# Cross Canada by Rail Adventure



## rtabern (Sep 15, 2011)

Here is our most ambitious rail adventure to date...

Rob (rtabern) and my traveling companion Mike (J-1 3235)... we actually met and became friends at the first AUF gathering in Chicago in October 2007... he's about my only friend who'd think sitting on a train for 12 days would be a good use of vacation time!!

September 15, 2011: Fly MKE-BOS, BOS-YHZ (Halifax); overnight Halifax

September 16, 2011: Tour Halifax, VIA "The Ocean" (Triple Bedroom in Park Car)

September 17, 2011: VIA "The Ocean", VIA Montrael-Tornonto, VIA "Canadian" (Double Bedroom)

September 18, 2011: VIA "Canadian" (Double Bedroom)

September 19, 2011: VIA "Canadian" (Double Bedroom)

September 20, 2011: VIA "Canadian" to Jasper, rent car and head down to Columbia Glacier

September 21, 2011: Driver back to Jasper, VIA "Skeena" (Totem Class), overnight Prince George

September 22, 2011: VIA "Skeena" (Totem Class), overnight Prince Rupert

September 23, 2011: Tour Prince Rupert

September 24, 2011: Ferry from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan, Alaska

September 25, 2011: Ketchikan, AK

September 26, 2011: Fly KET-SEA, SEA-DET, DET-MKE

Phew!! Check back for updates along the way whenever I get WiFi!!! And a lot more pics, etc. when I get home!!

I wanted to do this trip since I was like 10 years old...


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## rtabern (Sep 15, 2011)

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/22020

Day 1 mini-trip report & photos

Thursday, September 15, 2011 marked the first day of a 12 day vacation crossing Canada by rail... from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Prince Rupert, British Columbia... and then up into Alaska. On September 15, I took an AirTran flight from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Boston. That's where I met my friend and traveling co-hort Mike. We had a kick-off lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant in the North End of Boston. We also walked around the Charlestown Navy Yard. From there it was back to the airport for a flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia where we spent the night.

Tomorrow (9-16-11) it will be walking around Halifax in the morning -- and heading over to catch "The Ocean" by 12:15pm.

G'night all!


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## rtabern (Sep 16, 2011)

Well, an early rise for Day #2 (Friday 9-16-2011)... Got up at 6:30am (Atlantic Time) and am writing this while Mike gets ready. We were chatting and realized a couple of things about our trip. First, we will be going across SIX of the 24 time zones of the world... from Atlantic Time here in Halifax to Alaska Time in Ketchikan, Alaska 11 days from now!!  Pretty cool! Looking at my GPS, we also realized that we are actually closer to SPAIN... than we are to ALASKA right now here in Halifax. Pretty sweet!!

Anyway, Mike has been here before and has our interary mapped out for this morning. We're going to get a quick breakfast at the hotel, head down to the Boardwalk (hopefully not a Bored-walk... Hahahauhuh) along the Atlantic Ocean... (I want to dip a toe in the Atlantic and then dip a toe in the Pacific when we get there)... then we are going to head up to the Citadel here in Halifax (Mike said it was pretty cool) before heading down to the station to catch "The Ocean" at 12:15PM.

Well, this will probably be the last post for awhile until we can pick up some WiFi along the way. I am slowly talking Mike into doing a trip report too I think!! Hahaha.

Oh, yeah, it's 18 degrees Celcius outside... I think I am going to have to Google the conversion on what to wear this morning.  Oh, and its been pretty rainy here... they say it's from the Outer Bands of Hurrican Maria. Guess we got lucky, its just missing Nova Scotia... areas just to the east of here are under Tropical Storm and Hurricane Warnings.


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## rrdude (Sep 16, 2011)

Really looking forward to this trip report "Mike" and Robert.

I am so envious, it's not even funny. Did the Ocean two years ago, like a trip back in time. Imagine the Tran-Con will be even more so.......

I hope you enjoy the Ocean as much as I did, and the domes, and the food, and the service, the service, the service,.........


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## Bob Dylan (Sep 16, 2011)

:hi: Some people get to have all the fun! We'll be looking forward to ya'lls trip reports, and once you return home, the pics! Truely a trip of a lifetime, I'm envious too! :wub:


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## Rail Freak (Sep 16, 2011)

You guys HAVE FUN. I'm really envious!!!!

RF


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## J-1 3235 (Sep 17, 2011)

Good Morning! I have an update to our trip.

After our boardwalk,we walked up to the Citadel. The Citadel was the site of a fort in the 1700's, and was in use until the end of WWII. It's a very interesting historic site. The two hours we spent looking around did not do it justice. You could easily spend the better part of a day here.

From the Citadel, we made a brief stop at the local hobby shop, then walked to the Inn we stayed at. After checking out, we made the very brief walk to the VIA Rail Station. Picked up our tickets, and then looked around the station until the agent called for the touring class passengers to board. We had a short walk to our car, as we reserved the triple bedroom in the Park Car. Our attendant, J.F. met us at the door.

Room A is the last room before the Mural Lounge, which is underneath the Dome. After we dropped our bags, we returned to the platform to take a few pictures. We reboarded, and departed on time. We promptly headed to the dome to watch our journey out of the city. Soon after, the first (12:45) call for lunch was made. We made our way through seven (one deadhead) sleepers, and the kitchen/lounge car, to the diner.

We were seated with a couple from Saskatoon, and enjoyed conversing with them. They are headed to VAC, with a flight back to their home. Rob selected the duck and pasta dish (less the duck) and I opted for the lobster roll. We also enjoyed a bowl of Italian Wedding soup before the main course. Both meals were quite good, and as expected the service was excellent.

After lunch, we returned to the dome, and learned all about lobsters  In touring class, the attenant is also the learning coordinator. Over the course of our trip, he was always cordial and ready to help with whatever we asked. We spent most of the afternoon up in the dome, except when the onboard musical entertainment was performing in the rear lounge. A young woman, with an acoustic guitar, sang some blues-y songs for the group of passengers.

We had dinner reservations for 6:30; the second seating. Rob selected the vegetarian meal, which was eggplant parmesan. I chose the seafood chowder and the salmon entree. Once again the meals were good, and the waitstaff was top notch. We retired to the dome to watch the night sky and later enjoyed some ice wine, which is made from grapes that have frozen while on the vine.

Late in the evening, after crossing into Quebec Province, we stopped at Matapedia. This is the stop where the Gaspe train is coupled up to the Ocean. Tonight though, there was no train from Gaspe; it runs only three days a week. As we had about a half hour, Rob and I ventured into the station. We said hello to the agent, but got no reply. We're hoping he didn't speak English  Our train waited the scheduled half hour until departure.

Our attendant had lowered the beds earlier in the evening, so we turned in after departure.

Morning arrived early; we had a 5:15 wake up call. Rob wanted to get a few photos at Charny, which actually requires a back-up move into the station. While he took pictures, I was able to grab a shower in the deadhead sleeper, courtesy of our attendant. The Park Car does not have it's own shower. When part of the Canadian, PC passengers may use the shower in the adjacient sleeper, but not on the Ocean as the sleepers are Renaissance cars, and they have no public shower. After Rob finished up, and we departed, he was able to clean up, too.

We then proceeded to the diner for a Continental breakfast. It had the usual items, and also toast! Rob had two orders, as it is a special treat to have toast on the train (except in Canada!). We arrived in Montreal a short while later. We dropped our large bags in our VIA 1 car, and headed upstairs and outside for a short walk to the Starbucks on Rue St. Catherine. Rob aquired a Montreal coffe mug for his collection, along with some hot chocolate for us both. We hustled back to Central Station and boarded train 57 to Toronto.

Once onboard, the two attendants got to work, pouring juice and snacks. Then after 11:00, the wine and beer cart made it's way through the car. Shorly after, our lunch orders were taken. I chose the tilapia, and Rob, the bowtie pasta with mushroom sauce. Both meals were good; comparable to the Acela FC offerings. Chocolates were passed out after lunch.

I'll wrap up my long winded update while we're stopped here in Kingston (ON, not RI).

Thanks for reading!

Mike


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## pennyk (Sep 17, 2011)

Great trip report - I am looking forward to reading more. I am very jealous.


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## Rail Freak (Sep 17, 2011)

I, too, enjoyed the report & am being strongly convinced to do the same trip!!!! I didnt exactly understand the shower situation in your sleeper???? Keep the report coming!

RF


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## rtabern (Sep 17, 2011)

On Train #57 (VIA) about an hour east of Toronto now!

Oh, the shower situation... there seemed to be several different type of sleepers on "The Ocean". In the Park Car, you have 3 double bedrooms and 1 triple bedroom. Mike & I got the triple bedroom, the attendant gets one of the double bedrooms, and other people had the 2 other double bedrooms. The Park Car is where you want your room to be if you can afford it, because you are steps away from the Dome and lounges in the car. I mean you can get from your room up to the Dome in 30 seconds flat.  Because the car is so old, it doesnt have showers. There are also new sleepers (Renissance) some with showers and some without. So the attendant let us use a shower in the Renissance Sleeper with a shower since there were none in the Park Car.


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## rtabern (Sep 17, 2011)

DAY 2 PHOTOS!!!! THE OCEAN IN NOVA SCOTIA, NEW BRUNSWICK, AND QUEBEC

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/22068

We will probably be in-communicado for a couple of days due to remoteness of "The Canadian". Leaving Toronto tonight at 10PM and arriving in Jasper, Alberta on Tuesday afternoon...


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## Rail Freak (Sep 17, 2011)

rtabern said:


> On Train #57 (VIA) about an hour east of Toronto now!
> 
> Oh, the shower situation... there seemed to be several different type of sleepers on "The Ocean". In the Park Car, you have 3 double bedrooms and 1 triple bedroom. Mike & I got the triple bedroom, the attendant gets one of the double bedrooms, and other people had the 2 other double bedrooms. The Park Car is where you want your room to be if you can afford it, because you are steps away from the Dome and lounges in the car. I mean you can get from your room up to the Dome in 30 seconds flat.  Because the car is so old, it doesnt have showers. There are also new sleepers (Renissance) some with showers and some without. So the attendant let us use a shower in the Renissance Sleeper with a shower since there were none in the Park Car.



So, if you're in a Park Car Sleeper, you will always have access to a shower??? ( I believe my planning just started!)

Thanx

RF


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## J-1 3235 (Sep 17, 2011)

Rail Freak said:


> rtabern said:
> 
> 
> > On Train #57 (VIA) about an hour east of Toronto now!
> ...


If you are travelling on the Canadian, yes. You will use the public shower in the adjacient sleeper. If you are on the Ocean, not usually. The next sleeper is a Renaissance car, and each room has it's own shower, or no shower at all. So, unless you are lucky enough to have a helpful attendant, and a deadhead sleeper next in line, you're probably not having a shower that morning.

Hope this helps 

Mike


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## Rail Freak (Sep 17, 2011)

J-1 3235 said:


> Rail Freak said:
> 
> 
> > rtabern said:
> ...


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## Rail Freak (Sep 17, 2011)

I'm sorry but I'm still confused! To make sure I have a shower, how do I book Halifax- Vancouver?

Thanx


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## NS VIA Fan (Sep 19, 2011)

Rail Freak said:


> I'm sorry but I'm still confused! To make sure I have a shower, how do I book Halifax- Vancouver?
> 
> Thanx


On the Ocean between Halifax and Montreal, you would have to book a cabin for 2 with shower. These are bedrooms, with private showers and are in the newer Renaissance Sleepers.

The bedrooms in the Park Dome Car do not have showers but as noted in the post above, the attendant did allow use of a private shower in an adjacent deadheading Renaissance Sleeper......but I wouldnt count on this always being the case. Also, the Oceans Park Dome Car only runs until Thanksgiving Weekend (October 10)

On the Canadian between Toronto and Vancouver the older Budd equipment is used and each sleeper has one public shower available to all in that car to use. If your room is in the Park Dome Car, there is no shower but unlike the Ocean, you can use the public shower in the adjacent sleeper.


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## rtabern (Sep 22, 2011)

We had a serious lack of WiFi between Toronto and Prince Rupert, BC... which we are now in at the end of Day #7. So, we are playing "catch up" with the trip reports as best we can here... Let's go back to Day #3 and get the update from Mike.

We’re picking up at the midpoint of Day 3, where we left you off on the commuter train between Montreal and Toronto. We had an ontime arrival into Toronto on Train #57. We headed over towards the CN Tower... I noticed that the Sky Walk I took a couple of years ago was closed due to construction near the CN Tower (for some aquarium that is slated to open in 2013). After a lengthy wait in line, we made it to the top. The view was spectacular... even though we couldnt quite see Niagara Falls. From there, Rob and I went on a quest to find the Toronto Starbucks mug that he was looking to add to his collection of 21 other mugs.

Rob made a quick phone call, and he found that the Starbucks at Children’s Hospital was open 24 hours, and had 1 mug left. A short cab ride and some wandering around to find the correct entrance, Rob had his mug.

After our success, we walked back towards Union Station. At about the ehalfway point, we stepped into Earl’s Restaurant for supper. We both selected the burger. We enjoyed our meal, and made ourway to Union Station.

Upon arrival, we returned to the baggage counter, as we had stored our luggage there in the afternoon. We proceeded to the sleeper check in and the Service Manager pulled our tickets, and then we met the Dining Car Steward, Robert, for our lunch and dinner reservations.

We boarded at 9:30, heading up the ramp to Track 17. Once again, after dropping our bags, we were back on the platform taking pictures. We heard the all aboard and made tracks to the west.

That night after boarding we had a champaign reception and pastries in the Dome Car and watched Toronto’s skyline disappear... oh wait... I mean also re-appear after we backed up outside of the station (I guess a typical reverse maneuver to get on the right CN trackage). I asked the attendant to turn off the lights after the reception and we stayed up for an hour or so watching countryside. In fact, we were the last two to leave the Dome.


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## greatcats (Sep 22, 2011)

rtabern said:


> We had a serious lack of WiFi between Toronto and Prince Rupert, BC... which we are now in at the end of Day #7. So, we are playing "catch up" with the trip reports as best we can here... Let's go back to Day #3 and get the update from Mike.
> 
> We’re picking up at the midpoint of Day 3, where we left you off on the commuter train between Montreal and Toronto. We had an ontime arrival into Toronto on Train #57. We headed over towards the CN Tower... I noticed that the Sky Walk I took a couple of years ago was closed due to construction near the CN Tower (for some aquarium that is slated to open in 2013). After a lengthy wait in line, we made it to the top. The view was spectacular... even though we couldnt quite see Niagara Falls. From there, Rob and I went on a quest to find the Toronto Starbucks mug that he was looking to add to his collection of 21 other mugs.
> 
> ...



You left us hanging and waiting for more! I am just up the pike here in Ketchikan.


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## rtabern (Sep 22, 2011)

Day #3 Photos Uploaded (Quebec & Ontario on The Ocean, Regional Service (VIA), and Canadian) with trip report above

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/22556


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## rtabern (Sep 22, 2011)

Day 4 trip report from Mike... and photos by me (Our first day on the westbound "Canadian" going through Ontario)

Onto Day #4, September 18th, 2011... We were rudley awoken at 5:33am when someone pressed the emergency call button in the shower. We did manage to fall alseep until around 7:30am... which was a nice treat. From there it was to breakfast where Robert had scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast (yeah! Real toast again on a train!).. hash brown and bacon. I had the feta and tomato omlet with bacon, toast, and hash browns. We met a nice couple from England who we talked politics with... and heard that there was an overnight train in Scotland but it could get cut soon.

After breakfast, it was around 9:30am... and we headed up to the Dome Car. At 10:30am, it was “sales time” with the Dome attendant bringing out tons and tons of VIA souveniers. Robert bought a black vest, a squishy train paperweight, a teddy bear, a black hat, a pen, and a route guide for all the trains in Canada to know what you are looking at our your windows. I bought nothing... showing utmost restraint.

From there it was onto lunch, just 90 minutes after left the breakfast table (we reserved the first seating for breakfast and lunch because the second seating was taken and the third one meant you didn’t eat dinner until 9pm, which is too late. We both had the burgers... both agreed the burgers were better than Amtrak’s. We sat with a couple who had a cabin 100 miles north of Toronto in what they called “cottage country”.

After lunch, we headed back to the Dome for a round of Canadian Trivia. Mike and I were put on opposite teams because we were sitting across the aisle from each other. After about 45 questions, Rob’s team ended up winning by one. He got a VIA rail pin with a Polar Bear in the shape of Manitoba... and I got my choice of a bookmark or postcard... and opted for the book mark.

After that, around 3PM or so, we got to Hornepane... which was really the only stop you could get off and walk around all day. We were there for 20 minutes or so. We ended up walking up to the engine and taking pictures of the consist that had 21 cars... including 3 coaches (one was deadheading ahead of the baggage car), 2 diners, 3 Skyline Domes, and a Park Car... and 12 sleepers.

Once we were back aboard, it was time for the 5pm dinner. Robert had the vegeterian chili in a bread bowl... while I had the Prime Rib. Dessert was a maple cake that tasted a lot like french toast.

Following dinner, it was time for the 7:15pm wine tasting back in the Dome. Our attendant, Brian, put on a hour long wine tasting with 2 Canadian wines – one white and one red. Robert liked the white better than the red, while I didn’t care for either. Following that, we uploaded Day #3 and #4 photos onto Rob’s computer with hopes that we would be able to upload them to the web during the long layover in Winnipeg in the morning.

From there, we met up with a couple who we met on the Ocean and who was doing the same itinerary we were, except they were going Jasper-Vancouver while we are going Jasper-Prince Rupert. We spent the evening talking about many subjects – ranging from their interest in the space program/NASA, so me trying to convince them to come to Minneapolis and ride the Friends of the 261 steam engine.

We called it a night and updated this trip report... We get to get up at 6am tomorrow (Sept 19th) to get 6:30am breakfast and do a shuttle tour of Winnipeg, MB during the 3 hour layover.

PHOTOS!!!

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/22998


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## rtabern (Sep 22, 2011)

(in reality, we are actually in Prince George, BC this morning waiting on "The Skeena" to Prince Rupert, BC this morning... but we are slowly playing catch up on trip reports for the past few days now we have WiFi access again)

SO, here is the Day #5 trip report from Mike... and the photos from me.

I awoke early on Day 5, and went to the Skyline car for a short while. I returned to our room at 5:45, and waited for the shower to open up. We went for breakfast at 6:35, just after the diner opened. Both Rob and I chose the French Toast, which we both thought was excellent. Most definately not frozen and re-heated. 

We arrived in Winnipeg early, at 7:30. After an unexplained delay, the crew received word to open the traps and allow us onto the platform. We walked the length of the train, half of which was outside the trainshed. From there we proceeded down he escalator and into the station. We signed up for a short tour of Winnipeg, and then wited for the bus to arrive at 8:30.

The tour was pretty good, it gave us a quick taste of the city, visiting the Manitoba Provincial Building, and the city’s beautiful flower and sculpture garden. We also saw a few of the more affluent families’ homes, and were told of their influence upon the city. Rob broke off from the tour early to visit the local Canada Post building, a local Starbucks (without Mug success), and a local package store in quest of Ice Wine, which we had tried on the Ocean, but was out of stock on the Canadian.

A side note for those interested-Ice wine was “created” in Germany in the mid 1800’s by mistakenly allowing the grapes to freeze on the vine. A vintner from Switzerland who had heard about the mistake, came to Ontario in the early 1960’s and made the same mistake. He then found a market for the wine here in Canada. It is rather expensive, as many grapes provide very little wine.

We returned to the station just after 11. I went to the Winnipeg Railroad Musuem, which uses a few tracks under the trainshed. I could only stay a short while, as boarding began at 11:30. If I ever return to Winnipeg, I will be certain to spend most of the layover at the museum. After meeting up with Rob in the First Class lounge, I found that he too had visited the museum

Depature was delayed slightly as the train had an unknown mechanical problem, which was resolved quickly. We remained in our room, Room F, until it was time for the second call for lunch. Rob went for the grilled cheese with chips, and I chose the BBQ chicken kabobs. Rob didn’t care for any of the adult menu selections. For dessert we both selected the strawberry shortcake. As expected, the entire meal was delicious, and the service was exemplary.

At Winnipeg, the entire crew is swapped, with a Vancouver-based crew. The new Steward was more outgoing than the previous one. The new waitstaff was just as friendly and efficient.

After lunch, Rob went up to the dome to listen to some music, and then participated in the beer tasting. I had no interest in the beer tasting, so I took a nap  Later I joined Rob in the dome to watch the scenery chance from the forests and lakes of Manitoba to the praries of Saskatchewan. We saw three potash mines, which is used in making fertilizer.

Melville is our next stop. The communities was named for the President of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad Company, Charles Melville, who had died in the sinking of the Titanic.

After departing Melville, we heard the call for the second dinner seating. Rob had the onion soup, mac and cheese, and mashed potato. I had the Atlantic fish chowder, and the pork tenderloin with mashed potato. Rob like his mac and cheese, and I was very pleased with the pork. Our tablemates, a couple from Toronto, had the Atlantic char, and the pork. Both were very happy with their selections.

Dessert was a choice of chocolate torte or raspberry creme brulee cheesecake. We both opted for the cheesecake, as we had enjoyed the torte while on the Ocean.

We ventured into the Skyline Car and played a game of Scrabble, which I won! As we finished, the stop at Saskatoon was announced. We grabbed our coats, and hopped out to check out the station. The station is located south of Downtown, in a rather deserted industial area. As we were early, the stop lasted for more than half an hour. Rob and I boarded just behind the baggage car, and walked through to the first Skyline car. We purchased a couple of VIA souveniers, and then walked through the remainder of the train to our car.

Thanks for following along, and for reading my long winded trip report.

For those interested here is the consist, generously provided by the Toronto to Winnipeg Service Manager:

Loco 6443

Loco 6418

Coach 8144 (the deadhead, removed at Winnipeg)

Baggage 8615

102 Coach 8106

103 Coach 8103

Sky A 8512 (Skyline Dome)

DC B 8418 York (Diner)

Sky B 8510

110 Sleeper 8320 Douglas Manor

111 Sleeper 8314 Cameron Manor

112 Sleeper 8309 Brant Manor

---- Panoramic Lounge 1721 (added to consist in Winnipeg)

113 Sleeper 8315 Carleton Manor

114 Sleeper 8335 Mackenzie Manor

115 Sleeper 8340 Stuart Manor

116 Sleeper 8205 Chateau Closse

117 Sleeper 8202 Chateau Bienville

Sky C 8504

DC A 8402 Alexandria

120 Sleeper 8338 Rogers Manor (our car)

121 Sleeper 8319 Dawson Manor

122 Sleeper 8321 Draper Manor

139 8714 Strathcona Park (The Park Car)

Rumour had it that two more sleepers were to be added in Jasper, thought I can not confirm.

PHOTOS!!!

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/23156


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## rtabern (Sep 23, 2011)

(We are actually in Prince Rupert, BC this morning... playing "catch up" on trip reports... hoping to get caught up today)

Ok, Day #6... Once again we were rudely awoken around 5AM (why do people get up do damn early on trains??? something i'll never figure out!!!) by a bunch of banging around in the sleeper from fellow passengers. Looking out the window, Mike and I determined we were in Edmonton, Alberta. We tried going back to sleep, but when we heard the head end power go down... we decided to get up anyway. I asked an attendant how long we'd be in Edmonton he said until 7:30AM (about 90 minutes). Mike waited for the power to come back so he could shower... while I threw on some clothes and decided to get some pictures. I walked the length of the train at Edmonton and noticed they were switching on a "Panorama Car"... you will have to check out my pictures to see what it looks like... but it's basically a nicer version of the Sightseer Lounge... single level... with bigger windows and nicer seats. The difference is the seats all face forward. We later found out that there were only 3 of these cars made for VIA... and we actually saw 2 of the 3 (we had one on "The Skeena"). Even though the car was nice, Mike and I decided to just get some photos of the Panorama Car and stick with the Domes... because we like the older cars and you can see forward and back, which you cant with the Panorama Car. BTW, the Panorama Car was only for touring class passengers.

Mike and I discussed what we wanted to do because we knew the mountains would be coming up in 3-4 hours... and we wanted to get good seats in the Dome. Because of the time spent in Edmonton and later Jasper, crews told us that they would only be serving a brunch from 7:30AM-NOON. They had both breakfast and lunch items available, but you were only allowed to come in once for a meal there. We decided to get in right at 7:30AM, eat, and then head up to the Dome. For breakfast, Rob had scrambled eggs, a potato pancacke, toast (2 helpings of course!) and Mike had eggs over easy, the best home fries ever, and yogurt and toast too.

From there, we quickly headed to the Dome in the Park Car at the rear of the train. We were both surprised to see that the Dome was pretty much already full. We tried to get 2 seats in the front of the dome together, but were unable. After about an hour up there, the rolling hills started to turn into mountains. I would compare it to seeing the mountains off in the distance when you are traveling on the westbound Zephyr or Empire Builder. The biggest difference is the Canadian Rockies are a little more jagged than the American Rockies... but equally as beautiful. We spent about 3 or 4 hours in the Dome just taking in the scenery and taking lots of photos of the climb up the east side of the Rockies.

We arrived in Jasper just before the scheduled time of 1PM MDT... they had to switch on a couple of extra sleepers at Jasper for a group... so we were slightly delayed getting off the train... however we still were on the ground before the scheduled arrival time. We quickly grabbed our stuff and headed inside the station to the Hertz rental car booth. Mike and I rented a car so we could explore Jasper National Park, where there really is no public transportation options. I was a little taken aback by the fact that you could only put on 100km (around 70 miles --??) per day... and anything beyond that would be a mileage surcharge. I know they have that in the USA to a degree, but only 70 miles a day?? C'mon folks!

Anyway, we left Jasper around 1:30PM and headed South on Highway 93 towards Jasper National Park. Our first stop was to take pictures of an elk who was standing just inside the entrance gates... he was eating just off the shoulder of the road. We stayed for a few minutes watching the creature who was eating his lunch. From there, we proceded about 20km south on Highway 93 to Athabasca Falls... we saw it on the national park map and it looked really cool. We spent some time walking around the waterfall, cavern, and just taking beautiful pictures of the mountains behind the falls (make sure you check out my photos!) From there, we hit the highway and stopped for lunch. Rob spent $20 on a burger, onion rings, and drink! And Mike spent $15 for a roast beef sandwich and a drink! I guess things are higher in the middle of nowhere!!! We hit the road and went another 70km into Jasper National Park -- and made tracks towards the Columbia Ice Fields (our real destination).

At Columbia Ice Fields, is a large glacier... and it's actually the origin of the Columbia River that flows down into the US... and out to the Pacific Ocean west of Portland. And yes, its the same river you see on the Empire Builder #27 and #28. We bought tickets on a special "tundra buggy" ride that takes you up the face of the glacier and lets you walk out on the ice. The buggy went upto a 30 degree angle up the glacier and had special $5,000 tires on it (6 of them) to make the accent up the glacier. After that, we headed back to the visitor center and signed up for a 2 1/2 hour hike on the toe (lower part) of the glacier area. We found out that no one else signed up for the walk and it was just Mike, I, and the tour guide... a French Canadian intern named Ann from Montreal. We spent the time walking over 3 miles all over the toe of the glacier... she pointed out and we actually tasted some of the native plants to the area. We continued on our exploration of the glacier until night fell. From there, it was back to the visitor center where we just made last call for supper. Mike had shrimp and broccoli and rice... Rob had fetuchini alfredo. We stayed at the visitor center (the 3rd floor was a hotel) and called it a quick night after being quick exhausted from the long day and hike.

Oh, a side note... we were sorta hoping being off the train that we could do the Day #6 trip report and upload it from the hotel... however because of the remoteness... that was not really possible. They had satelitte internet you could pay for -- however it was expensive -- and we were told it would take 10-15 minutes just to load one page. Blah! (So hence the delay in writing this to you)

PHOTOS!!!

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/23325


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## rtabern (Sep 23, 2011)

Day #7 Trip Report (for September 21, 2011)

Mike and I started the day by enjoying the sunrise from our glacier view room at the Columbia Ice Fields. We were both surprised that the sun didn't come up until around 7:30AM, but I am guessing that is because we were so far north and west in Mountain Time Zone. But wow, when does the sun come up in the dead of winter? Like 10 or 11AM or something? We decided to explore a little more of Jasper National Park before heading upto Jasper. We drove down Highway 93 to get the sign for Jasper NP and Banff NP. From there, we turned back north towards Jasper. We made a stop at Horsehoe Lake, which was recommended to us by the waiter from the night before. He said it was cool because the lake was used for cliff diving because of the deepness of the pool of water. While we weren't going to be partaking in that -- we did go because he said the mountains reflect right in the water and it would make for some cool pictures. It lived up to the hype... and was pretty cool!!  From there, we took a scenic drive (Higway 93A) and headed out of the park. We took about 45 minutes to make a roundtrip drive over to the Alberta/British Columbia border to get the "welcome to" signs and have our pictures in front of them.

From there it was back to Jasper. Since we had about an hour before "The Skeena" left, we decided to walk around the town. We were both disapointed with the town -- very touristy and full of crappy shops. We were told there was some sort of chocolate shop, but were unable to located the sweets. We did both hit the gift shop in the Jasper station to buy Skeena post cards and stamps.

We boarded the Skeena around 12:30PM and left right on time at 12:45PM. "The Skeena" was an interesting train -- made up of one engine, one baggage car, one coach, one Panorama Lounge, and one Park Car. Most of the people seemed to be in the coach class (no access to the Park Car/Dome or the Panorama Car)... while we were in "Touring Class" which provided an actual seat in the Panorama Lounge... and access at anytime to the Park Car/Dome. We were both stunned that there were only about 16 people in this class -- meaning everyone could fit up in the Dome (24 seats). It was a nice change to a degree to the rather packed "Canadian". In fact, Mike and I spent most of the afternoon and evening in the Dome with just one or two other people!!! It was pretty awesome!!! The meals were not anything to write home about on "The Skeena"... it actually was just turkey and roast beef sandwitches for lunch, etc. I think all of the meals on both days on the train were loaded on in Jasper. What was interesting was there was no real conductor aboard -- just a customer service manager and his associate. They took tickets, made drinks, passed out the meals, etc.

Even though I am calling the train "The Skeena" we found out that VIA pulled the name of the train a couple of years ago, because they thought named trains would "confuse" tourists. VIA kept "The Ocean" and "Canadian" for historical purposes, but eliminated everything else. So, the techincal name of the train is now the "Jasper to Prince Rupert Train"... however others kept calling it "The Skeena" and even the older name of the "Rupert Rocket".

We were put in the hole for most freight trains on our way up to Prince George. The scenery was great; mountains, valleys, but very little wildlife. We saw more ducks than anything else! Supper was beef kabobs over Thai noodles, or prawns over rice. Mike selected the beef dish, and I actually had tomorrow night's meal, the chicken with pasta-without the chicken.

Arrival was more or less on time into Prince George, with a steady rain awaiting us. We walked the nine blocks to our motel, and began uploading photos. As we were still a bit hungry, we called for a pizza delivery. We were both hankering for a pizza after days without any 

That wraps up day 7. Photos can be found at: http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/23583


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## Bob Dylan (Sep 23, 2011)

Great pics Rob!  And you guys get to do so much cool Train riding that you almost deserve to "rough it" on the Skeena and in the Tourist Trap towns around that part of Canada! :lol:

Looking forward to the rest of yalls adventures, how was the Pizza? Hi to Mike too, 8 days till I leave for the Looooooooong way to SEA for the Gathering, but not as Long as yall! :wub: Jim


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## Rail Freak (Sep 23, 2011)

Great Pics & Report!!!! Hope you dont mind if I PM ya when I'm ready to go!!!!

RF


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## J-1 3235 (Sep 23, 2011)

Rail Freak said:


> Great Pics & Report!!!! Hope you dont mind if I PM ya when I'm ready to go!!!!
> 
> RF


Please feel free to PM either one of us with any questions. We'll have an answer, and it may even be correct  !

Mike


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## rtabern (Sep 25, 2011)

Day 8 in our continuing saga- written by Mike - photos by Rob (for September 22, 2011)

We awoke fairly early, as we had an 8 o’clock departure. We began walking to the station about 7:10; arriving with twenty minutes to spare. I checked my bag to Prince Rupert, as we had been told yesterday that ten more passengers were boarding this morning. Rob had stored his bag in Room A overnight, with the Train Manager’s things. The TM moved Rob’s bag to the baggage car before we arrived, and had tagged it to Vancouver!

Rob and I each had a hot chocolate while waiting to board. At quarter to eight the gate was opened and touring class began to board. After dropping his other bag at our seats in the Panoramic Lounge, Rob went to the Park Car. I took my seat in the PL, as breakfast would be served soon.

Shortly after departure, the TM and his assistant began the breakfast serving. This morning we had a continental, which consisted of Special K, Milk, juice, a banana, a cranberry, blueberry, or bran muffin, a danish, and tea or coffee. I brought mine into the Park Car, and the TM carried Rob’s in. Both the TM, Bruce, and the SA, Ron (not sure of the VIA name) were good guys. Fun to talk with, and always ready to help you with whatever you wanted.

The remainder of the morning was spent in the Park Car. Our British friends, Graham and Sheila, joined us after breakfast. Another couple, Christina and Matt, from Grand Prarie, AB, also joined us up in the dome. We all enjoyed fun conversation and a few laughs.

The group of ten that joined us Prince George was a group of nine Austrailian travel agents, and one BC Tourism Rep. They were on a tour of BC, seeing all there is to see and do in British Columbia. The thought behind this tour was that they would have first hand knowledge of the region, and could promote travel here from back home. Later in the morning, the Aussies gathered in the aft lounge of the Park Car. It seems they had been checking out the various alcohol suppliers in Prince George the night before, after a long flight from Vancouver, and needed to rest once we were underway 

The TM came upstairs to let us know lunch would be served at 12:30. The choices today were a roast beef or turkey snadwich. I chose the roast beef, while Rob had a coffee roll. After lunch, our four new friends joined us once again in the dome. Our TM and SA checked on us from time to time, making certain we were not getting too thirsty. They provided excellent service to us all afternoon. While we were upstairs, another group of passengers, from France, I believe, gathered in the aft lounge, and played cards until dinner.

Dinner was called late in the afternoon, our choices tonight were the chicken and pasta, and a salmon fillet over rice and broccoli. Rob went for another coffee roll, and I had the salmon. In retrospect, the meals on the skeena, while tasty and fresh, were, of course, not quite on par with the Canadian or Ocean. They were more like the offerings on the Boston section of the Lakeshore Limited, or the Portland section of the Empire Builder. Everything was served cold, as there was no way to heat the entrees in an effiecient way. According to the onboard staff, the economy-coach-meals were “million mile sandwiches” so I think we did well in touring class.

Another note, in the off season, when touring class is unavailable, the Panoramic Lounge is never in the consist, only the Park Car. And it is open to all the passengers.

We were late into Prince Rupert, about an hour. It was raining sideways . Once we grabbed our bags from the platform next to the baggage car, we headed over to the station. Oddly, there were no taxi cabs awaiting the trains’ arrival. Matt, our friend from AB, called the local cab company, Skeena Taxi, and once one cab arrived, the drivers called dispatch for more cabs. I found it stange that at least a few cabs weren’t at the station when we arrived; usually when ariving at an Amtrak station, I’ve found cabs to be available.

The ride into town takes only a few minutes, and about ten dollars. We checked in at our hotel, the Inn on the Harbor, and retired to our Harborview room. Of course, the weather was so bad, we could not see anything outside our window. The wind was really gusting,; making the doors and window rattle.

Day 8 comes to a close.

PHOTOS

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/23770


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## rtabern (Sep 25, 2011)

Day #9 --- Report by Mike & Robert --- Photos by Robert (for September 23, 2011)

Mike and I slept in a bit on the morning of Day #9 of our trip... as were just planning on doing some small things around town (Prince Rupert) before catching the ferry the next day upto Alaska.

The first thing we did was head to a laundry so we could wash some of our clothes in hopes of avoiding the dreaded fee for 50+ lbs bag fees when flying home. We found the one remaining laundry in town... and it was actually for sale. We got to the laundry just as the owner was pulling up... I guess he was late because of the excessive lines (??) at the Prince Rupert McDonalds. We put in a load of was and went to breakfast at a small diner... I had eggs, toast, and hash browns and Mike had eggs, toast, and hashbrowns as well. From there, it was back to the laundry to dry the clothes. Since Mike had a lot more laundry to do (the trip for me ends Sept 26, but he continues on an Amtrak trip for another week after we get into Seattle)... I got my stuff folded and headed over to the local supermarket. Why you ask? Well, there are certain products I love, but for one reason or another you CANT buy them in the USA. For example, Arro Bars (chocolate), CaraMilk (chocolate), Kraft peanut butter (I like it because it very sweet compared to US PB)... and of course Coke and other soft drinks are better in Canada because they are made with real sugar, not corn syrup. From there, it was back to the laundry and Mike was just wrapping up and we were on our way.

We made as top back at the hotel to drop some laundry room... and decided we would check out the small railroad museum just down the hill from our hotel in Prince Rupert. Well, the museum closed for the season the day before we got there (the end of cruise ship season)... but we still walked around a bit outside. We saw the original VIA station in Prince Rupert... it was in a pretty sad state with broken windows, etc... but rumors are someone bought it and will turn it into the restaurant. We also walked down about ½ mile to see where the official end of the CN tracks were at. I guess they were extended for a bit originally, but are just cut down to just past the railroad museum. There was also a CN engine house there that is no longer used and appeared to be owned by a lumber company. Then, we decided we would try and walk over to the VIA station and get some pictures since it was so dark and rainy the night before. The lady at our hotel told us there a small path along the ocean front there that would take you to the VIA station. We thought wed give it a try... and after walking almost a mile and getting to within 300 feet of the station... the path ended and we were told by a CN employee that you couldnt get through that way!! UGH!!! So, we walked back and were going to take streets to get the station... but just then it was a sudden downpour of rain and we got soaked all around. Not cool!! We both decided to give up on the station and head back to the hotel to dry off.

After about ½ hour of drying off, we decided to give it another try... and we went to Pizza Hut for lunch. It was good, but you could tell there were some differences with the American Pizza Huts vs. Canadian Pizza Huts. First off, there was barely any sauce on the pizza... and then instead of the crumbly sausage the Pizza Huts in the US put on...the sausage for Pizza Hut pizzas in Canada use round sausage pieces (about the size of a quarter or so).

After lunch, we headed over to the Museum of Northern British Columbia... it was only $6 and well worth it. We checked out some of the towns artifacts going back to ancient days... and they also had several railroad themed exhibits... because Prince Rupert was founded to be a port to Japan and China. We learned that if you ship goods from Prince Rupert to Asia, its actually a day quicker (because its more far west and north) than going by Seattle, Vancouver, or any other spots on the west coast. They had some old CN timetables and laterns which we checked out there in the museum.

From there, we walked down to Cow Bay... which is right on the Pacific Ocean. It seemed to be the touristy area where cruise ships come in. We walked around and checked everything out, but the only place we really went into was a restaurant looking out over the water and had a Long Island Ice Tea (which is quickly becoming Mike and Is signature drink when traveling together). I guess the area was named Cow Bay because one of the early settlers used to let his cows munch on the grass down by the waterfront. There are just a bunch of craft shops and things like that there now... again... much of it was closed because the vast majority of the cruise season was over.

From there, we headed back to our hotel and got ready to go out to dinner with 4 other people we met on the train... including Graham and his wife from outside London... and Christina and her boyfriend Matt who were from Northern Alberta. We went to dinner at The Crest, which is the fanicest hotel in town. I had the Kobe beef burger... it was okay, but nothing to really write home about. Mike had fish. We ended up staying for about 4 hours and chatting. Graham and his wife caught the earlier ferry this morning heading south to Vancouver Island... while Christina and Matt were going to be catching a flight the next morning down to Vancover proper. We had a fun time chatting... and hope to stay in touch with both couples there.

After dinner, Mike decided to head back to the room... while I decided to take Christina and Matts invitation to join them at Chances, a casino in Prince Rupert. I watched them play slots for about 30 minutes... and noticed they didnt win anything and no one else was winning big... so I just skipped on that without playing. From there, it was back to the hotel and I got my stuff ready to head out the next day since were going to get an early wake-up call for the ferry boat to Alaska.

PHOTOS FROM TODAY:

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/23976


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## rtabern (Sep 25, 2011)

(Ok, FINALLY up-to-date on trip reports!!)

Day #10... September 24, 2011

Day 10 We rose at 6:00 am. We were dressed and ready to meet the taxi just before seven. We checked out, and then the clerk called a cab. I asked was that for us? She replied yes, that the night clerk had forgotten to call for us. Rob and I looked at each other with a thats why wwe asked last night look, but as we turned and looked out the door, a taxi pulled in.

We arrived at the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry terminal, and went to the agnet to get our declaration froms, and our tickets. It took a few minutes to think of what we had purchased, and what its value was. From there, Rob took a walk out of the AK terminal over to the BC Ferry/VIA Rail terminal to get some pictures.

Shortly after he returned, the US Border Patrol/DHS agent called the passengers in to be processed. Both agents were pleasant and courteous, and we entered the US without delay. We proceeded down the ramp and onto the M/V Matanuska. Rob and I went up stairs and forward to the Pursers Office, to get the keys to our cabin. Our room was just down the hall, with a view off the side of the vessel.

As we had not had anything for breakfast, not even tea, we made our way to the cafeteria. As Rob was concerned about being seasick, he ordered only toast. I bravely ordered an omelette. After breakfast, we walked around the perimeter of the sixth deck, and then went back to the room to catch up on a little sleep.

We were awoken from our naps in the state room by an intercom announcement from the ships captain stating there was going to be a fire drill and emergency evacuation drill in 15 minutes. Passengers did not have to particiapte, it was just for crew... however the bells, whistles, etc. were too much to go back to sleep, so we both decided to get up. Rob checked his GPS at that time and we were just crossing into Alaksas off shore waters. I guess that happens somewhere around 2 ½ hours after leaving Prince Rupert, BC.

``	Rob and I both went up on deck and got some pictures. Since Rob determinded the sea sickness patch that I got from my doctors back in Wisconsin was working --- he headed up to get some lunch from the cafeteria enjoying a cheese sandwitch and fries. I started this trip report for Day #10 and then went up to the deck and got some chower (mmmm... chowder!)

Just after we got back to the room, we saw Ketchikan coming into view on the right side of the boat. From what it looked like from the boat, Ketchikan is indeed the very southern city in the State of Alaska. It was cool to see the small buildings come into view --- pushed up against the sea and the mighty mountains in the background there. We arrived pretty much on time and were off the boat.

We were greeted on the ships ramp by Amtrak Unlimited Forum member greatcats (Eric)... hes from Arizona but spent the last 3 summers in Ketchikan driving tour buses. We chatted for a little but, but had to part ways because he needed to finish packing his car... we decided to meet up later in the night for drinks.

A couple of months before leaving for Ketchikan, Robs friend Lou (they met through Trails & Rails) mentioned his cousin was born and raised in Ketchikan and would be willing to give us a tour. So, we met up with Mary Jo and her friend Steve. They spent the whole afternoon and evening hours showing us around town. The first stop was at the post office where Rob was looking to mail some stuff home in fear that his bigger suitcase might have been more than 50 pounds. However, the USPS up here wanted almost $50.00 for a medium sized box to ship and tape. Rob decided it would be better to just pay the $25 fee to the airlines.

Our first official stop was at a cove where whales can often be spotted!! We didnt actually see the whales, but saw their blow hole water squirting up several times in the distance. We stayed out there for several minutes watching the whales and also watching people bringing in and gutting the fresh caught salmon. From there, it was onto the end of the road (Ketchikan has 32 miles of roads, none of which connect to anywhere else!!). The was a state park there where we spotted starfish and other sea critters. Just as we were about to leave, there was a sighting of a bear... it took us awhile to find it... but we saw him walking along the edge of the ocean catching fish! Pretty awesome! This was the first time I have seen a bear outside the zoo and even though this is Robs 3rd visit to Alaska, this is one of the few bears he has seen too. After that we went to another state park that houses a collection of totem poels. Mary Jo shared several stories about the totem poles and what some of the stories meant. (We found out that she will occasionally do tours for groups) Leaving the park, we saw one of the most beautiful sunsets!! There was just about every color in the color spectrum in sight.

From there, we told Mary Jo and Steve wed like to treat them to dinner... so we headed to one of the nicest restaurants in Ketchikan... called Cape Fox Lodge. Very tasty food very fresh and you have to take a small incline railroad to get up and back from the place (about the only railroading you can do in Keitchkan). I had the salmon and Rob tried Alaskan Mac & Cheese... basically regular mac & cheese with reindeer sausage thrown it... he must have liked it... he was nice enough to let me sample a little bit of Rudolph... hahaha.

After dinner, Mary Jo and Steve dropped us off at our hotel (The Gilmore... built in 1927!!). Waiting on the curb for us was greatcats (Eric) who was meeting us for drinks in the bar attached to the hotel (Annabells). So yes, we probably had the first official Alaskan mini-gathering for AUF!! He chatted about some of his experiences over the last 3 years as a tour guide in Alaska... and before that at the Grand Canyon, Rob and I had a Long Island Ice Tea, while Eric had some dessert and a drink. It was kinda cool to run into someone off the forum so far from the Lower 48. Eric will be leaving on Sunday and will be spending time traveling across Canada and the US visiting friends... he talked about upcoming plans in Salt Lake, Chicago, and the Boston area. While planning the trip earlier this year, Rob had conversed with Eric for some ideas on what to see and do.

We parted ways... and headed back to the room. The hotel was nice and everything, but the weird thing is the sink is actually across the room from the bathroom. We got on and off sleep because there is a bar right across the way here and young folks were hooping and hollering until 2AM or whenever bars finally close.

PHOTO ALBUM:

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/24062


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## Shanghai (Sep 25, 2011)

Great report and photos. Looks like you guys had a nice trip.


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## J-1 3235 (Sep 25, 2011)

rtabern said:


> A correction: The Panoramic Loungre #1721 was added to the consist in Edmonton, not Winnipeg. My apologies for the mistake.
> 
> For those interested here is the consist, generously provided by the Toronto to Winnipeg Service Manager:
> 
> ...


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## J-1 3235 (Sep 26, 2011)

Day 11 We slept in a little this morning, except for the trash and delivery trucks......We ventured out to the Pioneer Cafe for breakfast, Rob had eggs, hash browns, and toast. I had french toast and reindeer sausage. I thought it tasted like kielbasa, but the waiter said they import 120 pounds every few months from up north in Alaska, and that 1000 customers order it each season.

After we wrapped up breakfast, we visited the Forest Service Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. We saw simulations of the rain forest (which looked as good as the real one we walked through yesterday), and examples of the carving talents of the local natives. Also, we saw how the natives would catch and preserve salmon. There was one small map that showed Alaska is as big as the continental US; when placed over the map the part of the state were we are would touch the coast n South Carolina, and the tip of the Aleutian Islands would land in California.

We proceeded from the Discovery Center down to Berth 2, which is for the cruise ships. We were to meet our pickup for our Seaplane tour at 10:45. As we saw no sign of him, we called. He had become wrapped up in a home repair project, and lost track of time. Our driver, Marty, arrived shortly thereafter, and away we went to the Seaplane dock.

Our pilot, Ryan, who was originally from Manchester, NH, met us on the dock. After refueling the plane, a 1966 vintage Cessna, we hopped onboard, and headed into the harbor to takeoff. The takeoff was an experience I won't soon forget. Ryan pushed the plane pretty fast, and then pulled up and we were airborn! Yes, I know it's done every day, but for a first time Seaplane flyer, it was exciting.

Once we were high enough, we turned and headed towards Prince of Wales Island. We had originally planned a trip to the fjords, but Rob mentioned seeing bears, and Ryan suggested a change in itinerary. Rob and I were the only passengers today, so we made the choice to see PoW island. It's a very big island, something on the order of 100 miles long. After clearing the tip of a few mountains by what seemed like 100 feet, we travel along a fjord, and saw about a dozen deer up on the mountaintops. The deer stay up here as the bears usually won't come after them up this high, and they like to lay in the snow while the sun shines on them.

We lucked out as yesterday and today were absolutely beautiful days. Sunny and in the 50's. A clerk we talked with said this was the 21st nice day since she arrived in May! After we saw the deer, we continued deeper into the island, eventuallly landing in another fjord. We landed in the water, and our pilot paddled the boat in close to shore so we could approach quietly. We saw many salmon swimming about, and then we saw a bear. And another bear. And then a third bear. They would just reach into the rushing water at the edge of the fjord, and grab a salmon!

As we watched the third bear, he pulled a salmon out and onto the shore. The fish then flopped about, and almost landed back in the water. So the bear dragged him a little further onto shore. He then pulled another salmon out, and place it on the shore. Afetr a minute, the salmon both started flopping about, and both ended up back in the water. The bear looked miffed! He the left that spot and proceeded around the cove to another, were he sucessfully obtained his lunch

As the plane slowed drifted in the water, I noticed a seal on our right side. Then we saw another up rather close. As the plane was shutdown, we silently floated there, and the seal never seemed to notice us. After a time, we paddled back from shore, and then fired up the engine, and took off for another location.

We flew up over a few more mountains, and then landed in a freshwater lake; the pilot had seen bears there earlier in the week. We landed and floated in quiety again. Unfortunately, we only found the sockeye salmon, which are bright red. We waited for a while, taking in all of nature's beauty surrounding us. Not seeing any other wildlife, we once again took to the air, flying low along the marsh and forests. We saw a few fishermen along the way, and then made our final landing back at the dock. Wow! What an experience!

Our driver dropped us at our hotel, and we went up and Rob did some photo work on the laptop, and I rested for a bit. A couple of tight downward spirals on the plane didn't agree with me..... A little later we grabbed a light lunch, and decided to walk down past the downtown into a historic district. The was a marina, and some older, rather beat up buildings. We went so far, then decided to turn back and walk along Creek Street, which was the towns red light district back in the early days. There is a raised boardwalk along the edge of the creek, which allows a great view of the rapids down below. We saw the old buildings along the walk, and once again rode on Ketchikans only railway, the funicular up to the Cape Fox Lodge, where we had dinner last night. After admiring all of the native handiwork on display, we rode the funicular down, and headed back towards our hotel.

We hung out for a while in our hotel room, then headed downstairs to Annabelle's for some dinner. Rod had a quesadilla, and I had the stuffed prawns. Both were good. After we ate, I went upstairs to the public computer, where I am now writing this installment of our TR. Rob continued up th the room to check on the photo download, and to shower. We'll be turning in soon, as we have a 9:05 flight to SeaTac in the morning.

Thanks to all for following along, as I realize the Amtrak content is rather thin on this trip. After we land in Seattle, I'll be on the Cascades to PDX, and then onto the Builder to CHI. So I'll add some Amtrak to wrap up our trip 

Mike


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## jb64 (Sep 26, 2011)

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. It has been quite the trip and the pictures have been great.


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## rtabern (Sep 26, 2011)

Day #11 Photos (the trip report is above) from Sept 25, 2011:

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/24971

Today (Sept 26, 2011) is Day #12... We are leaving Ketchikan, AK this morning and flying to Seattle, WA. I (Rob) will be flying back to Milwaukee today via Detroit. Mike will be headed down to Portland on the Cascades from Seattle this afternoon as he spends the next week returning to Boston via the train. I think Mike will keep updating you on his trip through this thread between now and when he gets home on October 2nd.


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## Railroad Bill (Sep 26, 2011)

Rob and Mike this was a great trip report. We envy your adventurous spirit :lol: (which is why you all had a lot of fun) and your writing skills in telling this story. Glad you had a good time. Wishes for a safe return to the US mainland.


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## J-1 3235 (Sep 27, 2011)

After landing in Seattle, Rob and I said our goodbyes and I walked over to the Link Station. A 32 minute ride and a short walk, and I was at King Street Station. Saw the agent for my Cascades ticket and seat assignment. Single at a window in BC. Checked my suitcase to PDX, and walked over to Tiki Bob's Cantina to wet my whistle. Back in King St by 2:05, just as BC was called to board for a 2:20 departure. The trip was uneventful; I actually nodded off for half the journey. Availed myself of the $3 discount in the Cafe for a snack. Arrived PDX on time.

I proceeded into the station and waited for the baggage agent to return with the cart full of luggage. Grabbed my suitcase, and headed out to the streetcar stop, a short walk away. I am staying at the Inn at Northrup Station, which is right on the Streetcar line. After unpacking and freshening up, I walked out front and up to the Streetcar stop, bound for downtown. After a quick stop at the drugstore for a few items, I walked up to Jake's for dinner.

As I had salmon a few times in Canada and Alaska, I selected the crab stuffed halibut tonight, and what a delicious choice it was! After enjoying my meal I headed back to the Streetcar, and to the Inn. Had a great nights sleep, too!

Sept 27: I woke around seven thirty. Washed up and head out to the streetcar once again. Brought my laundry with me; there's a decent coin op down on Glisan St., which is conveniently located near a decent breakfast spot  Took car of luandry and breakfast, back to the Inn to pack and write this report. I'll be heading out to the Amtrak Station soon, where I'll store my bags in the Metro Lounge, and wander about the city until departure at hopefully 4:45.

I'll be onboard until Thursday, and as we all know how well the computer in CHI works, there may or may not be a timely update. Thanks again for following along and for your comments!

Mike


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## Everydaymatters (Sep 27, 2011)

Thanks Mike and Rob for the great travelogue and pictures.


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## Steve4031 (Sep 27, 2011)

I've enjoyed the reports. Thanks


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## rtabern (Sep 28, 2011)

Well, this is my last part of the trip report... but I know Mike will continue to update everyone until he gets home on October 2nd... as he rounds the country on Amtrak now.

Day #12 (Rob's trip report/final day of travel)

----------------------------------------------------

Mike and I got up and headed downstairs for the free continental breakfast in the bar next to the hotel in Ketchikan, AK... Anabelle's. Mike just had some cereal, but I had a lot more knowing I probably wouldn't get any decent meals the rest of the day because I had 3 (yes, 3!!) flights ahead of me to get home to Milwaukee. Around 7:30AM we went downstairs and met the cab. Since the hotel shuttle wasn't working, the hotel covered the cost of the cab to the ferry docks. What is very interesting about the Ketchikan airport is that it's actually on an island and you have to take a 5 minute ferry boat ride to get to the airport!! Interesting, huh?? I found out that officials planned to build a bridge from Ketchikan to the island where the airport was... and this was the infamous "bridge to nowhere"... and after becoming infamous... the idea was shot down and the ferry remainded in the place. What Mike and I were trying to figure out was why were so many people bringing their cars across on the ferry!!?? There didn't appear to be much on the island except for the airport -- why wouldn't you just leave your car in a parking lot in Ketchikan and ferry it across? Well, maybe some local from Alaska will be reading this and can enlighten us!!??

We checked in for the flight... and I was quite delighted that Alaska Airlines (which Mike and I were both flying from Ketchikan, AK to Seattle) had a baggage agreement with Delta (which I was flying SEA-DET and DET-MKE)... meaning I could check my big bag all the way through from Ketchikan to Milwaukee... and wouldnt have to claim it in Seattle and/or Detroit. On the way to the east coast, I learned that AirTran and Air Canada DIDNT have such an agreement and I couldnt check my big bag from Milwaukee right through to Halifax... I had to claim it in Boston. Anyway, it was nice that I could send the bag all the way through.

What wasn't nice was the ****-like TSA Supervisor lady at the Ketchikan Airport. She was literally pulling EVERYONE (and yes, I mean EVERYONE) out of line and doing a second screening on everyone. I never saw anything like it!! I don't know if it was because she was a b---- on a power trip or if it was because there were less than 10 flights a day out of the small airport and she had nothing better to do. The girl in front of us almost got a full cavity search because she had a ballpoint pen in her pocket... Mike got pulled out of line and questioned about the scanner and camera battry in his carry-on (and when she didn't like his answer he got his hands "wiped" for explosives, and then I got pulled out of line for having peanut butter in my carry-on. This was of course the excellent Kraft PB you can ONLY buy in Canada (it's more sweet than salty and I love it!!). The TSA lady said "its redicilous" that I brought through 3 jars of PB. She claimed PB in a sealed container was liquids and so she had to confiscate them. I had some pretty choice words for her and told her PB was a solid... I said go ahead and open them... nothing will fall out, making it a solid. She refused to buy into my arguments... and threw the jars away. I got her supervisor's number and plan to call Wednesday morning here and report her. She also tried to confiscate the 4 mini-bottles of ice wine I bought in Winnipeg for $10 a pop... but I raised hell that the bottles were all under 3 ounces... and she reluctantly gave that back to me. Wow, I never met anyone in TSA as horrible as her. Actually, I think dealing with her is better advertisment for taking the train and not flying than anything Amtrak or VIA's marketing department could put out. Oh, and the girl behind us got pulled out of line for having a "suspicious" metal buckle on her purse. Really??? 4/4 people pulled out of line??? UGGGHH!!! After this, I plan to keep flying to a very minimum.

Anyway, we finally boarded... the flight between KET and SEA was rather uneventful... I spent the 2 hours chatting it up with Mike... as it quickly began to sink in that the trip was coming to an end.  I was a little envious that Mike still had another 6 days of vacation coming with the Empire Builder from PDX-CHI, City of New Orleans from CHI-NOL, Crescent NOL-WAS, and Acela WAS-BOS. Mike and I both have several weeks of vacation and I could have actually swung it to do the rest of the Amtrak side of the trip with him... but I felt like I needed to save some vacation days... in order to be able to work a Friends of the 261 (www.261.com) trip October 8th from MSP to Boylston, WI and back... and also because I wanted to ride the dome on the Cardinal in November... plus I'm riding the City of New Orleans down to Memphis to accept an alumni award at my old college in Jonesboro, Arkansas. With those 3 extra trips this fall, it wasnt really possible to head on with Mike.

Mike and I parted ways at SeaTac Airport... and I had just enough time to grab a hot dog and fries and make 2 quick calls back home before boarding my Delta flight between Seattle and Detroit. It was quite rainy in Seattle... which might have explained why we taxied on the runways for 37 minutes. Crazy, huh?? I was getting a little nervous because I only had 45 minutes between my flights in Detroit... I was like... CAN WE PLEASE TAKE OFF HERE?? The pilot didnt really do a good job of explaining what was going on or why we were just rolling what seemed to be circles around the airport for more than 30 minutes -- but finally we took off at 1:23PM PT, about 25 minutes late. I was hoping that maybe we'd hit some good weather down the line and make up some of that time.

What really killed me about the SEA-DET flight, was that I was literally flying about the north suburbs of Milwaukee and going for 300 more miles further east than I had to... just to try and rush and make a flight to take me 300 miles back west!!! But, Delta no longer offered a direct Seattle to Milwaukee flight... so I had to overshoot and go to Detroit and then head back to Milwaukee. Anyway, yeah, by using my GPS and knowledge of Wisconsin geography -- we flew right between Port Washington and Sheboygan -- and then headed over the lake... and finally into Detroit.

We landed in Detroit at 9:19PM ET... 30+ minutes late... and I only had 22 minutes before my flight to Milwaukee closed its gates. The flight attendant on the SEA-DET flight was aware of this and asked that only passengers connecting to the Milwaukee and Detroit flights get up first and asked everyone else to remain seated -- so us going to MKE and BOS could make our flights. NOPE!! Everyone got up as they normally would and I could hear the seconds ticking away... and I almost knew I was going to miss my flight (and yes, this was the last DET-MKE flight of the night too!)'

I got off the plane at 9:24PM ET and had just 17 minutes to make my plane to Milwaukee. *gulp* And the real stickler was I came in on Gate A31 and the flight to Milwaukee was leaving on Gate A72... yep, that's over 40 gates away. I was about ready to cry!! I wanted to get home and be in my own bed... and if I had to be stranded somewhere I didn't want it to be Detroit of all places. So, I took off and ran through the airport (yes, full Home Alone style) as fast as I could. It was crazy!! The layout of the Detroit airport didn't help either... in case you havent been there... there is basically 2 super long 1/2-mile long terminals... meaning if your plane coming in is at one end and the other one is at the other end (like it was in my case) you have a real nice long walk ahead of you. I did notice there was some sorta of shuttle or monorail or something, but not knowing the frequencies or where it stopped in the terminal... I figured my best bet was just to book it.

I got to my gate at 9:37PM, 4 monutes before depature... I was so red in the face and sweating... but I made the flight... of course my appearance got some interesting looks from fellow passengers. Anyhow, it was a quick 44 minute flight back over the lake... and I arrived in Milwaukee by 10:22PM... and was home by 11PM. Phew!!!

Sorry there wasn't much train stuff in Day #12 for you -- but I know you will enjoy reading the rest of Mike's rail journey across the US and he gets back to Boston this weekend!!! I was picturing Mike in Portland sipping on a Long Island Iced Tea as I nearly passed out running through the Detroit Metro Airport... hahaha... You win buddy -- no more flights for awhile.


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## guest (Sep 28, 2011)

rtabern said:


> Well, this is my last part of the trip report... but I know Mike will continue to update everyone until he gets home on October 2nd... as he rounds the country on Amtrak now.
> 
> Day #12 (Rob's trip report/final day of travel)
> 
> ...


Wow! I once had to do that equivalent run of a half-mile or so in Singapore airport! And since each gate there has a secondary security set-up, esp. strict for flights going to US, I was subjected to all sorts of extra attention because I was sweating like a horse. Gave me time to cool down, tho, b4 getting on the plane! lol

Maybe you have better answer for question I posed on the other VIA rail thread going on. When you guys were on the very long Canadian from Toronto to Jasper, were you assigned to a particular dining car based on where you sleeping car was located? And similarly, was there an assignment to a dome car, or were you free to pick any car? And what if any is the difference between the Skyline and Park Car dome set-ups and amenities? We're thinking of taking the Canadian over the Xmas holidays.

Thanks! And GREAT trip reports! Too bad you can't make any money off of travel adventure reporting anymore (because of blogs!)


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## rtabern (Sep 29, 2011)

guest said:


> rtabern said:
> 
> 
> > Well, this is my last part of the trip report... but I know Mike will continue to update everyone until he gets home on October 2nd... as he rounds the country on Amtrak now.
> ...


Yes, we were assigned a particular dining car. The folks in the front of the train got "Dining Car A" and us at the rear of the train were assigned to have "Dining Car B". There appeared to be slight variations in the menu between the two dining cars... as in what we had for dinner the first night, the other dining car had for dinner the second night and vice-versa. But you couldnt choose which one really. What was interesting was the menus in "Dining Car A" had prices on the menus as some coach people could eat in there -- while Dining Car B was exclusively sleepers and had no prices on there.

There were no diners that were domes. However, on The Skeena we took our meals upto the Dome to eat... but we were the only ones who choose to do that.

Both the Skyline and Park Cars had domes, however the Park Car was the only one with a round-end observation area. There was bar service in both of the cars.


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## NS VIA Fan (Sep 30, 2011)

guest said:


> Maybe you have better answer for question I posed on the other VIA rail thread going on. When you guys were on the very long Canadian from Toronto to Jasper, were you assigned to a particular dining car based on where you sleeping car was located? And similarly, was there an assignment to a dome car, or were you free to pick any car? And what if any is the difference between the Skyline and Park Car dome set-ups and amenities? We're thinking of taking the Canadian over the Xmas holidays.


During the winter the Canadian operates with a shorter consist and only one diner. Ahead of this diner will be a Skyline Dome all (coach & sleeper) can use and on the rear, the Park Dome Observation for sleeping car passengers only.

And the Christmas season (or winter) is a great time to ride the Canadian. Here’s a Trip Report from 2005: 

 

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/4731-an-early-winter-trip-on-vias-canadian/page__p__43308__hl__edmonton__fromsearch__1&do=findComment&comment=43308


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## Rail Freak (Sep 30, 2011)

I'm taking this trip early November. I'm assigned to #39 sleeper car. Does anyone know where this car may be in the consist?

Thanx


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## NS VIA Fan (Sep 30, 2011)

Rail Freak said:


> I'm taking this trip early November. I'm assigned to #39 sleeper car. Does anyone know where this car may be in the consist?
> 
> Thanx


Here's a current Canadian consist with the Car Line numbers......it won't be as long in November but Car #39 is always the Park Dome Observation!

>>> VIA 6425

>>> VIA 6402

>>> VIA 8613

>>> VIA 8139

>>> VIA 8143

>>> VIA 8515 Skyline Dome

>>> VIA 8408 Empress

>>> VIA 8505 Skyline Dome

>>> VIA 8334 Macdonald Manor (10)

>>> VIA 8322 Drummond Manor (11)

>>> VIA 8308 Bliss Manor (12)

>>> VIA 8312 Butler Manor (13)

>>> VIA 8302 Allan Manor (14)

>>> VIA 8337 Osler Manor (15)

>>> VIA 8218 Chateau Marquette (16)

>>> VIA 8502 Skyline Dome

>>> VIA 8409 Fairholme

>>> VIA 8325 Elgin Manor (20)

>>> VIA 8311 Burton Manor (21)

>>> VIA 8333 Lorne Manor (22)

>>> VIA 8703 Banff Park (39)


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## Rail Freak (Sep 30, 2011)

NS VIA Fan said:


> Rail Freak said:
> 
> 
> > I'm taking this trip early November. I'm assigned to #39 sleeper car. Does anyone know where this car may be in the consist?
> ...


Thanx,

I'm assuming that's a good thing!?! Which cars are diners?


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## rtabern (Sep 30, 2011)

Sleeping Car #39 means you will be sleeping in the Park Car -- LUCKY YOU!! 

There are 3 double bedrooms and 1 triple bedroom in the Park Car (meaning you're steps away from the bar, dome, and round-end observation.

To treat ourselves, Mike and I got the triple bedroom on "The Ocean"... it was great!! On "The Canadian" it would have been almost $1,000 more... so we opted for a double bedroom in a regular sleeper.


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## Rail Freak (Sep 30, 2011)

rtabern said:


> Sleeping Car #39 means you will be sleeping in the Park Car -- LUCKY YOU!!
> 
> There are 3 double bedrooms and 1 triple bedroom in the Park Car (meaning you're steps away from the bar, dome, and round-end observation.
> 
> To treat ourselves, Mike and I got the triple bedroom on "The Ocean"... it was great!! On "The Canadian" it would have been almost $1,000 more... so we opted for a double bedroom in a regular sleeper.



Thanx,

I got a double bedroom, for just me, in the Park Car for $871 (Express Deal). I do consider myself very lucky!!!!  I've wanted to do this trip all my life!

How far is the Diner from the Park Car?


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## NS VIA Fan (Sep 30, 2011)

Rail Freak said:


> How far is the Diner from the Park Car?


In the above consist, 8400 series cars are diners so they are "Empress" and "Fairholm"


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## J-1 3235 (Oct 1, 2011)

To wrap up the trip report: After arriving at PDX, I picked up my tickets and went to the Met Lounge. The attendant suggested having the red cap put my bags directly in my room, and I thought that was a great idea! Once the Red Cap was done with his lunch, he came over and took my luggage with him. Well worth the tip!

I left the station and went for walk around the downtown, took a ride on the MAX light rail, and stopped by Powell's books to browse the transportation section. Returned just in time to board the 2830 sleeper, New Hampshire, where I met our attendant, Dennis. Shortly after departure, Dennis came around and gave us our dinner choices. Shrimp over noodles, tri-tip beef, and possible one more, which I cannot remember. I chose the beef offering. Once I opened the box, I realized it was just deli roast beef rolled up tightly, with a bit of seasoning. The veggies and dessert were OK. Dennis did a fine job, friendly, and there when you needed him.

The remainder of the trip on the EB was relaxing, and I enjoyed a few conversations with my diner tablemates. The dining car crew handled the crowd well, making waitlists for breakfast and lunch. One SA, Kevin had a great sense of humor, and kept those around him chuckling! Between meals, I read a few of the UK railroad mags given to me while onboard the Skeena, and listened to some music. Towards the end of the trip, as we were nearing Chicago, I started to think about ditching the leg to NOL, and heading straight home on the LSL. I had my doubts that a room was available, but I made the call. Turns out coach was sold out, as were the roomettes, and two bedrooms in the 4820 car. But, because no-one had booked the H room, it was available! For $1010!

Since one would have to be desperate (or crazy) to pay that much for a room on the LSL, I said no thanks. Then I called AGR and asked about cancelling my leg to NOL, and rerouting on the LSL. I ended up using more points, of course, but I made it on the LSL. Once we arrived in CHI, I saw a ticket agent to pickup my LSL ticket. Then to the Met Lounge to store my luggage. Then out into the city to ride the El, and find some dinner. I considered Giordano's, but decided I wanted something other than pizza (!). Ended up in the Near North Side (el to red line north), and ate at Joes Crab, Steak & Seafood.

Had the Alaskan King Crab, whch was delicious. I probably should have had it while in Alaska, right? Anyways, after dinner, I walked along Michigan Ave for a bit, then turned back southbound. I then realized I'd walked past Grand Ave, and the red line stop two blocks west. So I continued on foot across the Chicago River, and along Wacker until I turned south on Wabash, to get the El. By now it was after 8:00, when I was supposed to return to the lounge for boarding.

I got to the lounge by 8:30, and once through the door, the red cap in the storeroom said, "Are you Mike?" Yes, sorry I'm late. She was a good sport about it though, and said she would walk me out to the train to avoid standing in the coach boarding line. I took a moment to try to log onto the forum, to send a message to Bill H about my not passing through ATL now, but the computer would not cooperate. So off we went to track 28, where I had the long walk to the 4820 car.

As I approached the Sunrise View, my attendant, Jenna, came up behind me with a take out bag of wine and cheese for her car. She was suprised to see me, as I was not on the manifest, which makes sense as it was most likely printed before I made my reservation. We actually remembered each other from a previous trip; she provided good service on this trip as well. I settled into my room, and then made my way to the diner, as I wanted sparkling cider instead of the wine. The H room was against the baggage car, so I had to pass through the sleeper, two BOS coaches, the cafe, three NYP coaches, and then the diner. The LSA gave me two bottles, so I wouldn't get thirsty during my long walk back 

The H room is quite spacious, even with the bed down. And the bath is rather nice, too. I had a decent night's sleep, and got into the diner by 7 or so. I enjoyed the veggie and cheese omelette, with sausage and grits. Lunch was the angus burger, which was tasty. The staff on this diner, #8510 (CB&Q #193, 1948, CZ "Silver Cafe", Temoinsa Rebuild) did not seem up to the task at hand. Service was slow, and my waiter at each meal seemed baffled with any question asked of him by my tablemates. In his defense, though, my orders were fine; as a veteran dining car patron, I knew how it works. The first timers I was sitting with were looking for provolone on their burgers, and the like. Also the diner was noisy. Overall, it was fine, as how often do you get to eat in a 63 year old dining car, from the California Zephyr?

After the split in ALB, the cafe car dinner choices were a beef dish, and spinach lasagne. By the time Jenna, my SCA, got to me, only the lasagne was available, which I didn't care for. So, I asked for a pizza; they were out of both choices, so I went with a BBQ chicken sandwich. It was actually pretty tasty, of course BBQ sauce makes everthing taste good 

We had been running late, an hour or so, most of the day. Thankfully, the Rensselaer yard forces were on their toes, and we left only 28 minutes late. During the trek across Massachusetts, we passed the WB LSL, and a CSX freight. We didn't get held up much at all. We also had little interference from the T Commuter Rail runs, and we arrived about a half hour early. This is maybe the fourth or fifth time I've been early into BOS, I know it's bound be bad the next time we're late.

In conclusion (finally  ) Rob and I had a great trip. We met some great people, and saw some spectacular scenery and animals. Flew in a Seaplane, and rode on a ferry through the Inland Passage to Alaska. Oh yeah, and had two commercial airline flights -_- . I highly recommend giving any of the VIA Rail LD services a try. Even the preplated meals on the Skeena were quite good. Their service is top notch, across the board. The only problem is, after you've tried VIA, well, .......

Once again, thanks for following along.

Mike


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## Bob Dylan (Oct 1, 2011)

:hi: Glad you made it home Mike! Sorry bout the Dead Sawk, looks like the Rays are rolling the Strangers also! I know yall were gone a long time and had a ball, but understand the desire to get home (even if it is Boston! :lol: ), lots of us are making Loooooooong journeys to/from SEA for the Gathering, too bad you and Rob couldnt be there but we got to live a Dream trip with yall thanks to the great trip reports and pics! Hope to see you on NTD next year (maybe in PHL???) and the gathering next Year shoudl be in PHL/BAL or WAS! Even better would be to meet yall on a LD Train heading anywhere!  Jim


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## J-1 3235 (Oct 1, 2011)

jimhudson said:


> :hi: Glad you made it home Mike! Sorry bout the Dead Sawk, looks like the Rays are rolling the Strangers also! I know yall were gone a long time and had a ball, but understand the desire to get home (even if it is Boston! :lol: ), lots of us are making Loooooooong journeys to/from SEA for the Gathering, too bad you and Rob couldnt be there but we got to live a Dream trip with yall thanks to the great trip reports and pics! Hope to see you on NTD next year (maybe in PHL???) and the gathering next Year shoudl be in PHL/BAL or WAS! Even better would be to meet yall on a LD Train heading anywhere!  Jim


Hi Jim! Sorry I'll have to miss the Seattle Gathering, y'all have a good time, and a safe trip. Hopefully we'll meet in PHL next May. Thanks!

Mike


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