1. FANTRIP By PAT WOODS
Go north, young man!
Think you’ve ridden every worthwhile U.S. rail trip? Think again
What are tourists to do once their Alaska birch orange syrup. There was a
cruise ship arrives in Alaska? Take a rail stew that smelled delightful, but we just
trip, of course, right through the state’s in- couldn’t bring ourselves to order it. Let me
terior. The Alaska Railroad Web site, www. put it this way: We didn’t want Santa’s
akrr.com, provides detailed information, sleigh team to be one short next year.
including options to book trips, hotels, and
tours either online or by phone. It wasn’t Ready, aim, shoot!
easy to choose, but my husband and I set- As our train followed serpentine rivers Two SD70MACs pull a generator car,
tled on a three-day, 470-mile trip north through rugged bear country, passengers baggage car, and 11 passenger cars.
from the coast to inland Fairbanks. spotted Dall sheep, soaring eagles, and four
A cab whisked us the half-mile from the pairs of trumpeter swans. A waiter/bar-
ship to the Seward rail station, where we tender kept our cups full while a local high- Fairbanks
boarded the Coastal Classic bound for An- school student served as our guide, narrat-
chorage. Since this first leg of the trip was ing the story of the land outside. We learned
the shortest (four hours), we declined the how crews minimize unexpected avalanch-
option to upgrade our seats, and coach did es by shooting unstable snowpacks on
not disappoint. It was heavenly to melt into mountains with 105mm howitzer cannons.
roomy, reclining seats, stretch our legs, and (Personally, I prefer to do my shooting with Denali Park
gape out the window while gliding by gla- a Canon Rebel X camera.) ALASKA
cier-fed lakes and streams, sitka spruce, co- An outdoor viewing area provided a Map
area
nifers, and birch trees flanking the train. thrilling place for photography, particu-
For the next two days, we splurged on larly when crossing one of the more than
upper seats in a GoldStar dome car. The en- 50 bridges on the route, such as the 918-
compassing windows gave us a whole new foot-long Hurricane Gulch Bridge, with
appreciation for the view, especially as the Hurricane Creek gushing along nearly 300
train wound through the former construc- feet below. Tucked inside the 10-mile Healy
tion camp at Moose Pass, then ascended Canyon, where the Nenana River cuts
1,063 feet to the Kenai Mountains’ Grand- through steep cliffs, or watching a linger-
Anchorage
view Summit. Though the Loop District was ing sunset over Potter Marsh, this route N
breathtaking, at Broad Pass we reached the was packed with spectacular photo oppor-
highest elevation on the route: 2,363 feet. tunities, both inside and out.
There’s nothing like a sumptuous view So go north, young man, young woman,
to enhance one’s dining experience. The children of all ages. Alaska awaits. 0 Scale 50 miles
Seward
menu featured tempting, hearty meals © 2009 Kalmbach Publishing Co.,
made with local fare: Alaskan snow crab PAT WOODS is a freelance writer in Sun City TRAINS: Rick Johnson
and salmon, even duckling glazed with West, Ariz. This is her first Trains byline.
The Denali Star took us from Anchorage
to Denali and on to Fairbanks. As the
train rounds a curve, the last cars seem
to catch up to us. Two photos, Pat Woods