Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Wednesday 26th August
A cooked breakfast this morning, an early start being picked up by the taxi at 6.45 am to reach the train station to board the Skeena Train bound for Prince George and ultimately Jasper the next day. Breakfast was over looking the harbour, the colours of which kept changing as the sun rose. Little fishing vessels made small ripples on the water as they slowly their way out for the day.
Once aboard, in the Touring Class coach, windows flanked our seats, how excited are we to get great views as we travel along. Our hosts for the journey are Tracey, Jill and Fernandez. We were seated between two tour groups. One diverse group and one from Denmark. Overall (over the two days) the train will travel 1,160 km between the North Pacific Coast and the Rockies. The train ride took us again through some very scenic country, the landscapes were varied, quite unique. Surrounded by woods, lakes, mountains and rivers. In amongst all these beautiful areas are tunnels, sawmills, farms and small communities. The track was flanked by water, either on one side or the other or some times both. In the early stages of the trip, fast flowing rivers tumbled over stones and fishermen, either standing on the banks or waist deep in the water were casting their rods. From Prince Rupert we followed the Skeena River through the Skeena Valley. Later on, the tranquil lakes reflected the surroundings as well as the clouds above. At other stages steep granite outcrops towered beside the track and in some instances were within five metres of the track itself. From these outcrops pine trees seemed to cling to the sides of them and reach skyward. The trees were everywhere and in the early stages of the trip the wooded areas were very thick. With Autumn approaching some leaves were beginning to turn colour putting a yellow tinge to the otherwise green canopy. This was especially noticeable as the late evening sun hit the trees and highlighted the colours. On the trip we had two "leg stretch" stops. The first at Terrace and the other one at Smithers both small towns along the track. These were only 10 minute stops and didn't allow for a look around the town. A very busy rail line, several stops made off to the side to allow freight trains to pass. The trains have priority on the line. The cargo carried included coal, grain, timber and fuel. One train with three 3 engines hauled 201 carriages. Quiet amazing! We reached, later than scheduled into Prince George at 9.00 - 9.30 pm. were we headed straight for the hotel in preparation for the train and the second part of our trip tomorrow.
Thursday 27th August
An early start again and all aboard for the second part of our journey to arrive in Jasper this afternoon. Most of the morning journey, we passed through further settlements. A brown bear and cub was seen frolicking through a paddock, but other than that there was very little other sightings of wildlfe. After lunch the wonderful scenes of mountains, valleys, rivers and waterfalls returned. We are truly in the Canadaian Rockies. We passed through a tunnel around 250m long and crossed the Raush River Bridge (the second largest of this route at 315m). Then Mount Robson came into view. Mt Robson is the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockie sat 3,954 m. It certainly stands out with its height and horizontal strata.
Moose Lake comes into view, a beautiful lake, the reflections are worth a picture. About 17 and hal fkms out of Jasper we come to Yellowhead Pass. At the crest of the Pass we cross the Alberta/Bristish Columbia border, a change of time between Pacific and Mountain time zones and the Continental Divide, from where all water systems flow either east or west. The Miettte River flows eastward. Westward the water flows into Yellowhead Lake en route to Fraser River and the Pacific Ocean. Yellowhead Pass is also the highest part of this route. We are now close to Jasper. Of course Jasper is world renowned for skiing, hiking and other outdoor sports. We are in Jasper National Park. We arrived at Jasper Station and headed of to our acomodation for the next three nights at Bear Hill Bedrooms, a beautiful home on the back streets of town, literally a 10 min walk away. We had a comfortable room (all bear decked out). After settling in we headed downtown for dinner at an Italian Restaurant. A very well presented and tidy town with heaps of atmosphere, the surrounding mountains give the extra impact to the main street buildings. Umm I'm thinking my favourite town so far...
- comments