Thu 13/8 Rocky Mountaineer
August 13th, 2009
We checked into the Rocky Mountaineer train at 5:30am(!), ready for our two-day journey to Vancouver.
The train is incredible: the carriage has a domed roof so that you can see all around and when something interesting comes into view, the train slows down.
The train is very long:
The scenery is spectacular: mountains, glaciers, rivers, lakes, forests, waterfalls, meadows, farms, timber yards, quarries, oil fields, rail yards, huge cargo trains (100 + trucks) and much evidence of the history of the railroad.
With all the scenery to see it’s tempting to view the railway as a sort of Disneyland – but it’s not – it’s a working rail road with working trains passing by. I liked this Canadian Pacific truck covered in graffiti (as many of them are):
The train is incredibly luxurious: big, easy seats; unlimited food and drink; two bright, attentive guides to tell us what we were seeing and answer any questions. This view of the train shows the front of the cabin with the train visible through the front window and the fruit and other goodies available to us reflected in the domed roof.
The first day of our journey took us from Calgary to Banff, where we picked up more passengers, and then on to Kamloops where we got off the train and stayed the night in a hotel. An amazing 12 hour day that we will never forget.
Hey! Been there, did something similar to your trip a year ago. Main difference – did it by car. Vancouver Island for a few days ,then loooong fery trip up the B.C. coast. Down thru’ B.C. back to Vancouver. Breathtaking, isn’t it?
Saw the Rocky Mountaineer at Jasper. Looked like a great way to see the landscape.
Best to Edward
Robin
Hi Robin, great to hear from you. The scenery we passed through on the train was absolutely awesome and it was a lot easier looking out of a train window than driving a car! We’ll definitely be going back to spend more time in this wonderful country.
Cheers,
Gillian