Nome Off The Beaten Path

One of the special treats on our guided tour of Nome was a stop at the camp of a man who trains dogs that run the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled race. Although it was summer, the dogs still train every day, using a sled with wheels when there is no snow on the ground. Both the dogs and the musher were veterans who had actually run in and completed the Iditarod, which puts them in a very exclusive and special class.

The dogs were amazingly well trained and also friendly enough that they allowed us to pet them. The musher gave us a very interesting short talk and then answered questions about the dogs and "The Last Great Race on Earth."

This is the famous "Last Train to Nowhere" which is about 27 miles NE of Nome. It's a dirt road, maintained only in the summer months. I drove by this spot almost every weekend on my way to Council which is a weekend fishing getaway, my folks have a lovely cabin along the Niukluk River which hold many species of fish, and the Silver (Coho) Salmon run is around the 2nd and 3rd week of August, about the same time the blueberries are ready to pick. This is a Fall time retreat vacation for me from Anchorage where I live now, accessible by plane ride for 1hr 20 min flight, then a 1 1/2 hour drive to Council. It's almost numbingly quiet there. We have a generator, well house and laundry facilities for comfortable stay. The temperature varies, mostly in the mid 50's but has been known to be in the high 90's. Local Nomites have summer cabins in Council and retreat there every weekend. There are no phones are cable there. I bring a book and some sewing when I go. Eat, sleep, fish what else do I need? lol

One doesn't come to Nome to study architecture. However, one may notice that the buildings are built on adjustable stilts. This reduces the possibility of heat from the building defrosting the ground and causing the house to sink. Despite these precautions, sinking does occur. The stilts can then be adjusted to compensate. There are also many metal storage containers around town. This is probably because people ship full containers from Washington state and, on arrival in Nome, save these containers for household use.