After leaving Denali, we headed north on the Parks Highway toward Fairbanks. We immediately went through a unique canyon called Nenana Canyon, named after the river by the same name.
This is the Nenana Canyon.
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Here is another view of the Nenana Canyon.
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And another... See the Nenana River on the left. It is a tributary of the Tanana River and joins it just south of the town of Nenana. It also forms the eastern boundary of Denali National Park.
At the end, we crossed a deep gorge on this bridge and experienced some high winds.
This Nenana River Bridge is just a classic steel bridge, isn't it! I still love these bridges. See the little blue sign for a campground and an RV dump? (We love those signs!)
We took a brief side trip into the town of Nenana and immediately saw this Bed and Breakfast! Don't you love the sign? ( I wonder if that would work at my house?) It is indicative of the independent spirit of so many in Alaska and seemingly, especially this town!
This building houses their District Court!
Here is Jim by a fish wheel similar to ones used in the river. The fish are scooped from the river and slide down where Jim is pointing into a box. According to the woman who owned this place, fish wheels were brought here by someone from the Ohio River area. However, there is a great deal of controversity on the origin of the fish wheel. I thought it was invented by the Indians here, but doesn't seem that way. Some believe fish wheels came from ancient China, though in the early 1700's they were used in North Carolina. Most seem to acknowledge that the prospectors coming here in the early 1900's brought the idea with them. They are a clever invention!
This was the lady's version of the origin of the fish wheel. This lady came to Alaska as a billard champion and hustled for money. Alaska is full of unforgetable characters!
This town has an ice classic every year since 1917, in which the people guess when the ice on the river will thaw enough for the boats to run. They buy tickets with the time & date on it that they believe the ice on the river will break and the current begin. It's similar to a raffle . These tickets are availble to purchase from February through sometime in April all over Alaska. The black and white structure on the right is placed on the ice and connected to a timing device on shore. When the river current begins, the structure starts downstream tripping the timing mechanism which determines the exact time. People from all over the world make guesses and buy the tickets.
This is a private residence in Nenana. Every house here is different, with the design leaning more toward functionality rather than aesthetics.
This sign was on a saloon in town. See what I mean by independent thinkers!
Here is the Rail Road Station. I believe the railroad still runs through the town.
This bridge over the Tenana River is dedicated to the Alaska Native Veterans. I like this!
Apparently Nenana is a river port for many barges, hauling goods from the sea into the interior of Alaska, and back again. The Tenana River empties into the "mighty" Yukon River. By river travel, Nenana is about 1,000 miles from the sea. River travel and rail road travel sure were vital to the buiding of Alaska, and are still much in use today.
.JPG)
Here is another view of the Nenana Canyon..JPG)
And another... See the Nenana River on the left. It is a tributary of the Tanana River and joins it just south of the town of Nenana. It also forms the eastern boundary of Denali National Park.
At the end, we crossed a deep gorge on this bridge and experienced some high winds.
This Nenana River Bridge is just a classic steel bridge, isn't it! I still love these bridges. See the little blue sign for a campground and an RV dump? (We love those signs!)
We took a brief side trip into the town of Nenana and immediately saw this Bed and Breakfast! Don't you love the sign? ( I wonder if that would work at my house?) It is indicative of the independent spirit of so many in Alaska and seemingly, especially this town!
This building houses their District Court!
Here is Jim by a fish wheel similar to ones used in the river. The fish are scooped from the river and slide down where Jim is pointing into a box. According to the woman who owned this place, fish wheels were brought here by someone from the Ohio River area. However, there is a great deal of controversity on the origin of the fish wheel. I thought it was invented by the Indians here, but doesn't seem that way. Some believe fish wheels came from ancient China, though in the early 1700's they were used in North Carolina. Most seem to acknowledge that the prospectors coming here in the early 1900's brought the idea with them. They are a clever invention!
This was the lady's version of the origin of the fish wheel. This lady came to Alaska as a billard champion and hustled for money. Alaska is full of unforgetable characters!
This town has an ice classic every year since 1917, in which the people guess when the ice on the river will thaw enough for the boats to run. They buy tickets with the time & date on it that they believe the ice on the river will break and the current begin. It's similar to a raffle . These tickets are availble to purchase from February through sometime in April all over Alaska. The black and white structure on the right is placed on the ice and connected to a timing device on shore. When the river current begins, the structure starts downstream tripping the timing mechanism which determines the exact time. People from all over the world make guesses and buy the tickets.
This is a private residence in Nenana. Every house here is different, with the design leaning more toward functionality rather than aesthetics. 
This sign was on a saloon in town. See what I mean by independent thinkers!
Here is the Rail Road Station. I believe the railroad still runs through the town.
This bridge over the Tenana River is dedicated to the Alaska Native Veterans. I like this!
Apparently Nenana is a river port for many barges, hauling goods from the sea into the interior of Alaska, and back again. The Tenana River empties into the "mighty" Yukon River. By river travel, Nenana is about 1,000 miles from the sea. River travel and rail road travel sure were vital to the buiding of Alaska, and are still much in use today. 
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