alaska or bust >  MatSu Valley  > 

Palmer is located in the Matanuska-Susitna valley, better known as the MatSu valley. It's a little agricultural center that was settled by Midwesterners (shipped in by the government). They have a musk-oxen cooperative in Palmer which we opted not to tour, but the gist of it is that the musk-ox were domesticated in an effort to provide some income for native populations. The cooperative keeps a herd of musk-oxen and uses their undercoat to spin yarn and then knit hats, etc. The musk-ox fur is supposed to be 8 times warmer than wool, and it's extremely soft. It's also extremely expensive, with scarves going for upwards of $150.