Return to Denali

I had a high school friend who frequently said “big things often come in small packages.”  Of course, he was referring to himself since he was short in stature.  As we have traveled, many of the small places have been the most enjoyable.  We are staying in a tiny village that is a fine example of that saying, Nenana.  Nenana is a thriving village of 553 people, small in population but not in history or hospitality.

Our first drive through the town made me think of a study in contrasts.  Mixed among the charming businesses are homes and businesses that are abandoned or for sale.  The welcome sign advertises a number of places one should visit but many are no longer operating.  I wondered if we had made a mistake in deciding to stay here a few nights; but then I have learned that you have to scratch the surface sometimes to reveal the treasure.

Our first stop was a local cafe, Rough Woods Inn that advertises in-house, home-brewed beer.  Hmmm, who would have thought we would find such a place here.  The owners are a couple who never intended to stay here more than a few years but as it often happens, they have stayed.  We have hear similar stories from many of the folks here.  Larry is a jack of all trades and a pretty good artist too.  The outside of the building is adorned with his carvings.  He uses logs that have “burls” to create his interesting characters.  As you see in the picture, burls look like large growths on the trunk; indeed they are just that.  The burls form in reaction to arsenic -- yep arsenic -- that is commonly found in the water, yikes!  If the water has a high enough concentration of arsenic, the trees will form these growths.  (Higher concentration of arsenic is found especially in areas where there is gold mining.  In Fairbanks for example, arsenic is so high it is not safe to drink.)  They make interesting art, we have seen them used in furniture and all sorts of things.  Inside, the decor was homey and eclectic.  Of course, we ordered a pint with our lunch of homemade chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  The beer was especially good and the food excellent.  Best of all, we sat next to a table of locals who were instantly friendly and engaged us in conversation.  The talk of the town, indeed of all Alaskans is the wildfires burning all over the state.  Over 300 are burning and the nearest is close enough that acrid smoke burns my eyes and assaults my nose.  We left the cafe with full bellies and the certainty that we would be back.

Nenana has a rich history and in its heyday was quite large.  Its railroad depot, now a museum, is on the National Registry of Historical Places, what!?!  Nenana is the site where President Harding drove in the golden spike that completed the railroad linking the lower 48 with Alaska.  Railroads are vital to Alaska now as well as in the past. While the depot no longer hosts a regular train schedule, one can “flag” a train as needed.  Museum hosts are volunteers and I enjoyed chatting with a lady who told me more of the town’s history and shared how she came to live in Alaska.  Her story was similar to many we have heard, they came for a visit and returned to live here.  Even though the winters are harsh, no other place holds any allure for them.  During the school year, she works at the Living Center.  I learned later the significance of that.  You see in Alaska there are only two boarding high schools.  One of them is located in Nenana.  At the beginning of term, some of their students are flown into Nenana and housed at the Living Center until school is over.  Oh, I see now she and her husband are house parents at the dorm.  Not bad for a tiny little town.

Nenana sits on the banks of both the Tanana and the Nenana Rivers.  Not only do these rivers provide fishing but they are working rivers with brisk barge traffic moving goods to some of the more remote parts if Alaska where neither railroad nor roads are possible.  These same rivers also support fishing for the locals.  Fishwheels like the ones we saw on a river tour are used here as well.  We took a stroll to see several of them in hopes that they would be in action.  We had read that if you are lucky, you can buy a fish.  Too bad for us that none of them were in action, bah humbug!

All around us we can see the spirit of the people who have come to this wilderness to make a home.  They are part rebel, part adventurer and fiercely individual.  At the same time, they have a strong sense of community/family and help each other in times of crisis such as the fires.  We heard a number of stories on the news of how neighbors have extended a helping hand to neighbors who have lost everything in the fires.  As we stroll the neighborhoods, we can see their independent nature.  I have to laugh at times as the houses are in all states of completion and often the yards host all sorts of  “treasures.”  One house has a collection of rocking horses in the yard with one even on the roof.  Cars and trucks that no longer work are side by side with old snow mobiles and tractors that are rusting away.  It seems that nothing is ever discarded; you never know what may have a use later.  When we leave here in a couple of days, I know that we will have truly seen the Alaskan spirit.

Rough Woods Inn and Cafe - the sign post is a great example of burls that naturally occur in the trees.  Notice the face that Larry carved into the larger burl.  Inside the cafe, there were a number of logs used that had smaller burls and all of them were carved into interesting characters.  We had the best beer there so far in the state!  It is so strange that such a tiny place would brew such wonderful beer.  Just proves, cannot judge a book by the cover, right!?!

This is a good example of a business gone bust.  This charming building is in the best shape of any of the structures and yet it sits empty.  It calls out for someone to come and bring it back to life.

This little place is one of two such businesses.  The main part of the building is a bar/liquor store and bank of sorts.  The smaller entrance on the side is a tiny cafe.  For a town of 553, they have two such businesses.  Hmmm, one would think they enjoy a good drink and a smoke.  Yep smoke.  Smoking is not illegal in restaurants and bars here.  We visited one of them and I had to hang our clothes out to air when we got home!

I actually have these pictures in reverse order but no matter.  One of the locals left Nenana after high school and went to University of Alaska to study art.  Later, after becoming a successful artist, she returned and painted this mural on the front of the local grocery/hardware/mercantile store.

We visited the store to pick up some coffee.  In the entrance to the store, a sort of yard sale was underway.  Locals had donated all the sale items and the proceeds would be given to someone who lost their home to one of the fires.  Just one example of how Alaskans help and support each other in times of crisis.

The store had all sorts of things in it from traps to nails to grocery items.  The smallest section in the store was actually the grocery portion.  There was no fresh produce and no meat or fish.  You could purchase eggs and limited dairy products.  All vegetables and fruits are in cans and not much of a selection.  Wow, am I spoiled!

This contraption is the fishwheel.  We have seen one in operation and it is quite clever.  The three arms rotate driven by the water current.  When it is in operation, there is a chute in place where the captured fish are dropped and transferred to a holding box.  The owner then comes daily to gather the catch.  Since the fish remain alive and healthy, you always have really fresh, good fish.  Ingenious!

This is the welcome/information center.  Here is another example of a roof that has sod and vegetation growing on the top.  I could not call this grass as it looked like a collection of weeds to me but nevertheless, it does the job of insulating the cabin.  Lawn mower anyone?