How great are your works, O Lord...

Today we got a call from our friend, Melissa, asking if we wanted to see MUSK OX! Melissa and her family are pretty well known around here, as she was one of the youngest people to ever run the Iditarod. She has competed in it twice and finished it once. Mushing is her life, and she is always willing to share stories about her dogs or racing. Her mom is one of the dietitians at Norton Sound, and Melissa is going to be an assistant for Summercise.

Melissa, her parents, her little brother, and her handler showed up in a big GM 1500 to pick us up, and we rode out to the tundra behind the highschool in the back of the vehicle...all 10 of us on bags of soil with 2 dogs. As we rode out, we came upon a herd of reindeer grazing along the road. This was the second herd I have seen since I arrived two weeks ago, but I didn't have my camera the first time. Their antlers just look so incredibly soft, and adding to the already uniquely Alaskan moment I was having, the herd was grazing right in front of a dog lot. The sled dogs were going crazy! Jumping at their chains and barking.

We kept riding a bit when the dog handler spotted the first herd of musk ox up on a hill. My untrained eyes didn't see anything, but as we kept driving we began to see a few herds along the sides of the road. Quietly opening the doors of the 1500 we all piled out, cameras in hand and followed behind Melissa, careful not to make any noise or spook the uneasy herd. There were calves and the musk ox are known for being really protective. There were 2 herds within sight and we got some really nice shots of both. One herd began to move away, and after getting the "ok" from Pat, the dietitian, we followed one of the herds as it made it's way over a hill.

I stayed a short distance behind Melissa as she slowly, patiently made her way behind the herd, picking up the shed undercoat of the animals along the way. The fur (i can't remember the name of it right now) is supposed to be really pricy when sold, and really warm when worn as a hat. Melissa had a pretty scary run-in with a herd of musk ox when running her dogs, so she was really careful when inching up on the herd. They had stopped just over the hill for some water, and as we began taking pictures again, we started to hear some snorting from some of the adults. After a few minutes of this, the oxen started moving closer towards us and Melissa gave us the signal...get away, fast. We backed up and started running. The herd ran towards us a bit, but once we were out of sight Melissa stopped and said we were no longer a threat to them. We were safe. Quite the adrenaline rush.

While out, we found a beaver dam and a floating duck's nest with eggs in it. Melissa and a few others waded out in the water to see it and take photos. I sat back and took in the beautiful view of the surroundings. The mosquitos are beginning to come around and they are HUGE! It'll be time for buzz off soon!

Tomorrow is the first day of camp, and I think everyone has the jitters. It'll just be a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of day...monitor and adjust. It'll be great! We hosted our first pot luck tonight! We had our highschool assistants over for spaghetti bake and sharades (sp?). It's late! I should sleep! Check the pics!