Michael Portillo journeys through the stunning wilderness of the 49th US state on its most extreme railroads, before crossing the border into Canada, the world's second largest country, to explore its lakes and mountains, visit its cities and ride its most scenic and spectacular railroads.Michael heads first for the Last Frontier of the United States armed with his 1899 Appleton's Guidebook to Alaska. He boards the Alaska Railroad to travel past lakes and glaciers and through mountain tunnels, admiring the magnificent landscape and glimpsing the wildlife of the region, while learning what it took to build this epic 470-mile line. Along the way, Michael joins the US Arctic Warriors for parachute training, gets a taste of the pioneering spirit and explores the art of the First Nations helping to carve a totem pole before shaking his tail feathers in a grouse dance .Switching to his 1899 edition of Appleton's Canadian Guidebook, Michael crosses the border into Canada and rides the specta