Jasper

We were reasonably on time until we got near Saskatoon sometime around 11:00PM. We had to wait for three freight trains to go buy which took some time. Because it was so late (and dark), it took longer than normal to load the new passengers. Once that was done - the train moved twenty feet and stopped. The engine had apparently lost power and it took an hour or so to fix what ever the problem was, then we had to wait for another freight train to pass us by. By the next morning we were running four hours late.

It was a noisy night - whining kids, couples who were courting and people who were, like me, struggling to figure out how to sleep sitting up without infringing upon the space of the person beside them. It was no place to get a good night's sleep.

People who were leaving the train in Edmonton were up early getting ready. They clearly were not aware that the train was running late. Some of the kids had their coats on three hours early.  By the time they were getting ready to leave I was awake but I am not too sure if all of the other passengers were as pleased with the early morning chaos.

It is a bright clear morning , the frost on the trees suggested that it was cold outside. The train station in Edmonton is particularly uninspiring. I did not go outside for "fresh air".

While a number of people left the train at Edmonton, an equal number got on and the train remained crowded. The conductors did an admirable job of moving people around so that couples and families could be seated together.

Hours later the disembarkation and reloading scene happened again at Jasper. While it is normally an almost two hour layover at Jasper, we were only allowed 45 minutes. Which was fine for me. 45 minutes was enough time for me to run to the sub shop and pick up a veggie sub for supper.

During the day I seldom saw my seatmate. He was quite charmed by the Canadian countryside . He spent most of his time in the dome car taking pictures. I asked him at some point how many he had taken - he said well over a hundred. He was fortunate that coming into Jasper, it was bright and sunny. It was late in the afternoon and the sun touched the upper slopes of the mountains - making the whole range look quite magical. I was glad that he managed to get such great shots.

Once it was too dark to see and take pictures he would come back to his seat and we chatted until bedtime. If I had to have a seatmate - having one who spent much of his time in the dome car and who was a good conversationalist was the way to go.