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James.Stoness
Rocky Mountaineer
James ready to highball
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James.Stoness
Rocky Mountaineer
Crawling along the hills
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James Stoness
Rocky Mountaineer
Raging streams
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Picasa
Rocky Mountaineer
The tracks lead on forever
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James.Stoness
Rocky Mountaineer
Departing Vancouver
Story & photos by James Stoness
In 1881, Sir John A Macdonald was anticipating a quick completion of the trans-Canada railway. Once accomplished, passengers had a quick and comfortable way of crossing the country and passing through the western mountains. The Canadian Rockies are world renowned for their great scenery, but the passenger trains often passed through them in the dark!
In 1990, a positive change rolled across the landscape when a western group invested in the line and created the Rocky Mountaineer passenger service. Guests now have the opportunity to cross the Rockies during daylight hours, savouring some of the most scenic landscape in the world. The trains of the several scenic routes of the Rocky Mountaineer travel only in the daylight, and passengers spend the night in a comfortable hotel, and pick up the trip through the mountains the next day.
One beautiful autumn day, my wife and I stood at the station in Vancouver and watched the Rocky Mountaineer as it backed into place. The massive dome car’s blue and gold colour was a perfect match for the day. We were going to enjoy the “Rainforest to Gold Rush” trip partaking in the GoldLeaf Service, which we found out would be a luxury trip spoiling us for anything less in the future. We would be in the glass domed car, with our own exclusive restaurant in the same car, but on the lower level where comfy seats faced tables spread with table linens, real plates, and silver cream pitchers. Here we enjoyed fabulous hot gourmet meals while watching the scenery through huge picture windows. Now that’s comfort!
That was just part of it. Our day in the dome seats was filled with complimentary snacks and beverages served by very friendly staff. I remember one afternoon when the odour of freshly baked cookies filled the air. And they tasted great!
We were headed towards Whistler and sometimes the weather can be just plain wet, but today we were graced with clear skies and bright sun, which was good. Out on the Pacific Ocean many ships were anchored, riding high in the water waiting for their turn to enter port and be loaded.
For much of the trip, the tracks follow steep cliffs to the east, and the salt water to the west. Several neat homes also back onto the tracks wherever there is room, and sometimes we looked down upon their moss-covered roofs and occasionally there were people waving at the train from their yards or windows. One of the attendants hurried over to wave at a woman who had been greeting the train from her home for years.
We soon exchanged saltwater for a river and steep mountains on both sides as we neared the skiing capital of the west, Whistler. The high mountains combine with great quantities of moisture drifting in off the Pacific Ocean and that’s the key to lots of great snow. Here, in this quaint village we spent part of the afternoon and the night.
The next morning we re-boarded and headed towards Quesnel, immediately regaled with orange juice, fruit, croissant and a wildly delicious omelet. This day we travelled through mountains, and dryer hill country to reach the night’s stop at Quesnel. Along the way we passed Lillooet, with its piles of logs and lumber reaped from the mountain forests. Wherever the river was close we could often see the red-orange migrating salmon. Flatter areas arrived with homes and ranches, and at Williams Lake, more mills. We arrived at Quesnel late in the day and headed to the Best Western Hotel. There we had a comfortable bed, accompanied by a very rattily, noisy air conditioner.
We started our journey the next day with a refreshing breakfast with Norm and Sheila from Ontario, and then went up to the dome and watched the hills and ranches go past. Later we followed twisting valleys as the railway turned east across the Coast Mountains. This provides a wide variety of scenery with a mixture of canyon, forests and mountain peaks. Freight trains have priority and we stopped twice for long freights with about 170 cars.
Now and again, the Fraser River appears at our side. It’s been a constant companion for over a day. Some of the most scenic places turned out to be small ponds reflecting the mountains. A few of these had small cabins on their shores. The top view of the day arrived when we came in sight Mt. Robson’s 4000 m (12972 ft) peak. This also was our warning that the end of the trip was arriving. Jasper was just ahead.
It’s great that Canada has a railroad that dedicates its services to passengers who wish to see the mountains in all their daylight glory. The Rocky Mountaineer has a wide selection of routes, including some circle tours, and also a partnership link with a Vancouver to Alaska cruise. I think I’d like an autumn trip to see the aspen in their brilliant golden coats. Will I see you there? Hope so!
For more information on the Rocky Mountaineer: www.rockymountaineer.com