the dogs!)
It was clearly not our best planned Fur Rondy visit, but the boys had fun and I'm pretty sure the one rider we got to see take off was the one who won the Anchorage part of the race. So there's that! :)