The Choo Choo Train!

Well Tuesday morning early, off we left on the train to Kamloops with 685 other passengers! 28 coaches, the longest train the Rocky Mountaineer have ever operated! The logistics of the operation were truly remarkable and more importantly , seamless. Checked in day before at respective hotels, luggage tagged and collected, bussed to a dedicated Rocky Mountaineer station where the party had begun! Grand piano in the middle of the complex with 40’s and 50’s music being belted out by great pianist, people milling around, greeting friends, having juice or coffee ( all provided) and buying lots of merchandise! Just what one does at 7.00 in the morning! The All Aboard hooter was sounded and off we all trooped to the carriages, marked on our boarding cards, without a hitch. I had been allocated a window seat and it was with some trepidation I awaited the arrival of whoever was to be my companion for following two days. This lovely lady Susan, from Edinburgh arrived and we hit it off immediately. Like myself, she was travelling solo, was a well seasoned traveller, having visited all US states except Alaska and Hawaii, plus many more locations worldwide and as the journey progressed, we fell into a way of chatting or not and helping one another with picture opportunities. She helped make the journey memorable.

Our hosts on the train were terrific. They pointed out places of interest on the route, alerted us to the photo opportunities in plenty of time, gave us little historical stories of people and places along the route, served us endless refreshments and generally added to our comfort. We had to leave our comfy reclining smooth leather seats, under the tinted glass roof, to go below for breakfast and lunch. Here, we met more fellow passengers and we all exchanged stories of why we were travelling. This was all done while gourmet food was served, perfectly presented, accompanied by a wide range of wines. It was all very impressive. But most impressive was the scenery. It sounds repetitive and sometimes a bit trite to keep saying how incredible and awesome it was, but truly it was breath taking on every corner. A great friend of mine, while on safari with me in the Masai Mara years ago, suggested to me to use my natural camera, my eye, and put the camera away and those words came back to me on the journey. You can spend so much time getting the angle, the meter, the timing and so much else correct on a camera, that you lose the shot! After a while, I just put the camera away and savoured the magnificent landscape.

The train tracks run alongside the Fraser and Thompson rivers, history of which we got from our hosts. The Fraser is the longest river in British Columbia and renowned for its salmon, with an estimated ten million salmon returning each year to spawn! Both rivers of course are closely associated with the Pioneers of the Fur and Gold Trade and many great stories were recounted to us on our journey. One story which took my fancy was that of the popularity of beaver fur many years ago. The beaver skins came from this part of Canada and were much in demand. Apparently it was most fashionable, particularly in Europe, to wear a beaver tophat and the skins were treated in mercury oxide and then fashioned into the latest tophat style. However it was not known then how toxic mercury was and those hatters who were making the hats became effected by the mercury, developing dementia and going a bit mad, leading to the expression “As mad as a Hatter”! Now, there’s a piece of useless information for you!

Every corner we turned, the waterfalls, the rapids, the bridges, the towering mountains or the little towns with their General Stores, all appeared picture perfect. It was also fascinating to see the lumber mills and all the logging, now alas becoming a lost industry, as it is controlled by large conglomerates and small towns that sprung up to support the local sawmill will now die off. The price of progress. It was also interesting to hear that no trees can be felled in National Parks, that if the lumber is transported by river it is tax exempt and that for every tree felled, three saplings are planted. I am impressed that I absorbed so much information. !! Hells Gate, Avalanche Alley, Rainbow Canyon are all intriguing names of places and areas we passed through. Ospreys and bald headed eagles were spotted, but no bears yet! I must have patience!

Well fed and watered, we arrived in Kamloops, a town sustained by Tourism, at about 6 pm. After the early morning start, the abundance of hospitality, particularly the BC Sauvignon Blanc, I regret to stay I didn’t venture further than my hotel and watched the news in UK unfold in BBC World! Another world away!

Next day the logistical miracle worked again. Many coaches arriving at the station but today the train was breaking up and going in different directions! However, it all worked like clockwork with coach numbers being called out to move forward so we the passengers were dropped right at the correct door of the train! Impressive! Next week, they have 1,000 passengers travelling!

We started our journey to Jasper which was a particularly long one, fortified as soon as we boarded, with our gourmet breakfast. Much of the area through which we travelled had been inhabited by those who are now called First Nations people. These people were the original occupants of much of this land and the stories are many of settlements and deals not honoured. This journey continued to bring us nearer to the actual Rockies and we past such wonderful sights like Pyramid Falls, that can only be seen from the train. Another phenomenon to many of us was the number and length of the freight train traffic that past us. We would have to stop to allow these huge long locomotives pass us by. A massive amount of freight still travels daily across Canada by rail. One train freight depot was pointed out to us where we were told 3,800 carriages daily, are handled! The highlight of this days’ journey was the sight of Mount Robson, towering above and welcoming us to the Rockies! At 12, 972 feet high it is the highest peak in the range and rumour has it that the summit is clear on only 12 days annually. We were lucky, against an azure blue sky, it was crystal clear and incredible! How one can wonder at Nature? Seeing Moose Lake, reputedly home to one hundred thousand Moose and Yellowhead Lake brought a fabulous trip to an end when we arrived in Jasper National Park. Here we had to say goodbye to some of our fellow train passengers as people were going in different directions. A large group of us were continuing with the Rocky Mountaineer, but now travelling by coach.

I stayed at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. Located within the National Park, it is situated between two magnificent lakes both lined with Canadian Pine trees. A beautiful location with every outdoor pursuit available from a great 18 hole golf course, to boats on the lake to fishing, walking and swimming. Accomodation was in log cabins scattered throughout the site. While the location was beautiful, the service in the hotel was forgettable and is obviously a one or two night stopover for groups like ourselves. Having said that, sitting at dusk overlooking the lake with Mount Robson as a backdrop, sipping my wine, I would not have swapped places with anyone. These are the times of reflection , when the poignancy of my trip hits me. John would have so enjoyed every aspect of this trip and how much I would like to share it with him. Many of those I met on the tour very kindly invited me to join them for dinner or drinks, in particular a lively couple from Lancashire, en route to Toronto to see their grand daughter for the first time! However, I am comfortable with my own company and this trip was about reflection.