Rocky Mountaineer to Kamloops

Off to Vancouver on Thursday to catch the Rocky Mountaineer for 8am Friday morning. We will have come along way from the BC ferry food once we got on the train. That’s a French fry on the ferry not a tidbit on the Rocky Mountaineer.

It was quite the experience arriving at at 7am (thank you Linda for driving us) to an impressive new train terminal not far off Vancouver ‘s Main Street (not the classic Vancouver train station).

And the trains are classy! 

We were very lucky that our Gold Leaf car only had half the number of passengers. It was wonderful. We could move around, stand up and see everywhere. 

Next breakfast…starter and main dish.

All tasted very good and looked great.

It took quite a while to get out of the city. We even crossed the Fraser River  to my home town of Mission, on the old railway bridge that was there when I was a kid! 

Trust me, Mission looks better than this,

but trains don’t travel downtown.

The Rocky Mountaineer has a generous hand with beverages // you can drink all day! (Although we  drank more cold water and occasional soft drink.)

And no cost.

Up the Fraser Valley with lots of farming while we followed the Fraser. 

It is beautiful and muddy.

Next Hell’s Gate, the narrowest part of the canyon.

A fish ladder has been built to help the salmon get through.

Time for lunch

Delicious 

The polenta 

The tuna 

And of course dessert

Note the macaroon with the Rocky Mountaineer colours…

A chance for fresh air

After lunch we came to Cisco Crossing where CN trains cross over the CPR tracks which our Mountaineer train uses. An unusual experience to meet trains on both tracks at the same time.

A drier climate as we near Lytton. .

Rainbow Mountain from different minerals in the rock.  You can just make out the “avalanche sheds” the CPR built to keep rocks off its tracks. The railway built 33 in a 5-mile stretch here.

Once we meet the Thompson river, the water is less muddy and great for river rafting. 

These are hoodoos, 

The Rocky Mountaineer staff are excellent at keeping us informed on history, interesting stories and any wild life they see. However getting your camera ready to get a shot is difficult. Can you see the two big horn sheep on this photo? 

They are near that rock in the middle but this photo might be better.

Snacks and drinks are offered  all the way

Finally we arrive in Kamloops. Almost 12

hours after we started in rainy Vancouver. Feels good to arrive at our hotel. Yellow Bunny was waiting to relax.