On the Road 2011

I have never travelled first class in an airplane, nor have I ever travelled on a luxury cruise ship - but to my mind travel by train is is the best way to travel. It is an absolute luxury to have nothing one can do or needs to do. I suppose on short trips such as the trip between Montreal and Toronto or between Calgary and Edmonton there are lots of business folks who madly type on their laptops or Blackberrys. However without WiFi on the train there is little that one can do while travelling the northern reaches on Ontario.

It was in fact initially  bit frustrating not have access to the internet. Being able to do a blog on the train (and elsewhere) was one of reasons  I bought this tablet. I  was not the only one who was a bit irritated by the lack of internet access. My breakfast companion had an I-Pad. Every once in a while he or I would check with the other about access. But with one exception we never managed to get connected.

However there was another reason why I bought the tablet.I wanted to have the ability to carry countless books with me. So with no internet to play with I turned on my MP3 player and happily settled in to read some old classics such as She by Haggard and The Count of Monte Christo.  Ocassonally I would look out the window at the lakes, but the vista was frequently limited by the trees that grow close to the rails. The scenery in Northern Ontario is truly remarkable when one can see it. If I had a billion dollars I would offer Via Rail the services of a crew that would clear back some of the brush so that other travellers could truly see the majesty that is our country.

Every once in a while the train would pull off onto a siding to let a freight train go by and even less often the train would stop at a small town to let someone off or on.    

The train only stops once a day for a long enough period for the passengers to get off and walk around. On the way west the Ontario stop is Hornpayne. Hornpayne is  a trainstop because because the train crews switch there and the train takes on food, water, and fresh linen. It takes about 45 minutes. Just as we entering this small town I noticed that there was  protected internet site at the library. I was not the only one to notice. Numerous people all ran to the library and got the password so that they could send a note to their friends. I was delayed by meeting friends who were travelling on the same train and consequently almost ran out of time.

I had met this couple and their two children when I was selling my farm. They were very much interested in the property but it was just too far away from their work in Peterborough. I only see them a few times a year, usually at the Peterborough Folk Festival where they  have a both selling their eco-clothing for children. They a great couple, down to earth and simple folks who know what they want in terms of life style and work hard to get it. They were off to Edmonton and points further north to spend their holidays at a working heavy horse farm. It sounded like a great vacation.

 Some people bought some food at the store and the rest just hung around. There is truly not much to see in Hornepayne.We gradually drifted back on the train, settled in our seats, going back to what ever we were doing before we stopped.