Capturing the Moment

  I've always had a soft spot for trains, ever since taking a train from Savannah to New York as a kid with my family. There is something quite romantic about them. So I was quite excited for this next leg of our Scandinavia trip. We planned to travel from Oslo to the western fjord lands by scenic train. It involved two trains, first Oslo to Myrdal, then Myrdal to Flam. We started in the hub of Oslo Central Station, but quickly made it out past the suburbs into the rolling farmlands. That was pretty, but it soon became quite beautiful as we headed up into the snowy mountains, past waterfalls, lakes, and even a glacier, barely visible through the low clouds. At Myrdal we switched trains, just as the rain really started to come down. Little did we know that this train ride would be a slow motion cinematic experience with massive waterfalls, huge valleys, and incredible scenery. We made a stop at one waterfall, where they let everyone get off the train to get a better look. We heard t...

  Exploring Anchorage, Alaska: The land of the midnight sun 3 MIN READ 543 WORDS The famous Alaska railroad is what started everything here in Anchorage, Alaska. Now it is the biggest city in the state, and a jumping off site for so many amazing adventures. I've taken this beautiful train up to Denali National Park before, but this trip is all about exploring Prince William Sound. I flew in late last night to Anchorage, Alaska to start another season as Expedition Leader aboard the Safari Explorer, a small expedition cruise ship. However, even though this is my ninth season doing this in Alaska, it is my first season running trips in Prince William Sound. The last time I flew into Anchorage it was 2016. Heidi and I took our summer break to come up and explore Seward, Homer, and Denali. Seeing the famous blue and yellow Alaska train brought all the memories of that trip back. Check out the blog post from that trip here: 2016 Alaska Train Ride 2016 Alaska Train Ride My plane landed a...

My favorite spot on the train Boarding our train to Denali Scenic Train Through Alaska    I have long heard tale of this scenic train ride through the heart of Alaska’s wild frontier. The Golden Star Line heads from mile marker 0 at Seward up North to mile 470 in Fairbanks. Along the way it passes glaciers, bogs, snow-capped peaks, tundra, forest, rivers, ponds, and if you are lucky maybe the great mountain itself, Denali, will peek out from the clouds. Sharp eyes can spot moose around the lakes, bears ambling through the woods, trumpeter swans on their nest, and bald eagles flying above. Most of the time is spent cutting through the wilderness, although towns like Whittier, Seward and Talkeetna provided brief glimpses of human population pushing back the wild frontier. When combined with the cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks, also located on the track, you can account for about 70% of Alaska’s population. It goes to show how important this railroad has been....