Author Archives: Steven Shoppman

Should I take Malaria medication?

There are a variety of different medicines that you can take to reduce your risk of contacting malaria in endemic areas and if you are traveling to some of these places for less than a couple of months you may want to consider taking the medicine. However, we decided against taking the medicine because of the amount

New Photos – The Town of Talkeetna, Alaska

Possibly one of the best adventure destinations on the planet, this small town just a couple of hours north of Anchorage was the town that helped to inspire the television series, Northern Exposure. While it is a world apart from the actual show, the charm of the place is like no other and the residents of the town are one of its greatest assets.

New Photos – Class 5 Rapids in a Jet Boat?

A man named Steve Mahay trekked up to Alaska many years ago. In those days homesteading land was still a viable option for an escape from the typical. Back in the 70s Steve realized that that was the way to go. Like many of the Alaskans we encountered in the north, Steve is a true legend with his jet boat operation in Talkeetna. Back when he started the company he was armed with only a 16 foot, 20 hp boat living in a hand built cabin in

New Photos – Glacier Landing in Talkeetna, Alaska

There are few things in the world that you can do that require such little effort or your part to get such a huge return. A glacier landing gives you a sense of excitement that equals many of the most intense things out there, but to get this incredible feeling and experience, all you need to do is climb into a plane and put your faith in your pilot. As the plane takes off and heads toward the monstrous peaks, many times there are clouds lining

New Video – Surviving the Bolivian Death Road

Those of you that follow the website have all seen the photos from the “World’s Most Dangerous Road.” Many call this road the “Death Road,” due to the high number of people that die at the mercy of the steep cliff faces that the narrow road skirts as it drops over 10,000 ft on its way to the jungle and eventually to the Amazon in Brazil. This road is equally exciting because of the danger it presents, but also the diversity in scenery. At the top it is cold and crisp with snow capped peaks surrounding the start point.

New Video – Tequila and the Jose Cuervo Plant

In a little town in the heart of Mexico, a long time ago a lightning bolt hit an agave plant. It cooked the plant and later the local people found that the cooked fermented plant produced a sweet juice that made them feel good. Ages later that little town was named Tequila and the drink was too. When we visited this little gem, we thought it would just be a simple fun time learning about how the world famous liquor was made at the main headquarters in Mexico, but what we did not realize is that the drink, and the town have an incredibly rich history and culture. The visit to the town turned into a truly memorable experience after we spent the day on the VIP

New Photos – Nenana and the Old Minto Camp

A small town called Nenana lies south of Fairbanks with a large Native population. Up the river from there Craig scheduled for us to meet with Robert Charlie, the director from the Cultural Heritage and Education Institute. While Robert Charlie turned out to be a bit of a swindler and general let down as he rushed us through our meeting at the village to make $100 for a boat ride, our arrival at Old Minto was a memorable one.

New Photos – Fairbanks

Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska. It has amazing weather and in the summer time it does not get dark, so you can jet ski and boat and walk down the river it bright sun at 2 am. The river passes through the center of town and allows for decks and patios to eat dinners and have drinks while enjoying the Alaskan summer.

New Photos – Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay

At the end of a 500 mile road, in the middle of nowhere lies a town with a bleak name, of which no one knows where it came. It is freezing pretty much all year around, and no one calls this place home. It is where the famed Alaskan Pipeline begins and where millions and millions of barrels of oil continually pass to feed our need for oil.

New Photos – Hyder, AK

At the very bottom of Alaska lies the town of Hyder. With only 100 citizens in the summer and as little as 40 in the winter, this little town is like no other. They have a total of 8 students in the school, no police force and the only way in and out in winter is via floatplane. It is full of bears.