Complete Trans-Canada Experience 2019

Travelogue: Complete Trans-Canada Experience, April-May 2019

By Roger W. Reini

By day:
April: 27 | 28 | 29 | 30
May: 1 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 10 | 11 | 14

This is the story of my trip by rail across the northern US and across Canada in April and May 2019.

Prologue

For several years, I had been interested in taking a trip across Canada on VIA Rail’s Canadian train. I had heard that the trains were nicer and the service better than on Amtrak. The prices were higher, too, as I found when researching fares. Then I came across America By Rail, which offered a guided tour that included passage on the Canadian. That intrigued me, and I kept it in mind for the future.

The future arrived in 2018, when I received and accepted an offer to retire from Ford Motor Company at the end of the year. I now had more time to consider longer travel plans. Now I certainly could have made time for a 2-week trip if I had not retired; I had qualified for 5 weeks of vacation. As it was, I decided to make this my first big post-retirement trip, Now last August, when I was on a phased retirement program of working half-time, I had taken a cruise from New England to the Maritime Provinces and to Montreal, but that trip had been planned before I knew I would be retiring, so it doesn’t count. Anyway, I booked the tour in August and made final payment in February.

A few weeks before the trip began, I was looking at the latest tour brochure, which gave details about the trip. What I read gave me a start: the tour included coach seats across the US and a berth on the Canadian. I recalled seeing that roomettes were standard on Amtrak and a cabin was standard on the Canadian. I was not happy with the prospect of three days cross-country in a coach seat. I checked an older copy of the brochure, and then I checked two copies of my invoice from booking the tour as well as one reflecting an itinerary revision; I was indeed booked for the roomette and the cabin. It appears that after I had made my booking, America By Rail had changed the tour somewhat; the sleeper car accommodations that had been standard were now optional, and the prices had changed to reflect this. What a relief!

As the day of departure neared, I started to pack. By the Friday before, most of my packing had been done. Only a few items remained that had to wait until Saturday morning. I thought about whether to take one or two jackets on the trip; I went with one.I spent part of the afternoon practicing on the harpejji, which I had obtained nearly two months earlier. For dinner, I had Mexican food at Los Amigos, my favorite Detroit-area Mexican restaurant. I watched a Star Trek repeat, “That Which Survives”, in the evening and listened to WTWW for a short time before calling it a night. I had to get up very early tomorrow.

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Saturday April 27

I had set an alarm for 4:45 in the morning so that I would make it to the train station on time. It turned out I didn’t need it.i had a difficult time getting back to sleep after awakening for a visit to the restroom. So I gave up around 4:15 and packed the last things I needed to pack. I also had time to finish watching the season finale of The Orville. I turned off the water going to my washing machine (old hoses) but started a load of dishes (fairly new dishwasher). Then I put my train ticket to Chicago in one of my pockets and put my tour badge holder around my neck. I made sure all of the doors were locked and that all of the bags were packed.

Sometime between 5:40 and 5:45 AM, I drove out of my garage, making sure that the garage door had closed properly. I was now officially on vacation. But for most of the next half-hour, the drive felt like my drive into work while I was working. Except for the last mile or so, it was the same route. Then again, there were far more blinking-yellow or -red lights than I normally saw, for I was driving 45 minutes earlier than my work drive. I could see the first light of dawn ahead of me. To the south were the Moon and Jupiter.

When I arrived at the Dearborn train station, I found a parking space, got my bags from the trunk, made sure the car was locked, and then I went inside. There were perhaps 10 others waiting for the train; as departure time neared, that number had swelled to between 30 and 40. The call came for boarding the train, but the train was late in arriving. It was cold out on that platform, waiting for the train to come. It arrived some 20 minutes late, and I and the others boarded. It wasn’t easy going up that short flight of steps with two bags. I had to put one bag up first, then I boarded with the other. I found a seat, put my two main bags into the over-seat rack and held onto my camera bag, which was also serving to hold my iPad Pro. The train got underway; I happened to be sitting in a rear-facing seat.

As we headed westward, I read that morning’s editions of the Detroit News and Free Press. I also kept up with Facebook and e-mails thanks to onboard WiFi. The person sitting next to me was on his phone for most of the trip. Later, I felt sleepy and tried to rest, with some success. My camera bag served as a pillow. The trip was mostly uneventful, although we were delayed by trains ahead of as we neared Chicago. During the trip, the skies had clouded over, and it was raining. Those raindrops looked awfully thick at times, though.

At last we arrived at Union Station. Learning from my experience this morning, I got off the train with one of my bags and planned to go backup for the other, but someone handed to me before I could. After entering the building, one of the America By Rail representatives had seen my tag, called me over, and had me wait for other members of the tour who were arriving. When all had arrived, we proceeded to the Metropolitan lounge, where I dropped off the bag I was checking and temporarily stored my overnight bag. Then it was time for lunch.
The McDonald’s was still present in the food court, but I decided to get something from the Pret A Manger (“Ready to Eat”)., a chain I remembered seeing in London. I’d not noticed it before in Chicago; it must have been new since November 2016. I had a ham sandwich, kettle-cooked chips, and a bottle of sparkling water. All were good. Then it was back to the lounge, but not before I took some photos in the Great Hall using a wide angle zoom lens I’d bought with a retirement gift.

A short time after 1, the tour group gathered in Lounge G to officially meet our tour director Jim. He collected medical and emergency contact information forms from each of us and then explained a few things about the tour, what we needed to know, etc. our name badges would serve as our tickets on the trains, the buses, venues, etc., so we needed to wear them most of the time. He handed out room assignments for each of the trains we’d be taking; hotel room assignments would be distributed as we checked in at each location.

It was time to board the train. Most of us walked out to track 28 (a few rode in a cart) and boarded our sleeping cars. I was in car 731, room 4. It was a standard Superliner roomette, although the lighting controls were slightly different. Room attendant Cesar came by to introduce himself to the passengers. We left the station at 2:15, right on time.

The dining car head came by yo take reservations for dinner. Most of the tour participants were encouraged to take 5 PM reservations, as that time had been set aside for us. However, Jim had encouraged me to take a later reservation, as there were 2 more in the group than the dining car could hold, so he and I would take later reservations. Now I settled in. I did some reading, took some pictures and made a few screenshots on my iPad. The screenshots were of our position using the MAPS.ME program. The weather remained iffy, with some combination of rain and snow coming down. Northwest of Milwaukee, the snow appeared to be winning.

Sometime after 5, tour director Jim stopped by: there were seats in the dining car. So we went to the dining car, where I was seated at a table with three other tour members. The had already ordered and were awaiting their meals. Shortly after I had ordered, their meals arrived. I ended up ordering the Land and Sea combo of steak and a crab cake. It was good, and so was the vanilla pudding for dessert.

Back to the room I went for some more reading and some picture taking. Later, I went to the snack car for a cheese and cracker plate and a Diet Pepsi. I ate most of the plate whole the train was sitting at the St. Paul station. I summoned Cesar, the car attendant, and asked him to make up the bed, which he did, and around 10:15, I called it a night.

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Sunday April 28

My sleep overnight was OK.The roomette is small and difficult to move around in when the bed is down. I got up around 7, got dressed and went to the dining car to have breakfast. There, I met group members Burton and Phyllis. She was a last minute addition, as his original traveling partner had a medical emergency and could not travel (she was his cousin). I had pancakes and sausage patties for my meal, much of which was consumed while we were stopped in Minot, ND. It seems we were running early; that would not be true for most of the trip, but more on that later.

The train got back under way and rolled across North Dakota. A rain/snow mix was falling; sometimes, it was foggy. At one point, I received a news alert on my phone: retired Federal judge Damon Keith had passed away at the age of 96 (he was from Detroit). Later, I checked the map as we passed through Stanley, ND; we were closely following US 2, familiar to me as the road across the southern part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. That would prove to be the case for much of the route, in fact. I went to the observation car for a bit, armed with my 35 mm camera, but there wasn’t much to observe. I headed back to the room to listen to some podcasts.

When the train topped at Williston, ND, I stepped off for a few minutes; since it was 36 and snowing outside, I didn’t stay long (and even if it wasn’t, I couldn’t stay long without risking being left behind). Back on board, I read for a little while. By now, we were in Montana, and I decided to try out my wide angle zoom lens. It worked; u fortunately, at one point I dropped the lens car and it rolled under one of the seats. I couldn’t reach it except by lying down partially in the hallway. The woman seated in the room across from me asked if I was all right; I was fine, I assured here, I was just reaching for my lens cap. And I got it!

One couple on this was from Australia (the Brisbane area). I had lunch with them today. Their names were Geoff and Pam, and they were Ford fanatics; they own many. In fact, at the conclusion of this trip, they were going to take the train to Detroit and visit The Henry Ford. They were quite interested to learn that I had recently retired from Ford. Our table mate (not part of the tour) had been a classmate of company chairman Bill Ford, though from which school or university, he didn’t say. We all had the burger for lunch.

Sometime that afternoon, I had received a message from T-Mobile: I had used 40 MB of my 50 MB allotment for roaming data. I turned off data roaming, not planning to turn it on again until I was in Canada, where my plan had 5 GB of data. When the train reached Havre, Montana, it was snowing outside. Nope, I wasn’t going to get off the train for a stretch there. West of there, I saw my first mountains of the trip. At 5:45, I went to dinner. Jim had arranged for four of the solo travelers to share a table, so that was how I met Ann, Luis and Kathleen. I had the Land and Sea combo again, mainly for the crab cake.

After supper, the train traveled through Glacier National Park. The scenery was wonderful, and my DSLR was getting a workout. Many of the pictures weren’t in great focus, I would learn later. The bed was prepared around 10, and I turned in for the night.

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Monday April 29

During an overnight visit to the restroom, I discovered a shortcoming in the bathrooms in the sleeper car. It was not the size (these were slightly roomier than in other cars — or maybe it seemed so to me because I’d lost some weight), it was the toilet function, but I shall spare any readers the details. I got up around 5:30, necessary because breakfast service was only from 5:30 to 7 this morning. I sat with two more group members from near New Orleans, along with a librarian from Chicago visiting a friend in or near Seattle. As we made our way through Washington‘s orchard country. I had scrambled eggs, sausage patties, grits and a croissant.

The train passed through Leavenworth while I was dining. No, it wasn’t THAT Leavenworth (that’s in Kansas). Back at my room, my bed had been taken up. I downloaded pictures from my DSLR to my iPad Pro; they were mostly OK, although the focus was not the best on some of them. Shooting through windows may have interfered with autofocus. During the time remaining on the train, I charged my phone and did some reading.

The train pulled into Everett a little behind schedule. We sat in the lobby and waited for our bus to Vancouver. When it arrived, we got on board, found seats, and started filling out Canadian entry forms. They were certainly easier to complete on a vehicle that wasn’t moving. With at out of the way, the bus proceeded to I-5 for the trip north. Traffic wasn’t bad as we headed north. Within an hour or so, we were at the Canadian border. There were two highway crossings; we took the east one, which explains why I did not see the Peace Arch (that was at the western crossing, where I-5 officially ended). I would later learn that this was the crossing that commercial vehicles had to use. The bus parked at the Immigration facility, and we all got off the bus for inspection. While waiting, I noticed one of the agents was a Sikh, evidenced by his turban (I think it was maroon, but I might be mistaken). My inspection was brief, and soonI was back on the bus. Everyone made it through, and the bus continued into British Columbia.

Our bus driver was Joe. He had us practice saying “Hey, Joe” for when we wanted to ask a question. What would you like to ask, he said. I heard someone yell what I was thinking: “Where you going with that gun in your hand?”. That’s the first line of the song “Hey Joe” as done by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. I don’t think driver Joe heard. He drove the bus to a highway/freeway, and we completed the drive into Vancouver.

Our first stop was Granville Island, formerly home to several cement plants but now mainly an entertainment marketplace experience. We got off the bus near the last cement plant on the island, and we had 90 minutes of time to do what we wanted. I wandered through the big indoor market, marveling at the produce stands and the other merchandise available. I was also looking for something to have for lunch; I found a place that sold pizza by the slice. And so, with my slice of pepperoni pizza and can of Coke Zero, I found a seat outside.

I had a great view of downtown Vancouver and of the beige that went over the island and led into town. My uncle Bill and I had walked on that bridge 4 years ago when we were in town with my aunt Marie and cousin Barb waiting to set sail on a cruise to Alaska. I saw the building where we had seen a ham radio antenna; I could not see the antenna today. As I ate, a guitarist played. I recall him playing “The Sounds of Silence”, “Sundown” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” I gave him a dollar.I walked around the area, taking a few pictures along the way, and then it was back to the bus.

Granville Island was the first stop on our tour of Vancouver. Our next was Queen Elizabeth Park (I don’t know if it was named for the Queen or the Queen Mother), located on the highest point of land in the city. We got out and were able to see the domed conservatory building and see some of downtown, although plants obscured the view somewhat. After a visit to the restroom, I went back to the bus, and the tour proceeded onward. We drove through the Chinatown neighborhood, seeing one of the entrance arches, the dragons on the light poles, the spice businesses, and more. Next, a drive through Gastown, the oldest neighborhood in Vancouver. We heard a story about a Scotsman who got the miners to build the first saloon in town for him; there was a statue in his honor, showing him standing atop his barrel of whisky. Both of the neighborhoods had been at risk from freeway construction in the 60s and 70s, but preservationists prevailed, saving the neighborhoods. The freeway was never built.

Next, we saw places associated with Expo 86 and the 2010 Winter Olympics. The geodesic dome built for the expo now served as a science center. Canada Place, the Canadian pavilion for the expo, was now among other things the cruise terminal. My relatives and I sailed to Alaska from there in 2015. There was even a Carnival cruise ship docked there. Down the street, we saw the Olympic cauldron and the building that had been the Olympic media center (it was now a restaurant).

Our next destination was Stanley Park, named for the same Lord Stanley who donated the Stanley Cup. We stopped at the totem pole park, a collection of replicas of totem poles (the originals are preserved in museums). This was a photo and stretch opportunity for us, and I got out to take full advantage. The totem poles were carved very elaborately; I wish I could read the story or stories carved into those poles. I then walked to the north side of the spit where I could see North Vancouver , and then I walked to the south side, giving me a view of downtown and the cruise terminal. Both views were familiar; I’d seen them from the cruise ship.

In between those visits, I’d stopped at a gift shop for a bottle of water, as I was thirsty. I also bought a new wallet made of Canadian bison leather. The wallet it would replace, which I’d also bought during a vacation, was wearing out; it needed replacing.

After getting back on the bus, Jim came by to give me something: the luggage tag from my checked bag. It had broken off in transit and was loose in the baggage cart. That was not good. I examined the tag; I saw no way to repair it; I’d need to get a new one.

The bus continued around the park, giving us good views of the Lionsgate bridge. But we didn’t continue all the way around the park because we were running behind schedule. No, we turned and headed toward our hotel for the evening, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. I noticed that we passed by one of the three Keg restaurant in town; we would be eating at one of them tonight, but it wouldn’t be this one. The bus had to go around the block to reach the proper entrance. We waited on the bus while Jim got the room keys. When he came back with them, he also brought cards for signing up for the hotel frequent stayer program, as this would allow complimentary use of the hotel WiFi. I was already a member, it turned out. And so, with key in hand, I proceeded up to room 711. The elevators required you to swipe your room key card for access.

I barely had time to unpack what I needed from one bag (the other had yet to be delivered to the room) before I had to head back out to the bus for our trip to dinner at The Keg. Before we left for there, we had another member of our group join us: Al from Florida. He had intended to fly into Chicago the morning of our departure, but his flight was cancelled. He missed the train travel on the Empire Builder, so he had to scramble to find a way to catch up with the group, which he did by flying into Vancouver the day before we got there. Now there were three Kegs in Vancouver, and we’d passed by two of them today; this would be the third. It wasn’t too far from the hotel, within walking distance if you felt like it; I didn’t. The bus could not drop us off directly in front of the restaurant; we got off a block away and walked over. Then we walked up a circular flight of stairs to the second floor dining area (some likely took the elevator).

We didn’t order from the regular menu; there was a special menu for groups. I chose a Caesar salad, prime rib (cooked medium well rather than the standard medium rare), and Billy Miner Cake, which tour director Jim had mentioned extensively during our tour. We all sat at a long table; those who sat nearest to me were Al; Geoff and Pam, the Australians; Sharon and Paige, mother and daughter; and one person I cannot recall. The salad was good, but it was fairly large, and I wasn’t able to finish it. I wanted to leave room for the main course, the prime rib, which turned out to be excellent. And the Billy Miner Pie was just as good as Jim had described. All in all, an excellent meal.

Some may have walked back to the hotel, but I got back on the bus, and it took us there. When I returned to my room, my checked bag had indeed been delivered. I spent some time checking e-mail and doing some typing, deciding to turn in for the night between 9:30 and 10. It had been a long day.

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Tuesday April 30

My sleep was decent enough; I got up for good around 5:15. First, I did some swapping of clothes between my suitcases, taking out some things I would want on the train and putting in things that I wouldn’t. I retrieved my e-mail, and then I took a shower. The room only had a shower (no tub); in size, it reminded me of the shower we had at home growing up, although this one did not have the ledge/seat the one at home did. I accidentally washed my hair with the shower gel (the bottles were nearly identical) before repeating with the proper shampoo. I used one of the room’s bathrobes while I dried off, working on the travelogue for a time.

I went down to the lobby to have breakfast at the hotel restaurant. It was not included in the room rate; it was actually rather pricy. There was a buffet, but I passed on that, choosing to stick with oatmeal and two raspberry muffins, along with orange juice. I saw our tour director there; he was having salmon hash (which was very good, he would say later). My oatmeal and muffins were good, too.

Our morning was free for us to walk around, wander around, do whatever we wanted. I needed to look for two things: a replacement luggage tag for my checked bag, and a pen to replace the one that had been provided with my neck badge but had been lost. I could see a Nordstrom from my hotel window, so I decided to walk there. Unfortunately, it was only a little after 9, but they didn’t open until 10. What else would be in the area? I walked around the block, noticing signs in the bus shelters for London Drugs. And guess what? There was a London Drugs on the corner! I went inside; it looked very much like a Shoppers Drug Mart, so I figured I’d be able to find what I needed there. Not on the first floor, I couldn’t. I went down to the lower level, a task that was more difficult than usual because the down escalator was being repaired, forcing me to use the stairs.

Once I got downstairs, I saw that the store opened up onto a mini-mall. It connected to a subway station and to the Hudson’s Bay store across the street. That store was now open, so I went there, figuring it would have a travel department; it did. It took me a while to find the luggage tags, but I did, and I bought one. Next, I found an ATM and proceeded to pull some Canadian cash. Now it was back to London Drugs, where I found a 2-pack of pens on the lower level. Back on the upper level, I got a Vitamin Water Zero, proceeded to pay for my merchandise, and went back to the hotel. With a properly tagged bag, I could now get it ready to be collected for the trip to the train station. I also made the swap from old wallet to new, moving everything I could into the new wallet (not everything could make the move).

We had to be out of rooms by noon; I left around 11:30. I wasn’t particularly hungry for lunch, so I sat in the lobby for nearly 2 hours, sitting right in front of the Dior Hommes store, which I did not visit. We would board the bus to the train station at 1:30 or so, which we did. We rode past BC Place Stadium (home of the BC Lions of the CFL) and Rogers Arena (home of the Canucks of the NHL) before reaching the Pacific Central station. Oddly enough, Amtrak used that station more than VIA Rail, for Amtrak had trains coming from Seattle daily, while VIA had trains only twice or thrice a week, depending on the season. I took some pictures of the station and the surrounding area before going inside. By this time, I was hungry for lunch, so I got something at the A&W restaurant. I started to eat it, but I wasn’t able to finish, for there was a boarding call for our train — a boarding call that wasn’t very audible in the restaurant! I had to leave half of the meal unconsumed.

We were about to board the Canadian, the VIA train that crosses the country between Vancouver and Toronto. However, today’s train would only go as far as Edmonton. That was not a problem for us, as our group was getting off in Jasper. Most of us, myself included, had sleeper car reservations. I got onto the train and found my room. The cars were single-level, like the Viewliner equipment in use by Amtrak in the eastern US. The sleeper car configuration was similar to Amtrak’s, but there were important differences. Instead of the roomette and bedroom, there were cabins for one and cabins for two. As I would see later, there were also berths that were like the Pullman cars of the past: seats by day, beds by night with curtains for privacy. Now I had a cabin for one. There was only one seat in it, compared to a roomette’s two. There was a toilet, which was across from the seat rather than being next to it in the roomette. The sink here had a cover that folded up out of the way when you wanted to use the sink, as opposed to a sink that folded from the wall in the roomette. And the bed folded down from the wall with a twist hf the handle — a Murphy bed, you could say. It also covered up the toilet when it was down, so what did you do in the middle of the night if you needed to go? The bed could be folded up, but my car attendant recommended I go down the hall and use the “public” restrooms intended for the berth passengers. The room also had some overhead storage that could in theory hold my carryon bag, but I couldn’t get mine to fit. A curtain kept my bag from going all of the way in. My camera bag would fit just fine, though.

While we waited for the train to depart, I did an e-mail check. I also opened up the New York Times app, looking for a summary of Sunday’s episode of Game of Thrones. I would not get to see episodes 3 and 4 during the trip; that would have to wait until my return home.

We were supposed to leave at 3 o’clock, but we didn’t. In what would become a common thread throughout the trip, the train was frequently delayed by freight trains, which took precedence on the track that was owned by the freight trains (i.e., all of the track). We didn’t get under way until shortly before 4. I had dinner reservations for second seating (around 7 PM). That was OK for me because I’d eaten enough of the lunch at A&W. I spent the time before dinner looking at the scenery, downloading pictures from my camera to the iPad, and checking out the cafe/observation car some three cars back of mine. The decor there reminded me of the 50s, which was probably when the car was built. The observation dome seating was full when I got there, so I stayed on the lower level. Later, I’d get a chance to sit in the observation dome. The views were great; unlike on Amtrak’s observation lounges, one could see to the front and rear. Stepping up to the seats, though, was a bit difficult. I’m not referring to the stairs leading up to the dome level (although I did hit my head on the roof once), but to the step from the dome level into the seats. That was a big step, I thought — or maybe I’m just getting old.

The train left Vancouver and followed the Fraser River upstream. So did the green, though it would eventually fade as we went into the mountains. Eventually, dinnertime rolled around, and I went to the dining car. It wasn’t too different from the dining cars on Amtrak, although we had proper plates and silverware. I had a chicken breast in pesto cream, tomato bisque, and a chocolate torte for dessert. Very enjoyable, I thought; VIA’s meals were on a par with Amtrak’s. Then it was back to the room, where the bed had been lowered and prepared for me. The bedding was better than Amtrak’s; there was a proper comforter, rather than a blanket packed in a plastic bag.

At some point, tour director Jim mentioned that on the post-trip evaluation that he and us would complete, he would recommend that the bus tour of Vancouver be moved to the morning of our departure from Vancouver, with extra time being given to visiting Granville Island. He’d received complaints from some that the combination of Granville Island, the bus tour and the dinner were too much for a day, that they were very tired out at the end of the day. I could see their point, especially for older folks. Jim encouraged us to make similar comments on our evaluation forms if we felt the same way; that might lead to a schedule revision on future tours.

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Wednesday May 1

I had a good night’s sleep on the train, probably better than on Amtrak trains. I did have to get up to use the restroom, though, and as I went to the other car (the “public” restrooms in the adjacent car were closer than those at the other end of my car), I could tell it had gotten chillier. We were going into the mountains, so this was to be expected. I got up for good around 6:30, made another bathroom visit, and figured out how to put the bed up on my own. It wasn’t too hard; I just had to hit a lever at the foot of the bed.

When I went for breakfast, the dining car was full, so I had to go onto the waiting list. I was the first person on the list for today. It was perhaps 15 minutes before a spot opened up for me and others. I sat with Luis (a Colombian-American from Chicago) and Cathy and Mike (from Slidell, LA). For my meal, I had pancakes topped with banana slices as well as sausage links. At some point, I mentioned that I was a radio amateur; Mike said that he had been a General class licensee at one time but had let it lapse. At one point, he mentioned having had an inverted V antenna for 80 meters in his yard at one time.

The dining car was rather warm; I wanted to remove my top layer of clothing. But the dome car was cooler, so I sat in there for a while cooling off and looking at the passing scenery. I’d come back to the dome car with my good camera (the DSLR) to take some pictures. Then it was back to the room to get ready for our arrival in Jasper.

With our arrival in Jasper, I could add Alberta to the list of provinces that I’d visited; this was number 7. We were two hours late into Jasper, thanks to numerous delays by freight trains. I gathered up my belongings, left the train, took a few pictures, then went inside the train station. Our group took up most of the seats in the waiting area, which had a rustic feel to it. As we waited for the bus that would take us to Banff to arrive, we had our box lunches that we were supposed to have on the bus. As we ate, we were serenaded by a Celtic harpist who had been on the train as part of VIA’s Artists in Residence program. She would be getting back on the train when it left for Edmonton. I had to use the restroom; on the way there, I saw some historical posters from Canadian National Railways.

Eventually, our bus arrived, and we got on board. Kim, our driver, drove the bus onto the Icefields Parkway, a scenic route linking Jasper and Banff (the cities as well as the national parks bearing their names. I’ve heard it was one of the most scenic drives in North America, and after riding it, I would agree. Snow-covered mountains on either side of the road, with opportunities to see wildlife at every turn.

The bus stopped at Athabasca Falls, and most of us got out to look at the falls, to take pictures, etc. I was one of them, and I took several pictures here. There was still some ice near the top of the falls, but the falls themselves were not frozen. The layering of the rocks was very apparent on the sides of the falls channel.

After we left the falls, the bus driver noted cars stopped up ahead. It could have been due to a wildlife sighting, and that’s just what it was. There was a black bear on the left side of the road, eating after coming out of hibernation. We saw another black bear a few miles down the road; that bear was very skinny, understandable given that it had also recently emerged from hibernation and would have been hungry. We also got to see two mountain goats eating on the side of the road.

I’d taken several pictures as the bus drove along the parkway, but most of them didn’t turn out well. Many of them were blurred, not so much from the bus’s motion (though that didn’t help) as from the autofocus getting confused by the bus’s windows. Many others had reflections from other windows in the bus, reflections I didn’t notice when taking the pictures.

About two-thirds of the way down the parkway, I had to use the restroom. While I was in there, I could feel the bus moving around quite a bit, making it difficult to use the restroom in a standing position. What was going on, I wondered. The bus was actually stopping at a rest area, the Saskatchewan River Crossing, where we could get off for a bathroom break and a chance to get some souvenirs or snacks. I might have held off had I known we’d be going there. As it was, I did get off the bus to take a few pictures and to get a bottle of Diet Dr Pepper.

The bus reached the end of the Icefields Parkway and turned east onto the Trans-Canada Highway. The scenery was magnificent here, too, with several snow-capped peaks on either side of the highway. In several places, there were underpasses and overpasses designed to permit wildlife to cross the highway without actually crossing on the highway. Soon, we came to the exit for Banff, and we headed into town. The city/town of Banff is actually inside the national park. Residence is restricted to those people who actually work in Banff (so no retirement villages there). We drove down the main street — past a Keg, past a Chili’s, past a Shell staton — until we reached our destination, the High Country Inn and Suites. I had room 142, which looked out on the main street and was right next to the ramp to get to the entrance.

It was after 7 when we arrived in Banff. We were on our own for supper, so I decided to go to the restaurant next door, which billed itself as having Swiss-Italian cuisine. The Italian was more evident than the Swiss. I went by myself and was seated at a table for four, but when other group members came in and had a hard time finding tables, I invited them to my table, and we had a good meal. I don’t recall what I ate, but it was one of that day’s specials. I’d brought my iPad, thinking I’d be reading something on it, but the only thing I did with it was to download several days’ worth of software updates. When I went back to the room, I turned on the TV to watch The National, the CBC’s national news program. Later, I watched a couple of innings of the Blue Jays playing the Angels in Anaheim before calling it a night.

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Thursday May 2

I woke up shortly before 7, reading my e-mail and putting on different clothes than I’d been wearing and alternating the last few days, mainly in anticipation of colder weather. Our group had a breakfast in one of the meeting rooms of the hotel, and it was a full breakfast buffet. I chose to have eggs, bacon, home fries and a cinnamon bun. I might have had some cereal as well, but the only milk available was whole milk. For my drink, I had some slightly watery orange juice.

We didn’t have to have our bags ready by a specific time today. We were staying in a place for more than one night, the only time we’d be doing so this whole trip (not counting the times we were on the train). So the only bag that I brought on the bus with me was my camera bag. We still had the same bus driver (Kim), but we had a local guide with us today; his name was Owen. The bus started down the main street. Off on a side street to our right was the big grocery store in town, an IGA (formerly a Safeway). We continued down the street, passing the large park headquarters building before heading to our first destination, Bow Falls.

It had snowed overnight, but it stuck only on grassy areas and on trees. This led to a very lovely effect at Bow Falls, a small waterfall on the Bow River. The snow on the trees and rocks made the scene look like it belonged on a Christmas card. Some of my pictures captured that effect. After getting back on the bus, we drove past the Banff Springs Hotel, seeing it from the rear, before heading to our next major stop, Sulphur Mountain and the Banff Gondola.

The gondola cars reminded me of the cars that used to go over Astroworld. I don’t recall if these were heated, but they were enclosed, so the ride up the mountain was comfortable. I rode up with Luis, Geoff and Pam; Luis and I faced downslope. As we went up, we weren’t that far above the trees, but they were falling away beneath us. Geoff and Pam could see tracks from animals in the snow below. When we reached the top and got out, I took a quick look outside on the lowest level.full of tables nobody would be using today. There was more snow up here than at ground level, and while much of it had been cleared, I still walked gingerly. I did not want to fall.

The building had four levels, Nd I took the elevator to the top, which was the top observation deck. Here, the landscape was revealed in all of its majesty: the snow-capped peaks; the. If glacial valley; the town of Banff. Sometimes. These were completely or partially obscured by clouds; at others, they were clearly visible. Also visible was the Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk, which went over to the adjacent Sanson’s Peak and the historic Cosmic Ray station (Mr. Sanson had climbed that peak every for 30 years to take weather measurements). There was an igloo of sorts, not made of ice but providing a way to warm up. I took a selfie up there with my iPhone, and then someone else (Geoff. I think) took a picture of me with my DSLR.

We were running out of time, so I started down the stairs. Level 3 was the restaurant level, while level 2 had interpretive exhibits that I didn’t have time to review. In the level 1 gift shop, I looked for but could not find a toque. There was some confusion about how to get to the gondola for the trip down; the door was as described, but it was not marked. But I found it and got in the line to head back down. This time, I rode facing the mountain; that was the direction recommended for those who were afraid of heights(that was not why I rode that way). I and the others got back on the bus, and the tour continued.

As we went around town, we got to see a famous view of the Banff Springs Hotel; we stopped at a location with hoodoo-like rock formations; we saw a mule tail deer cross the street in front of the bus near the art colony; and we passed by retired hockey coach Glen Sather’s house. Now one has to work in Banff to live in Banff, but having an investment company headquartered there qualifies. The tour ended around 11:45 with the bus returning to the hotel.

I went to my room, but it had not yet been made up, so I used the bathroom and then sat in the lobby to check my e-mail. The afternoon and evening were free, with no group activities. So after my e-mail checks, I set off for downtown, looking for someplace to eat lunch. Would I stop at the IGA GA grocery in town? No, I would continue down the main street until I reached Boston Pizza, where I would have a pizza, naturally enough. It was a bacon cheeseburger pizza, small size, which was bout the size of a regular pizza from MOD Pizza.

As I left Boston Pizza, I ran into Geoff and Pam, who had gone to the Banff train station to see the Rocky Mountaineer training were now looking for a places to have lunch. We walked down the street until they found a place to eat, while I continued onward. My destination was the Banff Springs Hotel; a friend of mine said I needed to see inside. The walk was uphill much of the way, but I reached the hotel in around 15 minutes from the park headquarters. And it was indeed fancy inside, with a broad staircase leading to the second level. I didn’t spend long there; I started on the 2 km hike back to the hotel. I had to stop and rest my back a few times. I made a longer stop at a store called A Bit of Banff, which as one might expect was full of Banff-themed clothing and souvenirs. This was where I found the Banff-themed toque I was looking for, a red one that said “Canada - Banff. It would make a counterpoint to my Prince Edward Island toque I’d bought last year on a Canadian cruise. Later, I stopped at a small shopping mall and saw a small Indigo bookstore; I didn’t get anything.

When I arrived back at the hotel, I was warm, and I was tired. I took off my shirts and lay down on the bed to rest and to cool off. Later, I downloaded my most recent DSLR pictures to my iPad for review. Some of the pictures had turned out pretty well, others less so. I was happy, for the most part. At 6, I called into a meeting of the board of directors of the Ford Amateur Radio League, of which I am a member (and board member). We discussed a number of things that needed action. Thanks to the 2-hour time difference with Detroit, when the meeting ended, it was around 7 o’clock. Time for supper!

I walked down the street to the hotel that hosted Ricky’s All-Day Grill, an establishment recommended in the America By Rail info packet. Unfortunately, the All-Day Grill failed to live up to its name: it was closed. I went back to that little mall to see if anything in its food court appealed to me; it didn’t. So I walked the other direction, past my hotel to the Chili’s restaurant I remembered seeing yesterday. Chili’s in Canada was very similar to Chili’s in the US, with nearly identical menu options. I went with their chips and salsa (adding ranch dressing and guacamole as extra options) and bacon ranch quesadillas. Did that qualify as comfort food? I admit I was comforted. Then it was back to the hotel, where several of the tour group members were sitting and talking in the lobby. I joined them for a while before calling it a night and returning to my room.

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Friday May 3

I got up for good around 6:30 and packed my checked bag; it would be ready for pickup by 8:15. When 7:30 rolled around, I went to the conference room for the group breakfast, where I had more or less the same things I had yesterday. When I returned to my room, the checked bag was gone; it had been picked up on time. I did my last cleanup and packing, turned in my key, and waited in the lobby to board our bus.

Our ultimate destination today was Jasper, where we would rebound the train tomorrow. But we would be making several stops before reaching Jasper, the first being Lake Louise. As we drove there on the Trans-Canada Highway, our local guide Ward pointed out the wildlife underpasses and overpasses, as well as the high fencing intended to keep wildlife from crossing the highway at places other than those underpasses and overpasses. It’s worked out well, he said, and the fencing is being extended to cover more of the roadway.

We exited the highway at Lake Louise and drove a short distance to the lake and the famous Chateau Lake Louise. Both were major tourist attractions. When we got off of the bus and walked to the lake we saw a lot of tourists walking on the frozen surface. Perhaps they shouldn’t have been, as the temperature was above freezing and there were signs warning of thin ice. As we walked around the grounds, guide Ward told of the history of the chateau, from its humble beginnings as a log cabin to its being rebuilt in a Tudor style and being rebuilt after a fire in the configuration we saw today. I saw some historic pictures inside the chateau, and I took some pictures of my own outside.

We got back on the bus and headed up the Icefields Parkway. Now most tours that take the parkway do so in only one direction; we were taking it in both directions, allowing us to enjoy the sights on both sides of the parkway. Whichever side of the bus you were sitting on, the views were magnificent. We stopped to look at the Crowfoot Glacier; I took several pictures. A little ways up the parkway, we made a stop at a rest area for necessary relief. Some time after that, the bus paid another visit to the Saskatchewan River Crossing store. As it was nearly lunchtime, I got a drink (Diet Pepsi Cherry) and gravy-flavored Lay’s potato chips (they have unusual chip flavors in Canada). We would be getting box lunches on the bus, but I was concerned about the drinks we might be offered, which is why I got one here.

I was right to be concerned about the drinks, as my box lunch contained a regular Coke. I don’t drink regular pop anymore, and there weren’t enough people with an unwanted diet drink to trade with, so I was wise to get that Cherry Diet Pepsi. As for my can of Coke, it fell off a serving tray and developed a slow leak, so into the trash it went.

As we rode up the parkway, we made another turnoff for a scenic photo opportunity and a chance to see the U-shape of a valley carved by a glacier. Our next stop after that was the Discovery Center for the Columbia Icefields. We were going to be walking on a glacier — the Athabasca Glacier, to be precise. Before we went inside, we gathered at some bleachers for a group photo. I offered the use of my camera for the group, as I was one of the few who’d brought a DSLR along. Guide Ward took three pictures of us; the second one turned out best, in my opinion. Later, I’d be given a list of e-mail addresses of those who wanted a copy.

We were very early for our trip to the glacier; this was deliberate, for if we’d been late, we’d have missed our chance to go. So we had some time to kill. I sat around for a while; I visited the restroom; and I visited the gift shop. SiriusXM’s 70s on 7 was playing there; nothing wrong with that at all, I thought. I didn’t get anything at the gift shop. Then we gathered at 3:30 to be ready to board a bus that would take us to the glacier.

Getting onto the glacier required two buses. A standard bus took us from the Discovery Center across the highway, where we would then board a snow coach that would take us onto the glacier. Snow coaches were on the order of monster trucks; the tires were some 4 to 5 feet in diameter! The driver of our snow coach was from New Zealand, who said she’d like to become an ice road trucker (I’m not sure if she was on the level or joking). At one point, the snow coach went down a 32% grade to get to ice level. We passed some very tall snowdrifts, and then we were on the glacier, atop ice hundreds of feet thick. The coach stoped, and most of us got off.

There I was, walking on a glacier! I was also shivering on a glacier and trying not to slip on a glacier. It was very chilly and windy out there; I was very glad I had my toque and some gloves. I walked around the cleared off area where we were allowed to walk; flags from all around the world bordered the area. If I looked down, the ice did have a bluish tinge to it; that was the clue that it was indeed glacial ice. We had 30 minutes to spend out there, but I had had enough after 15, so I went back into the bus. My Alaska jacket, flannel shirt and pullover were no match for this wind and cold. After the others came back, we drove back to the bus that would return us to the Discovery Center. We had a chance for a bathroom break, and then we boarded the bus we’d been on for the last few days, the one that would return us to Jasper.

On the way back to Jasper, we saw two bears, although I only saw one of them. One was on the left side of the vehicle; that was the one I didn’t see. The one on the right side, I did see. In fact, I think this was one of the bears we’d seen Wednesday on the drive out of Jasper. That first bear was skinny; so was this one. And as we neared Jasper, we saw elk grazing near a highway. But I’m not sure that we did; I think those may have been statues of elk.

And then at last, we arrived in Jasper and checked in at the Whistlers Inn, right across the street from the train station. My room was on the second floor, comfortable enough. I went for a short walk, visiting the gift shop on the corner and taking a picture of the totem pole near the train station. I then went to Cassio’s, the Italian restaurant associated with the hotel. Unfortunately, I didn’t care for the meal I’d ordered; I must not have been in the mood for Italian. In fact, I was feeling a bit run down at that point; I don’t think I was really hungry for anything, so I went back to my room. Three, I downloaded my latest pictures and turned on the TV, where I discovered that Jasper’s cable system carried the BBC World News channel. I watched that for a while before going to bed.

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Saturday May 4

I was feeling somewhat better when I got up for good around 6:30. After doing my morning e-mail and web checks, I washed my hair and packed up most of my stuff. At 8:30, I went out for breakfast at Smitty’s restaurant, which was just around the corner from the hotel. This restaurant reminded me of an older Denny’s inside. As for the food, it was delicious. I was definitely in the mood for a good breakfast today, and I enjoyed the pancakes and bacon special. I had a view outside as I ate, and I thought I detected some snowflakes falling. When I went back to the hotel, I could feel those flakes falling. Nothing heavy, but enough to let you know that winter was still around.

Back at the room, I made sure to put my checked bag outside the door by 10. By 10:30, I had left the room and was waiting in the lobby. We didn’t have to gather until 11, but I wanted to have a seat. At 11, we received our box lunches (in bags, not boxes) and proceeded across the street to the train station. There, we sat and waited for the train from Vancouver to arrive. I went to the store in the station and got a bottle of Diet Coke. That store had a number of souvenirs, including books about train travel across Canada, maps of the train routes, etc. There were also two types of rubber ducks for sale: one showed the duck dressed as a train engineer, while the other showed the duck as Donald Trump.

The train pulled in while we were eating our lunches, but boarding wouldn’t be for at least an hour, so during that time, we were serenaded by more artists in residence, Emily/Amelie and Braden, who also called themselves the Crickets. What?! That name’s been taken. And no, they didn’t play any Buddy Holly songs; they played originals.

When the call came to board the train, my sleeping car (211) was not yet ready, so those of us in that car were asked to remain in the station until it was ready. As it turned out, I was the only member of the tour group with a room in that car, so I had to watch the rest of the group board the train. The delay wasn’t long, though, and soon I was on the car. The cabin was the same as the one I’d had coming into Jasper, but this was on the right side of the car versus the left. The overhead compartment didn’t have a curtain on it, meaning I could fit my carryon bag up there — almost. The bag still stuck out slightly, and I was concerned it might fall, so I ended up putting it under the seat. The bed hung up while being lowered; the latch that was supposed to move out of the way needed some help to do so. The caboose, with its rear-facing windows, was available after 4 PM.

As the train pulled out of Jasper, it was snowing, though not particularly heavily. Soon, we were in the wilderness. I settled in to do some reading and enjoy the scenery. I and the rest of the train had to put up with frequent stops to allow freight traffic to pass. Lunch was being served in the dining car (I should say CARS, for there were two on this train), but since I’d had lunch at the station, I passed on the opportunity. In fact, I still had half of my sandwich from that lunch, which I thought I would save for later (I eventually threw it out, though). Also, I had the early seating for dinner in dining car B, so I didn’t want to ruin my appetite for that.

Now where was dining car B? It was toward the rear of the train. I’d discover that it was six cars away from my car. To get there, I had to go through sleeper cars 212, 0000, 213 and 214, as well as the dome/bar car. That was a good hike! And since it was after 4 when I did this, I decided to go all the way back to the caboose, which was three cars behind the dining car. These cars were fancier sleepers intended for the top-line Prestige class passengers, and for most of the day, so was the caboose dome car. It was slightly fancier than the main dome car, and some of the seats were reserved for Prestige-class passengers. I got the impression that I really shouldn’t have been back there, so I left in fairly short order.

I went back to the regular dome car and went up to the dome seats. It wasn’t full, so I took a seat. Our tour guide Jim was also there, talking about various things. At one point, the conversation turned to our connections at Schenectady. Was it feasible to make the connection there, I wondered, relating my experience from last September, when the station was just a trailer. No need to worry, he said; the new station has opened, and the trailer is no longer used. The call to dinner came, and I went to the dining car to get a seat. And what did I have this evening? I had Cajun salmon with quinoa, green beans and carrots, with chocolate torte for dessert. It was very good.

By now, the train was running 2 hours late, verging on 3. It would get worse throughout the rest of the day, for we were scheduled to reach Edmonton some 4 hours late. The train continued onward, or it dod when freight traffic wasn’t delaying it. Eventually, I got sleepy and decided to turn in. I had a magnifying glass with me, and I figured out that I could use its handle to force in the latch hindering the bed from coming down. And I also determined that I could lift the bed in the middle of the night in order to access the toilet, if I had to. No need to go down the hall or go to the next car to use the men’s room.

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Sunday May 5

I did have occasion to use the restroom in the middle of the night. In order to do that, I had to reach for a latch at the foot of the bed, press the lever, and then tip the bed up. I didn’t need to tip it all of the way up, just enough to allow access to the toilet. Yes, that was easier than going down the hall to use the facilities, but not as easy as using the toilet in the Amtrak Viewliner roomettes, where the access was not blocked by the bed. I will say that with the bed down, there was very little room to maneuver in the VIA cabin.

I decided to take my time getting up this morning. I didn’t do any e-mail checks because, for the most part, we were out of range of the cell phone networks outside of cities and towns. my iPhone and iPad were still showing Mountain time, although I was certain we had crossed into Central time. And if we were now on Central time, we had to be in Saskatchewan. I’d now been in 8 of the 10 Canadian provinces and seen a ninth from afar. Now I just had to visit New Brunswick and Newfoundland to complete a sweep.

Since the train was supposed to be a warmer environment than what I’d been in the last several days, I decided to wear a short-sleeved shirt today. It was one of the Ford-themed shirts I’d bought just before my retirement. Then I heard the last call for breakfast and figured I should head to the dining car. I had waffles and bacon, a good breakfast, if a bit heavy.

A couple of hours later, it was time for first seating for lunch, for which I had a reservation. Because of that heavy breakfast, I was in the mood for something light. A couscous salad with greens, mandarin oranges and some other things I couldn’t identify fit the bill nearly perfectly. It was quite good. Then I went to the dome car for a while and caught a brief lecture on Manitoba, which we would be crossing later that afternoon. Then it was back to my cabin in the wilderness (or so it seemed), where I would admire the prairie expanses while reading the latest issue of New Scientist magazine and listen to the latest edition of the Stumped podcast (a BBC co-production about the sport of cricket).

At one point, I heard some crew members taking about a herd of bison (buffalo) that we were approaching. Then came the general announcement over the loudspeakers. The herd was on the right side of the train, meaning I could take all of the pictures I wanted from the comfort of my cabin. And what’s more, the train came to a stop or near-stop when we encountered the herd. I took several pictures of the bison, some of which turned out fairly well. I downloaded them to the iPad for ease in reviewing.

When the train stopped at Melville, SK, I got off for a short stretch and walk-around. Then it was back on board, back to my cabin, where I listened to some music and played some music (“played” in the sense of “made”, using piano, harpejji and Mellotron apps). Then I went back to the dome car to await the first call for dinner. There was a wine tasting event taking place there, but I didn’t join in. When the train pulled into a siding to await the passage of a freight train, I could easily see it happen thanks to the dome car’s forward view. The train’s swerve onto the siding was obvious, which it wouldn’t be from the standard side views.

The first call for dinner came, and I went to the dining car (a short trip, since I was only one car away). My table companions were a retired firefighter from northern California and two little old ladies from Montreal returning home from a trip to Vancouver and the Rockies. Prime rib was on the menu tonight, and we all ordered that, while one of the ladies and I had the split pea soup. For dessert, we all had the honey cake with cheesecake icing. Each piece came with a message written in fruit topping: “Bye.” This signified that the dining room crew, along with the rest of the train crew, would be getting off at Winnipeg, and a new crew would take over for the rest of the trip to Toronto. That was standard practice, having crews for each half of the route. While we ate, we crossed into Manitoba; there was a sign saying so, but I was facing the rear of the train and did not get to see it.

I went back to my cabin after that wonderful meal. I was getting chilly, so I put on my Orvis pullover I’d worn for much of the trip. I did some reading for a while. Around 9, I decided to pull down the bed, and then I did a little more reading, especially of the second volume of the recent biography on record producer George Martin. When I started feeling sleepy, I called it a day and turned in for the night.

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Monday May 6

I remember waking up around 3:30 in the morning. There was light outside of my window, and the train was stopped. We must have been in Winnipeg. Then the train started moving again. I figured we were running around 4 hours late. I didn’t worry any more about it and went back to sleep.

Around 6:30, I got up for good. I folded up the bed and changed my shirt. I’d wear long sleeves today; it ended up being too chilly yesterday for short sleeves. The terrain outside my cabin window had changed again; there were now hills, and the flat prairies were gone. We were now in northern Ontario, a land that reminded me of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Around 7, perhaps a bit later, I set off for the dining car and breakfast. Today, I would sit with two tour group members, the retired farmers from Indiana, and one non-group member, Allison from Vancouver Island. I would have a lighter breakfast today, choosing to have oatmeal and wheat toast, or brown toast as the servers called it. It was good. There was a bear sighting during the meal, but I was on the wrong side of the dining car to see it. It was a mother bear with cubs. I wish I had seen then.

After breakfast, I headed back to my cabin to wash up. The new sleeping car attendant came by to introduce herself; her name was Courtney. Hm - we’d had a bus driver named Kim, and now a room attendant named Courtney. All I needed was to meet someone named Chloe, and I’d have a Kardashian set, ha ha. I finished the George Martin biography, and then I went back to the dome car to give Courtney time to properly make up the bed — if she noticed that I’d left the room. She had, for when i returned, the bedding was properly made up. Then I read some more from the e-books I had on the Kindle app on my iPad.

The train stopped at Sioux Lookout, and I got off for a short walk and some picture taking. It was chilly out there, so I didn’t stay outside long. This town had adequate cell phone coverage, so I took advantage of it and retrieved my e-mail as well as the New York Times summary of last night’s fourth episode of Game of Thrones.

When the train got back underway, I read some more until lunchtime. For lunch, I had a hamburger and one blackberry ice cream. While I was in the dining car, there was an announcement that we would soon be crossing into the Eastern time zone, so we should set our clocks and watches ahead one hour. My devices didn’t pick up the time change until much later, once we were back in cell phone coverage.

The train continued through wooded areas with the occasional lakes and ponds. By this time, I must confess to feeling some train fatigue. This was the third day in a row that I’d been on the same train, with a fourth day still to come. The persistent noise of the rails, the occasional abrupt bounces and rolls of the train cars — all of these were wearing on me. I’d been on cruises longer than this, but they never wore on me like this. Then again, the ships were quieter, the motions not as abrupt, there was much more room to move around, and we had opportunities to leave the ship for extended periods, so the experiences were fundamentally different. Now I was scheduled to take a 28-day cruise next spring, so might I be complaining about cruise ship fatigue? We shall see.

By this time, the train was running 5 hours late. Would we make up any time on the way to Toronto? It seemed doubtful to me. Now when supper rolled around, I sat with a family group of two brothers and one sister. I thought of my two nieces and one nephew who were also brother and sisters. Could this be them in 40 or 50 years, I wondered. I had the chicken option tonight; it was good, I thought.

I went back to the room and did some more reading and seeing the sights. A little bit after 8. I folded down the bed. I wasn’t particularly tired, but my back and my rear end were feeling a bit sore, and lying down would do them some good. But the ceiling light wasn’t doing me any good, so I turned that off and turned on the reading lamp next to the bed. And soI read for a while longer, but then I started feeling sleepy and decided to turn in.

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Tuesday May 7

When I took off my socks this morning after getting up, something else came off: the toenail on my right big toe. This stemmed from an injury eight months earlier, not from anything on this trip. Over half of the nail bed was covered with new nail already. It didn’t hurt when it came off; i think it was starting to come off two days earlier. I had anticipated this would happen and brought bandages and alcohol wipes along, and so I covered up the toenail.

There would only be 2 meals today, a continental breakfast from 6:30 to 8:30 and a brunch from 9:30 to 12:30. For breakfast,I had oatmeal and toast again. When the train stopped at Capreol, ON, I got off for a short walk and stretch. We had arrived 5 hours late, but the crew thought we’d make up some time and arrive in Toronto some 2 or 3 hours late. I passed time to lunch by downloading and reading today’s Detroit News, catching up on the comic strips I follow with GoComics, and doing more Kindle or magazine reading.

When 11:30 rolled around, I went back to the dining car for my final meal aboard the Canadian, the final day brunch. I sat with a mother and her son who were returning to Toronto. I had the Transcontinental, which consisted of two scrambled eggs, has browns, and four strips of bacon. It was very good, and I got to burn some of those calories walking back to my room.

There were plenty of lakes, streams and ponds alongside the train tracks as was headed to Toronto. I also started seeing more populated areas, and my iPhone was getting more consistent coverage. I reviewed an e-mail from Elderly Instruments in Lansing listing recent instruments that had arrived at their store. One listing got my attention: a 2014 Rickenbacker 330 guitar in Walnut with vintage pickups. Hm - I’d been considering a walnut-bodied guitar, and I’d also been considering one with vintage pickups. I clicked the link in the message and called up the info page on the guitar. It looked great, and the price was acceptable, and there was a link to pay with Apple Pay. Would it still be available by the time I returned home? I didn’t think so. And so it was that while traveling on a train in northern Ontario, I bought a guitar.

The train went along the shore of what I thought was Georgian Bay but was actually Lake Simcoe. Then I started seeing more signs of development, including the occasional high-rise building. Then there were more and more of them. We were approaching Toronto. The train passed by an IKEA store, and then it passed under a very wide freeway bridge; that had to have been the 401. It went through a park-like area; it crossed the Don Valley Parkway; and then downtown Toronto was in sight. We had indeed made up some time; we’d arrived only 2 1/2 hours late.

There was some confusion about where to meet once we got off the train. Some of us, including me, had gone up to the Great Hall, only to have tour director Jim lead us back to a waiting area on the lower level. We needed to wait for our checked bags to be unloaded. When they were, porters from the Royal York Hotel across the street took them to the hotel, while the group went up the ramp to the Great Hall and across the street to the hotel. The hotel lobby was being renovated, so we waited on the busy sidewalk for our keys. In addition to rush hour congestion, both the Blue Jays and Raptors were playing at home tonight; their venues are very close to the hotel. The tour was originally supposed to include a bus tour of Toronto, but that was predicated on an earlier scheduled arrival in town (1 PM). With the train scheduled to arrive at 3, the tour was cancelled. And with our actual arrival of after 5, there was no way we would have made any tour.

Once I had my room key, I went up to my room and got settled in. My room had a view of Union Station and the ScotiaBank Arena (formerly the Air Canada Center). I went for a short walk to locate a Shoppers Drug Mart I thought I’d seen down the street on a map, but I couldn’t find it. I wanted to get some snacks; now I would get them from a store in the lobby. I tried logging into the hotel WiFi network using my loyalty program credentials, but they were not recognized. Since I didn’t feel like paying C$20 for access, I relied on my phone.

Now what would I do for supper? The tour info packet said that a Benihana restaurant was in the hotel, and indeed one was. I had not been to a Benihana in some time, so I went there. They could not seat me immediately but put me down for an 8 PM reservation. I went back to my room until just before 8. The restaurant was not busy at all. in fact, I had an entire teppanyaki table all to myself, something that had happened only once before. I decided to go with a Benihana Delight dinner: onion soup, salad, fried rice, chicken, shrimp, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, and in a big difference from the American restaurants, bean sprouts. I commented on that to the chef; he said Canadians were more accepting of bean sprouts than Americans. That was news to me; i regularly select bean sprouts for my Mongolian barbecue dinners. As I ate, I thought of the many times I’d had lunch at Benihana while I was working, as well as the suppliers who took me to those lunches. The meal was excellent, if more expensive than I was accustomed to; I think I can blame the Canadian currency and the downtown location for that. But so what? I was on vacation — although if you’re retired, can you truly be on vacation?

After dinner, I went back to the room. Where else would I go? I guess I could have gone to a nightclub, but those nave never interested me. No, I went back to my room and turned on the news. I definitely watched BBC News; I might have watched some other news as well, although I don’t recall. Eventually, I felt sleepy and turned in for the night.

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Wednesday May 8

We had to have our checked bag out by 6:30 this morning, so there would be no sleeping in today. I made sure to get up before 5 so that I could complete my packing, including any rearranging of clothes from one bag to the other, in time. I did. I turned the BBC News back on this morning and continued getting ready for our departure to the train station at 7:30. My checked bag was picked up at 6:40. I didn’t have an official breakfast this morning, just a cookie that I’d bought last night.

I went down to the lower lobby after 7, a bit early for our 7:30 departure to the train station. Three were very few seats in the lobby, so I and many others stood, leaving the chairs for those who really needed them. When the time came, we went up a flight of steps to street level and then crossed the street to the station. We gathered in one of the concourse alcoves to await the boarding call for the trip to Montreal.

Our group was taken up first because we were a group and were all in the same car. For the only time during the trip, we were given our tickets directly because we had assigned seating and needed to know our seats. On all of the other train segments, tour director Jim held the actual tickets for us. I had seat 12A in our car. When 8:35 rolled around, the train got underway. For a while, we appeared to be racing a GO Transit train. It would appear to pull ahead, then we would, then it would, and so on. Eventually, we pulled ahead for good as well left Toronto behind. For a while, the tracks ran along the Lake Ontario shoreline.

I do not believe there was a cafe car on the train, but there was a food and drink cart pushed by one of the attendants, much like an airliner cart. I bought two Diet Cokes when the cart came to me. When I wasn’t looking at the scenery, I was reading the e-editions of the Detroit newspapers, checking the occasional e-mails, and resting (I hadn’t regularly gotten up at 5 since I’d retired). At one point, I needed to visit the restroom, which was at the rear of the car. There were two restrooms, but one was for women only, while the other was unisex; gender equity in action, I presume.

The train had been making good time, but east of Kingston, we were stopped for nearly 30 minutes for a freight train to pass. It was at that point where we lost half of the train. When it left Toronto, the train consisted of cars that would go to Ottawa and cars that would go to Montreal. The cars (and engine) going to Ottawa split from the remainder of the train, leaving us behind. Eventually, we got underway again. Now when the train crossed over into Quebec, the train announcements changed. Up until now, all of the announcements in Canada had been given in English first, followed by French. Now that we were in Quebec, the order was reversed: French first, then English. The train followed a freeway, or autoroute, most of the way into Montreal, where we arrived an hour late.

We got off the train and went up into the main hall, where we met our local guide, Jean-Michel, who led us to our tour bus being driven by driver Yves. Now because we were late in arriving into Montreal, our tour would be abbreviated. Now I had taken a bus tour in September after my New England and Maritimes cruise, so I could take comfort that I had seen some sights that we wouldn’t be seeing today. For instance, we only got to see the Expo 67 American Pavilion dome from afar; the same was true of the Olympic Stadium, which we only saw from atop Mont Royal. We did get to see St. Joseph’s Oratory up close, but we didn’t get off of the bus, plus we were instructed not to take photos while on the grounds (apparently there is a $1 per passenger fee for taking photos).

We did get out to see Beaver Lake in Mont Royal Park, though it was more of a pond than a lake, and there weren’t any beavers, and we did drive to the top of the mountain to see the city below. I didn’t get out there, for I had done so in September. We passed by Montreal’s Convention Center; with the autoroute running underneath it, I was reminded of Cobo Center in Detroit. Soon the tour came to an end, and we were dropped off at our hotel. Jean-Michel did do a good job of narrating this shortened tour.

We were staying at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel (I’m not sure if it was named for the Queen or the Queen Mother). I was in room 9160. Nearly 50 years earlier, John and Yoko had staged a bed-in and recorded “Give Peace a Chance” in room 1742. I took a shower and rested for a bit, for my feet had started to bother me. The shower was nearly identical to the one at the Hotel Vancouver, so it also reminded me of the shower at home growing up. Later, I went downstairs thinking about what to do with supper. There was something going on in the lobby, a photo and video session with men and women all dressed in white. It wasn’t a wedding party; I heard later that it was for some event in the conference facilities in the hotel. I went down to train station level (the hotel was built atop the station), but most of the restaurants I’d seen earlier had closed for the day. One place that hadn’t was the convenience store, so I got two cookies, a bag of Cheese and Onion flavored Lay’s (another one of those unusual flavors in Canada) and a bottle of Coke Zero. Top-flight Montreal cuisine, ha ha! I went back to the room to have my supper as well as download more pictures from my DSLR.

I must admit to feeling a little intimidated by the French-ness of Montreal. Most of the cities and places I’d visited on my own had been English-speaking; one exception had been Haifa, Israel, where I’d gone on pilgrimage. I’d had difficulty in deciding on a place to have supper in Montreal last September; I’d ended up having dinner in the hotel restaurant.

I was downloading some updates for my iPad or iPhone when I got a message: I had used 80% of my Canada-Mexico roaming data allotment for this billing cycle (4 GB of 5 GB, it turned out). I held off on downloading additional updates, although I probably didn’t have to. I don’t think I would have run out by tomorrow, the day I would leave Canada. I turned on the TV, but nothing really struck my fancy. There was a baseball game with commentary in French, but I didn’t watch it very long. Sometime between 9 and 9:30, I called it a night.

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Thursday May 9

This was it. After 11 days in Canada, we would be returning to the US today. The train would not leave until 10:20, so we had more time to get ready. It got my checked bag packed in plenty of time for it to be picked up around 8:15. I wrote out my contact information (e-mail, cell phone) for the Drivers for when they would be visiting Dearborn next week. My breakfast was the second of the two cookies I’d bought last night (they were big cookies); I didn’t feel like much more. Now perhaps I would have if I’d felt more comfortable in the city. Maybe I need to spend more time in a city where the native language was not English in order to feel comfortable.

By 9:15, we’d gathered in the lobby for the trip down to the station. I stopped at the convenience store again to pick up some snacks for later (some mini-brownies and a bottle of San Pellegrino water). Then we waited until our group was called for boarding. We were all in the last car of the train. I sat on the left side of the train, having sat on the right side when I’d taken it last September. I never saw Lake Champlain from the right side, for it was always on the left. I noticed that we hadn’t been given Customs declaration forms, unlike in September; that was fine by me.

The train got underway on time at 10:20, and we left the Montreal area. One of the group members, Ann from Omaha, sat with me, and we talked about a number of things throughout our journey. I received a message on Facebook Messenger: the wife of a high school classmate of mine had passed away suddenly. I sent my condolences.

The train went south through the suburbs of Montreal and the Quebec countryside. It looked very much like American suburbia and countryside but with different road signs, different businesses and different language. About 90 minutes after departure, the train crossed the border and stopped at the Customs and Immigration checkpoint. Agents boarded the train and did their job. In the case of the agent handling our car, knowing that 30 of us were part of a tour group made his job easier. After an hour, the train got back underway.

Recall that the group picture taken last Friday was was taken with my camera. How would I get that picture to everyone who wants it? Would I send it to America By Rail, which would then distribute it to everyone? No, I was given a list with everyone’s e-mail addresses (minus those who declined to give their addresses), which I would then use after I returned home. I took a picture of the list after it was given to me in case something happened to it.

As the train rolled southward, Lake Champlain was in view much of the time. Off in the distance were the Green Mountains of Vermont, which didn’t look particularly green today in the cloudy skies. Due to an untimely visit to the restroom, I missed seeing Fort Ticonderoga perched high on a bluff overlooking the lake; I just caught a glimpse of it as it receded to our rear, no chance for a good picture - or any picture, for that matter. For most of the trip, there was no T-Mobile service (and since I’d nearly used up my roaming allotment, no service at all). So no e-mail checks for a while.

We pulled into Schenectady on time. Some were remaining on the train, while those of us heading back to Chicago got off. The new station was very nice, a far cry from the trailer that was the station last September. We sat in the waiting area, as our train was at least two hours away. I and a few of the others left the station to take a short walk around the area. There was a historical marker in honor of Thomas Edison arriving at the station location to found one of his machine works companies, a company that would become General Electric. some of us went to a Burger King near the station. I got some fries and a large drink and went back t the station; I wasn’t particularly hungry yet. The station had two large video displays showing pictures of Schenectady’s history. Something like that might work well in Dearborn, I thought.

Around the scheduled time of arrival for the Lake Shore Limited, there was a call for boarding. Most of us went onto the platform, but there was no train. And it had turned windy and cold up there. It turned out that the call for boarding was automated and was in error; the train was running late. We went back to the waiting room, glad to warm up. The real call came 45 minutes later, and we got on board. My room was number 8 in car 4911; my room attendant was David.

The train got underway headed westbound. There was a big rush to the dining car for a late supper. I had the antipasto plate, which I’d had last year on the train going to the cruise. For dessert, I had a blondie toffee brownie, which I enjoyed. I stayed in the dining car a while to see the cars from the Adirondack Scenic Railway parked at the Utica station, but I never did see them. It was getting late for me, and the train’s being an hour late didn’t help matters, so I went back to my room. The bed had been prepared for me, the the sheet was tucked in too tight to easily pull out, so I just went with the blanket and tried to sleep. But I had a hard time sleeping, as light from the corridor leaked in past gaps in the curtains.

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Friday May 10

I did fall asleep, eventually; I got up for good around 5:30. I noticed that the Campbells, who were in the room across from me, were still on board. That meant we had not yet reached Toledo. If the train were on time, we’d be arriving there shortly after I got up. Instead, we were somewhere between Cleveland and Sandusky. The train went through Sandusky while I was having breakfast; I recognized the bridge on Highway 2 west of the city. I had some Rice Krispies and a blueberry muffin. Rice Krispies are known as Rice Bubbles in Australia, said the Drivers. I told them that the train to Dearborn would pass by the Kellogg’s factory in Battle Creek.

The train was still running some 2 hours late as we passed through western Ohio and Indiana. Now my return ticket to Dearborn was on the 5:50 train, but there was an earlier train that left at 12:40. I had hopes of changing my ticket to the earlier train and thus getting home much earlier, but with our being 2 hours late, it seemed doubtful I’d be able to do that. Our train arrived at Union Station at noon, and while we waited for our checked baggage to be retrieved, I heard a boarding call for that 12:40 train to Detroit. I’d have to remain in Chicago for five more hours and use my original ticket.

Those of us waiting for later trains to get back home waited in the Metropolitan Lounge. There were other America By Rail trips departing that afternoon, so it was a bit chaotic in there. A few of us followed tour director Jim over to Lou Mitchell’s restaurant, which was just around the corner. I’d heard of Lou Mitchell’s; it was a Route 66 landmark. But I’d never been there until today. The interior was typical American diner; it had me thinking about my local diner, Leo’s Coney Island in Westland. I had the Denver omelet with wheat toast, and everything was good. The omelet was fluffy, the toast was big and well-buttered, and the drinks were good. It was a great experience. I’d have missed out on that had I been able to change my ticket to the earlier train to Dearborn.

afterwards we went back to the station and to the Metropolitan Lounge. Officially, I’m not sure if we should have been in the lounge, since our next train trips were neither in sleeping cars nor in business class. But there we were. That’s where all of our stuff was, besides. And so for the next few hours, we sat in the lounge, charging and using our devices, listening to the TV overhead, etc. At 4:30, the three others who were left went to a Chicago pizza restaurant; I decided to leave as well and sit in the great hall to await my train.

The train to Michigan boarded on time, but we were warned it would be late because the train would have to turn around. That is, the train would leave the station, go to an east-west siding, then pull out in the right direction. That meant I was facing backwards for most of the trip. We passed a Whole Foods Market on the way out of the station. I was struck by the thought that a store selling donuts and bagels could call isle Hole Foods, ha ha (Swiss cheese too, for that matter). The car I was in contained passengers for Ann Arbor and Dearborn; most of them were young and probably were students.

There was a long line for the cafe car when it opened up; people were hungry and so was I. I got a hot dog combo for my supper as well as a large cookie. It was good enough. The train moved well enough; it was running late, but it wasn’t losing time as we rolled eastward, Most of the people in my car got off at Ann Arbor, leaving the car fairly empty. We were advised that we’d have to exit the train from the next car forward at Dearborn, so I moved my stuff there in stages. We arrived in Dearborn shortly before midnight, or a half-hour behind schedule. The station was closed, so I wouldn’t be able to use the restroom there. But since I’d had the foresight to go on the train, that wouldn’t be a problem. My car was still in the parking lot, and I still remembered how to drive, and so I headed home.

Many of the traffic lights on Ford Road had switched to blinking yellow for the overnight hours. Traffic was light, as you could imagine. I pulled into my garage at 12:30 and brought my suitcases in and unpacked my essentials. The rest could wait until morning. I couldn’t get to sleep right away, so I ended up downloading all of my pictures to my MacBook Pro and its master photo library. I may have actually started to identify them, too, but then I did start feeling sleepy. It was time to go to bed; the trip was officially over.

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Saturday May 11

Today was a day for recovery. But not entirely: I had a guitar to pick up. This was the guitar I had bought while on the train traveling to Toronto last Tuesday. I could have waited until Monday to go up to Lansing to get it, but I wanted to have it in my hands as soon as possible. And so I drove up to Lansing to Elderly Instruments to get that new (to me) Rickenbacker guitar. I also bought a new guitar strap and some picks. For lunch, I had a flatbread pizza at Boston’s, the American branch of Boston Pizza, where i’d eaten in Banff. And then I went back home to rest up from the trip and to play my new guitar (not necessarily in that order).

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Epilogue: Tuesday May 14

Two of the tour group members, Geoff and Pam Driver from Australia, had taken the train to Dearborn on Saturday, intending to visit the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village as well as take the Rouge Factory Tour. They would have liked to visit other places associated with Ford but couldn’t: the Flat Rock assembly plant, where Mustangs are built (not open to the public), the Henry Ford mansion Fair Lane (in the midst of restoration and not currently open to the public), and the Ford Piquette Plant (not open during their stay). We agreed to meet up at 11 AM on Tuesday for lunch. Since I had a car and they didn’t, I drove to the Greenfield Inn at Oakwood and I-94. I was a bit late due to road construction and lane striping, so when I arrived there, they were outside looking for me.

I’d suggested three choices for lunch: Middle Eastern food at La Pita; Mongolian barbecue at bd’s; or the one I thought they would select, American food at Ford’s Garage. As I expected, the Ford fanatics jumped at the chance to go to a Ford-themed restaurant. It wasn’t too busy when we got there before 11:30, and we were seated right away. I had a French onion soup and a patty melt, while they split an American Standard burger. They reveled in the decor, from the shop rags and hose clamps used for silverware to the signs on the walls to the gasoline/petrol nozzles used for door handles. I considered suggesting a piece of Sanders bumpy cake for dessert, a quintessential Detroit food, but we were all too full for that. They picked up my meal tab, which was very nice of them, and they bought a bottle opener as a souvenir.

I drove them back to their hotel via a roundabout route, going down the Southfield to Village Road and passing by the village, the test track and the X-Garage. I then drove through the R&E Center, pointing out the buildings where i had worked. I did have to contend with a detour that had arisen since my retirement, but that was no big deal. As we drove down Oakwood, Geoff asked if there was a Walmart nearby. Indeed there was, I said, some 3 miles to the north. They wanted to see the Walmart, so I took them there. I dropped them off there, in fact; they could use their hotel’s shuttle bus to return to the hotel. And so we said our farewells in the Walmart parking lot. They went inside, and I returned home.

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THE END

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Written by Roger Reini May 31, 2019