3/15 Iditarod 2008, part 2

Like Mother like daughter. Both Traci and Kylie with Bloody noses.

Kylie trying to play Chris' electronic auto-harp. She could be mesmerized by this thing for hours. It's kind of fun to play.

Here comes Rich Cochran from Valdez, AK. He claims to be the first finisher from Valdez, AK. Of all the mushers that we greeted, he was the most energetic, and excited. We all told him, Great job Rich... to which he replied, it's all because of them (them being his dogs). Based on our interaction from the balcony we decided that we needed to meet him at the finish too!

So here he is at the finish after realizing that I was the guy on the deck with the bull-horn cheering him on.

There are a handful of big events in Nome. Iditarod, Summer Solstice being the two big events. For the kids of Nome, it's awe-inspiring for them come out and meet these mushers... who to some are the equivalent of the great Nascar drivers, or some other sports hero.
And some other kids are just out for a free ride. Here's one who just jumped on the back of the sled to catch a ride down to the dog lot.