Deja Vu All Over Again

For eleven years I coordinated Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel) programs for a conference center in Oakhurst, CA, so I understood the program's value. When I decided to pursue a dream of attending the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, it seemed  natural to find out if Road Scholar had any offerings in that area. Of course they do. There isn't much in the way of an interest or a travel destination world-wide that Road Scholar doesn't cover. In this case, Denali Education Center in Denali, AK, coordinates a week-long program that includes virtually every facet of the race that takes place in Anchorage and environs.

Road Scholar programs provide major value in the following areas:

• All-inclusive. Unless specifically stated otherwise, every Road Scholar program includes all lodging, meals, program transportation, entry fees and gratuities
• Expert instructors and lecturers 
• Attendees who are lifelong learners, engaged and informed, most often with an educational or professional background.

In this case the program perks included all of the above, plus access to the Alaska Public Lands Building, tickets to the Mushers' Banquet, where mushers draw their start numbers for the race, info about the Ceremonial Start in downtown Anchorage and transportation to the Official Start in Willow the following day. On other occasions we visited the Wells Fargo Museum and the Iditarod Race Headquarters at the Millenneum Hotel.We also enjoyed presentations by special speakers on many aspects of life in Alaska and mushing in particular. A field trip to Alyeska Resort in Girdwood and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center rounded out the program week.

Twenty-five participants traveled from throughout the United States to enjoy this program. Two facts particularly fascinated me.

• A heavy dose of students hailed from California and other western states
• With the exception of two persons who'd previously attended this program (one for his eighth time!), a teacher who included the race in her curriculum prior to her retirement and myself, it seemed like most of them had little prior knowledge of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. My misguided theory held that these would all be hardcore mushing addicts (just like me). 
• Each attendee had his or her own reasons for being there, and many said it was because they thought it sounded "interesting." That's the great thing about RS--interests are intense and varied, and minds are open to new experiences. Several planned to travel on to other adventures in Alaska's interior with Road Scholar.

Cousins traveled together. A mother from Texas met her daughter from Idaho. A vet and his wife came from Wisconsin. Groups of ladies ventured to Alaska from Washington and Oregon. A couple from Nevada. A fantastic cross-section of the country came together to learn about mushing and participate in The Last Great Race on Earth.

This was my first time to experience a Road Scholar program from the other side of the desk, and I found that the group was so compatible that we would often break up into smaller groups to attend various activities and then morph into yet other groupings as the days and the week progressed.

For more information on Denali Education Center and the programs they offer, visit here.