Palmer and Matanuska Glacier

Steve here:
Today was a beautiful day here in Wasilla, Alaska.  It started out around 52 degrees but hit the lower 70's during the day.
Our campground host sent us to Emily's for breakfast, and it was a perfect suggestion!
With full tummies we set off for the "Home of the Iditerod", a museum here for the race and dog sledding in general.  My most interesting find of the day concerned Dallas Seavey.  When we were here in '09, we went to "The Sled Dog Rodeo" in Anchorage.  This was a cute, low budget experience about sled dog racing.  Turns out that a young Dallas had gone to Orlando, Florida, attended one of those "Knights of the Round Table" events and figured he could do something along those lines for sled dog racing.
Well, apparently some of the traditionalists feel he's "making money on his dogs"!  He explained during his show how expensive it is to keep 100 dogs, and his show was purely to help pay for dog food, but I guess there are those who feel you are supposed to suffer for the love of the sport.
On the other hand, Dallas has won the Iditerod three of the last four years and was the youngest to ever win it, so there may be some sour grapes?
Anyway, in the afternoon we drove to Palmer and the visitor's center we enjoyed so much in '09.  They have an amazing video - probably on you tube - about the government program in the 1930's where they brought folks in from the lower 48 states in order to settle the Mat-Su Valley.
We then drove about an hour to the Matanuska Glacier - more specifically - the Glacier View School. There is this amazing elementary school that they built having each room face the glacier!  Beautiful!!
We were getting thirsty, so, as we left the school we drove by the"Long Rifle Lodge".  I was skeptical, but Bonnie - with a nose for the amazing- said we should give it a try.
Surprise!
This place should be a gold mine!  I hope to post photos, but they have an amazing view of the glacier, all log interior, and perhaps fifty pelts and mounted "critters" all around.  We didn't know if we were in a zoo or a lodge!!  Did I say AMAZING!!
Great end to a wonderful day!!