Sunday, June 29, 2014

The Last Great Race on Earth.....Iditarod Headquarters

     We originally had planned to stop in Wasilla to visit with another long time US Air Force veteran and fellow retiree, Randy Cler.  Randy and I were stationed together at Malmstrom AFB, Montana in the mid-70s.  We visited with Randy for several hours at his home one afternoon and relived not only our old adventurous, if not somewhat suspect tales, but where and by which paths our lives have take us.  He and I share a dual career path.  Randy not only completed a USAF career, but is due to retire from the State of Alaska in a few more years.  It was a fine afternoon.  I really enjoy these visits, catching with old friends.
 
     Another reason for our stop was to resolve a DC power issue with our RV.  As long as we are hooked to the truck (towing) or to shore power in a campground we're just fine, but when we try to go off grid (boondocking) we have no DC power from the battery.  I have troubleshot everything I know, so it's off to a Service Department tomorrow morning.  Before you ask, YES.....the fuses are fine, the battery is fine, the shutoff switch is fine, and I successfully ran the length of the wiring.  I figure I am missing a fuse link somewhere. 
     Last, but not least I have always wanted to visit the Iditarod and Museum. It is located an easy 1 mile south of Wasilla on Knick-Goose Bay Road. 
    
     Wasilla is the official start to the most world's most famous dog sled race each March and there is tons of history here.  The Iditarod Trail begins here.  There is also a statue here honoring the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs, most notably the famous lead sled dog, Balto who led the famous 1925 serum to Nome, saving many children. 

     The museum has a very nice display of winning musher and dog biographies, trophies, awards, and memorabilia. 
 
There was a very nice example of a cache used to store supplies enroute for the teams.  These are built high enough to account for snow as well as bears.
There was the "Booty Tree" that displays many different examples of the shapes, sizes, colors, and fabrics the mushers use to protect the dogs' feet and packing toes on ice and frozen snow. 
 

     Of course there is also a gift shop, but that is not what attracted my wife. There was a team of dogs in training that offered trail rides, but also a smaller kennel that had future team members that captured Barb's heart. 
 
 

     This was a pretty cool historical stop for today.  By the way, if you're ever up this way, be sure to stop in for a meal at the Trout House.  On the advice of a check out girl at WalMart we ate breakfast there this morning........DELICIOUS!!!!  I was very nearly up to my waist in Eggs Benedict and Hashbrowns.  Great food, reasonable prices!  


1 comment:

  1. My bet is a bad ground connection. Reads ok at very low draw but won't handle any current.

    ReplyDelete