Homer Alaska - News -

She picked Alaska, in part because she has family in Talkeetna but also for the firsts she would have the opportunity to experience. She had never before landed on water in a floatplane, for instance, nor had she ever delved into the world of Iditarod dog mushing beyond the rudimentary understanding of the sport common in the Lower 48.

And she had never been to Homer.

"It's so beautiful here," said Snow while taking a break from reporting on the goings-on at Sen. Barack Obama's campaign office on Pioneer Avenue Oct. 8. "People still don't really understand Alaska in the Lower 48, even though your profile is way up there right now."

Snow and her producer, Susan Kriskey, chose Homer specifically because of the Obama office.

"We wanted to show some of the outreach that Barack Obama was doing in Alaska, and Homer seemed like an unusual place for a campaign office," said Kriskey.

"Alaska has Republican numbers but the Obama presence here is impressive," added Snow, noting that the Obama campaign has opened five such offices across Alaska.

Snow and Kriskey, along with cameraman Rob Weller and sound engineer Mike Curtiss, had been in Alaska for three days, covering a handful of stories for CBS in addition to the "50 states in 50 days" election project, which is a combined effort between CBS News and USA Today that began in Massachusetts.

In addition to their visit to Homer, the crew covered a handful of political stories, including an Anchorage rally in support of Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and an interview in Wasilla with Palin's brother, Chuck Heath, Jr. They also completed a piece on the Iditarod, interviewing four-time champion Martin Buser and race rookie Karin Hendrickson from Chugiak.

Snow was particularly glad to have the opportunity to broaden Americans' understanding of the Iditarod.

"I really was interested in finding out what motivates mushers. I've learned that it's a very costly thing to do and it takes a lot of very, very hard work and dedication," said Snow.

Homer residents will have to get up a bit early on a Saturday to view footage from the end of the road on national television - the segment will air at 6 a.m. on Oct 18.

Aaron Selbig can be reached at aaron.selbig@homernews.com.