We were told this morning that we would arrive very early into Toronto. Imagine our surprise (or lack thereof) when we noted that we were in a train yard over 100 miles from said city, stopped. Again. Arrival time was adjusted, at least via rumor. We found our way to the dining car and joked with our fellow passengers that this was a bit like being in an elegant jail. We even get to go out for exercise 1-2 x per day, but limited in our scope....
At long last we did arrive in Toronto. The station is spacious, airy and easy to navigate, and....in a huge remodel. Karen motored off to ticketing to figure things out while we dealt with luggage. Via Rail was quite accomodating for our being 25 hours late. We were booked into the next train, the one we would have taken yesterday. And upgraded to Business. So we are now on our way, again. This time, however, the route is a heavily traveled commuter route. The rail is dedicated. The pace is fast. And the departure time? Absolutely on time.
AAAAAND we have Wifi. Karen and I have quickly worked on email, sending photos back and forth and updating our trusty blog. Afterall, yesterday, we were in essentially total radio silence.
Ontario is a change from the prairies: still fairly flat, but a lacy network of lakes, boggy areas and thick spruce (?) forest. When I say forest, I would amend this for the Alaskans and West Coasters: the trees are spindly, with limited horizontal growth and appear to be barely 8" in diameter. Interspersed are deciduous trees: larch or birch. The sky is blue and the ponds reflect the sky and there are few people or signs of human life, with the except of 1. the train and tracks themselves, and 2. the defunct telegraph wires that run adjacent to #1, which are very expensive to remove and clearly of no value (say, for the copper) as they have not been removed by opportunists. Given the remoteness of the area, this is not surprising.
Karen and I have been dutifully looking for mammals. Any mammals. There is hearsay of moose from the morning, but nothing further. We see evidence of beavers, but Karen says we can't count the dams as a mammal. Dang it. In the end, there were no mammals, just plenty of birds.
Karen and I are starting to compose our letter to ViaRail. Despite the delays, the service has been exemplary, the crew has been beyond friendly (we got to see Erin's kids photos, and hear about JP's family, and Lt Dan went above and beyond. Even Chris the mechanic was friendly and conversant. All profusely apologetic and thankful for the good humor of the passengers.
We added spice to the entire mix with the two betting pools to predict the arrival into Winnipeg and Toronto, adding in additional details for even more fun. Karen even won two looneys!
At long last we did arrive in Toronto. The station is spacious, airy and easy to navigate, and....in a huge remodel. Karen motored off to ticketing to figure things out while we dealt with luggage. Via Rail was quite accomodating for our being 25 hours late. We were booked into the next train, the one we would have taken yesterday. And upgraded to Business. So we are now on our way, again. This time, however, the route is a heavily traveled commuter route. The rail is dedicated. The pace is fast. And the departure time? Absolutely on time.
AAAAAND we have Wifi. Karen and I have quickly worked on email, sending photos back and forth and updating our trusty blog. Afterall, yesterday, we were in essentially total radio silence.
Ontario is a change from the prairies: still fairly flat, but a lacy network of lakes, boggy areas and thick spruce (?) forest. When I say forest, I would amend this for the Alaskans and West Coasters: the trees are spindly, with limited horizontal growth and appear to be barely 8" in diameter. Interspersed are deciduous trees: larch or birch. The sky is blue and the ponds reflect the sky and there are few people or signs of human life, with the except of 1. the train and tracks themselves, and 2. the defunct telegraph wires that run adjacent to #1, which are very expensive to remove and clearly of no value (say, for the copper) as they have not been removed by opportunists. Given the remoteness of the area, this is not surprising.
Karen and I have been dutifully looking for mammals. Any mammals. There is hearsay of moose from the morning, but nothing further. We see evidence of beavers, but Karen says we can't count the dams as a mammal. Dang it. In the end, there were no mammals, just plenty of birds.
Karen and I are starting to compose our letter to ViaRail. Despite the delays, the service has been exemplary, the crew has been beyond friendly (we got to see Erin's kids photos, and hear about JP's family, and Lt Dan went above and beyond. Even Chris the mechanic was friendly and conversant. All profusely apologetic and thankful for the good humor of the passengers.
We added spice to the entire mix with the two betting pools to predict the arrival into Winnipeg and Toronto, adding in additional details for even more fun. Karen even won two looneys!
View from the observation lounge, waiting for a train to pass so we can proceed. Sorry for the bugs.
Big sky country in Saskatchewan. Note that the fields are still not with any wheat. Too cold yet.
More Saskatchewan images
Our entire route.
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