Surprise Visitors in Alaska!

Day 65 – Friday, August 16

Just when we thought this trip couldn’t get more exciting, it DID!  Barb and David (sister and brother in law) met us in Palmer, Alaska!  Can you believe it?  This is extra special for a lot of reasons…1) They met in Alaska 44 years ago on a college field trip, and 2) we share anniversaries. Their 41st, and our 18th anniversary is coming up on Sunday…so we got to celebrate our anniversary together!  How cool is that? 

They have a knack for finding all the interesting things in a place.  In fact, when we met today, they showed us around Palmer, remembering it from years ago, and comparing it to today—you would have thought they were the resident tour guides!

Palmer is Alaska’s only community that developed from an agricultural economy.  it was an experiment, where families who had lost their homes and farms in the depression were resettled in Palmer, among the fertile farmland.  Many of the farms from these early colonists remain today.  This explains the giant vegetables and beautiful flowers…  Check out the sunflower and the cabbage and the rhubarb!

We also visited the Musk Ox Farm, thought to be the only one of its type in existence.  The Musk Ox is an ice-age mammal  that almost became extinct, but is being revived, and this farm is dedicated to preserving and domesticating the breed, which thrives in Alaska weather.  The Musk Ox lives in just a few parts of the world…Alaska, Greenland and Iceland.   It’s wool is coveted for fine yarn, Qiviut. 

You can adopt a Musk Ox (Alex Trebeck has done it!).  I supported the cause by buying a skein of yarn! $$

It was fun to introduce Barb and David to our fellow RV’ers, and they fit right in.  They joined our group for our fish dinner, and by the end of the evening, you would think they had been part of the group for the past 30 days. 

They will continue their trip by visiting several of the places we’ve been.  One of their destinations is Homer on the Spit…a place they visited 44 years ago…can’t wait to hear their stories about how it’s changed.  They commented that the roads have improved significantly from their earlier visit. 

Another amazing coincidence is that another sister, Joanne is also in Alaska, on a cruise!  Mom said she couldn’t believe that three of her kids were in Alaska at the same time!!  It’s too bad that Joanne’s route will not cross with ours.

What a wonderful day….I think I will go to sleep smiling!