0037 14th June - Anchorage to Matanuska Glacier

 The option of possibly getting an oil change done this morning, despite it being a Saturday, got us moving, and by 9 am we had said good bye to Magda and Fred, and set off to see if the Toyota Dealer could help us at short notice, with no booking.

When we got there it looked closed – But when I tried a door it was open – Turned out you drive your car up to a roll up garage door and it opens automatically and you drive right in, they take your particulars and when your turn comes, the car is taken straight into the workshop – So efficient !! I spoke Michelle Barling in Service and she said no problem, of course they could help us – As long as we had the filter and the tool to remove the filter, because they do not have this diesel engine in America !  I did have both, so Troopie was whisked through, while Janet and I made ourselves comfortable in their enormous waiting area – Big screen TV, coffee, wifi – This was Service with a capital S !!!

 

No sooner had I sat down to get on the internet to blog, than I suddenly realised that as they do not have diesel Toyota’s in America, they wouldn’t have any oil for diesel engines either !!!   Whoops !  So I ran in and told them, and we checked how much I needed, and then a Toyota guy whisked me off to a local car parts place so I could buy the oil.  Back in about 15 minutes, I left it with the mechanics, who all wanted to work on Troopie because she was so different than their normal work !  By just after noon, they were done – Total bill $29.99 !!  Obviously I supplied the filter and the oil, but for 2 or more hours work on a strange car, at zero notice ?  I would go back to these guys anytime – Very friendly, great service, and value for money.  Kendall Toyota in Anchorage have it all, and I am writing an email to the boss to thank him and his staff.

Plug over, we got back on the road towards Tok.  First of all we needed lunch so we went back to our favourite burger place, Wee B’s, and enjoyed elk burgers and fries and onion rings !!  Then on the road out of Anchorage, with our first target being the Matanuska Glacier a couple of hours up the road.  But Janet found that we were passing a Musk Ox farm, so we sidetracked in there, and spent a very pleasant couple of hours on a tour around their farm where they breed musk ox, and farm their qiniot wool which is many times softer and warmer than the best wool. Musk Ox were actually extinct in Alaska by early in the 20^th century, due to hunting, and this farm is the result of extensive work by one many, bringing some musk ox from Canada, and others from Greenland, and breeding them. They then harvest their fine undercoat wool by combing, and the subsequent knitting of the wool into garments of local tribal designs provides income for remote villages, especially when they are now slowly moving stocks of musk ox out to remote communities in Alaska.  These animals are one of the few (if not only) ones that can survive in – 80 deg F of the arctic winter, partly due to their two layers of wool (including the incredibly fine and warm qiniot undercoat) but also due to unique things like a spiral nasal cavity that ensures the air the breath is warmed before it enters their lungs – I photo of a skull they have on display shows this clearly.  All fascinating – They really are prehistoric looking animals !!

 Then it was back on the road, but by now it was getting late, so we decided to stay in a State Park just ½ a mile short of the Matanuska Glacier. We set up camp then walked over for a quick look at the glacier from a distance, in the evening sun, before eating, and turning in.  Interestingly, right in the mouth of our tent we found moose scat, so there are plenty of animals around here !!

Photos here :- https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0037AnchorageToMatanuskaGlacier?authkey=Gv1sRgCN3z8OLnz_S72QE#