Front Street in Nome. The Iditarod ends here.
Nome is a town of about 3500 people on the Seward Peninsula on the Bering Sea. It can be reached only by air, water, or dogsled. No automobile roads connect it to the outside world. Our last day in Nome was 6/6/06 and I fell just 5 short of seeing my 666th North American bird species on that date.
Front Street in Nome. The Iditarod ends here.
It was a late, cold spring. There was still pack ice on the waterfront, which we were told was very unusual for June.
Here we are in the land of the Inupiat, going into a Chinese restaurant displaying a poster on the door for a Flamenco guitar concert. It's June 4th; note the winter attire.
Nome originated as a gold mining town. These dredge scoops from old mine operations are popular as planters.
The City of Nome claims that 20-23,000 visitors come to Nome each year. Early in the season, probably most of the visitors are birders.
Like the Pribilofs, Nome is also treeless. However there is extensive coverage by shrubbery, mostly willow, and some alder.
There are mountains nearby, but as in many places, their tops were shrouded in clouds.
Muskox were extirpated in Alaska but have been reintroduced from Greenland and seem to be doing well.
