Wow that water is cold...

Ok where to begin...

Midnight Sun Festival is one of the coolest, funniest, quirkiest small town festivals I think you'll find. (Don't take my word for it. I haven't been to that many small town festivals, but this one is pretty darn fun.)

Saturday:
I ran my first race on Saturday, June 20, 2009. We ran almost 4 miles along East Beach in Nome, and I was the fourth female to cross the finish line that day. It was a really tough run because the sand was really soft and really rocky, thus very unstable under the feet. We had absolutely the most beautiful Nome weather for all of Saturday, though, so it was a great start to the day.

From there, Mom, Dad, and I went to breakfast at Airport Pizza, and got ready for the big parade on Front Street. There were TONS of people lining the streets waiting for the parade to begin, including most of the Summercise kids (if they were not IN the parade). There were all sorts of floats: the typical- preschool group, JROTC, clowns. And the atypical- sled dogs pulling smaller dogs all dressed up like butterflies, the "I took a bath in Nome" float, pet reindeer in the back of a pick up truck, the Eskimo dancer float. Just in case you missed it the first time, the parade turns around and comes back for a second pass. :D

After the parade is the bank robbery and then the POLAR BEAR SWIM. All the interns except one did the swim and so did my dad! I was so excited he did it. The water was so incredibly cold. I couldn't breathe. I got in about up to my waist, dunked myself and then ran as fast as I could to my towel and the bonfire they had going. My skin was tingling, but it was so exhilerating. After I felt really awake and ready to go.

My parents and I then broke off from the group and took a drive up to Salmon Lake, which is such a pristene, beautiful lake. It looks exactly how you imagine Alaska looking. The lake was still partly frozen with the mountains rising up in the background. After spending all afternoon moose-hunting, we finally spotted one a couple of miles out of town. It was either a female or a juvenille-no antlers. But it was grazing about 20 yards off the road. It was a big thrill for all of us.

Sunday
Today was another pretty busy day. I got up and ate breakfast with my parents, and then we headed out to the Nome River to watch the start of the raft race. We got to the put-in point early enough to get a good look at all the rafts. Some teams were pretty competitive and less focused on the decorative aspect of things, but there were some teams who went all out. Some of my favorites were the Muskox Sally (complete with muskox costumes) and the pirates raft. The town comes out to watch and throw water baloons at the rafts as they float down river. The race ends at a local bar, and the whole thing is just a lot of fun.

After the rafters had gotten a good piece down river, Dad and I set up his fly rod and fished a bit. No luck today, but I think Dad is going to go back tomorrow. It felt so good to have a fly rod in my hand again. I miss doing things like that, and it was a really big treat to get to do that with him on Father's day. I have such great parents. I'm really blessed with them.

After fishing, I called Melissa (my dog-mushing friend) and Mom, Dad, and I went out to her dog lot to check things out. It is such a cool thing to see and experience. She has about 40 dogs on her lot, and she took mom and dad each out on a run with the 4-wheeler. They use 4-wheelers in the summer to keep the dogs running. The dogs are fascinating. Each has it's own personality, and all are so eager to run. When Melissa is hooking up the 4-wheeler and placing dogs on the line, the entire lot is barking, howling, pulling at their chains for the chance to run. Almost immediately after the team hits the trail the remaining dogs quiet down, except for the few who are still pretty jealous. It was so fun to see my parents getting to ride. They've been interested in the Iditarod ever since they got our husky, Maddie in '87. I really feel like that was a dream come true for them to get to see all these sled dogs and go for a ride. We kindof pushed my mom onto the 4-wheeler, and I hope she'll appreciate it haha. I know she will, but I think it was pretty bumpy and physical for her. She may be a little bruised up in the morning, but at least she'll have a good story.

We went to one of my boss's houses for dinner tonight. Ate a mean bowl of salmon chowder. oh man. I need the recipe. I know I've said it before, but everyone has just been so generous. From Melissa taking my parents out, to the townspeople sharing fishing tips, to dinner at Kelly's...I still can't get over the overwhelming kindness of Nome's community. I know I've probably left out some details, but I'll post them as I think of them. Check the photos...I'm currently uploading them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/emilye9/Nome1#

all my love
em