Rocky Mountaineer Kamloops to Vancouver

Friday, May 15

Another early start. The suitcases stay in our rooms when we are picked up by bus and taken to the railway station. They will be picked up later and taken directly to our hotel in Vancouver by truck as the train cannot accommodate the luggage.

The same staff greet us on the platform. The little red carpet is rolled out for us.

When the train leaves, there is a line-up of staff waving flags on the platform to see us off, just like yesterday.

As soon as we are on board, they start serving breakfast.

Leaving Kamloops, we start by following the Kamloops Lake

Kamloops Lake in British Columbia, Canada is situated on the Thompson River just west of Kamloops. The lake is 1.6 km wide, 29 km long, and up to 152 m deep. The community of Savona is located at the west end of the lake on the Thompson River. Wikipedia

• Province:
  • British Columbia
• Area:
  • 52 km²
• Surface elevation:
  • 365 m

We get a good view of the painted rocks as the train is going very slowly just then.

We have to stop at a place called Ashcroft to pick up some water as one of the carriages has apparently run out of it. 

Ashcroft is a village in the Thompson Country of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is 30 kilometres downstream from the west end of Kamloops Lake, at the confluence of the Bonaparte and ...Wikipedia

• Population:
  • 1,628 (2011)
• Province:
  • British Columbia
• Area:
  • 51.45 km²

This is the driest area in all of British Columbia. There is a copper mine not far away and most of Ashcrofts inhabitants work at this mine.

Later on, we criss cross the Thompson river 

At Lytton, the Thompson river merges with the Fraser river which is a muddy looking river that goes all the way to Vancouver. It looks muddy because it doesn't carry the minerals that the more mountainous rivers do.

Lytton in British Columbia, Canada, sits at the confluence of the Thompson River and Fraser River on the east side of the Fraser.Wikipedia

• Population:
  • 228 (2011)
• Province:
  • British Columbia
• Area:
  • 6.54 km²

We pass the Cisco Crossing which is famous because during the war it was the best guarded spot in Canada. If anything had happened to this crossing, the West would have been completely cut off from the rest of the country.

As we get closer to the coast, there are lots of farms and the landscape is generally looking quite lush. A lot of trees and shrubs are out in full bloom. I see lilacs everywhere.

Coming into Vancouver through some industrial area, we can spot the first of many bridges before passing under one of them.

Then it is farewell to the lovely staff as we leave the train for the last time. We are picked up by a bus which takes us to our hotel, The Georgian Court, right behind the sports stadium.

Venturing out for the first time soon after arrival, a couple of us come to Gastown, a very old area made fashionable.

An old steam driven clock catches my attention - I wonder why - then we find somewhere to have a bite to eat, actually sitting outside, in the heart of Gastown.

It is just a shame that there are so many beggars hanging out everywhere. My friend calls them the 'ill-at-ease', but I seem to be the only one ill at ease.

Lucky we have a good little map. One certainly wouldn't want to stop and ask for directions.

Rocky Mountaineer Banff to Kamloops

Thursday, May 14

We leave the Hotel without breakfast and get taken to the railway station in Baff.

It's a very exciting moment when the famous train pulls into the station and we all get aboard. I haven't done any train travel for a long time.

The first bit of country we travel through looks a little on the dry side.

We're following the Thompson River back towards Lake Louise

There are three young people on board our carriage to look after us. By the time we get to Lake Louise, our sumptuous breakfast is just about devoured.

The new passengers have boarded the train and receive their breakfast as we follow the Kicking Horse River.

As we are going through the Spiral Tunnels, we rapidly lose altitude.

The sun comes out and the world becomes much greener.

We are now following the Rocky Mountain Trench, a 1000 miles long trench which forms the divide between the Columbias and the Rockies.

Now and then, our train has to stop and wait for a long goods train to pass. They often have 2 engines at the front, 1 in the middle and another 1 at the end. Some of them carry shipping containers stacked two high.

Somewhere along the way we pick up a river by the name of Illecilleweat which flows in the same direction as we are travelling.

The Illecillewaet River is a tributary of the Columbia River located in British Columbia, Canada. Fed by the Illecillewaet Glacier in Glacier National Park, the river flows approximately 62 kilometres ... Wikipedia

• Province:
  • British Columbia
• Length:
  • 62 km
• Mouth:
  • Columbia River

We come through Craigellachie where on November 7th, 1885 the last spike was driven into the railway line that links the Atlantic with the Pacific.

Craigellachie is a locality in British Columbia, located several kilometres to the west of the Eagle Pass summit between Sicamous and Revelstoke. 

We are passing through a town by the name of Sicamous

 Sicamous is a village in British Columbia located adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway at the Highway 97A junction, where Mara Lake empties into Shuswap Lake via a short narrows. Wikipedia

• Population:
  • 2,441 (2011)
• Province:
  • British Columbia

and from there onward follow the Shuswap Lake. It is glorious weather and the houseboats have started to come out of hibernation. Apparently, the water is always pretty warm which is why the lake is so popular.

Shuswap Lake is a lake located in south-central British Columbia, Canada that drains via the Little River into Little Shuswap Lake.

For some of these photos, I have to stand on the platform by the open window as my seat is on the wrong side of the train. Luckily, it is quite warm.

It is now very lush, there are lots of farms. I see cattle grazing and fields being irrigated.

Food and drinks are being served at regular intervals. The three young people are working hard preparing and serving it all as well as keeping us informed and entertained with commentaries.

We certainly don't require much food once we are settled in Kamloops.

Kamloops is a city in south central British Columbia in Canada, located at the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River near Kamloops Lake. Wikipedia

• Population:
  • 85,678 (2011)
• Area:
  • 297.3 km²
• Province:
  • British Columbia

A day in Banff

Wednesday, May 13

Today is a day off in Banff to spend at our leisure. A couple of us take a little cruise on Lake Minnewanka.
It is a bit out of town and we have to take a taxi to get there and back, but splitting the fare makes it quite bearable.

Minnewanka is a man made lake. The water level is still fairly low as not all the snow has melted yet. On one side of the lake the pine forest is very dense. This dates back to the time when National Parks were first established and every little fire was immediately put out. The trees grew so thick that there was no light left down low for anything else to grow.

On the other side, a control burn got out of hand and the hills along the entire length of the lake were burnt. This is now the much healthier side, as lots of other species now had a chance to grow again. There are lots of shivering aspen and also buffalo berries which are the bear's main staple.

This picture here reminds me of an etching I once did of Lake Brienz.

The wall of the dam. The road goes over it and back into town, just another picturesque route.

On the way back to town we pass Two Jack Lake and get a good view of Cascade Mountain.

Cascade Mountain is a mountain located in the Bow River Valley of Banff National Park, adjacent to the town of Banff. The mountain was named in 1858 by James Hector after the waterfall or cascade on the southern flanks of the peak. Wikipedia

• Elevation:
  • 2,998 m
• Province:
  • Alberta
• First ascent:
  • 1887

Back in town, we have some lunch and get some bits and pieces in a shopping mall.

A novel way to indicate where the respective washrooms are.

Somewhere in the middle of town you can watch the billy boil.

By mid afternoon, the weather has turned cold and windy. I'm glad I have just invested in a swimsuit. I go and christen it in the Hotel's spa pool to warm up the weary bones.