No way was I going to miss the Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station, a project of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.  First on my list of “things to do” in Fairbanks, we finally took the tour this morning.  They cancelled the rest of the tours for the day due to the high heat and we leave in the morning so it worked out perfectly.

The non-profit Musk Ox Farm is a working farm, begun as a project in 1954 for the establishment of a cottage-based textile industry and dedicated to the domestication of the musk ox, an Ice Age mammal that once roamed the earth alongside saber tooth tigers and woolly mammoths. They are noted for their thick coat, musk like odor and valuable undercoat.

The tour lasted about an hour with a guide that was informative and happy to answer all our questions.   One of her remarks, about males smashing their heads together to win the position of dominance, got the ladies laughing when she said that the male’s skulls were filled with many large air pockets that kept them from injury.  She repeated “male musk ox, ladies…not guys in general”, but we ladies smiled knowingly.

Funding for the farm comes from several sources, including tours and even from the musk ox themselves, harvesting qiviut, an exquisite undercoat that is softer than cashmere wool and made into very desirable scarves, etc.  Raw material was passed around during the tour and it truly was soft as a baby’s behind!

Females were available to view as was one of the youngsters but the males, being 800 plus pounds, unpredictable and not domesticated, were kept in steel reinforced pens in the back areas and were laying close to the cool ground under the trees.

The other farm animals were domesticated Caribou aka Reindeer.  We found out that female reindeer keep their antlers while the males drop them after rutting season.  Females then use their antlers to protect food sources for their young and keep males at a distance.  The antlers were passed around and were surprisingly heavy.

Woke up to rain, then smelled smoke.  Outside was thick dense smoke in every direction.  Our plan was to head to Denali if ever we were faced with nearby forest fires.  Denali is the highest point and smoke rarely settles in the area.  We pulled up stakes and hit the road…until the flashing warning signs on the highway said the road was closed due to the forest fire.  We made a U turn and headed out of Fairbanks towards Tok and drove eight hours, constant travel through thick smoke that blanketed the valley.  The density of it was choking.  Even with three air filters running on high, my lungs burned.  Doc had given me lots of meds for my breathing machine and it stayed in use for most of the trip along with my “Michael Jackson” mask.

When we arrived at the turn off, Tok still had haze so we turned south and headed for Wasilla and the coast.  The roads, not really great to begin with, took a downward turn and we slowed for frost heaves, large splits in the pavement, gravel areas and finally dirt.  We were both tired so John found us a campground with 50 amp and water.  Got to say that my first impression wasn’t positive.  Going over the narrow one lane wooden bridge with a 17 ton RV gave a new meaning to the word petrified.

We found our “pull through” site but as John pulled through, one of the trees jumped out and bit the top of the RV.  Got a picture.  Looks familiar doesn’t it?  Sort of like the stop sign that jumped out and bit us? John never seems to remember who was driving when these things happen but now it is documented…think his memory is becoming selective.

So here we are for the night, swarms of mosquitoes outside, 90 degrees outside, smoke from camp fires outside but we turn on all three a/c’s, turn on all three air filters and relax inside watching TV and blocking out the world for the next 12 hours.  Sometimes it all works out.

Up early for breakfast, break camp and head to the Elks Lodge in Wasilla.  Non-smoking facility so we will be able to join in the fun.  They have dinners, poker nights, events and we can volunteer for whatever non-profit they support.  From here we can visit Anchorage, the largest city we will visit while in Alaska.

In a few days we will have a phone interview with the Bureau of Land Management in Oregon for Millpond Recreation Area as camp hosts.  Just because one work camp position didn’t work out doesn’t mean we give up.  The local health food store in Fairbanks told us that B-1 tablets keep mosquitoes from biting if you take it a.m. and p.m. while you are in mosquito country.   It does not work on Alaskan mosquitoes.  Oregon’s mountainous area may be a better place to give it a try.  If not, our trusty electrocution paddles will make them think twice about getting close.   Not normally evil people, we take great pleasure in hearing those nasty bugs fry.

Nice easy drive through the mountains to Palmer.  Beautiful scenery, mama moose and her baby up close and personal, gorgeous shot…all lost.  Buying a top of the line camera will not assure great pictures if you have a faulty disk.  Makes all those great shots poof into thin air.  Wish I had used my old cheap stand-by.  Another hard lesson to learn.

Arrived at Wasilla Elks Lodge in time for a big cold glass of Alaskan Amber.  Tastes like Southern Star Blond Bombshell and goes down real easy.  We have a lake view and for the next three days, the Elks are having an event that gives boat rides to the local handicapped persons who would be unable to enjoy the beautiful lake otherwise.   One thing about the Elks, once you enter the door, you are family.  We sat with one couple that full time and shared information about traveling on a shoe string.  Then after dinner we sat with a couple from Bakersfield, CA that came up here to try dog sledding, bought a house and now have several amateur teams.  They live here year round and invited us to visit their kennels.  If we decide to stay a few more days, we may take them up on the offer.