The Iditarod

Address:Nome, Alaska

Nome, Alaska is the ending point of the Iditarod race and compared to the somewhat peaceful atmosphere at the starting point in Anchorage, the town of Nome goes absolutely nuts and it's something you won't want to miss!

The small town starts revving up about a week before the race even begins. With 3,200 residents, 13 bars, half a dozen liquor stores and basically no tourism (Nome is located in the remote area of Bush Alaska), you are pretty much cut off from the world around you.

If you are courageous enough and venture out for the race's ending, get to Nome about a week after the race starts in Anchorage and spend at least 10 days for the after-race events. Until that time, bars offer plenty of entertainment including the annual wet T-shirt contest and some other crazy bar parties. You will enjoy daily craft shows with incredible works created by non-Native Inupiaq and Yupi'k artists. Educational lectures about the Iditarod and mushing displays are everywhere and there are presentations about Nome's history and its role in the Second World War.

The Red Lantern Banquet, named in honor of the prize given to the final musher to come in to Nome, is one of the nicest and most laid-back events, and you will miss it if you leave Nome immediately following the race. Hotel rooms are booked six months in advance and vary greatly in quality. If you really want to feel like an Alaskan, a place to sleep can usually be found on a local resident's floor by contacting the Alaska Tourist Office. However, keep in mind that Bush Alaska is much like a Third World country - some homes don't have interior plumbing. All three hotels have interior plumbing, so you may want to reconsider spending 10 days on someone's floor.

Needless to say, dress very warmly. Temperatures often dip to -30°F and the wind-chill factor will make it worse. Visitors can volunteer to help with the race but be aware that this involves a lot of grunt work, including scrapping frozen dog poop off the roads. While you will enjoy your unique experiences in Nome, your time there may cause you to be a bit rough around the edges; so be aware that if you run out of patience and try to hurry or bother people who serve you, they will stop helping – quite possibly leaving you stuck without that particular service for a couple hundred miles.

Finally, after what promises to be an interesting week, gather with the locals and other visitors to watch the mushers roll into town, welcomed by fire-alarm blares. Inevitably, most tourists happily go to shake a musher's hand, forgetting that the musher hasn't showered in nearly two weeks. You may want to keep that in mind if you go to Nome.