Northern Adventure!

Well, today we finally broke free from Anchorage's gravitational pull. Not that there's anything wrong with Anchorage! We really love our new city, and there's lots to see and do still. But if we want to see anything elsewhere, we need to do it soon or wait until spring. You can travel during winter, but its sketchy, and we don't want to make the newby mistake of underestimating the hazards of the weather.

Anyway, our initial plan was to head north to the Independence Mine, which is an old gold mine that is now a state park. We were hoping to make it in time for the geology tour and the regular tour if at all possible. There were some other attractions up that way that we might see if there was time, but the mine was the big thing. Well, we drove north, enjoying the scenery and the comical signs along the way. Then things started to look weird. We were following Mapquests directions to get to the park, but we weren't seeing any signs for the mine. We make the final turn and ... nothing. No mine. A few houses and a road that just ends.

OK, well we passed the Iditerod Headquarters a little way back. That was one of the other things we wanted to see, and also maybe they would know how we could get to the mine. I can wholeheartedly recommend the Iditerod Headquarters if you are interesting in dogsled racing. The Reddingtons (son and grandsons of the famous Joe Reddington) are the mushers who take care of the dogs and run the rides for people. For $10 you can ride in a wheeled cart pulled by a dog team. You can also pet the dogs and interact with them - they are very good with people and very well-trained. In addition to the dogs themselves, there is also a "museum" with memorabilia and a movie about the Iditerod. Also, as you might expect, there is a well-stocked gift shop with Iditerod, sled dog, and Alaska memorabilia. They were also able to direct us to the Independence mine.

We started driving. We had already missed the geology tour, which was a severe blow. But there was a slim chance we might make the last guided tour. We drove. And drove. And drove. We decided to just skip it for today, thinking that without a guide, it wasn't going to be as good. Also, we are only about an hour away from our house here, so we will go back another time. We turned around, and decided to stop at the Eklutna village.

This is only a little way north of Anchorage, and bills itself as the oldest continously inhabited native village. There was no one around, and a sign urged us to drop $5 each in an offering box, which we did. The Russian Orthodox church and the gift shack were locked up, and a few minutes of wandering around did not raise any personnel. Basically, it is a native graveyard. The main interest of it is the spirit houses above the graves. Also, interestingly, there are a few modern adaptations such as a spirit house that looks like a doll's house, and also a mix of Russian Orthodox crosses and Russian language markers. If you are interested in cemetaries and interestingly different graveyards, this is definitely a good place to visit!