Trip Report: May 12 - June 2, 2002
by Ted & Sylvia Blishak
SPRING JOURNEY ACROSS THE CONTINENT AND RETURN
May 28-31, 2002
VIA RAIL CANADA'S "CANADIAN"
TORONTO TO VANCOUVER
Tuesday morning we join crowds of people waiting eagerly at Gate 6 in the bustling Toronto Union Station. The VIA Silver & Blue lounge is full. The adjacent VIA 1 lounge is full. So we stand in the concourse after checking in, waiting for our boarding call. There is an escalator up to Track 6 which takes both ourselves and our luggage up to track level.
To make boarding easy, a uniformed attendant on the platform directs passengers to their assigned cars a nice VIA feature.
We are in Car 125, in the bedroom which was originally built as a compartment. It has several more square feet of floor space than the other bedrooms, and is also right across the hall from the shower. We always try to book this bedroom for our clients for these reasons. Behind car 125 are two more sleepers, a Skyline dome lounge/activity car, a dining car, then two more sleepers followed by the Park Car. All the sleeping car passengers from these six sleepers are assigned to this dining car. Ahead is another set of six sleepers with their own Skyline dome lounge and their dining car. At the very front, behind the three F-40 diesel locomotives, is the baggage car, three coaches, and a Skyline dome lounge diner for coach passengers.
As we board, Nathalie, our young car attendant, advises us to go to our dining car to get lunch and dinner reservations. On this particular VIA train, meals are included in the ticket price. We are told that there are three sittings. Lunch is 11am, 12:30pm, and 2pm. Dinner is at 5pm, 730pm, and 10pm. Passengers who like to eat early breakfast are also assigned early lunch and early dinner. We select the early sitting. As boarding is underway, a light buffet breakfast is being served in the Skyline cars and in the Park car for those who didn't have breakfast at their hotel.
"All Aboard!" VIA Rail Train 1, the westbound Canadian, departs on time at 9am, and as we roll north through Ontario, we have our car attendant set up a table in our room for our laptops. We have some work to do before we get into the scenic Canadian Shield country later in the day. Nathalie explains that she takes care of not only the passengers in our car, but also half the passengers in the adjacent car. In addition, she assists in the dining car. "We are all part of a team," she explains, "and we all need to know how to do several jobs".
We are riding just before the official start of the high season, which begins on June 1, and involves higher fares. Thus late May is always busy for VIA, and the train appears to be full. We meet friendly Americans, Australians, Germans, and Canadians at meals which are served at tables for four. We even meet three fellow Oregonians; one of them works in Burns, in the desert far east of us, for the BLM. Her job is dealing with wild horses!
As we pass through the cars to reach the diner, we hear a passenger in the adjacent sleeper complain about the excessive warmth in the car. The attendant makes an adjustment to the A/C controls and tells her that it will cool down soon.
Soon we are settled into our bedroom, with the luxury of anticipating three nights on the train no packing and unpacking -- and, since we are traveling westbound, 25-hour days as we will pass through three time zones and can move our watches back one hour each night before retiring.
TRAVEL TIP: Our clients often ask, "Which is the best direction to take on the CANADIAN"?
Westbound (Toronto to Vancouver): Are you one of those people who don't think there are enough hours in the day? Then westbound is the direction to take; eastbound travelers only have 23 hours in their days. There is also the advantage of saving the best scenery for last; the Canadian Rockies are spectacular beyond belief. Photos don't do them justice, and each time one sees them, they seem larger than ever. Keep in mind, however, that if the train is running behind schedule, you will see less of the Rockies.
Eastbound (Vancouver to Toronto): During the high season we can usually arrange a cheaper fare in the eastbound direction. Due to VIA's scheduling, you will also see more of the Rockies in the eastbound direction. If the train is running late, you will see even more.
VIA's upper and lower beds have thick, comfortable mattresses. A recent addition in Silver and Blue the sleeping car class -- is a down duvet (a tradition in this country, and what Americans would call a comforter). Each sleeping compartment also comes equipped with towels, shampoo, shower cap, lotion, and something new -- earplugs -- for those who find that the clickety-clack of the rails keeps them awake. I have never been bothered by the clickety-clack myself, it is relaxing to me. With more and more ribbon rail, there is less and less clickety-clack to listen to, but our sleeper has a flat spot on a wheel, so the earplugs are appreciated on this trip.
Soon we're heading northwest through ancient bedrock scraped almost clean of soil by glaciers. (Much of this soil ended up in the fertile fields of the American Midwest.) A profusion of lakes, surrounded by forests, provide a stunning view. While there are some cabins on the shores, most of them are completely deserted, and this area is nearly devoid of population. Ted says that this shield country has all the advantages of going through the mountains, but without the altitude however, it is completely unlike the Canadian Rockies, as we'll see later on. It must have been difficult for CN to build this route, as the undulating rock surface required a good deal of blasting through solid rock to cut a level roadbed. The curves allow frequent opportunities to view the train ahead of you from the dome seats.
As we roll further north, the foliage changes, with different types of trees. Some of them are just beginning to leaf out in this colder climate. Although we've taken this trip many times, the experience is never repetitious. There seems to be very little tourism information for this part of the world. I regret now that I did not take photographs of the Shield Lake Country, of scenes that I have never seen in travel magazines or books or websites. I guess you will just have to take the train to see for yourself!
Like Amtrak, VIA's Canadian offers the same menu for breakfast and lunch each day. The breakfasts are complete, with juice, fruit, cereal, muffins, omelets, and of course eggs and meat to order. For lunch, the soup and desserts are good, the entrees unremarkable. But VIA's Silver and Blue dinners are special, with a different gourmet menu each night. Tables and chairs are dressed up with dark-blue cloths, the crew with dark blue aprons. Candles are lit on each table, and as special treat, fine Canadian wines are available at extra cost. The dining cars are not supplied with ice buckets, but the sommelier will keep your bottle in the refrigerator if you request, and the waiter will keep your glass refilled.
Canada has two wine regions: the inland valleys of British Columbia, and the Lake Ontario area. Apparently they keep most of their wines inside the country's borders, as we have rarely, if ever, found them in the U.S. So this is an excellent opportunity to sample quality vintages.
Last year, VIA experimented with using the Skyline Dome cars for Silver and Blue dining, with one for every four sleeping cars, and put the traditional single-level diners into the coach section. However, since the Skyline Domes are rather plain in décor, there were complaints from Silver and Blue passengers who wanted the luxurious single-level dining cars. And coach passengers complained because they didn't have access to a dome car. So this summer, the traditional dining cars are back in first class, which necessitates several sittings. This is a labor-intensive situation for the dining car servers, who must also bus the tables and wash the dishes by hand.
TRAVEL TIP: Although meals are included in the price in Silver and Blue class, gratuities are not. So tip as if you were in a fine restaurant after each meal. And remember that the onboard crew changes in Winnipeg, so you'll need to tip your sleeping-car attendant before arriving in Winnipeg (on both trains #1 and #2).
Wednesday morning we awaken to more Canadian Shield country. We overhear a passenger remark that Ontario's lakes hold close to 90% of the world's fresh water that is not locked up in Glaciers. Look at the map, you will believe it!
Our first smoking and crew change stop is at Sioux Lookout, Ontario, this morning. I race for the drug store to pickup some cold medication, as I had a terrible allergy attack last night, and I am afraid it will turn into a cold. The store is swarming with other passengers on similar missions. A group of local residents are stationed on the platform passing out colorful brochures describing the vacation opportunities here. They also hand out pins issued by the Anti-Racism Committee, along with a flyer promoting cooperation between the races. The two races here being European Caucasians and Native Canadians.
We continue our curving path through the beautiful Shield country, until, suddenly, we are on the central plains! Winnipeg is a lengthy stop for restocking the train with fuel, food, and water. Also the service crew changes here. We grab our laptop and head for the VIA Rail offices to look up our acquaintance, Yves. He let us use his office phone jack to dial up our e-mail. Leaving Winnipeg, the afternoon is spent racing across the flat plains and farmland.
Silver and Blue passengers have a Skyline Dome at their exclusive disposal, which is called the Activity Car. On the downstairs level are magazines, newspapers, board games, snacks and hot and cold drinks. Before dinner, we enjoy a tasting of some fine Canadian wines. While the décor is different, the amenities are similar to the Pacific Parlour Car on Amtrak's Coast Starlight.
Thursday morning finds us approaching North Edmonton, where, after breakfast, we again grab our laptops, and Tim, our acquaintance here, lets us use his phone jack for e-mail. The Canadians are so friendly and easygoing. It is always a pleasure dealing with them during our travels north of the border.
Leaving Edmonton we are looking forward with anticipation to the approach later this morning to the Rocky Mountains. Our assigned Skyline dome quickly fills up, so we walk back to the Park car, where amazingly, we are able to secure two front dome seats as someone was just leaving. Here we get an excellent view of the mountains slowly rising on the western horizon, higher and higher, until suddenly we are in the Rockies, surrounded by impossibly steep rocky snow-covered peaks.
Animal sightings include herds of mountain sheep, as well as a bull moose and a black bear along the Athabasca River. We are an hour behind schedule when we arrive in Jasper, and the train manager announces that the stop will be limited to 20 minutes. However, it is one hour and 20 minutes before we are on our way again.
It just takes time to drop off and pickup passengers and luggage, and have the windows washed. They do a good job with the windows, but it is a shame that they cannot do that in Edmonton before entering the Rockies.
We leave Jasper late, but due to the long nights up here, have a good view of Mt. Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.
We retire somewhat wistfully on this our third night on the Canadian, as we know the trip will soon be over -- but such a wonderful destination to look forward to! Vancouver, BC, the San Francisco of the north, a vibrant, cosmopolitan, bustling city, with an awesome natural setting surrounded by water and snow capped mountains. Do I sound like the Chamber of Commerce? No, not really. This is my umpteenth visit to Vancouver, and I always feel this way when I am here. If you haven't done so, try it! We can help.
We awake to a sunny spring day in the beautiful, green Fraser River Valley, enjoy one last breakfast in the dining car, and then we're backing into the Pacific Central Station in Vancouver. We photograph the Park Car one last time and go inside to claim our bags.
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