Anchorage Alaska and the surrounding area is a major hub of Alaska. After we left the Kenai Peninsula, we had to come back through Anchorage. That was great because it gave us a chance to hit Costco and stock up on food–especially Mike’s chocolate chip cookies. We also could go to the Anchorage Alaska Temple. So we attended a session there. It is a small but unique and beautiful temple. The murals inside reflect the beautiful surroundings in Alaska.
Our next stop was the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla, Alaska. What a cool place. This is the last great race and it is a real challenge. I was so interested in the dogs and how they are born to run. They just want to run. We saw a video there that was quite informative about the dogs and their desire to run. An interesting fact if I can remember it right, is that an Iditarod sled dog’s heart rate is only 40 bpm where a normal dog’s heart rate is over 100 bpm. So we are talking elite athletes. They are born that way. They love to run. We took an amazing, though fairly short dog cart ride behind these amazing athletes. As soon as we got into the cart, those dogs got so excited and started yipping and pulling on the harness. They couldn’t wait to run. Watch the video below to see what I mean.
On our way back to Anchorage we stopped at the Wasilla Creek Trail. It was a nice short hike on a board walk through wetlands. However, Alaska has been super dry this year with July being the hottest July ever on record in Alaska. That is why much of the state is on fire. More about that later.
Also in the Anchorage area is the city of Palmer, Alaska. One of its local attractions is a Musk Ox Farm. They have been working to domesticate the Musk Ox. They comb their coats in the summer and get a really soft and warm fur from them. It is awesome, but very expensive. I wanted to buy a nice scarf but it was over $100. Wow!!! Expensive musk ox hair. It was pretty cool to see the musk ox and learn about the Musk Ox in the wild and their efforts to domesticate them. Musk ox live where temperatures can be 60 degrees below 0. They are pretty amazing. Their hair covers everywhere on their bodies to protect them from that cold. To defend against wolves who are their main predator, they form in a circle with their backs together so that the pointy end of each musk ox is pointing out. They protect there young within the circle. Their horns are horns and not antlers which fall off every year. Their are related to goats and sheep and not cows or bison. So in essence they are just a really big goats.
The Palmer Musk Ox Farm was interesting, fun and informative. I would recommend it to anyone who is passing through the area. It took about one hour and was not too expensive. They are a non-profit organization and so they tour fee goes to feed the Musk Ox. A good cause to keep these animals fed. It turns out that domesticating Musk Ox is not profitable and so they have to sustain the farm via donations and the tourist visits and selling merchandise and the wool from the Musk Ox. Pretty cool. Now off to Valdez