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 !

After a short bus ride from Berchtesgaden to Salzburg and then a three hour train ride to Wien Hauptbahhof, we arrived in time to enjoy some excellent Weiner Schnitzel.

Made with Veal, not Pork.

Wiener Riesenrad built in 1897.

Franz Joseph in the Hapsburg Crypt.

Schoenbrunn Palace.

Kings of Old.

Wood From the Cross at Imperial Museum.

Central Europe Panoramic – Austria, Czech Republic,Poland And Hungary.

After a 4 hour train ride from Vienna, TotalAdventure arrived in Prague – for the first time since 1990, just  after Liberation. Although tourists congregate heavily in the Old City and the population is much wealthier – the medieval buildings have stayed much the same.

Over the Stari Grad – Old City.

Habsburgian Architecture.

Hradcany Castle

Hradcany by Night.

On The Metro, about 60 cents US.

A Musical City.

Baroque.

Evening Storks.

U Modre Kachnicky is one of the best game restaurants in the world outside of Iceland. Here is smoked duck.

Wild Boar at U Modre Kachnicky.

Budapest was a quick layover for sightseeing and eating local specialties . It was TotalAdventure’s first visit since 1983 – when the Red Star of Communism was at the top of the Parliament Building.

We arrived early on Sunday morning , June 19, after an overnight journey form Krakow, through Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Though we had First Class Eurail, only second class sleepers were available. Comfortable enough.

Our luxury hotel ( quite cheap ) , the Buddha Bar was just across the bridge.

No Euro here. At 285 forint to the  U.S. Dollar, gourmet meals are amazingly cheap.

In the Central Market.

Delicious Game for lunch.

On Sunday, January 31 TotalAdventure hired a late model Chinese car for the 180 mile, 320 km drive from Havana to the colonial city of Trinidad. As we can see in the video below, the modern four lane freeway is almost always empty. No traffic jams in Cuba !

KM 141 Rest Stop.

Along the shores of the Caribbean.

Propaganda, not advertising.

Only one still alive.

In late afternoon we arrived in Trinidad.

In keeping with our philosophy of helping local people wherever possible and having a more authentic experience, TotalAdventure stayed in a private compound – casita below.

Dinner – one of the better meals of the trip – baked Florida lobster – $ 10.

For current adventures in Cuba CLICK HERE.

After a great day of spring skiing on El Colorado in Chile, TotalAdventure boarded a flight from Santiago to Aeroparque – the smaller airport in Palermo.

After a quick stop at the hotel – TotalAdventure was off to a a Midnight feast at Las Nazarenas. The Bife de Chorizo was succulent , as always ! At 15 pesos to the dollar ( Blue Market ) dining is a bargain !

The next day was Columbus Day – Dia de Las Raza in Argentina – so the streets were relatively quiet, with families enjoying the cool early spring weather.

It was only a month before the quasi – Chavista government of Christina Kirchner would be defeated in a historic election.

For TotalAdventure experiences in Argentina- CLICK HERE !

After 48 hours in the Vatnajökull region , ArcticTropic traversed Route 1 into Northeast Iceland – now less than 100 miles from the Arctic Circle. Though days are getting longer by over 7 minutes each day – the weather is very wintry.

Black Tower Beach

Sturdy Viking Horses. Direct descendants from the Year 900.

High atop the cliffs.

Sea Harvest.

Snow 12 Months A Year.

Reindeer – It’s What’s For Dinner !

For adventures in Iceland, CLICK HERE

An amazing waterfall coming off the Glacier this afternoon in South Iceland.Today was the first day – actually only a half day – on the Ring Road around Iceland.

A boiling caldera.

1000 Year Old Viking house.

The Geysir Erupts !

Volcanic rock formations , recently formed.

Icy River !

For adventures in Iceland, CLICK HERE

2014 was an incredible travel year for ArcticTropic. We explored Myanmar ( Burma), European Russia,Siberia,Mongolia,China,Japan,British Colombia,Canada,Singapore,Philippines and Panama. Here’s 184 clips in 11 minutes. This version is natural sound,a musical version will be uploaded soon.

Japan does not normally conjure images of adventure, but ArcticTropic stopped in for several days to be totally immersed in this vibrant modern/ancient culture.

Tokyo is always the City of the Future.

Gundam ! Japan s the world’s merchandising capital.

Food choices not found elsewhere.

In vibrant Shinjuku ,where we stayed.

The best neon anywhere.

Our flight trajectory did not take us over North Korea even though we were in a Chinese plane. We passed about 50 miles south of that path.

For Adventures in Japan, CLICK HERE