Life long Alaskans living our dream!

Dave- moved to Alaska right after he was born. After briefly living on a small island in the Aleutians, where his dad was a teacher, the family moved to Delta Junction where he was raised. Dave grew up loving the outdoors and took several trips fishing, hunting and camping in the Tangle Lakes area. As an adult he always dreamed of having a place of his own out here. After high school Dave joined the workforce as an apprentice for the State of Alaska and then as a heavy equipment operator, plowing snow and fixing highways. Part way through his career he took a summer seasonal state position so that he could spend the winters backpacking across the globe. After 4 years of adventures he went back to work full time and met Tawnia. Together they have enjoyed many outdoor adventures and eventually started a family. They live for getting their son Trek outdoors in Alaska, whether it be skiing and snowmaching in the winter or hiking, fishing and exploring in the summer.

Tawnia- born and raised in the Copper River Valley. Tawnia grew up in a true Alaskan subsistence life style. From harvesting salmon on fish wheels in the Copper River, growing their own veggies and hunting for moose and caribou in the fall, her and her family took great pleasure in utilizing all of Alaskas resources. Tawnia was also very athletic, she played high school volleyball and basketball, ran track and cross country as well as college volleyball at University of Alaska Fairbanks. Shortly after college she moved to Washington state for a brief period but Alaska was too ingrained in her and after a time moved back to her home state. Upon returning she worked with her dad as a fishing/rafting guide on the Gulkana and Klutina rivers in the summers. In the winter her family had always been avid snowmachiners, they would work hard all summer and play hard in the winter putting hundreds of miles on their machines every weekend. In her 30’s she and her brother became more active in sno-cross/hill-cross and other racing. She eventually went on to win the Arctic Man Ski & Sno Go Classic, a very unique race in the Hoo Doo mountains. Eventually she started a career for the State of Alaska and that is where she met Dave and they began their life together. She is still very passionate about enjoying everything this state can offer, though her other passion, cooking and creating savory yet healthy dishes for people has taken more of her time in the last few years

Trek - our pride and joy!

Tawnia always had a dream of owning her own restaurant. So in 2019 Dave decided to make that dream a reality. Little did we know there would be so many obstacles but we persevered. When our dream of having a little eatery in Delta didn’t work out Dave found a food truck and we opened in February of 2021. We served low carb, keto and gluten free foods and enjoyed putting smiles on faces that faced food sensitivity issues. We had plans on running all winter long but we had an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up. The winter of 2021-22 we ran The Lodge at Black Rapids (just 40 miles south of Delta Junction) with a good friend of ours. That winter presented a ton of challenges but it was a great one. It showed us both what we really needed to be doing. So that spring we set out to find our dream. Unbeknownst to us it was going to lead us to one of our favorite places in the state. In June 2022 we purchased the lodge and we haven’t looked back!