The Beginning - Part 3

While in Fairbanks, I learned what it meant to walk around in the dry cold of the interior. It was about 10 degrees above zero as I packed the car to return to Anchorage. I was sweating from walking around outside and removed my jacket to continue loading the car in a light weight shirt. I had seen an Eskimo walk out of the airport in Anchorage, when I arrived wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, a short sleeved shirt and a pair of flip flops, with the snow blowing in a 10 mph wind and 20 degree temperature.

Having visited Fairbanks, I returned to Anchorage and worked a few shifts in communications before driving to the Kenai Peninsula and touring Seward, Soldotna, and Homer. I spent the night in the car, trying to sleep while the wind outside rocked the car with 30-40 mph winds. I got to see first hand the effects of an avalanche that had buried the railroad tracks and I got to see the towns as only the locals see them in the off season. I was captivated by Alaska. I went home more convinced that I had to return and pursue my dream of running and completing the Iditarod.