Gone to the Dogs!!: The U.P. 200 Sled Dog Race 2010: Part ONE

This will be Part One of a series I will be showing you

about the

U.P. 200 Sled Dog Race 2010

This is such a fun time for us in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and something I look forward to every year.

Mushers from around the U.S. and as far away as New Zealand participated in the race this year.

Thirty-three dog sled teams!!

This is the 20th year we have had the privilege of having dog sled races here.

Twelve-dog teams take off, two minutes apart right down the main street of Marquette, Michigan...to roaring and cheering crowds of fur-hatted, hardy fans.

The town closes off the main street the day before and hauls in snow and makes a snow path right down the middle of downtown.

I LOVE THAT.

As our Mining Journal newspaper put it:

"There is an infectious thing about this, its intangible. If you stand at that starting gate and see the packed street and feel the excitement of the dogs--for the average person, you just get involved. You just can't help it."

And that is exactly how you feel as a spectator.

Between 8,000 to 15,ooo people watch the dogs take off every year, and this year it had to be even more.

I was privileged to be one of them.

The race spans a total of 241 miles.

The mushers have a required 16 hours of layover time during the route, which they can use at any of the many checkpoints along the route.

As the newspaper stated: "It's a marathon of sleep deprivation, athletic endurance, extreme exertion and exposure to the elements."

For more information about the U.P. 2oo, you can go to: www.up200.org or read about it HERE and also HERE.

So, sit back, put your feet up and come with me on my photo tour of Part ONE of my series about this wonderful experience as a spectator to this event:

Loved this sign using the logs incorporated into it!:

Here is some of the dogs laying next to their sleep bin trucks, resting before the race.

I bet you thought they would all be Husky dogs, didn't you? In reality, there were very few of that breed of dog:

A shot of the early crowd lining up on the street, in front of the Post Office..waiting for the race to start. It got a LOT more crowded after that shot was taken:

This is another shot of the kinds of trucks that the dog sled teams are used to being transported in. See the little bins with hay that the dogs sleep in while traveling? They love the security of them. These dogs are resting before the race began:

One of the dog sleds that the musher rides on the back of:
Hmmmm....wonder what is inside that bright red thermos?





Another bare sled on top of one of the musher's trucks:












I fell in love with this sled dogs BLUE eyes....be still my heart!:

The roof of our City Hall, one of the buildings the race runs right by:




Another shot of City Hall. I love its architecture:

Even though it was a marketing ploy by Liberty Tax Service to have these kids dressed up in their logo, I loved this shot of the three little kids eating pizza outside of City Hall, waiting for the race to begin:

One of the loaded sleds, waiting to be hooked up to the dogs:

Isn't he gorgeous?:

Stay tuned for Part TWO of the the shots I took of this event...

I took so many, they couldn't possibly fit into one blogpost!

*Reminder!: Today is FEB. 26th...remember to enter a photo to the free Photography Contest. ONLY TWO DAYS LEFT, PEOPLE!!! February's theme is "Critter Closeups". Please enter your photo by midnight on Feb. 28th to the address listed in these rules. Best of Luck to all the entries!I will be showing all the entries in an upcoming blogpost and announcing the winner of February's contest by Mar. 15th....stay tuned!!!