UP 200 Sled Dog Race

This weekend is the UP 200 Sled Dog Race.  Fourteen teams participated this year.  They started in Marquette Friday night and arrived in Grand Marais, which is the turn-around point, around mid-day yesterday.  Temperatures along the route were in the 40s and 50s, which is too warm for the teams, but great for the spectators.  Once they arrive in Grand Marais, the teams rest in our baseball field.  The town plows out spaces for the mushers' rigs and equipment to line up.  There are also numerous checkpoints manned by locals to help direct/stop snowmobile traffic to protect the dog sled teams.  This event is a qualifier for the Alaskan Iditarod race.