landscape – jrpatee

Life is like a 10 speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.

Charles m. Schultz

We left Saskatoon and noted the flats. I had thought Kansas and Nebraska were flat. The horizon just beckons you.

Illness continued, feeling sore, stiff, with a bit of cough. Felt not right to expose others so just stayed in room. If you are going to be sick being on the Canadian with Angela as a steward is not a bad options. Started feeling better yesterday and today feeling right up near good. Today we even ate meals in dining car on a table with table cloths and such finery. And the windows are bigger.

I, for some incongruous reason thought the trip ended yesterday. I had calculated us being almost 11 hours behind schedule and hence called our hotel to inform them we would be late on arrival. The clerk noted we had no reservation last night but did starting tonite. I checked and correct. Alas the 4 day trip I started on Monday was day 0. Tuesday was a full day 1. And I made the very rookie mistake of thinking once we left Winnipeg we were close. I forgot to look at map of Ontario. It is huge, larger than France and Spain combined

Thus this morning we awoke riding through wondrous forests with zillions of lakes. Almost none occupied. So pleasant to see remote areas, no cabins, no airplanes, an occasional canoe pulled up but for the most part forest and lakes. No cell coverage. Small towns, I suspect are work towns for railroad maybe 200-300 km (150 miles)apart. Then we turned south and an occasional cabin and recreational boats. Approaching Toronto

Overall. A delightful 103 hours.

I know not all that may be coming. But be it what it will. I’ll go to it laughing.

Herman Melville from “Moby Dick”

Train is good. Like Amtrak the freight trains own the tracks so passengers take a back seat and wait for the freight trains to pass. Left Vancouver 5 minutes late and promptly stopped for an hour to await two freight trains.

Our cabin bunks come down on left chairs move about

But when we were told of the Canadian and how it was much nicer, yes, very true. Not that Amtrak was bad, but mints on bed every night, food is better, cars are cleaner, windows clean, and our room is much roomier, although still quite tiny, but at least one can move around, and the ride seems smoother. I can set something down and mostly expect it to remain. And windows are washed.

As noted earlier in last blog our “tour company” said the walk from hotel to station was too far to walk, and but we risked it, 2.3 km (1 1/2 miles). No problem, dinner in diner of lamb shank, potato’s, and an incredible strawberry cheesecake, except that evening a cough we both had was getting worse, and muscles were quite sore, not as if we overexercised but stiff and sore all over. It worsened and we made decision to stay in room, hopefully not spreading it. Angela our attendant has made life bearable bringing menu and meals from dining car. Yesterday Jeanne had breakfast, poached eggs on toast with melon, and has brown potato’s. I had fried eggs to perfection,sausage, toast melon. All on our lap in our room.

The Canadian Rockies were amazing as expected and I did open door and look out left side windows in hallway at Mt Robson, one of the most spectacular Mountain View’s from a road. we did get off in Jasper and walked around for a bit in soaking up sunshine. The business area remains but the fires devastated the surrounding area, two years ago

Panorama of our 21cars and window washers

Currently sitting on a siding awaiting a freight train to pass. Saskatchewan is flat. I think a two story house would be good because then you would be highest thing around