On the Road ( the Train part 2)

The last time I went by train it was the beginning of May.  Within the bush there were patches of snow and many of the lakes were still frozen. This time every thing was green. The scenery was quite magical; there were brief glimpses of tiny glades, fast flowing streams and rivers and then nothing as the forest closed in upon the tracks, swallowing the train into a vast tunnel where virtually nothing could be seen except for the trees along the right of way. With the gray sky it was quite dark even at mid day.

The view from the dome car was great although it would be nice if someoneoccasionally cleaned the windows.

The young mother got off with her son and all of the assorted stuff (car seat, stroller etc.) at Long Lac.  Because the train was late,  no one was there to meet her. I suspect they had gotten tired of waiting and had gone home. My lasting vision of her is standing with  her pile of luggage amongst the puddles of water looking around somewhat forlornly -perhaps even desperately - for her father who was suppose to meet her. I know it would be unreasonable for the train to have waited until she was met - but I will always wonder if she did get home.  

I didn't have a great night's sleep. The was a lot of commotion as people got on and off. I suppose if you get on a train at 1:00 AM and are only on the train for a few hours- sleeping may not be a priority. Still I wished people needn't talk so loud.

By the time the next morning that I opened the blind, the land had started to change. It was more open and one could see for miles. Gone was the almost claustrophobic view of the Canadian Shield - to be replaced by open vistas that reminded one of the vastness of the Canadian landscape, and in part of how far I had to travel.

We got to Winnipeg early and then had to wait 35-40 minutes because the station service staff were not ready for us. What a way to run a railroad!

To be fair Via is doing a lot things right. For examples they had movies in the club car and even arranged to ave a bus tour of Winnipeg for the 4 hour lay over. But for me it was time to grab my pack, put on my hiking shoes and find the nearest city bus heading to the west end of town