Fur Rondy.

This past weekend was Fur Rondy! I cannot tell you how [annoyingly] excited I was for Saturday! The Fur Rondy, short for Fur Rendezvous Festival, is a festival held each year in Anchorage at the end of February and builds up to the Iditarod. It is apparently the largest winter festival in North America. There are all sorts of crazy and fun events that went on during the weekend and some that continue throughout the week. I was once told that Fur Rondy is only for tourists or the new people in town. After attending some of the festivities, I will tell you different. There are diehard Alaskans (see picture with "wolf-man") that wait all year to go to Rondy. Part of me feels like the people who say that Rondy isn't for them are being plain old ignorant. Get out and experience your state, already! Enough of that, onto the pictures:

The day started with the Fur Rondy parade.

How many of you have sat through a parade in a blizzard in the middle of the winter? It was a very different experience, to say the least.

Miss Alaska, riding in style.

Tiny car. The guy probably hoisted it up into the bed of his truck to take it home!

Oh yes, they even threw candy! Frozen tootsie rolls are too hard for my teeth...

This is a reindeer! Unfortunately, the Running of the Reindeer was on Sunday afternoon and we didn't really feel it was an appropriate Sunday activity to attend... After the parade, we were headed to Ship Creek (a relatively long walk in the snow with cramping calves, uphill both ways, blah blah blah) and passed our hotdog stand friend! Hotdog stands are a total summer thing here in Anchorage. I think they are one of the most disgusting things ever, but reindeer hotdogs are a gotta have! Smart hotdog boy decided to set up shop, even in the cold and the snow. It was a sure hit!

We checked out the model train sets running at the train station and noticed this in the corner. This picture is solely for my grandparents. Do you see what I'm standing next to?
Pretending to ride the dog sled.

We were too cheap to pay $5 each to go to the dog weight pull, but we can pretend, right? It sounded terribly boring anyway.

All week long they have this snow sculpture contest going. The sculptures are incredible! The contest had just started the night before, so none of them were even close to being done. We'll definitely go see the finished products later this week!

Okay, so this is what I refer to as a die-hard Alaskan:

I actually saw his picture in the paper before we headed to the parade. I showed Andy and said, "Check out how awesome this guy is!" And then we happened to run into him. So naturally (well not naturally, Andy coaxed me a bit) I asked him if he would pose for a picture with me! He really is a rockstar, I mean, he is wearing an entire wolf!
We eventually made our way to the fur auction. I think people were getting some screamin' deals on fox, wolf, lynx, black bear, etc. I told Andy that I will have a fur hat before we leave Alaska, in fact, it is my goal to buy one by the end of the summer. I want one SO bad!
There were even carnival rides going! It was so the wrong season the watch kids ride the ferris wheel!
If I could afford it, I would buy a coat like this. The hoods are unbelievably warm. LOVE IT!

Then we watched several dog teams running the Fur Rondy Race take off and return. Dog mushing is a crazy hobby. I wouldn't consider it a hobby, it is more a way of life! Andy is dying to go out with a dog team...I'll have to work on setting that up.

Lastly, we (I) were freezing and were running late for another commitment, so we left early. We missed the Outhouse Race by just a half hour. Sad story, but there's always next year, right?