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.

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

On The Road

Wednesday morning bright and early (4:45) I was at the Sudbury Junction train station ready to head west. The train was 3 hours late!! It was stuck behind a freight train that was having some problems. Then because the freight train engineers had worked the number of hours they were allowed to work, a new crew had to be sent down, which took more time.

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?

On the road again #

In Sudbury, pouring rain and it seems as if it is pouring rain everywhere in Canada. I leave tomorrow morning and I am still undecided as to whether or not to head for Cagary and deal with the flood when I get there or if I should head towards Edmonton which I have never done before and avoid the whole mess.

It could be interesting - bbut right now I just want to get on with it. I don't wait well .....

On the road again - maybe...

Saturday night - my bags are packed - I've mailed off my box of stuff that I don't need on the road but I will when I get there. I've got my train ticket to Winnipeg on Wednesday. My pack is ready to go the fridge is cleaned out - I am ready to go. I'll leave tomorrow for Sudbury.

BUT the road between Regina and Calgary is washed out. It is a 300 Km detour. It may be a bit of an adventure. It is tempting to wait a week before I leave but they say it may take a month to finish the repairs. I usually avoid going to far off of the Trans-Canada but this time I will have no choice.

See you on the road!

On the road again (almost) part 2

I have bought my train ticket to Winnipeg and my bags are packed as much as they can be given that I will need to do laundry before I go. While I wish that I was already on the road....the weather so far this year has not been great. Heard on the news last night that there were snow showers in the Rockies!!! That doesn't sound like a lot of fun. enough already - let summer happen!!!

Getting excited - actually long past excited.

On the road again- almost

June 8th and the count down is on!!! Getting excited about the trip.

Of course I have been occasionally dreaming about it since last September and fairly consistently since February/March. I imagine the rides I am going to get, plan the route (not that I have any control of that), the things that I will see and people that I will meet. It is the last thing I think about at night and the first thing that I think about in the morning. My half filled knapsack is beside my bed. I could leave in an hour or two if I didn’t have so many commitments here.
I worry/wonder if I will get stuck in some places. (Brandon is one of those places where I have a hard time getting out of – although last year it eventually worked out really well). But I also hope that I will get the chance to stay in some places (like the newest hostel in Canmore or perhaps that nursing home/hotel in Salmon Arms)that are well worth visiting again and again. There is a great little restaurant in Canmore that serves just about the best veggie burger in Canada.

Two nights ago I had a dream that I got a lift in a small plane and was able to bounce from airport to airport right across the Prairies and the Rockies!

My first step is to go through my camping trunk and decide what to take. I have a lot of camping gear, some of which I will never use again. There is a rather heavy folding shovel that I used to dig fire pits when I canoe camped. Silly little thing and far too heavy to carry across Canada, although it once was useful when camping near Dorset and I got caught in a horrendous storm when a trench around my tent was needed to ensure that I was not washed away. There are tarps and ropes and bits and pieces of cooking gear which just are no longer needed. I have three tents. One – a three person tent that stays here and I use for sleeping over at folk festivals; another tent (2 person) that stays at Devin’s and I use it for camping out west and my newest one which is really just a fancy bivy sack that only has room for me (and barely that) that I carry with me on the road.

Ah so many choices….. what to take?