near Lake Louise, Alberta.
Photo by Tourism Vancouver, BC Place
When adventurers and explorers traveled through the Canadian Rockies, they saw majestic mountains, huge raptors, bears, rushing water and quiet valleys. They also scrounged for food, and at the end of the day, their cold bottoms were probably covered with saddle sores.
William Van Horne thought there was a better way. In the latter part of the 19th century, he was instrumental in building Canada’s transcontinental railroad. A strong believer in tourism, he said, “If we can’t export the scenery, we’ll import the tourists.”
Aboard the Rocky Mountaineer you view these drop dead vistas with comfort instead of cold. Domed cars are transparent capsules that rumble and slither through tunnels, over bridges and around mountains. It sure beats the clippety-clop of a horse and wagon.
There are three different itineraries. All are reversible and can be added to another train excursion. Take your choice of routes: Kicking Horse, Yellowhead or Fraser Discovery.
Kicking Horse is the most popular route. “All aboard!” shouts the conductor in the early a.m. The train departs the Calgary station for the two-day, 600-mile journey that will cross five mountain ranges, travel past semi-arid desert, temperate rain forest and terminate alongside the coastal waters of Vancouver.
along the route.
Photo by Tourism Vancouver, BC Place
The 30-35 miles per hour cruising speed makes it easy to watch the world go by and to spot wildlife. A mama osprey snuggles in her nest to protect her eggs from the crisp Canadian air. Elks graze in a pine-forested landscape. When the Mountaineer emerges from one of the many spiral tunnels, eagles soar toward the snowy mountains.
Clouds roll in and cling to the side of the peaks. The train is like a cocoon, blotting out the chilly weather and leaving only warmth and friendliness. If you are lucky enough to be riding in the GoldLeaf bi-level coaches, you will be served hot gourmet meals and be pampered to death. If you choose the more economical RedLeaf coach, it is more like a 1930s train experience. Either way, you will have fine viewing, good vittles and the same running commentary of the area’s history, geology, flora and fauna.
Still, there’s that early morning departure. If it weren’t for the smell of fresh coffee and freshly baked pastries, the hum of the train might throw you back into the arms of Morpheus. But then you’d miss the scenery like the old train station alongside the awesome Lake Louise. Some of the old freight train cars are now a restaurant. Dr. Zhivago was filmed here.
As the trip continues, RedLeafers make their way to the lower level dining car for breakfast. Executive Chef Steve Buzak caters to special needs and tries to keep food on the lighter side. But the calories are there if you want them. Breakfast selections may include fresh pastries, eggs Benedict, or smoked salmon-wrapped scrambled eggs with caviar and cream sauce. Everything is cooked on board, and some believe that the food is every bit as good as Orient Express fare.
Photo by Rocky Mountaineer Vacations™
While all this eating is going on, the train rolls past Banff and Yoho national parks.
The Canadian, British Columbian and Albertan flags mark the Continental Divide. At an altitude of 5,332 feet, this is the highest point of the journey. And here’s a bit of trivia. Did you know that all the water to the east of the Divide flows into the Atlantic, while the destination of the water on its western side is the Pacific?
After the Divide, the train navigates steep grade through spiral mountain tunnels. Soon, the Columbia River runs alongside the tracks. On the outdoor observation deck in the rear of the car, photographers literally hang over the side in a quest for that perfect shot. It does not matter if there is wind or rain. Capturing the snow sheds (covered areas that protect trains from avalanches), winding track, a bear, a mountain goat, bighorn sheep or deer is what’s important.
Kicking Horse Pass is a great “photo op.” When the train emerges from the 3,255-foot-long Upper Silo Tunnel, you can see the train as it spirals into the Kicking Horse Valley.
Bear tracks zigzag across the barren shore of Kicking Horse Lake.
“Bear on the left,” comes a sudden shout of a passenger.
Photo by Rocky Mountaineer Vacations™
Everyone shifts to the left. One wonders if this quick change in the train’s weight distribution could send it careening off the track.
When the daylight starts to diminish, so does the journey. The Rocky Mountaineer travels only during daylight hours. Kamloops is its overnight stop. Evening fare in Kamloops is dining and entertainment. After dinner, the wait staff becomes the cast in a zany production about Billy Miner, the “Gentleman Bandit.” He coined the term “hands up,” and when not robbing trains, he hung out in Kamloops. In 2009, there will be a new production, Maple Leaf Musical.
Though there is another much-too-early-in-the-morning departure, the train staff and guests are more relaxed. Everyone is quick to share interesting sights, like the Indian cemetery on the outskirts of town. It has crosses that cover the corpseless ground. Rejecting missionary customs, the Indians snatched the bodies and secretly buried them according to their own tradition.
Photo by Tourism Vancouver, BC Place
The train moves on toward soaring peaks, blue-hued glaciers and roaring waterfalls. Over bridges and through tunnels, it weaves on its way through Black, Thompson and Fraser canyons. Then it hugs the shore alongside the Thompson and Fraser rivers.
Soon, small towns and logging camps become plentiful. On the outskirts of Vancouver, the unattractive remnants of civilization appear—garbage, huge cranes, cement for the construction of the sky tram, noise and traffic.
“Still,” says passenger, Gary Slonim, “We’ve done a lot of rail travel, including the Glacial Express. This is the best.”
All the other the train-travel junkies nod in agreement.
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