{"id":2034,"date":"2013-06-29T21:27:50","date_gmt":"2013-06-29T21:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/?p=2034"},"modified":"2014-01-26T23:33:01","modified_gmt":"2014-01-26T23:33:01","slug":"june-26-29-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/?p=2034","title":{"rendered":"June 26 – 29, 2013, Fairbanks, Alaska\/Large Animal Research Station\/Alaskan Forest Fires"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LARS<\/a><\/p>\n

No way was I going to miss the Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station, a project of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.\u00a0 First on my list of \u201cthings to do\u201d in Fairbanks, we finally took the tour this morning.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\"Back<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"Caribou<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Kept<\/a>\u00a0\"Shy<\/a>\u00a0\"Looking<\/a>\u00a0\"Older<\/a><\/p>\n

The tour lasted about an hour with a guide that was informative and happy to answer all our questions. \u00a0\u00a0One 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\u2019s skulls were filled with many large air pockets that kept them from injury.\u00a0 She repeated \u201cmale musk ox, ladies…not guys in general\u201d, but we ladies smiled knowingly.<\/p>\n

\"Female<\/a><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 Raw material was passed around during the tour and it truly was soft as a baby\u2019s behind!<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Mother<\/a>\u00a0\"One<\/a>\u00a0\"Father\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The other farm animals were domesticated Caribou aka Reindeer.\u00a0 We found out that female reindeer keep their antlers while the males drop them after rutting season.\u00a0 Females then use their antlers to protect food sources for their young and keep males at a distance.\u00a0 The antlers were passed around and were surprisingly heavy.<\/p>\n

\"Smoke<\/a>\u00a0\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Woke up to rain, then smelled smoke.\u00a0 Outside was thick dense smoke in every direction.\u00a0 Our plan was to head to Denali if ever we were faced with nearby forest fires.\u00a0 Denali is the highest point and smoke rarely settles in the area.\u00a0 We pulled up stakes and hit the road\u2026until the flashing warning signs on the highway said the road was closed due to the forest fire.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The density of it was choking.\u00a0 Even with three air filters running on high, my lungs burned.\u00a0 Doc had given me lots of meds for my breathing machine and it stayed in use for most of the trip along with my \u201cMichael Jackson\u201d mask.<\/p>\n

\"Coming<\/a>\u00a0\"Windswept<\/a><\/p>\n

When we arrived at the turn off, Tok still had haze so we turned south and headed for Wasilla and the coast.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 We were both tired so John found us a campground with 50 amp and water.\u00a0 Got to say that my first impression wasn\u2019t positive.\u00a0 Going over the narrow one lane wooden bridge with a 17 ton RV gave a new meaning to the word petrified.<\/p>\n

\"Dirt<\/a>\u00a0\"Here<\/a>\u00a0\"Yikes\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We found our \u201cpull through\u201d site but as John pulled through, one of the trees jumped out and bit the top of the RV.\u00a0 Got a picture. \u00a0Looks familiar doesn\u2019t it?\u00a0 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\u2026think his memory is becoming selective.<\/p>\n

\"Tolsona<\/a>\u00a0\"Jumped<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2019s, turn on all three air filters and relax inside watching TV and blocking out the world for the next 12 hours.\u00a0 Sometimes it all works out.<\/p>\n

Up early for breakfast, break camp and head to the Elks Lodge in Wasilla.\u00a0 Non-smoking facility so we will be able to join in the fun.\u00a0 They have dinners, poker nights, events and we can volunteer for whatever non-profit they support.\u00a0 From here we can visit Anchorage, the largest city we will visit while in Alaska.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 Just because one work camp position didn\u2019t work out doesn\u2019t mean we give up.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 \u00a0It does not work on Alaskan mosquitoes.\u00a0 Oregon\u2019s mountainous area may be a better place to give it a try.\u00a0 If not, our trusty electrocution paddles will make them think twice about getting close.\u00a0\u00a0 Not normally evil people, we take great pleasure in hearing those nasty bugs fry.<\/p>\n

Nice easy drive through the mountains to Palmer.\u00a0 Beautiful scenery, mama moose and her baby up close and personal, gorgeous shot\u2026all lost.\u00a0 Buying a top of the line camera will not assure great pictures if you have a faulty disk.\u00a0 Makes all those great shots poof into thin air.\u00a0 Wish I had used my old cheap stand-by.\u00a0 Another hard lesson to learn.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/a>\u00a0\"Our<\/a>\u00a0\"Handicap<\/a><\/p>\n

Arrived at Wasilla Elks Lodge in time for a big cold glass of Alaskan Amber.\u00a0 Tastes like Southern Star Blond Bombshell and goes down real easy.\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0 One thing about the Elks, once you enter the door, you are family.\u00a0 We sat with one couple that full time and shared information about traveling on a shoe string.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 They live here year round and invited us to visit their kennels.\u00a0 If we decide to stay a few more days, we may take them up on the offer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No way was I going to miss the Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station, a project of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.\u00a0 First on my list of \u201cthings to do\u201d in Fairbanks, we finally took the tour this morning.\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lilypad"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2034"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2036,"href":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034\/revisions\/2036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/perrellas.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}