Sunday, June 17, 2012

Part 9 - Canadian Rockies: Rocky Mountaineer train


We indulged in wild extravagance by taking the Rocky Mountaineer train trip from Banff to Vancouver. Gail booked the Gold Leaf class – the most expensive and wildly luxurious of the three classes on offer. The carriage has two levels, the upper one having a glass dome roof and the lower one being the dining room. The trip took two days, with an overnight stop in Kamloops. The pics below show Gail about to board, Don on the train pretending he is happy, Gail in the dining room and one of our hosts in the domed carriage.





We saw some wildlife from the train. Pics below show a black bear and a group of Big Horn sheep. We also saw bald eagles and ospreys (which are birds).



The scenery seen from t the train would be spectacular on a blue sky sunny day, but we got generally cloudy days. The pics below show the train passing beside the Kicking Horse River, the location where the east and west branches of the continental railway joined (called the “Last Spike” memorial), the bridge at Cisco Crossings over the Fraser River which we passed over in the train, and the airtram over the Fraser River Canyon at Hell’s Gate.





We had one last night in Vancouver. We spent the next day walking around the downtown area and along the harbour where the cruise ships dock. Pics show Canada Place on the harbour, a view of floatplanes on the harbour, and Granville St, which is one of the main downtown streets.




In the afternoon we flew Alaska Airlines from Vancouver to Los Angeles, and then took a VAustralia flight to Brisbane.

So farewell until next trip.

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