We
took the train from 
Bellingham, WA to Vancouver, BC, which is a lovely
train ride along the coast. (I even saw a bald eagle or two!!!) We had
a
few days in Vancouver, a charming city in southwestern Canada, and the
largest
city in the province of British Columbia.
Our hotel was okay, but in a strange part of town – we knew it bordered
on Chinatown and wasn’t far from Gastown, the oldest part of Vancouver that has
been gentrified 
(and named for the old gas street lamps that the area
retains). The architecture
and little things like manhole covers and streetlights reflected the history
and ethnicity of the neighbourhoods – dragons in Chinatown, flowers and gas
lamps in Gastown, and traditional Haida symbols for the First Nations (Native
Canadians).
Vancouver
really shines in the summer, with flowers everywhere and beautiful blue skies
as well as being nearly surrounded by various inlets and bodies of water. We had a great time just walking
through Chinatown, Gastown, and all parts inbetween – looking at the
architecture, murals, those little design elements I like, and of course the
great variety of people that make up this part of Canada.
Plus great
food – we had a Cuban lunch, an Italian lunch, and some good old Canadian pub
food in our hotel. The hotel also
provided a continental breakfast, which offered 
quite a number of options. And of course I drank tons of tea,
because Canada is part of the British Commonwealth. (In that way that confuses us from the USA – but yes, Canada
as well as New Zealand and Australia are all independent and separate countries
that have retained ties to Great Britain, and thus are considered part of the
British Commonwealth.)
quite a number of options. And of course I drank tons of tea,
because Canada is part of the British Commonwealth. (In that way that confuses us from the USA – but yes, Canada
as well as New Zealand and Australia are all independent and separate countries
that have retained ties to Great Britain, and thus are considered part of the
British Commonwealth.)
However, we
didn’t realize we were essentially in the down-and-out area 
of town, where
there are quite a few street people, junkies, and, well, people who essentially
have a difficult time fitting in to modern society for 
any number of
reasons. Alcoholism, drug
dependency, mental illness – you name it, we saw representations of the
societal problems. Probably more a
function of the fact that most cities have spread away from the old centers of
town, often where the rail stations are located. So that those old parts of the cities become centers for
low-income housing (including our budget hotel), and thus attract people who
are not only economically disadvantaged but also have other problems or issues
preventing them from fully participating in the more prosperous parts of a
community.
of town, where
there are quite a few street people, junkies, and, well, people who essentially
have a difficult time fitting in to modern society for any number of
reasons. Alcoholism, drug
dependency, mental illness – you name it, we saw representations of the
societal problems. Probably more a
function of the fact that most cities have spread away from the old centers of
town, often where the rail stations are located. So that those old parts of the cities become centers for
low-income housing (including our budget hotel), and thus attract people who
are not only economically disadvantaged but also have other problems or issues
preventing them from fully participating in the more prosperous parts of a
community.
So it was a
different view of Vancouver than either of us have had previously.
And I think
the quotation from the Chinese mural is apt:
"It takes knowledge to understand others,
but it needs a clear mind to know oneself.
"It takes strength to surpass others,
but it requires a strong will to surpass oneself."
-Lao Tzu
After our
two and a half days in Vancouver, we caught the VIA Rail Canada train to
Toronto. This is a 4,466 kilometer
trip!
Now, most
people don’t realize how truly huge Canada is, all 3,855,103 square miles of
it! (The USA WITHOUT ALASKA is only
2,939,064.44 sq miles; with Alaska, 3,794,100 square miles. And that’s Canada at 9,984,670 square
kilometers to the USA at 9,926,675 sq km, for my metric friends. Yes, Canada is almost 1 million square
miles bigger than the lower 48 states.
That is one big country!!!)
Here’s a map showing the train route.
Leaving
Vancouver, we headed sort of northeast to Jasper, Alberta, going through the
Canadian Rockies. Then almost
straight east to Edmonton, where we headed more southeast to Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan. (Yes, we were in
Saskatoon!) 
Continuing SE, we
headed to Winnipeg, then went back to a NE approach to Sioux Lookout, skirted
north of Lake Huron and Lake Superior, and then headed SE to Toronto,
Ontario. (It’s the red-orange line
in the photo.)
And yes,
the major Canadian provinces are lined up in a row across the lower portion of
Canada; the upper portion is “the 
territories,” according to some fellow train
passengers. (Although Quebec
reaches up to the Arctic Circle, as do the “territories.”) As you can see, the major cities and
towns are in the lower half of Canada, most within something like 100 to 150
miles of the border with the USA.
territories,” according to some fellow train
passengers. (Although Quebec
reaches up to the Arctic Circle, as do the “territories.”) As you can see, the major cities and
towns are in the lower half of Canada, most within something like 100 to 150
miles of the border with the USA.
So we saw
much of the central portion of British 
Columbia, which is very green and
hilly. The train left
after 8:30 PM, which is
still daylight that far north. But
the sun eventually set, and we fell asleep.
Columbia, which is very green and
hilly. The train left
after 8:30 PM, which is
still daylight that far north. But
the sun eventually set, and we fell asleep.
And awoke
in Alberta, amidst the majesty of the Canadian Rockies – wow, huge tall
mountains towering all around us, alpine lakes and rivers looking icy cold,
glaciers 
gleaming in the sunrise – absolutely gorgeous and pristine nature
(except for the train rails and the electric lines running alongside). It was so beautiful, everyone gasped
when they woke up and peeked outside for their first glimpse of the
scenery. And yes, this is why
people take the train instead of fly across Canada.
gleaming in the sunrise – absolutely gorgeous and pristine nature
(except for the train rails and the electric lines running alongside). It was so beautiful, everyone gasped
when they woke up and peeked outside for their first glimpse of the
scenery. And yes, this is why
people take the train instead of fly across Canada.
We arrived
in Jasper by the afternoon. Jasper
is almost mystical, an alpine town and park surrounded by flinty grey peaks and
snow, almost like a Shangri-la of the north, but with bears instead of
yeti. We had about an hour to
wander around, although the town is 
unfortunately too full of tourists to
really enjoy the beauty of the location.
Well, and the town is also full of places catering to all those tourists. My favourite part, though, was the huge
dumpster with big signs about “use this dumpster to keep bears wild” – because
apparently the dumpster is supposedly bear proof and difficult to open. Yes, I also found it to be human proof,
and required assistance in figuring out how to open the 
lid so I could toss in
my latte cup.
unfortunately too full of tourists to
really enjoy the beauty of the location.
Well, and the town is also full of places catering to all those tourists. My favourite part, though, was the huge
dumpster with big signs about “use this dumpster to keep bears wild” – because
apparently the dumpster is supposedly bear proof and difficult to open. Yes, I also found it to be human proof,
and required assistance in figuring out how to open the lid so I could toss in
my latte cup.
But even
the photo of our train with the mountains as the backdrop, taken at our stop in
Jasper, looks like a faked photo shoot.
That’s how picture-perfect the mountains are there, they look almost
unreal. I’d love to spend more
time in Jasper, maybe not quite in 
the middle of tourist season, just to see
more of this incredibly gorgeous place.
the middle of tourist season, just to see
more of this incredibly gorgeous place.
Oh, for
people wondering about the pale grey colour of these mountains – I looked it
up, because I wanted to know what kind of rock they were, since the colour
seemed rather unusual compared to the US Rockies. (This is what happens when one is the child of a geologist.) Turns out the Canadian Rockies 
are
mostly sedimentary rock such as shale and limestone, while the US Rockies are
more often metamorphic rock like gneiss and granite. The Canadian Rockies, while made of softer rock, are more
sharply defined and jagged because they were more heavily glaciated (as in more
heavily covered by glaciers). So
that answers my questions about the rock 
colour. Also probably why the rivers and lakes have a chalky look to
the water, both from the cold as well as the limestone runoff.
are
mostly sedimentary rock such as shale and limestone, while the US Rockies are
more often metamorphic rock like gneiss and granite. The Canadian Rockies, while made of softer rock, are more
sharply defined and jagged because they were more heavily glaciated (as in more
heavily covered by glaciers). So
that answers my questions about the rock colour. Also probably why the rivers and lakes have a chalky look to
the water, both from the cold as well as the limestone runoff.
We climbed
back into the train and rolled on, through more mountain passes and along more
mountain rivers and lakes. The big
events were a few people sighting a young bear, and one man catching a photo of
this 
bear! (He was an interesting
man, who drove trains for 40 years – and turned out to be the first engineer to
drive a train from France to England through the Chunnel!) He also captured a few photos of deer,
and I think we saw an elk – it had that distinctive circle of fur on its rump,
so unlike a deer.
bear! (He was an interesting
man, who drove trains for 40 years – and turned out to be the first engineer to
drive a train from France to England through the Chunnel!) He also captured a few photos of deer,
and I think we saw an elk – it had that distinctive circle of fur on its rump,
so unlike a deer.
Nights were
dark, the moon was almost full and 
reflected beautifully in all those lakes and
rivers, and we rode on – not quite silently through the night, but ever on,
with our train blowing its lonesome whistle. And stopping periodically to let a freight train go by, since
passenger trains seem to be lowest on the train hierarchy.
reflected beautifully in all those lakes and
rivers, and we rode on – not quite silently through the night, but ever on,
with our train blowing its lonesome whistle. And stopping periodically to let a freight train go by, since
passenger trains seem to be lowest on the train hierarchy.
We reached
Edmonton some time in the middle of 
the night, where a batch of high school
students came on board. These were
French-speaking students from Quebec, who spent a few weeks in western Canada
practicing their English. Other
Anglophone students were sent to Quebec to practice (or learn) French. This is sponsored by the YMCA to help
Canadian youth better understand other areas and cultures within Canada, and
seemed like a great program.
Although it did make the train suddenly quite busy, but the kids were in
a different carriage and we didn’t see much of them, except at meal time.
the night, where a batch of high school
students came on board. These were
French-speaking students from Quebec, who spent a few weeks in western Canada
practicing their English. Other
Anglophone students were sent to Quebec to practice (or learn) French. This is sponsored by the YMCA to help
Canadian youth better understand other areas and cultures within Canada, and
seemed like a great program.
Although it did make the train suddenly quite busy, but the kids were in
a different carriage and we didn’t see much of them, except at meal time.
(Aren't the photos incredible? There's no way to take a bad photo when the scenery is this amazingly gorgeous!!! Absolutely breath-taking!!!!)
The next
morning, we were in the Canadian plains, the great prairie region of
Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Endless
fields of wheat, or low rolling hills with rivers and ponds and hundreds of
ducks. Fields and fields of
prairie grasses, or farms of wheat, and sometimes grazing cattle. This part of Canada is similar to much
of the US 
plains, especially the northern Plains states – occasional farms or
towns, and that endless vista of golden grains or bright greens, dotted with a
few trees just for variety. Fields of flowers, rolled up haystacks - this is more beautiful scenery, even if it isn't as dramatic as the mountain region.
I really
liked the old barns and silos – at least, I think they’re silos, the have that
very tall structure but were square or rectangular, rather than cylindrical. But some advertised farms or farm
implements, others just stood silent, fading in the harsh climate of the plains
– relentless sun all summer, snow and ice all winter, and vicious storms in the
changing seasons. I think of these
weather beaten structures as the 
architectural equivalent of Dylan Thomas’s
line: “Do not go gentle into that
good night.” The buildings seem to
stand sturdy and tall, no matter how they might be forgotten or left to rejoin
the elements – paint fades and peels, wood turns to silver, and still the old
barn or silo stands, tall and regal, proud to be part of the landscape, and
refusing to fall victim to the seasons.
Okay, I
will stop here – it’s getting late, this blog is getting long, and I need to
fall into bed. I’m looking forward
to a real bed after four nights in a reclining train seat!
One last story, because I have room - I always look for animals, and we were all hoping to see a moose, just because they're big and 
rare. Well, one evening it was almost dark, and I saw something in a light beige colour running across a field of grass. Not a reddish beige like a deer, but almost a yellow sandy beige colour. And this animal was large, like a deer, but the legs were shorter, it just wasn't standing as tall as a deer (or elk, or caribou, or moose) would stand. But I 
couldn't see the head, only the torso. And I couldn't see the tail. The loping gait was rather feline, though, so I'm thinking I just maybe, possibly, saw a mountain lion!!!!! One of my favourite North American (and Central American) 
animals!!!! I don't know if it really was, there's no way to go back and tell, but it was so exciting!!!!
rare. Well, one evening it was almost dark, and I saw something in a light beige colour running across a field of grass. Not a reddish beige like a deer, but almost a yellow sandy beige colour. And this animal was large, like a deer, but the legs were shorter, it just wasn't standing as tall as a deer (or elk, or caribou, or moose) would stand. But I couldn't see the head, only the torso. And I couldn't see the tail. The loping gait was rather feline, though, so I'm thinking I just maybe, possibly, saw a mountain lion!!!!! One of my favourite North American (and Central American) animals!!!! I don't know if it really was, there's no way to go back and tell, but it was so exciting!!!!
More
tomorrow!
(And of course I have more photos for this blog, so I'll just add them to the end.)
