Gold, Musk Ox, Moose, and the Iditerod

Hatcher Pass

July 9, 2012       Gold, Musk Oxen, Moose, and the Iditerod

Today was a great sightseeing day in Wasilla and Palmer!   We started off the day with a visit to the Independence Mine State Historic Park in Hatcher Pass.  This mine started in 1906 and had ten miles of tunnel.  Millions of dollars worth of gold were extracted here, and there is still a working mine further up the mountain.   Miners lived and worked in these buildings but they were abandoned in 1951.  A self-guided  walking tour of the restored buildings and the deteriorated mine equipment was very interesting.   I took a short hike above the mine for some fantastic views of the surrounding mountains.   We had a picnic in the Jeep because it was too cold up there to eat at the picnic tables.

Mountain climber

Independence Mine

Mine entrance

Mine train

Part of my hike

After leaving the mine, we headed for the Musk Ox Farm.   None of us had ever seen one of these furry relics from the first ice age, and it was very interesting to learn about them.  Although they look as if they are related to bison, they are really members of the goat/sheep family.  Their undercoat, called qiviut, is very soft and durable.  It is harvested and spun into yarn, then sent to natives who knit it into scarves, hats, etc.   These are very expensive--$240 for a scarf! These animals died out in Alaska in the 1800's and were reintroduced in the 1930's.  There are now about 3000 in Alaska.

After a stop for ice cream we headed down the Wasilla-Fishhook Road.   As soon as we made the turn onto the road, we had to stop because there were cars blocking the way.  A  huge female moose and 2 calves were standing by the road!  They moved into the brush, but we were able to watch them and photograph them for a while. It was a special treat!

Finally we visited the Iditarod Trail Headquarters where this famous race actually begins on the first Sunday in March.  We learned a lot about the race and the dogs and the mushers who race them and saw a very interesting film called "Why They Run."   These dogs are amazing.  It was interesting to note the differences between these dogs that are bred to race and the dogs that we saw in Denali that are bread to pull heavy loads.  The highlight of this visit was a ride in a training sled (on wheels) pulled by a team of racing dogs, and the musher was Ramie Redinger, the son of Joe Redinger who started the Iditerod Race in 1973.  These dogs run like the wind, and they obviously love every minute of it!  It was really fun!

Gary and the dogs

Ready to roll

On the trail

Our musher

Puppy lovin'

I want your nose!

Iditerod Trophy

Back at the RV's, we had happy hour and grilled steaks for dinner.   Tomorrow we are off to the Kenai Peninsula even though we haven't had a visit from Sarah Palin.