To the West, Day Three

Today was a strange day. Through the night, with a spectacular, almost-full moon in the sky and through my train window, we were stopped for long periods, and rushing frantically and jarringly for hours. We made it to Edmonton ahead of schedule. I woke at six, local time.

And if VIA had wanted to make Edmonton look bleak, they couldn't have done a better job. Temperature was about -16, sky was cloudy and dark, the train stopped at the station right beside a four-lane highway and across from an abandoned piece of land. And the station was bleak, nothing but vending machines and tired people. Why they move the trains out of downtown escapes me. But at least the stop was not too long, just long enough to stretch my legs.

Then off to the mountains. On this route, it takes about two hours to get to the start of the Rockies. We follow the Athabasca River and the Yellowhead Highway. And then the mountains are there. Partly cloudy, and some mist, with a bit of rain. So not as picturesque as they can be, but pretty nice. And again, the joy of this time of year is the lack of crowds on the train, so seats were easy in the Observation Car. I sat up front with a woman from Melbourne, Australia, and we talked a lot about Canada, politics, Australia, rights-to-die, and so on. And sometimes she or I took pictures of the passing trains, mountains, elk, deer, rivers, and so on. As usual, the staff was wonderful, and really make this trip such a pleasure.









Most of the time through the mountains before Jasper, the track was single, so we were obviously the only ones of it for long periods. And the scenery really is spectacular. At times, you seem almost squeezed by the trees and hills; other times, three are vistas which take your breath away.

And then we were in Jasper. It was above zero, and drizzling, so Josh and I set out to find a good place for espresso. We succeeded, and spent time on wifi and sipping espresso, before returning to the train for an on-time departure. More mountains, including Mount Robson (the highest in Canada), and more lovely scenery before it got dark. The train sponsored a wine-tasting, before supper. Our last supper, shared with a roofer from Grimsby and his wife, and the Aussie I had sat with through much of the afternoon.

Sleep was good, unaware of the stops and twists of the train, mostly. And breakfast came early enough to still be dark. And then into Vancouver, down the Fraser. Somehow, we got to be late again. But as I sit writing, we are passing through rainforest territory, with trees covered in moss so that their branches resemble green, pleading arms of "ents". And the ferns, lots of ferns. And foggy areas, and lots of water.



A really nice trip.


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Location:Kamloops