A couple of weeks ago we were on our way home to the city and listening to the Vinyl Café. Stuart McLean was hosting the show from “The Canadian”. They were somewhere in northern Ontario on their way to Toronto. It made me realise how lucky we were to have experienced that train when we were kids and made the trip through the mountains and across the prairie to Kenora. Not many Canadians these days have the opportunity to experience their country from the Dome Car.
We were pretty young so the memories are spotty. For example, I have no recollection of eating on the train at all. Maybe we fasted the entire way? No, wait, there were granola bars and maybe some chewy bears? I am sure we ate in the dining car and had our three meals a day but I can’t remember it!
I do remember the scenery (which probably says a lot about the beauty of this country if it made an impression on a kid!), the dome car, the challenge of walking between the cars and rolling into the stations we stopped at. Nancy, Janeen and I got on in Kamloops, joining Eliza and Elaine who boarded in Vancouver. I have memories of the mountains and the spiral tunnel so we must have travelled through them during daylight. I also have memories of getting off somewhere on the prairies at twilight and walking around. Otherwise, we spent hours up in the observation car or in our seats, watching the country rock by, reading, playing games and spending time together.
As we travelled through towns and urban centres people would watch us pass by. Freight trains and commuter trains are common in this country but everyone stops to watch the cross country passenger train go by. Then, as these days, it was something special. Thanks Nancy and Elaine!
We were pretty young so the memories are spotty. For example, I have no recollection of eating on the train at all. Maybe we fasted the entire way? No, wait, there were granola bars and maybe some chewy bears? I am sure we ate in the dining car and had our three meals a day but I can’t remember it!
I do remember the scenery (which probably says a lot about the beauty of this country if it made an impression on a kid!), the dome car, the challenge of walking between the cars and rolling into the stations we stopped at. Nancy, Janeen and I got on in Kamloops, joining Eliza and Elaine who boarded in Vancouver. I have memories of the mountains and the spiral tunnel so we must have travelled through them during daylight. I also have memories of getting off somewhere on the prairies at twilight and walking around. Otherwise, we spent hours up in the observation car or in our seats, watching the country rock by, reading, playing games and spending time together.
As we travelled through towns and urban centres people would watch us pass by. Freight trains and commuter trains are common in this country but everyone stops to watch the cross country passenger train go by. Then, as these days, it was something special. Thanks Nancy and Elaine!
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I too remember that trip with great fondness, but I also forget what we ate...must have been healthy. I'm suprised that you don't remember that I brought along skipping ropes so that st every station you girls could get out and blow off steam!
ReplyDeleteOnce at the lake Nancy introduced me to fasting and I lasted three days...but it felt good. And then at end of the fast and after a couple of days of getting back to "normal", we had a big celebration. we had a fabulous dinner with decadent deserts. George had arrived and when I suggested that we all come to dinner in "evening attire" he showed up in his pajames!!! I think that this was also the night that we all went skinny dipping in the dark and George, not wanting to miss out on all the fun appeared for one quick, fleeting bare assed plung into the water.
Yes I also have fond memories of this trip. Can't remember the skipping ropes, what we ate but do remember the scenery like Andrea. We sat in the dome car mile after mile and watched cloud formations, light sky's, dark sky's thunder and lightening storms for long distances in all directions. Heather, Brent & Brenda came for a visit. We must have been just getting back to "normal" eating as we served fruit, nuts and yogurt for lunch and Brent asked "Is that all?"
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