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 Combine
Your Alaska Flight with a Rail Tour
by
Jerry W. Bird
In our newest
"Rails to Adventure"
feature, Muguette
Goufrani
describes her Alaska experience, part of which
included a scenic trip
from
Fairbanks in the interior, to Anchorage on the
Pacific Coast, aboard the Alaska Railroad. She told
us about the service, and how the scenery and
grandeur left her breathless. To give you a quick
introduction to the Alaska Railroad, here is a
welcoming message to our readers and viewers from
former Gov. Bill Shellield, President and CEO,
Alaska Railroad Corporation . "Welcome Aboard
Alaska Railroad, the last full-service railroad in
the United States. We owe our success of the past
77 years to the hard work and dedication of our
employees and the loyalty of our customers. From
tidewater at Whittier and Seward to the heart of
Interior Alaska, our route covers more than 500
miles."
The first rail
trip I ever took was also in Alaska, on the famous
White Pass & Yukon Railroad, as we rode the
shoulders of the Sawtooth Range from Whitehorse,
Yukon to the port of Skagway on the Lynn Canal.
Remnants of the Klondike Gold Rush were evident
then, and a few remain today around Lake Bennett.
That's why they called it the Railway Built of
Gold. This experience was what started me on a
quest to seek, discover and write about great
railways trips. It also took me to Sacramento,
California for the Railfair in the 80s, which is
held every 10 years, sponsored by the California
Railway Museum. This combination led to a feature
that has been appearing in the travel media since
1989. My last railways trip was January, 2003, when
we traveled from Marrakech to Casablanca, Morocco.
The following item by Scott Banks is sure to whet
your appetite for a railway tour to the interior of
America's great frontier state, Alaska.
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experience you will never forget. http://www.all-alaska-cruises.com
Alaska Railroad
Packages Adventure in 2003
By Scott
Banks
Few railroads in
the country target adventure travel quite the way
the Alaska Railroad does, and 2003 will be no
different. In fact, the railroad will showcase
Alaska adventure with a full summer schedule of
tours and packages. Running more than 550 miles
between Seward and Fairbanks, the railroad can
place Alaska visitors at the face of hanging
glaciers, traverse remote birch forests in Alaska's
Interior and slide by Mount McKinley, North
America's highest peak.
In the 2003 summer
season, trips will range from 10 days to two-day
overnighters, and the railroad also will debut a
new service, the Glacier Discovery Tour, to Spencer
Glacier and Grandview. Beginning May 11, 2003,
visitors will be able to take the Glacier Discovery
train that runs along Turnagain Arm from Anchorage.
Continuing past Whittier, the train will take
visitors up Placer River Valley to the base of the
Chugach Mountains where Spencer Glacier terminates
at a spectacular lake complete with floating
icebergs. Wild and remote, it's nearly impossible
to believe you're within a few hours' travel of
downtown Anchorage.
On the shores of
the lake, rafters will be able to sample a spread
of Alaskan smoked salmon and caribou sausage.
Passengers will then board rafts that will take
them up close and personal to the glacier and then
down the gentle waters of the Placer River. The
two-hour trip features a leisurely float with time
to take pictures and spot wildlife.
The oarsmen are
experienced guides who can relate the natural
history of the valley, geology of the glacier and
point out wildlife like moose, bear and bald
eagles. Motor coaches will return passengers to
Anchorage. Passengers on the Grandview tour climb
the 3 percent grade to view alpine meadows and
catch glimpses of the historic railroad loop
district, wildlife and wild flowers before the
return to Anchorage by train.
Here are a few of
the railroad's other 2003 package
offerings:
… The Best of
the Kenai Fjords & Denali National Park
&endash; Visits to two of Alaska's premiere parks
round out this tour. Denali National Park is a
major stop for the railroad. This 6-million-acre
park is famous for its wildlife and Mount McKinley,
North America's highest peak. At the railroad's
southern end is Kenai Fjords National Park. The
tour boat noses up cozily to tidewater glaciers and
views of marine wildlife pop up from every angle.
… National
Park Tour &endash; One day shorter than the "Best
of" tour, visitors will still enjoy Alaska's most
popular national parks. Board the northbound train
out of Anchorage to Denali National Park and take
the tundra wildlife tour. Return to Anchorage and
the next day ride the train to Seward and cruise
Kenai Fjords National Park. That night take the
train to Girdwood for a stay at Alyeska Resort.
Return to Anchorage by motorcoach.
Glaciers and
Hot Springs &endash; Cruise Prince William sound
and see Alaska's highest concentration of tidewater
glaciers. Listen closely and you can hear the ice
creak and groan. The next day travel north to
Denali National Park & Preserve for a night's
stay and then on to Fairbanks and Chena Hot Springs
for a muscle-relaxing soak under the arctic
sky.
Glacier Views
Adventure Tour &endash; This trip gives you
wilderness Alaska in a short package. Ride the
train north to Talkeetna and enjoy a sightseeing
flight over Mount McKinley. Return to Anchorage in
late afternoon. The next day board the Glacier
Discovery train to see Spencer Glacier and a raft
trip down the Placer River.
Coastal Cruise
and Real Alaska Tour &endash; Ride the railroad's
most scenic route to Seward and a cruise around
Resurrection Bay. The next day visit the Alaska
SeaLife Center and later, experience the thrill of
mushing behind a team of world-class sled dogs.
Finally, visit Exit Glacier and then take in
Seward's charming shops and restaurants.
Alaska By
Daylight - Travelers with a leisurely schedule
should book the Alaska by Daylight tour. Ten days
to experience Alaska and everything it has to
offer: dog sled rides, glaciers, Mount McKinley,
jet boat tour, riverboat ride, wildlife tour and a
visit to a gold mine &emdash;the best Alaska
offers.
Deluxe
Alaskan Adventure Sampler- This eight-day tour
features rafting, dog mushing, flightseeing over
Mount McKinley and traveling aboard the Riverboat
Discovery along Fairbanks' historic Chena River. If
you want to see glaciers, this is the
tour.
Packages are all
inclusive of hotels, tours and rail travel, and can
be booked via the railroad's toll-free number.
Visit the Alaska Railroad website at
www.AlaskaRailroad.com for information and then
call the toll-free number at 800-544-0552 to book
your reservations. (The railroad plans to have
package online booking early in 2003. Currently,
you can only book rail travel online.)
The Alaska
Railroad, has 575 miles of track from Seward north
to Anchorage, through Talkeetna, Denali National
Park to Fairbanks in Alaska's Interior.
More
details: The Denali Star departs daily from
Anchorage and Fairbanks with stops at Talkeetna and
Denali. The Coastal Classic serves Anchorage and
Seward, with magnificent walls of ice, jagged peaks
and gorges along this route. The Glacier Discovery
connects Anchorage and Whittier, winding along the
scenic Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet. In addition
to our daily service routes, the Hurricane Turn
offers a unique "flag" service between Talkeetna
and Hurricane Gulch, providing a vital
transportation link for rural Alaskans. Please join
us for one of North America's truly great scenic
rail journeys. Thank you for considering the Alaska
Railroads as part of your Alaskan adventure. If you
have any questions or comments about our service,
please call 1-800-544-055
Alaska Railroad
Corporation Passenger Services
PO Box 107500, Anchorage, Ak 99510-7500
Anchorage Depot 411 West Ist Avenue
Fairbanks Depot 280 North Cushman, Toll Free
1-800-544-0552
Reservations Fax 1-907-265-2323
Anchorage 1-907-265-2494, Fairbanks
1-907-458-6025
e-mail reservations@akrr.com,
internet www.akrr.com
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