JANUARY 2016 BCBusiness 59 coURtesY of RockY MoUNtAiNeeR
meals (breakfasts of smoked meat
eggs benedict, lunches of mushroom
risotto), several snacks (scones in the
morning, cheese and crackers in the
afternoon) and enough visits from
the drink cart to keep the thirstiest of
guests well-lubricated.
That's all on the first day. All
Rockies-bound trains overnight in
Kamloops, with the train splitting the
next day—some heading up to Jasper
(the "Journey Through the Clouds"
tour) and the rest of us to Banff (the
"First Passage to the West" tour). The
overnight in Kamloops, given the pace
of the trip, is a necessity—but feels like
a bit of a hiccup, given the contrast in
accommodations. Guests are put up
in what is the equivalent of a slightly
higher-end motel in Kamloops—fine
for this traveller but for the more
well-heeled guests expecting luxury,
perhaps a bit of a letdown.
The next day, however, any memo-
ries of ordinariness are vanquished by
a dramatic climb through the Rockies
(1,625 metres above sea level at its peak
near the Alberta border) and a front-
row seat to some of Canada's founda-
tional history, including Craigellachie,
where the last spike of the CP Rail line
was driven some 130 years ago. After
another 9-to-10-hour day, we disembark
the train in Banff—tired but content.
A couple from San Francisco, seated
beside us, echoes the sentiment of
many: "I didn't realize Canada could
be so damned beautiful."
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