I slept better on the train the last night than I had the two previous nights. My seat mate said the same thing. We wondered if it was because we were so tired from not sleeping well the previous nights that we were able to ignore the discomfort and unusualness of sleeping sitting up. For me I think it was at least in part because we went to sleep a bit later - resisting the urge to sleep in exchange for more conversation and because when I woke up at 2:00AM I didn't try to go back to sleep - something that never works -but instead spent thirty minutes watching the ephemeral landscape drift by. I should know by now that if I am not tired - no matter how long I lay there with my eyes shut - I am not going to fall asleep.
There was more snow on the ground in Kamloops than we had seen anywhere else but it still was not nearly as much as I would have anticipated. It may have been my imagination but I think I did notice that with snow on the tracks the ride was quieter and it felt smoother. The smoothness of the ride somehow reminded me of riding a horse through the deep snow. By the time we left Kamloops we were only two hours and a bit late.
As the sun rose the next morning, I woke up my seat mate as we were passing through the last of the mountain ranges. Again the sun was shinning and the mountains looked really impressive. My seatmate went to the dome car for the last time. During the hour or so that he was gone, I packed up all of my stuff. It was so much easier doing so when I didn't have to clamber over his legs. As I was moving back and forth between where I had stored my pack and my seat, I looked out the window. Somewhere west of Chilliwack we had left the snow behind and entered an area where everything was green, The grass looked luxurious, there were rows and rows of grape vines and it looked as if spring could be just be round the corner.
We got to the Vancouver train station just after 11:00, I said good bye to my seat mate, waited for thirty minutes to get my bag and was off to the Skytrain. The Skytrain was as good as always, I didn't get lost downtown, I didn't have to wait too long for the express bus and before long I was in the waiting room of the ferry terminal. The ferry ride was extraordinary in that it was very sunny and the mountains to the west were post card perfect with their gentle covering of snow. The only glitch in the crossing was when it appears as if the ferry was heading towards Crofton and had to slow down and turn north.
My son picked me up at the terminal and in less than an hour I was in Duncan.
It had been an interesting trip. I had talked to a few people, had some great conversations with my Chinese seat mate, managed to get some sleep, read a lot, listened to a lot of music, managed to stretch out my food with spending too much money, didn't get lost..... and now I was home...... ready to start a new phrase in my life.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
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.
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.
Monday, December 28, 2015
On the Train Winter 2015
Leaving Sudbury this morning was much harder than I thought it would be. My daughter has driven me to the train station, to catch the train out west, a number of times. But on those other times - I was just going for a week or two, or at the most for eight weeks. This time it is for four and half months. This time, when I return to Ontario, it will be just for a visit. I must confess I was more than a bit choked up.
The train was of course a bit late. By the time the train pulled out of the Sudbury Junction station it was 6:30. I suppose for Via Rail being just over an hour late after travelling from Toronto to Sudbury - a six hour drive by car - is not that bad. It could I suppose been much worse.
The train is surprisingly full. My memory of last Christmas when I travelled out west for a visit is that the cars felt half empty. I can remember at least one person who sat by himself in seats designed for four people. Today I think that there are relatively few empty seats. While I am sitting alone right now, I would think that I will not be alone for the whole trip. While the company might be nice - it also means that I can't spread out as much as I would like.
The car, in spite of the fact that is more crowded than normal, is quieter than usual. There is a young family at the front of the car, but at least up to now the children are quiet. Other people seem to be sleeping. Across from me are two young guys who woke up an hour or so ago, went for a walk -perhaps to get a coffee - came back and seemed to have fallen asleep again. The seats in front of me and on the other side are each configured for a family group. It would appear that mom and her teenage daughter have one such four seat arrangement, and dad and son have the other. Again they have been very quiet either reading or sleeping.The only thing I know about the person behind me is that they have a bad cold and frequently cough. There are other people who are coughing in this car and I suspect that anyone who has not yet been exposed to this year's cold virus - will have ample opportunity to inhale more than the required volume of diseased droplets to develop a cold.
4:45PM.
The train remains quiet. Much to my surprise it is on time. I don't think we have had to pull over onto a siding to let a fright train go by more than twice. On both occasions we waited no more than ten minutes. I mentioned my surprise on being on time to one of the VIA employees and they told me that the train had been on time on his last run too. Will wonders never cease!
I got out at Hornepayne. The sun was shining, which was a nice change from the grayness of the past few days, but it was rather cold - colder than I had experienced this year. Within the last twelve hours it had snowed just enough to cover the barren and frozen earth and to lay a thick dusting on the bows of the tamarack and spruce trees. It made for a very pretty scene. I thought about walking up to the store but it was very slippery walking along the train tracks. There was nothing I really needed to buy that was worth falling for.
After the train started up again there was a bit of a magic show. The magician, who was getting free passage to do a couple of shows a day for both the economy class and the rich class was alright. Not wonderful (except for his steel ring tricks which were quite impressive), but it must be very hard to do tricks on a moving train with people within a foot of you. He was entertaining and if some of his tricks were a bit obvious - I think everyone who was there enjoyed it.
I am looking forward in some perverted fashion to sleeping tonight. I hope my body remembers how to sleep while folded up on a too small seat.
The train was of course a bit late. By the time the train pulled out of the Sudbury Junction station it was 6:30. I suppose for Via Rail being just over an hour late after travelling from Toronto to Sudbury - a six hour drive by car - is not that bad. It could I suppose been much worse.
The train is surprisingly full. My memory of last Christmas when I travelled out west for a visit is that the cars felt half empty. I can remember at least one person who sat by himself in seats designed for four people. Today I think that there are relatively few empty seats. While I am sitting alone right now, I would think that I will not be alone for the whole trip. While the company might be nice - it also means that I can't spread out as much as I would like.
The car, in spite of the fact that is more crowded than normal, is quieter than usual. There is a young family at the front of the car, but at least up to now the children are quiet. Other people seem to be sleeping. Across from me are two young guys who woke up an hour or so ago, went for a walk -perhaps to get a coffee - came back and seemed to have fallen asleep again. The seats in front of me and on the other side are each configured for a family group. It would appear that mom and her teenage daughter have one such four seat arrangement, and dad and son have the other. Again they have been very quiet either reading or sleeping.The only thing I know about the person behind me is that they have a bad cold and frequently cough. There are other people who are coughing in this car and I suspect that anyone who has not yet been exposed to this year's cold virus - will have ample opportunity to inhale more than the required volume of diseased droplets to develop a cold.
4:45PM.
The train remains quiet. Much to my surprise it is on time. I don't think we have had to pull over onto a siding to let a fright train go by more than twice. On both occasions we waited no more than ten minutes. I mentioned my surprise on being on time to one of the VIA employees and they told me that the train had been on time on his last run too. Will wonders never cease!
I got out at Hornepayne. The sun was shining, which was a nice change from the grayness of the past few days, but it was rather cold - colder than I had experienced this year. Within the last twelve hours it had snowed just enough to cover the barren and frozen earth and to lay a thick dusting on the bows of the tamarack and spruce trees. It made for a very pretty scene. I thought about walking up to the store but it was very slippery walking along the train tracks. There was nothing I really needed to buy that was worth falling for.
After the train started up again there was a bit of a magic show. The magician, who was getting free passage to do a couple of shows a day for both the economy class and the rich class was alright. Not wonderful (except for his steel ring tricks which were quite impressive), but it must be very hard to do tricks on a moving train with people within a foot of you. He was entertaining and if some of his tricks were a bit obvious - I think everyone who was there enjoyed it.
I am looking forward in some perverted fashion to sleeping tonight. I hope my body remembers how to sleep while folded up on a too small seat.
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