Trip to British Columbia, Canada 2010

Below is an outline of our vacation which we will be adding to as time permits.

Day 1, Boarding the Train

Ross missed the GO train in Oshawa to Toronto as he left his Iphone in the car. Lionel come back to the train station and drives Ross to Union Station to meet up with Carmen and the luggage. A couple hour wait in Union Station and we board the train around 10 pm. Carmen introduces Ross to some of the Via staff she sees on a daily basis. We have a nice room even for a big guy like me. Carmen took the upper bunk as I think she thought it was the safer of the two or just being kind to the old guy and not having him climb the ladder. Train didn't get moving too fast then around Mississauga had to back up a fair bit. Lots of tea and coffee and snacks available all the time.

Day 2, Still in Ontario

Met some nice people for breakfast. The meals throughout the journey were excellent as were the staff serving them. We met a lot of very nice and interesting people at meal time and in the observation cars. People from Great Britain, USA, and other parts of Canada, all very interesting and friendly to talk with. I think there were at least 4 observation cars not including the bullet shaped one at the back of the train. Ontario was basically lakes, trees and small villages.

Day 3, Manitoba and the tour of Winnipeg

The day started off with a nice breakfast as we rolled through Manitoba to Winnipeg. The a four hour stop over in Winnipeg until 11:30 am. We took a tour of the city and the Legislature. Then back on the train for lunch as we pulled out of town. Passing through the prairies I saw what looked to be a funnel cloud forming and sure enough on the news the next day we heard a tornado set down. As evening approached we entered Saskatchewan. We slept through that province and woke in Alberta.

Day 4, Jasper and the Rockies

Had a short stop to stretch our legs and some old cars were in a compound near the railway line to look at. Then another stop in Jasper where we were able to purchase a few souvenirs and take a few pictures. As we pulled out we entered the Rockies. Had another nice dinner with a guitar player to serenade us and some games and prizes. We later met up with some friends in one of the dome cars to cat a bit as one couple from Montreal would be getting off the train at 11 pm before reaching Vancouver. Had some nice conversation about gardening. The mountains were amazingly beautiful. It was so nice to sit back and enjoy them pass by.

Day 5, Fraser Valley and Vancouver

Woke up to the Fraser Valley and the river winding along beside the railway tracks as we approached Vancouver. Took a cab from the station to La Quinta in Richmond where we were staying. The drive said it was the best day they had all year for weather. We had a nice Japanese lunch at a restaurant close to the hotel. The hotel was nice and I took a soak in the hot tub and a swim while Carmen enjoy some shopping. They dinner call was earlier than we had been informed and the meal was not very good. We walked back from the restaurant as it was only a block from our hotel and stopped off for some frozen yogurt and strawberries. Got back to our room and took some clothes to the Laundromat across the street for an hour or so. There were lots of restaurants near the hotel and I think they said 18 bubble tea places. A mall was about 2 blocks away with a Winners in it. Guess who (Carmen) was very happy. lol

Time for me to take a break. More probably next week as we have a busy weekend ahead of us.

Day 6, Bus tour begins

Day 7, Banff

Day 8, Columbia Glacier

Day 9, Kamloops ginseng factory and back to Vancouver.

Day 10, Victoria, Ferry Ride and Butchart Gardens

Day 11, Tour of Downtown Vancouver and then to the  Airport

Day 12 Back Home

Pictures: Will post pictures as soon as we can sort out the few thousand we took. We will not post pictures of other people as to respect their privacy. We will forward pictures on request.

Home