Downtown

Yukon Quest day one

Alaska, Photography, Sports, Street

Above: Straight down view from the parking garage during the start of the 2014 Yukon Quest international sled dog race.

The Yukon Quest kicked off February 1, a world famous 1,000 mile sled dog race between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon.  Dog teams pull sleds and handlers along the namesake Yukon River, up and down summits and through treacherous trails in some of the worst weather imaginable. A true endeavor for dog and man alike.

The race alternates start and finish between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, this year was Fairbanks. The Chena River in downtown Fairbanks is the usual starting spot, but due to unseasonably warm temperatures the ice was deemed unstable and the race started on 2nd Avenue. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people lined the street to send off racers.

I wasn’t on assignment so I casually photographed the race from the top of the parking garage. I love the chance to combine rugged dog mushing with a city scape – particularly from a high perspective. 

Looking west a dog team leaves start gate of the 2014 Yukon Quest.
Looking east a dog team works toward the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks.

2013 GCI Open North American Championships.

Alaska, Landscapes, Photography, Sports

The GCI Open North American Championship is a three-day dog-sled race, that starts and finishes in downtown Fairbanks. The course takes leads them to the Chena River and Noyes Slough before depositing racers into the extensive trail network north of Fairbanks. Weather couldn’t have been better.

I met up with the mushers at Creamers Field, one of my go-to places for photography. Today, like most days at Creamers, I focused with film. With luck it may get develop in a timely manner.

Trucking through Creamers Field. Sat. March 16, 2013

Trucking through Creamers Field. Sat. March 16, 2013

Perhaps tomorrow I will focus on the downtown spectacle while shooting a little more digital.