While it was my intent to write sequentially - that is to talk about the events of my trip in the order that they occurred - I need/want to talk about yesterday.
It was a glorious day in terms of weather -the best we have had since I hit the coast ( which admittedly does say much). My daughter (in law), my son, my grandson and I went to Cherry Point Beach for a walk. The kid loved it! The tide was out and there were 1,000s of shells and small crabs and and other assorted denizens of the deep (and not so deep) resting on the shore. It was fun to pick up shells and look at them. It is perhaps a touristy thing to do, but it is an endless fascinating thing to do especially with my son who knows and understands so much of the world around him. Next year my grandson will be walking and I am sure that when we go to the beach, he will want to start his own collection of shells and special stones.
It was a nice drive there and equally as nice on the way back. I find the roads a bit confusing on the island. There seem to be so many ways of getting to any one point. But the scenery is beautiful. No gentle soft sandy beaches here. This may be a resort area, a place were city folks visit, but is is also a place where people work and live. There are parts that are less than beautiful - parts of the seashore that are not accessible because of the ruggedness but it has a gentle grandeur that is seductive.
As we were winding our way home my daughter in law's father passed us on his motorcycle....he did a u turn and followed us to a parking lot. He came back for supper and we had a great visit.
After supper we had a bit of a nap and then decided that we would go to a outside dance/camping/reggae party get-together. We left the dishes on the counter, assembled the assorted paraphernalia that such an expedition requires and headed out. Again I don't have a clue where we went. It was somewhere on the Cowichan river, or at least so they said, but it could have been the Amazon for all I knew. After getting out of the car we walked and walked.The first part of the path was overgrown and more dangerously, had man traps dug. These were 3-4 large holes in the ground specifically dug to prevent me from trespassing. Navigating the stroller over these holes was, to say the least, an interesting experience.
But it got worse. The last 200- 300 hundred meters of the path would have made a Rocky Mountain Goat hesitant. To call it a path demeans the many fine paths tat I have followed. It was steep, uneven, narrow and on occasion it almost disappeared. The path was not made for a stroller and we abandoned the fine vehicle at the top of the last descent. But we got to the bottom safely, set up our chairs and prepared for the party to start. Other than the 3 guys who were setting up the speakers, generator and the computer, no one else came for 2 plus hours. Which was a disappointment. But a fire was lit and it was strangely pleasant if paradoxical by the river. There we were in a semi-pristine, largely untouched wilderness listening to a digitized and amplified Bob Marley powered by a portable generator.It was quite remarkable. I am not too sure if I would do it again - but I am glad that I went.
My grandson again was great. He loved the music - insisting on staying awake and dancing for much of the time that we were there. It was a beautiful sight to see his mom and him snuggling together as he dozed off for a nap.The trip back was.......... I don't know what the word is. Interesting is far too mild; crazy may be slightly too much of an exaggeration.Climbing up the less than accessible goat path, wandering through the forest, and scrambling across the man traps was done with humour and by cooperation. I think it was one of those iconic bonding moments between friends that we will talk about in the future when my grandson is older. He may not believe us. Which would be a pity because most parents would never had the courage or the energy to try to get him to the river. He deserves to know they did.
A really interesting day
p.s. I am told that I have to tell the whole story - I left something out so that the guilty would not be named or blamed. (LOL) However if they insist......... on the way back I fell into one of the man traps. At the time I was carrying three (yes three) folding chairs, my small knapsack that had amongst other things someone else's water jug and of course my tiny little flashlight. My son was carry his son in the heavy baby seat and assisting with the stroller as well as carrying the large lantern that lit up everything within 10 feet. ( I, of course, was 12 feet behind them) I am not sure what the third person was carrying - perhaps almost nothing
As I jumped across the hole, I foolishly assumed that the person in front of me who was carrying so little would keep on moving. They didn't. I had no where to go but backwards. And backwards I went into the four foot hole. My hip was slightly bruised, but I being as graceful as always avoided major injury.
There I have told the whole story.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
On the Road Again (finally) part 4
I slept like a log at the motel and by 6:30 I was wide awake and feeling fine. It had been well over 24 hours since I had eaten anything substantial and while I wasn't really hungry, I knew that I had to eat. I was about to face the dreaded stretch between Medicine Hat and Canmore and I had visions of being stuck somewhere along that road for hours.. So I got up, had a shower, got some breakfast at the Husky across the street, and by 7:30 I was ready to hit the road again.
Medicine Hat is not a great place for pedestrians. In fact I am not too sure if the city fathers (or mothers) even recognize that there are such beings as pedestrians. The proof of this? There appears to be a real shortage of sidewalks. Of course there may be sidewalks in the downtown area, I don't know I have never been there but heading out along Highway #1 there are none. This lack of consideration for folks like me makes it a bit of a dangerous trip getting out of town.There are some sections on the overpass that one needs to time the crossing with the lights to avoid being brushed by cars as they head out of town.
When I reached a place that looked safe I got out my sign, set my pose, put on the smile and relaxed. I knew I was going anywhere soon.The sun was out in full force and I quickly got out the sun screen. I remembered one other occasion standing at this spot and getting fairly badly burned on the inside of my hitchhiking arm. However my wait was not as long as I had feared. An hour or so later, a93 blue Mercury van made a rather daring lane change and stopped a 100 yards up the road. I swong the pack up on my shoulders and jogged up to the van.
My driver was a man from a local First Nations community. He had just bought the van (he was quick to assure me that it was not stolen), had put on some plates that he had lying around and was heading out to the "reserve" for awhile. He had paid $550 for the vehicle and it looked to be a great deal. He (like so many of my drivers) had just broken up with his girlfriend/wife. I don't know if there is a correlation between marriage break ups and picking up hitchhikers, but I think there might be.Perhaps because they are lonely or no longer give a damn.
He had bought the van because "he was tired walking". Which I suppose is as good as reason as any to buy a vehicle. He told me that he was going to Brooks which was only a hour or so down the road. As we got closer to Brooks he told me that he was going to pick up a few things at Brooks and then would drive me a bit further if I wanted to hang out with him while he was shopping. He got a suitcase from a trailer in Brooks and then we waited in a parking lot until the liquor store opened. When it opened, he went in and quickly returned with a bag. My job was to stay in the van as he was afraid to turn off the van. It had needed a boost that morning and he wasn't sure it would start. (yes he had keys for it).
As soon as we on the road again he reached into the bag, pulled out a beer and started to drink. One of my few rules is that I don't drive with people who are either drunk or who are drinking in the car. But I knew I was getting out 10 minutes outside of town. He offered me a beer, which was generous of him, but I declined with the excuse that beer on my breath might discourage some drivers. I don't think I have been offered a beer so early in the morning before.
Medicine Hat is not a great place for pedestrians. In fact I am not too sure if the city fathers (or mothers) even recognize that there are such beings as pedestrians. The proof of this? There appears to be a real shortage of sidewalks. Of course there may be sidewalks in the downtown area, I don't know I have never been there but heading out along Highway #1 there are none. This lack of consideration for folks like me makes it a bit of a dangerous trip getting out of town.There are some sections on the overpass that one needs to time the crossing with the lights to avoid being brushed by cars as they head out of town.
When I reached a place that looked safe I got out my sign, set my pose, put on the smile and relaxed. I knew I was going anywhere soon.The sun was out in full force and I quickly got out the sun screen. I remembered one other occasion standing at this spot and getting fairly badly burned on the inside of my hitchhiking arm. However my wait was not as long as I had feared. An hour or so later, a93 blue Mercury van made a rather daring lane change and stopped a 100 yards up the road. I swong the pack up on my shoulders and jogged up to the van.
My driver was a man from a local First Nations community. He had just bought the van (he was quick to assure me that it was not stolen), had put on some plates that he had lying around and was heading out to the "reserve" for awhile. He had paid $550 for the vehicle and it looked to be a great deal. He (like so many of my drivers) had just broken up with his girlfriend/wife. I don't know if there is a correlation between marriage break ups and picking up hitchhikers, but I think there might be.Perhaps because they are lonely or no longer give a damn.
He had bought the van because "he was tired walking". Which I suppose is as good as reason as any to buy a vehicle. He told me that he was going to Brooks which was only a hour or so down the road. As we got closer to Brooks he told me that he was going to pick up a few things at Brooks and then would drive me a bit further if I wanted to hang out with him while he was shopping. He got a suitcase from a trailer in Brooks and then we waited in a parking lot until the liquor store opened. When it opened, he went in and quickly returned with a bag. My job was to stay in the van as he was afraid to turn off the van. It had needed a boost that morning and he wasn't sure it would start. (yes he had keys for it).
As soon as we on the road again he reached into the bag, pulled out a beer and started to drink. One of my few rules is that I don't drive with people who are either drunk or who are drinking in the car. But I knew I was getting out 10 minutes outside of town. He offered me a beer, which was generous of him, but I declined with the excuse that beer on my breath might discourage some drivers. I don't think I have been offered a beer so early in the morning before.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
On the Road (finally) part #3
Every trip seems to have one driver who stands out - either because of the way that they drove, the length of the drive, or because of the conversation. Daniel, my next driver, fits at least two of the above qualifications.
I was only at the intersection outside of Brandon for about an hour or so when a 2004 Chev Impala stopped and the driver offered a ride. The back seat was full of garbage bags so I squeezed into the front seat along with my pack. When I asked the driver where he was going he just said "west" . My response was " that's good - so am I". He later told me that he was careful not to give a destination in case he didn't like me. Then he could have turned off the highway at some point and let me out before he continued on his way. At our first stop, with his permission, I rearranged the bags in the back seat to so that my bag could fit in. The bags in the back seat, and some in the trunk were filled with pop cans that he was going to recycle in Alberta to help pay for his gas.
Daniel ( it took me a few hours to get the story all out and piece it together) was a teacher on stress leave from the Lethbridge School system. He had just separated from his wife in Winnipeg and was heading towards Lethbridge to both tie up some lose ends and to attend his high school reunion. Daniel had had a complicated life with three failed marriages, and a number of kids ( I never did figure out how many children and step children he had).
He had been attending AA meeting for a long time. During talking about some of those things he mentioned that he was a better Christian than most because he knew how to forgive those who had really hurt him. It did sound as if he had been exposed to more trauma than anyone person should have to bear, but I could not help noticing that whenever he spoke about his ex-wives or his parents or his brother, or his former bosses - his language became far more extreme (e.g. lots of swearing) and his voice became significantly louder. Quite frankly he didn't feel as if he had forgiven them. He was far too angry at them.
Most of the time he was soft spoken and we had some interesting discussions about teaching, the purpose of education and life in general. He was well read and had a philosophical sort of mind. Daniel however was not overly optimistic about the young people of today. In spite of my best arguments using the exampes from some of my students, I was not able to convince him that there was reason to hope.
Near Regina it started to rain. And I mean rain. It was as if the heavens had opened up and just dumped buckets and buckets on the landscape. On the ring road that skirts the city of Regina there is an underpass. It was flooded up to the undercarriage of the cars trying to go through. Daniel thankfully decided, as the car was borrowed from a friend, to not go through the flood but rather to find another way around it. We spent almost an hour looking for a way. The traffic was backed up everywhere and many of the drivers were becoming less than patient. Daniel was quite remarkable in that he never became frustrated with cars cutting in front or any of the other actions of impatient drivers. He even found time to roll down his window and flirt with an attractive female driver. He was really a very relaxed kind of guy - except when talking about his family and his former employers.
Daniel's primary claim to fame in my book of drivers was how fast he drove. The road between Brandon and Medicine Hat is flat and straight. There were relatively few cars on the road and certainly there were no RCMP. I think our average speed was about 140 kilometers an hour. It was on occasion much higher than that. It was a good car, he was a good driver and after awhile I stopped looking over at the speedometer. Like all great drivers, he made few stops. He didn't need to stop for food as he had bottles of coke and $30 worth of Mars bars with him!
Because because of my concern over the flooding along the Trans-Canada, we discussed me going all the way to Lethbridge with him. It would have meant going through Crowsnest Pass to get to the west coast. Neither of us were clear as to what the detours were would be like and how far out of our way they would take us. However it was not nearly as bad as it could have been. Near the Alberta border we were directed into weigh station and given a map, There were two detours; one for trucks which looked to be a long one and a much shorter one for cars. Again Daniel drove faster than I would have along these secondary roads, but we got the the eastern outskirts of Medicine Hat safely.
I decided to stay on the road I knew rather than going through Lethbridge. I had not always had good luck getting a ride at Medicine Hat heading east or west, but there would be far fewer cars taking the most southern route through the Rockies. Daniel drove me to the west side of town and let me out before turning south to Lethbridge. It was 11:30. Not my fastest time through the prairies but considering the waiting times - I was well pleased.
Even better I got to stay at a motel that I had noticed the first time through Medicine Hat. I had always wanted to try it. Unfortunately the sign was the best part of the place (although the price was pretty good too). It wasn't fun at all, but it was clean and it was a place to sleep.
I am not too sure what, if anything, the Asian man and woman who signed me in thought of me. I suspect at 11:30 at night all they cared about is whether or not my credit card worked. And quite frankly after the last 2 days, that was all I cared about too.
I was only at the intersection outside of Brandon for about an hour or so when a 2004 Chev Impala stopped and the driver offered a ride. The back seat was full of garbage bags so I squeezed into the front seat along with my pack. When I asked the driver where he was going he just said "west" . My response was " that's good - so am I". He later told me that he was careful not to give a destination in case he didn't like me. Then he could have turned off the highway at some point and let me out before he continued on his way. At our first stop, with his permission, I rearranged the bags in the back seat to so that my bag could fit in. The bags in the back seat, and some in the trunk were filled with pop cans that he was going to recycle in Alberta to help pay for his gas.
Daniel ( it took me a few hours to get the story all out and piece it together) was a teacher on stress leave from the Lethbridge School system. He had just separated from his wife in Winnipeg and was heading towards Lethbridge to both tie up some lose ends and to attend his high school reunion. Daniel had had a complicated life with three failed marriages, and a number of kids ( I never did figure out how many children and step children he had).
He had been attending AA meeting for a long time. During talking about some of those things he mentioned that he was a better Christian than most because he knew how to forgive those who had really hurt him. It did sound as if he had been exposed to more trauma than anyone person should have to bear, but I could not help noticing that whenever he spoke about his ex-wives or his parents or his brother, or his former bosses - his language became far more extreme (e.g. lots of swearing) and his voice became significantly louder. Quite frankly he didn't feel as if he had forgiven them. He was far too angry at them.
Most of the time he was soft spoken and we had some interesting discussions about teaching, the purpose of education and life in general. He was well read and had a philosophical sort of mind. Daniel however was not overly optimistic about the young people of today. In spite of my best arguments using the exampes from some of my students, I was not able to convince him that there was reason to hope.
Near Regina it started to rain. And I mean rain. It was as if the heavens had opened up and just dumped buckets and buckets on the landscape. On the ring road that skirts the city of Regina there is an underpass. It was flooded up to the undercarriage of the cars trying to go through. Daniel thankfully decided, as the car was borrowed from a friend, to not go through the flood but rather to find another way around it. We spent almost an hour looking for a way. The traffic was backed up everywhere and many of the drivers were becoming less than patient. Daniel was quite remarkable in that he never became frustrated with cars cutting in front or any of the other actions of impatient drivers. He even found time to roll down his window and flirt with an attractive female driver. He was really a very relaxed kind of guy - except when talking about his family and his former employers.
Daniel's primary claim to fame in my book of drivers was how fast he drove. The road between Brandon and Medicine Hat is flat and straight. There were relatively few cars on the road and certainly there were no RCMP. I think our average speed was about 140 kilometers an hour. It was on occasion much higher than that. It was a good car, he was a good driver and after awhile I stopped looking over at the speedometer. Like all great drivers, he made few stops. He didn't need to stop for food as he had bottles of coke and $30 worth of Mars bars with him!
Because because of my concern over the flooding along the Trans-Canada, we discussed me going all the way to Lethbridge with him. It would have meant going through Crowsnest Pass to get to the west coast. Neither of us were clear as to what the detours were would be like and how far out of our way they would take us. However it was not nearly as bad as it could have been. Near the Alberta border we were directed into weigh station and given a map, There were two detours; one for trucks which looked to be a long one and a much shorter one for cars. Again Daniel drove faster than I would have along these secondary roads, but we got the the eastern outskirts of Medicine Hat safely.
I decided to stay on the road I knew rather than going through Lethbridge. I had not always had good luck getting a ride at Medicine Hat heading east or west, but there would be far fewer cars taking the most southern route through the Rockies. Daniel drove me to the west side of town and let me out before turning south to Lethbridge. It was 11:30. Not my fastest time through the prairies but considering the waiting times - I was well pleased.
I am not too sure what, if anything, the Asian man and woman who signed me in thought of me. I suspect at 11:30 at night all they cared about is whether or not my credit card worked. And quite frankly after the last 2 days, that was all I cared about too.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
On the Road Again (finally) part #2
I had been let off at this corner before. The highway north (#16) heads towards Saskatoon and Edmonton. I had had some good luck at this corner as there are stop lights so at least cars have to slow down some of the time. But there seemed to be fewer cars. I kept on looking over at highway 16 wondering if I should head north and miss the mess at Maple Creek. In fact I did walk over to that side of the intersection and show my sign for a few minutes. But there seemed to be even fewer cars going that way so I walked back to the first spot again feeling a bit unprofessional about my indecision. One car did stop but they needed directions. Speaking of the blind leading the blind....
In terms of other trips, this time I did not have to wait long for my next driver whose name was Harvey.What was immediately surprising about him was that he was driving a Volkswagen. I can probably count on one hand (actually probably two fingers) the number of Volkswagens that have stopped for me in the past 8-9 years. Harvey was about my age and heading off to his hotel/restaurant that he owned just north of Brandon. Interesting man, great conversationalist. Asked good leading questions about who I was and what I did. Perhaps even better, he gave nice long answers to my questions. It was an good drive and certainly one of those types of drives that could have lasted much longer.
He, much like me, had planned his life out using a process (as a friend of mine once described) called serendipity planning.That is you go with the flow and take the opportunities that are presented to you. He had always worked in the food industry, had cooked for well drillers and geologists, had owned a number of restaurants and seemed to enjoy the process of creating something. His present restaurant seemed to be well on its way and he was thinking that he would be selling it soon. One of the signs of success was that he had hosted a couple of birthday parties for women in their 90s. He liked the idea of being able to run a place that the locals could go to for a good time on Friday night and still be a place that could have birthday parties on Saturday afternoon.
During our conversation we of course talked about parenting, the drinking and drugs that seemed to be part of the lifestyle of those who drill for oil, and the great advantages of being comfortable with who were are.
We arrived at Brandon about 3:45. It was windy and partially cloudy. Harvey went south into Brandon to buy some supplies - I went and stood on the corner just west of the lights. I did so with some trepidation as last year I had been at this same corner for what felt like a long time. It had worked out well in the long run, but it is not a nice corner. The trucks seem to generate all kinds of dust, the traffic flow is confusing and either it feels as if there are no cars going by at all, or there are so many that none have the opportunity to stop. While there is a Husky and a Tim Hortons to buy water, the intersection is not made for pedestrians and it always feels dangerous to cross.
In terms of other trips, this time I did not have to wait long for my next driver whose name was Harvey.What was immediately surprising about him was that he was driving a Volkswagen. I can probably count on one hand (actually probably two fingers) the number of Volkswagens that have stopped for me in the past 8-9 years. Harvey was about my age and heading off to his hotel/restaurant that he owned just north of Brandon. Interesting man, great conversationalist. Asked good leading questions about who I was and what I did. Perhaps even better, he gave nice long answers to my questions. It was an good drive and certainly one of those types of drives that could have lasted much longer.
He, much like me, had planned his life out using a process (as a friend of mine once described) called serendipity planning.That is you go with the flow and take the opportunities that are presented to you. He had always worked in the food industry, had cooked for well drillers and geologists, had owned a number of restaurants and seemed to enjoy the process of creating something. His present restaurant seemed to be well on its way and he was thinking that he would be selling it soon. One of the signs of success was that he had hosted a couple of birthday parties for women in their 90s. He liked the idea of being able to run a place that the locals could go to for a good time on Friday night and still be a place that could have birthday parties on Saturday afternoon.
During our conversation we of course talked about parenting, the drinking and drugs that seemed to be part of the lifestyle of those who drill for oil, and the great advantages of being comfortable with who were are.
We arrived at Brandon about 3:45. It was windy and partially cloudy. Harvey went south into Brandon to buy some supplies - I went and stood on the corner just west of the lights. I did so with some trepidation as last year I had been at this same corner for what felt like a long time. It had worked out well in the long run, but it is not a nice corner. The trucks seem to generate all kinds of dust, the traffic flow is confusing and either it feels as if there are no cars going by at all, or there are so many that none have the opportunity to stop. While there is a Husky and a Tim Hortons to buy water, the intersection is not made for pedestrians and it always feels dangerous to cross.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
On the road again (finally) part 1
After debarking from the train and repacking my pack, and changing into my hiking shoes etc, it took me a few minutes to get orientated to Winnipeg. The train station ( which by the way has the smallest bathrooms imaginable) is located close to where I catch my bus to the west end of town. I had to ask for directions just to be sure but I think I would have eventually found it without help.
As soon as I got to the bus stop, #22 pulled up and I was off and away. There is a certain degree of satisfaction in having at least partially mastered a city's transportation system. I have taken the #22 bus 8-9 times now and its route feels like home turf to me. I was out on the Trans-Canada by 9:30 ish. And I waited with my sign saying Calgary and my best smile painted on my face. Then I walked a bit further up to the last set of lights. And I waited some more. About 1:00 the Via train heading towards Edmonton went by in the distance, I noticed that they had added an extra dining car.
Not for the first time I wondered if I should have taken the train all of the way. I was concerned about the flooding near the Alberta border and whether or not it would cause serious problems. The fields outside of Winnipeg were noticeably wet - as were many of the fields right across the prairies.
Just after 1:00 my first ride appeared. It was a convertible!!! The first I have been in as a hitchhiker. It was pretty neat. Claude was a real estate sales person, but had taken the day off to act as a chauffeur for his nieces graduation. While I didn't see them, he assured me that he had a top hat and roses in the trunk. We talked about kids and parenting and what the Winnipeg real estate market was like. ( it is pretty hot- Claude said that there were few apartments available and that folks were bidding up some properties. He also said that there were more jobs in Winnipeg than people. It was far too shout of a ride and an hour later I was standing on the side of the road with my thumb out again.
As soon as I got to the bus stop, #22 pulled up and I was off and away. There is a certain degree of satisfaction in having at least partially mastered a city's transportation system. I have taken the #22 bus 8-9 times now and its route feels like home turf to me. I was out on the Trans-Canada by 9:30 ish. And I waited with my sign saying Calgary and my best smile painted on my face. Then I walked a bit further up to the last set of lights. And I waited some more. About 1:00 the Via train heading towards Edmonton went by in the distance, I noticed that they had added an extra dining car.
Not for the first time I wondered if I should have taken the train all of the way. I was concerned about the flooding near the Alberta border and whether or not it would cause serious problems. The fields outside of Winnipeg were noticeably wet - as were many of the fields right across the prairies.
Just after 1:00 my first ride appeared. It was a convertible!!! The first I have been in as a hitchhiker. It was pretty neat. Claude was a real estate sales person, but had taken the day off to act as a chauffeur for his nieces graduation. While I didn't see them, he assured me that he had a top hat and roses in the trunk. We talked about kids and parenting and what the Winnipeg real estate market was like. ( it is pretty hot- Claude said that there were few apartments available and that folks were bidding up some properties. He also said that there were more jobs in Winnipeg than people. It was far too shout of a ride and an hour later I was standing on the side of the road with my thumb out again.
Monday, June 28, 2010
On the Road ( the Train part 2)
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.
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
Sunday, June 27, 2010
On The Road
Once the freight train was underway it turned out that the Via staff also needed to be switched! One would think that they could have done the switching at the same time. The absurdity of it all was that the new train crews were only 10 minutes away.
An uneventful train trip. I was in a busy car with lots of people only on for short periods of time. When I went to sleep there were lots of empty seats but by the morning most were filled. Every time we stopped, people got on or off. Which made sleeping a bit more difficult. However I always had both seats to myself so I have no complaints.The cars generally were rather empty and therefore there was only one dining car. I would have thought that it was close to the prime season for travelling, but I guess not. Or else it is becoming just a too expensive way of traveling.
High points: there was a young mom with a 15 month old boy just across from me - he was pretty good most of the time - but not surprisingly he was occasionally cranky. Conductor came by a couple of times and played his harmonica for the kid ( and everyone else) He was pretty good and made the young boy happy. Nice touch!!!
The menu said that there was vegetarian chili for supper. I went when they called second serving - but when I got there there was no room - The waiter was a bit haughty when he told me. Given the way I look - I wondered if he didn't want me in his dining room. I was just being silly I am sure. Still the chili would have been nice.
We got to Winnipeg 30 minutes early - which begs the question. If we could leave 3 hours late and still get there early -why did I have to be at the train station before day light?
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