(Douglas Grimes is co-founder and president of MIR Corporation.)

In the 30 years since the founding of MIR Corporation, I cannot begin to count the memorable and extraordinarily creative handcrafted, custom journeys that we have nurtured and successfully produced. It’s not unlike being the director of a movie, overseeing the imaginative beginnings, middles and endings as well as the critical details that make up each section, each scene.

One of those memorable highlights was in the heart of Siberia, chasing the sun in a total solar eclipse.

Celestial SightingsIn 2008, about 350 of us – our international MIR team and travelers from around the U.S. – descended on Novosibirsk, Siberia for a rare event: a total solar eclipse, when the circle of the sun is totally erased by the moon’s shadow. Once the stuff of folklore, legends, and cowering in fear that the world was ending, today astronomers and “total eclipse chasers” (as they are called) fearlessly watch the skies for a solar eclipse in the Path of Totality, the swath of territory where the sun is shadowed by the moon for the longest period of time.

Sunny SiberiaOn August 1, 2008, that Path of Totality sliced through the middle of Siberia from top to bottom, entering at Novaya Zemlya, a remote island in the Arctic Ocean, and exiting into Mongolia. In southern Siberia it passed almost directly over Novosibirsk, the region’s largest city with a population of 1.4 million at that time.  To some people, Siberia may seem as remote as Antarctica, but to us at MIR it is practically our backyard stomping grounds. We know Siberia like the back of our hand; some of our most popular trips are by private train along the Trans-Siberian Railway, which runs right through Novosibirsk.

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MIR’s Logistical WizardryOur MIR clients arrived by plane and train to this Siberian city where – at the time – there were limited facilities and accommodations. Some even overnighted in their private train cars. Hotels for such large numbers of travelers were scarce, but we booked 100 rooms for many of our MIR travelers in a newly remodeled hotel, which we had reserved three years earlier, hoping that renovations would be finished in time. It was a gamble, but it was one that definitely paid off; our total eclipse chasers were very satisfied.

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An International ProductionIt took a dedicated international cast to pull it all off with this Novosibirsk total solar eclipse. We at MIR in Seattle and overseas worked in both English and Russian languages, sorting through complex visa requirements, wide-ranging arrival and departure times, and handling 10 different tour packages, each with its own unique itinerary. We began planning and working behind the scenes for this Siberian solar eclipse in 2005, with our tireless efforts paying off in a smooth execution of this 2008 celestial undertaking.  

Closer to HomeAs for me and my MIR team in our Seattle office, we don’t have to travel far for an upcoming total solar eclipse. On August 21, 2017, our neighboring state, Oregon, will be directly under the Path of Totality. In Seattle we’re expected to be in 92% darkness. It will be the first time a total solar eclipse has been visible in the Lower 48 since 1979, and the first time since 1918 that the eclipse will span both coasts of the United States. 

More on “MIR’s 30 Years”

Learn more about “MIR’s 30 Years” in the stories below, all embedded with videos. They include MIR’s beginnings and the mindset and mission of MIR’s president and co-founder, Douglas Grimes; MIR’s utterly unique travel offerings at the crossroads of Europe and Asia; and Siberia, one of MIR’s favorites specialties.

You can also view the video series of “MIR’s 30 Years” on MIR’s YouTube channel, , specifically under the playlist,

MIR’s Beginnings

• “Imagine Your Journey with MIR” (story); – MIR’s 30-year expertise in making dream trips come true.
• “198os Volleyball Diplomacy, and MIR’s Beginning” (story); – Volleyball is the game changer: a young Douglas Grimes dreams big, and his (MIR) world changes forever.
• “Back in the U.S.S.R.” (story); – Traveling back in time to MIR’s mid-1980s beginning, and a watershed decision.

MIR’s One-of-a-Kind Journeys

• “Handcrafted Journeys: Making MIR Movies” (story); – MIR’s memorable custom, private journeys are akin to making movies, including tracing family history “back in the old country.”
• “Epic Journeys: Ultimate Dream Trips” (story); – MIR’s adventurous overland expeditions include one Canadian couple’s extensive yearly travels, from driving along the Silk Road to motoring through China, Siberia, and the Balkans.
• “Beyond the Stars, Inside the Russian Space Program” (story); – MIR President Douglas Grimes’ favorite tour harkens back to the U.S.-Soviet space race, from exploring Star City’s once-classified cosmonaut training facility to witnessing the manned launch of a Soyuz spacecraft.
• “Overland Expeditions: Motorcycling with GlobeRiders” (story); – Intrepid motorcyclists repeatedly choose MIR for their global travel logistics, from the South Caucasus to Iran, and from Siberia to Central Asia.
• “Overland Expeditions: Roving the World in Land Rovers” (story); – Land-roving at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, MIR creates an ambitious itinerary for 54 participants and 18 vehicles, from Kazakhstan to Turkey.

Siberia, A MIR Specialty

• “Why I’m Sold on Siberia” (story); – Countless reasons why MIR President Douglas Grimes loves this vast, pristine place.
• “Siberia’s Beauty of Lake Baikal” (story); – MIR President Douglas Grimes’ lasting memories of this legendary lake in Siberia.
• “Overland Expeditions: Channeling Siberia and Beyond” (story); – One of MIR President Douglas Grimes’ early (ad)ventures into Siberia with one channeler, her five dozen followers, and their six sacred crystals.
• “Overland Expeditions: Driving Siberia and Beyond” (story); – MIR helps intrepid motorists re-create the 1908 automotive Great Race in their 1928 vintage car, down to gas station locations in Siberia and tricky border crossings.
• “Overland Expeditions: Running Through Russia and Beyond” (story); – MIR’s extraordinary logistics for 79 runners and support personnel, running 5,500 miles from Eastern Europe to China via Russia and Siberia, all to promote safer drinking water.
• “Overland Expeditions: Total Solar Eclipse in Siberia” (story); – MIR prepares three years in advance to bring more than 300 travelers – “sun chasers” – to the heart of Siberia for a rare total solar eclipse.

MIR, in a Nutshell

• “MIR in a Nutshell” (story) – Compact and concise, here’s everything you need to know about MIR on one page.

(Top photo credit: Douglas Grimes – Novosibirsk, Siberia is swathed in darkness at the apex of the  2008 total solar eclipse.)

PUBLISHED: November 3, 2016

Tags: Douglas Grimes | Helen Holter | MIR's 30 Years | MIR's 30th anniversary | Novosibirsk | Siberia | total eclipse | Total Eclipse Chasers | Trans-Siberian Railway | video

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