Saturday, 27 May. Jasper to Via Rail Train no. 2

Once my packing for the train was done I went for a bit of a walk and to take a photo of the mountain that looks like a sleeping man. It was surprisingly warm so my fleece jacket was stuffed into my train bag. I had no idea whether it would be warm or cool on the train.

Checked out of the hotel and was picked up for my ride to the station at 11.15 for an 11.30 check in. The station is a lovely historic building which has been restored beautifully. Unfortunately the train was running very late. It was due to depart at 12.30 but we finally left Jasper at 4.00. I went over the road for a snack and a coffee in an Italian restaurant. Good coffee and wickedly delicious Italian donuts.

There were a lot of people waiting in the station building and when the train arrived a lot got off so there was much for the train staff to do. Finally we were installed in our cabins or seats and off we set. My Sleeper Plus cabin is as small as I expected and fairly basic. There is both a curtain and a door. The toilet/footrest opposite my comfortable chair is bizarre and at this stage I have no intention of using it. Just checked out the closest loo and it will have to do, though it’s a sad come-down after the Rocky Mountaineer. Can’t see myself putting the bed up and down in the middle of the night.

I’m booked in for the third sitting for dinner, about 9.00pm. My neighbour across the corridor is Ian from Cumbria and we’ve had a couple of nice chats. He has been doing a lot of walks on the fells, which sounds like something Judy B would love to do. 

Our sleeping car attendant said that today is probably the last chance to spot a moose, so that’s that and I’m not going to whinge about it any more. We were so lucky to see those bears yesterday. Today’s tally is one white tailed deer and a few ducks and geese but it’s not dark yet so you never know. We left the Rockies behind soon after we left Jasper and are now passing through heavily forested country. The town we passed through a while back was a timber town and we see quite a bit of timber on the passing trains.

Later … Passed through an area that’s recently burned and there were still some smouldering stumps. Couldn’t see any sign of damage to houses etc, just forest, so hopefully not too bad. Hopped off the train for a few minutes at Edmonton and could see the city in the distance. Didn’t want to be left behind so I was back on quickly.