Via train trip

Dec 5

I have to describe where I am as I write this...even though it won't be posted right away..and this will explain why. I am in the top bunk of a 2 person cabin on the Via #1 train somewhere between Hornepayne and Winnipeg. It is dark and cloudy outside, probably somewhere in the -teens and Jurg is lightly snoring below me in the bottom bunk. This cabin has a 2x2ft separate toilet room, a sink that is the only surface to put stuff on, one window and an aisle that is probably about 18 in wide...we both can't get by each other. Right now the train is stopped on a siding and it is 8:30 at night. There has been no cell phone service all day, no internet until Winnepeg and also no CBC radio on my mp3 player. But we are having the time of our lives doing this journey from Toronto to Jasper,

We are early to bed because 1. the time is really 9:30 according to our time in the East 2. Jurg was so excited to be doing this train journey that he hardly slept at all and 3. we both were awake last night watching the most beautiful starry sky out our window and waiting to go over that wonderful trestle bridge in Parry Sound at 3 am. It was marvellous looking down at the water and the houses of the Sound below us.

So what is it like on this train in December? The staff tell us it is real low season. We are only 27 solitary souls in this first class area of the train with showers and sleepers and about 16 people in the economy section. The staff is wonderfully friendly and open and lots of fun. We spend most of the day in the panorama car watching the black and white landscape of snow and trees and ice whiz by punctuated by eating...canapes and champagne last night at 10 when we started, 3 good meals a day with dessert twice, and a small selection of wine and beer for purchase. It is so relaxing and yet invigorating to see the landscape race by the windows as we watch hoping to catch a glimpse of a moose or wolf..so far no luck. Small isolated summer cottages appear momentarily on the side of lakes..many only accessible by train and then small settlements held together by logging or train activity pop up every 100 km or so. People can get on at innumerable stops with odd names such as Camp McKay or Ebs..put there aren't ,many this time of year. Somehow the whole thing is fascinating and is augmented by the interesting people we have met.

Some people always travel by train and do this quite often. A few like us are taking advantage of the great deal in low season. Others are tourists who wanted to see Canada...a young woman from Germany who is an engineer and has traipsed back and forth across the country several times during the year she has travelled here, a doctor from San Antonio Texis who is heading to Jasper and hope to learn some skiing but just wanted to experience this ride. There is a young doctor from Montreal who is heading to Red Lake ( she will get off at 2 am tomorrow) to do a 3 week locum and a woman and her daughter heading to Winnipeg to bury her mother and wrap up the legal issues. It almost feels like one could do an Agatha Christie novel and create the most bizarre characters in murder mystery! One poor soul in economy got taken away in an ambulance at Hornepayne...apparently this person didn't feel well so it was best to get off there as they didn't want to take any chances with the distances we travel between places.

The train was built in the 1950's and thankfully has had several refurbishments. It travels along at 65 mph through northern Ontario but will hit 85 mph through the prairies. We have to move onto sidings often to let freight trains by...they are gigantic...one had 170 double stacked container cars...probably from China via Prince Rupert. We lost about 2 hrs stuck behind a broken down one in Capreol...but most of the time we made up.

Tomorrow am we arrive in Winnipeg and Jurg and I will do a city tour during our 4 hr layover.

December 7

Almost into Edmonton...it is dark and 7:20 in the morning. A small group of us are gathered in the last car on the train, the Park car and we are trading stories of music and Canadian artists. Right now the topic is Stomping Tom! There is a young woman from Germany, millwright from Western Canada, a retired guy from Kingsville On and Jurg and I. We have had such fun with the people on this trip. Lots of conversation over quite good meals, lots of laughs in the dome car as we sat in the dark hoping to see the stars, and trading lots of stories from our lives. Luckily politics and religion have been mostly avoided.

Our tour of Winnipeg was terrific...we really enjoyed the history and architecture perspective. But it did mean we had no time to do any computer posting.

The prairies were beautiful. The blue sky and sun was most welcome after the cloudy skies across Ontario. The open landscape seemed to lift our spirits and the sunlight glinting off the grasses and the frosted trees made for a magical feeling. The sun set early though...about 5 pm. The train picked up speed at night as we made our way through the dark...apparently hitting about 130 kph at one point according to someones gps. But we also spent a lot of time stopped waiting for these long freight trains to speed past...talk about being sidetracked!

This has been a marvellous journey...a few more hours and we are into the mountains and then Jasper where we get off. We both agree that we need to do this again also at low season...to have this small group of people and all this space to enjoy the train has been so terrific. Maybe next time we start in Vancouver and come east....