DAY 8 – June 25
Houston to Palmer
We slept in a bit, and had breakfast in the RV. I had better luck with the hot water in the showers this morning. We drove on to the Iditarod headquarters in Wasilla where we met musher Raymie Redington, son of the founder of the Iditarod. There were four puppies to play with, and a team of dogs giving short sled rides. We skipped the ride ($10pp) since we have a longer ride scheduled in Seward. We watched a film about the Iditarod, and bought a bunch of souvenirs.
From Wasilla, we drove to Independence Mine near Hatcher Pass, stopping along the Little Susitna River for lunch. The drive to the mine had gorgeous views. The kids enjoyed playing in the remnants of snow at the mine. We tried our hand at panning for gold, and Noah and I even found a small flake. The ranger said this was the largest she had ever seen found by a guest (in all her two weeks of working there).
We made an early stop for the night at the Homestead RV park in Palmer. This is a very nice commercial park, with amiable staff and good facilities. Excellent mountain views as well.
For dinner we roasted the last of our hot dogs over a camp fire built in a portable fire ring made from an old washing machine tub. Tina did laundry, and we started packing to return the RV tomorrow while the kids watched a DVD.
Today was the warmest day of the trip so far. I didn't need a sweater all day, until the wind picked up after we arrived in Palmer.
Next: Day 9, Palmer to Anchorage
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