Independence Mine and Summit Lake

 Good morning, my friends. It was a gray day, but there was no rain. We're expecting similar weather for today. It's our last day in Houston, and we have several things planned for today. But let's talk about what we did yesterday. We took a day trip about 41 miles away to see Independence Mine State Historical Park. And, of course, no outing in Alaska can begin without a stunning view of the mountains. As we headed toward Palmer, we could see this:

Continuing on, yet another beautiful view.

We crossed the Little Susitna River, which is the same river that meanders beside our campsite. It was a whole different animal here...rocky and rushing.

I made a short video so that you can see and hear it. If you can't see the video, then click right here.

It was a scenic drive of perhaps 45 minutes to reach the park.

Along the way, we saw a few of these marmots. This one was brave enough to pose for his picture.

Also, we saw a couple of these little pikas. They're about the size of a squirrel, but they have a cute short tail like Sadie. This is not my photo:

We stopped at the pay station. Day use fee for these parks in Alaska is $5. There, we saw this warning. This is how you could die today.

Okay, continuing on, this sign told us a little about the park.

From the parking lot, we had this view:

There was some equipment parked in front of the "Big House" that prevented me from getting a picture of it.

It was open to go inside, however. Here's what we saw. Looking in one direction...

Turning around...looks like a cozy place to spend a winter, no?

Here's a map of the place that corresponds pretty well with the image below it.

And like so many places in Alaska and Nevada, it grew up and was abandoned when the minerals were mined out.

After the "Big House" the first structure we came to was this bunkhouse.

This served as a gift shop and visitor center as well with some displays inside.

Some information about what it would have been like to be a miner here.

And what happened later.

I liked this little paragraph from one of the workers. The "muckers" were the ones who shoveled mine tailings after they were stripped of their minerals.

This was Bunkhouse No. 1.

Looking up the hillside, this is all that's left of the mining operation.

Many of the structures were just piles of boards.

These next two images show all that's left of the framing shop.

Next, the Assay Office.

We could go inside here too. There were some displays inside. Despite explanatory signage, even Mike couldn't really understand this process. Interestingly, this was in operation around the time of World War II. One of the displays contained a letter requesting a draft deferment for one of the workers. The worker was reclassified and allowed to continue to work for another six weeks. Not a lot of time.

Here's a closer look at what remains of the mining operation.

Continuing on...

Some luxurious accommodations:

Next door...the cookhouse and mess hall.

To either side of the mining operation were these piles of mine tailings. You can see the people on top of this mound for scale.

On the other side of the mining operation was this pile of tailings, at least three times the size of the one above. Mining is a dirty and destructive business.

As we drove up the hill to the mine, we passed by this sign, and decided to check it out when we left. 

It was a short drive to reach the top. This was the view of the road we came in on. 

Looking in the other direction, it looked like this. What I want you to notice about these two images is the shape of these valleys. They appear as if they were scooped out with an ice cream scoop. That is indicative of glacier activity. A valley formed by water is V-shaped.

There's Summit Lake...still mostly frozen. Nevertheless, the lake is stocked by Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife, and people were fishing.

As we drove back down the hill and back to the camper, we stopped to take this shot of Independence Mine from a distance. You can see the "Big House" in this image. It's the one on the right with the red roof.

Okay, so today's journey will take us closer to Palmer. We're hoping to see a Musk Ox Farm and we'll head to an overlook where we can see the Matanuska Glacier. We're told the glacier is 27 miles long. The Google tells us this big boy is the biggest and perhaps the most impressive roadside glacier in Alaska. Finally, our Milepost tells us we shouldn't miss the Palmer Visitor Center. Located adjacent to the visitor center is a beautiful garden known as the Palmer Showcase Garden. This garden is maintained by the City of Palmer and features a variety of plants, including perennials, annuals, and vegetables, all suited to the Matanuska Valley's climate. The garden serves as a showcase of the region's agricultural prowess, with plants and flowers that are distributed throughout Alaska. Sounds like a good day. 

There's a Fred Meyer in Palmer and another in Wasilla. Of course, we'll stop off at our favorite grocery store to pick up a few supplies. With such a busy day ahead, it's time to get going.