From September 14th to September 17th, TotalAdventure travelled on the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage north to Talkeetna, back to Anchorage and South to Seward as well as whistle stops in glacier areas. The video shows a compilation of the entire trip, along with the the incredible adventure experiences offered in each area.

On the morning of the 14th, we left Anchorage on the Denali Star Train at 7:50 AM for the 3 hour ,150  mile ride North to Talkeetna. As Gold Star passengers we were seated in a glassed roofed upper deck, with an outdoor balcony for photography and viewing.Upon arrival at the tiny frontier town we passed Nagley’s Store. The Denali Star Train goes all the way to Fairbanks – an 8 hour journey. Fairbanks is Alaska’s second largest city and serves as a Gateway to the Arctic.

After lunch we walked to the security –  free , private, Talkeetna Airport for our incredible flight on K2 Aviation to the Denali Base camp, where climbers for Mt.McKinley begin their 2 week climb to the Summit. Experience the flight in the blog posts below.

Afterwards we were invited for cocktails at the incredibly beautiful Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge – 5 Star Luxury Rooms with ample views of Mt.Denali on a clear day. A simple, but hearty dinner was enjoyed at Mountain High Pizza Pie – real Italian style from the owner who hailed from Pittsburgh.

After a long day we returned to our rustic inn, the Talkeetna Roadhouse , for a good night’s sleep. TotalAdventure stayed up a few hours editing the incredible aviation footage for the video featured on the Mt.Denali post below.

The next morning, Thursday the 15th, our group split in to two. The bravest of us, including TotalAdventure went Ziplining with Denali Zipline Tour.

The rest went on a jetboat adventure with  Mahay’s Jet Boat Adventures. The rivers run fast and cold, fed by Mt.Denali’s glaciers. Interesting fact – the snow that falls today on Mt. McKinley will flow into the  river 1500 years from now. The boat stops at a remote dock for a wilderness hike, observing old trapper and miner cabins. The guides are armed with shotguns in case of bear attacks – which thankfully have not happened.

After lunch we were treated to a tour of the Denali Brewing Company by founder Sassan Mossanen. Denali Brewing products accompanied many of our meals on the trip. Alaskans drink almost the entire production  – so unfortunately none is yet exported to the Lower 48.

Afterwards we returned to Anchorage on the Denali Star , resting for the night at the very comfortable Copper Whale Inn.

Early the next morning, Friday, September 16th at 6:45 Am we boarded the Coastal Classic Train for the 5 hour journey to Seward . It was a short walk from the depot to the town docks, where we boarded a Kenai Fjords Tour Boat for an incredible North Pacific Adventure- see below.

At the end of the day, chilled to the bone, we checked into our toasty warm cabins at the  Seward Windsong Lodge.  That night , we feasted at the hotel’s restaurant – the Resurrection Roadhouse  – on local seafood delicacies of halibut and cod – fresh, not frozen.

Our final day on the Alaska Railroad Adventure was on the Glacier Discovery Train. Our group rode to the Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop to kayak across an icy lake to the Spencer Glacier. We were guided by Ascending Path  ( See Below). The Alaska Railroad is one of the last railroads in the world to use whistle stops. The railroad serves remote areas that don;t warrant a station. Rather, a passenger tells a conductor at what milepost he wants to stop and notifies the engineer with a whistle. When getting back on the train, days or weeks later – the passenger stands by the tracks and flags down the passing train.

Our final night was at the Alyeska Resort – Alaska’s ‘s most luxurious hotel, with beautiful ski slopes overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The season goes from mid November to almost May, with snow measured in feet,not inches. Our final dinner- at 10 PM – reached by cable car – was at the mountain top restaurant Seven Glaciers – amazing Alaskan seafood, Kobe beef  – best of all Spencer Glacier ice in our whiskey glasses.

TotalAdventure has journeyed on many of the world’s railroads, as you can see throughout our blog .The Alaska Railroad is amongst the best run  – and certainly one of the more luxurious trains one can take for a daytrip. Other US train lines do not even begin to compare. Now that winter is approaching the line scales back for one weekly trip – The Aurora Winter Train !

Please scroll below, for all the Alaska Adventures !

On our first day of the Pre-Summit 2016 Adventure our group departed Anchorage on the Alaska Railroad for a beautiful three hours journey to Talkeetna. After lunch we arrived at the local airport for an incredible flight to the Mt.Denali basecamp. Until recently known as Mt.McKinley , it is  tallest mountain in North America, at 20,310 feet. 6249 Meters.

K2 Aviation flew our group in 2 planes.

At Talkeetna the temperature was a relatively mild 53 degrees. At the Basecamp it was 20 degrees  ( -7 )C ) with 3 feet  ( 1m) of fresh powder .It is always winter here.

TotalAdventure – On Top Of The World.

Extremely difficult ice walls – some of which have never been climbed. K2 Pilots are highly skilled – most have been flying the route for over 20 years. Weather is dangerous at all times of the year and quick decisions have to be made.

TotalAdventure may return to Denali next week with more footage.

Tomorrow Morning TotalAdventure boards American Airlines in Miami for a three hour flight to Dallas. After a two hour layover, TA boards a 6 hour and 45 minute flight to Anchorage , Alaska, finally arriving 12 hours after leaving Miami. We are taking part in next week’s Adventure Travel World Summit  following the Press Trip sponsored by the State of Alaska. It is promised that there is WiFi in all hotels – so stay tuned for daily updates of Alaskan Adventure !

On Month From Today – TotalAdventure will board an Alaska Railroad train from Anchorage for a National Parks Adventure. Our group – the guests of the Railroad and the Alaska Tourism Corporation will fly with K2 Aviation over glaciers in Denali National Park, and Zipline with Denali Zipline Tours . We’ll then travel by luxury train to Seward and on to Kenai Fjords National Park where we will board a glacier and wildlife cruise. Our group will also hike back country at Exit Glacier .  Later on the third day we board the Glacier Discovery Train to kayak and ice climb with Ascending Path on the Spencer Glacier. Our final night is at Alyeska Resort.

The National Park Adventure leads up to this years’s Adventure Travel World Summit , starting on September 19th in Anchorage , Alaska. The Summit, with leaders of the world’s  top adventure travel companies, is in an exciting new location every year – in the recent past – Chile,Ireland,Namibia,Switzerland,Mexico,Canada,Brazil,Norway and Seattle.

More updates as the adventure approaches. During the trip TotalAdventure will have daily post,videos and photos.

After the first night in Munich, we were on the train , first to Füssen, then to Bertchesgaden.

Waterfall At Konstanzsee.

Happy Bavarian Cow. For further Bavarian highlights, the first post appears after the entire story of the Trans Europe Adventure.

Entering Schengen. The next stamp was received after having been though 6 countries – leaving Schengen from Hungary into Romania.

Our land based  journeys now behind us, it was time to move on for the final phase of of our journey – Turkey. We arrived at sleepy TGD about an hour before the flight.

Unfortunately June 28th was to be another bloody ISIS attack – this time at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, one of the busiest in the world. TotalAdventure landed about 12:30 PM , passed passport and visa control and then transferred to the domestic terminal to board our 90 minute flight to Bodrum. The attack took place about 8 hours later – not in the part of the airport we transited, but killing 41 people. 

On July 2 at 7 AM we left our host’s house in Bodrum to board a catamaran ferry to the Greek island of Kos, only 20 km across the channel. We looked back at  beautiful vibrant  Turkey, hoping  to return in the near future – to explore from Istanbul to the eastern provinces.

We arrived in port 20 minutes later. We spent nearly 40 minutes to get passports stamped, as we were re-entering the EU and Shengen. Afterwards a 50 km taxi ride to Kefalos .

In Kefalos , we found a beachside Taverna where we ate excellent grilled squid, stored our stuff and went snorkeling.

The water was as clear as an aquarium.

There were ruins right by the sea !

Soon it was time to leave for the airport. We took a turboprop to Athens, flying over hundreds of Aegean Islands. In Athens – once again passport control , as we were leaving Schengen. 4 hours later – another 1.5 hours in customs entering the UK.

Just before midnight we arrived at our hotel, after a long Tube ride. We were right by the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

Our final day before returning Stateside was a whirlwind tour of some of the major sights.

Iconic, but we opted for Indian instead.

GMT + 1. The Trans European Adventure comes to an end.          

This evening TotalAdventure departs Miami, flying to Munich via London. From Bavaria we go by train through Austria,Czech Republic,Poland,Slovakia, the Carpathian Mountains in Romania , the Balkans in Bulgaria, Bosnia,Serbia,Croatia and Montenegro, arriving in Turkey by ship.

Tonight’s Route.

The flight from Miami to Havana is only 45 minutes, but it’s a trip back in time. To 1959.

TotalAdventure flew on the newly relaunched Eastern Airlines – actually a charter by Havana Air. Real commercial fights will start later this year.

Arrival at  Aeropuerto José  Martí.

TotalAdventure was in Cuba in order to research how to set up eco-friendly and cultural trips to be led by local individuals. TotalAdventure operates just like AirBnb – with adventures instead of apartments. Our challenge is finding reputable guides offering unique experiences. One of the biggest difficulties is limited internet access – Wi-Fi is very expensive for the average person and it is generally not available in private homes.

The view from TotalAdventure’s $ 47 a night AirBnb apartment.

As the economy slowly transitions, Total Adventure does it’s best to patronize and work with individuals and families. Instead of a hotel, a local apartment or house. And always a private car and driver – whether a city taxi ride, a long trip from Havana to Trinidad and back , or a day tour in the Trinidad region.

Taxi from the airport to apartment – 1953 Chevy !

The neighborhood in Habana Vieja.

Cuba is the world’s largest renovation project !

All the Cuba posts were uploaded on the sameday, after return to Miami, due to limited access in Cuba. The final post is “Cuba Road Trip 2016”  – a real life video !

For current adventures in Cuba CLICK HERE.

TotalAdventure has just returned from a road trip in Cuba, only 45 minutes away from our home city of Miami. A 45 minute flight and 57 years back in time.Due to limited internet access TotalAdventure was unable to upload video and photos on a daily basis. The entire story of the trip will be uploaded shortly, with many great photos.

For current adventures in Cuba CLICK HERE.