Prologue
I love traveling with my wife. She is upbeat and adventurous, with the ability to predict the nasty pitfalls before they happen. After almost forty-five years on the road together, we have become an efficient extension of each other, complimenting the other's talents and abilities, moving as if we were one entity. Our methods work well for us, although admittedly few would be comfortable traveling our way. I mean, who carries peanut butter, jelly and bread with them in the car so they can eat lunch while driving to the next adventure? While on the road, who's spouse reads a trip themed book aloud in the car? Who eats ice cream for breakfast? After spending 24/7 together for two weeks on a trip, who is eagerly planning their next trip together, instead of being sick to death of each other? I so much love traveling with my wife.
We had no plans of traveling to Alaska this year. In March we spent three fast and furious weeks in New Zealand and Australia. In July, we'd be joining our oldest daughter for a four day trip to Nebraska celebrating her fiftieth state. In August we'd be in New England, Canada and Prince Edward Island for two weeks. Wedge another trip into an already busy year? With that said, the AuRoRa Summer Solstice Train's mechanical vice was set in motion with 557 CEO Patrick Durand serving as the stationary jaw and ARRC conductor Brice Douglas as the movable jaw. Pressure! Pressure! Pressure! As you already guessed, I caved!
Flying to Alaska and back is a huge investment of time, energy and money so we extended the itinerary a bit. As we have grown older, we can definitely say, life is short and now is the time to live our best lives. People in the morgue can't ask for a do over. Invest time in family, friends and adventures. So we beefed up the itinerary as much as time allowed. Touchstones, stepping stones, undiscovered gems.
This journal is about the 9 days we spent in Alaska. It contains 347 photos, 48 medium resolution video and thousands of words that occupy a whopping grand total of 2.68 gigabytes. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did living it. [Note: All photos and videos were taken with an iPhone 15 which produces some great looking photos...as long as you don't need to zoom in.]
And now my standard warning - Please be advised that all Alaska Railroad yards, sidings, section houses, tunnels, access roads, etc. are posted no trespassing and that entering them without permission is a violation of law. It can also be extremely dangerous. All my photos taken on the property were done under escort with a qualified Alaska Railroad Corporation employee and while wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Enjoy!
John Combs
4/8/25