Index

SJC to SEA § Seattle § Vancouver § Rocky Mountaineer, Day 1 § Rocky Mountaineer, Day 2 § Jasper § Glacier § Mountain Goats § VIA § Quebec § Montreal § Nova Scotia § Toronto § CN Tower § Niagara § Family Pics § Water § The goal of the trip was to experience Canada by train. The timing of the trip was to do it while the folks were fit enough to travel.
Flying to Seattle
The weather was wonderful for flying. We had clear views of
Crater Lake,   Three Sisters,   Mt. Hood,   Mt. St. Helens?, and Mt. Ranier.
Seattle
We visited
Pim & Megan.   Melissa Tim lives in Seattle. He introduced us to his friend, Patty.   The twins ? rent a car.   We chartered a salmon fishing boat and left the pier at Everett. The equipment was rather elaborate. There was also sonar depth and fish-finding hardware. See the salmon! No? We didn't either; alas. Skipper. What are the tall poles? No, there it is not a double decker pier. The pier slides up and down on them. Waiting for train to Vancouver.  
Vancouver
Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver was nice; when we got there, we were
fenced in (customs). GrayLine took us to a historic park, the significance of which I forget. Rick & Grandaddy.   Oh yeah, something about the Capilano Suspension Bridge that we all crossed. Political correctness says these are not totem poles, but "story poles".   Thank You.   This eagle had better luck salmon fishing!
Rocky Mountaineer, Day 1
(Vancouver to Kamloops)
We saw
bridges,   cable cars,   another bridge,   turbulent green water,   rapids,   rapids,   Going around a bend, you could sometimes see the front of the train or the rear. A car like ours (seating on top; dining below). Always good scenery.   Rafters.   Dinner theater in Kamloops. .
Rocky Mountaineer, Day 2
(Kamloops to Jasper, very much in the Rockies)
Turbulent.   Tunnel.   Falls.   Falls.   Falls.   Flowers.   Typical scenery.   Typical scenery.   Typical scenery. This mountain rarely shows its peak, but we all looked.   Avalanches knock down trees (not ski runs).
Jasper
Arriving at Jasper. Snowy mountains. Birdhouse at the lodge where we stayed.
Glacier
From Jasper we took a side trip to the Athabasca Glacier. The Rockies (and the weather) were spectacular.
Mtns. The ice field as seen from back side, looking up. Raven.   Clover.

The glacier has receded. The dirt near the bottom was covered not many years ago. One can go out onto the glacier on specially made SnowCoaches. (They have been doing it for a number of years; this old one had no springs and no opening window--you roasted in the sun while rattling your teeth.) Water trickles across the glacier with a bluish tint. Mounds of dirt are pushed up by strange forces from below. See those three specks? Those are other SnowCoaches on the glacier. In the foreground (sort of) is the "tire wash" which is a deliberate ford for removing the dust from the tires before going onto the glacier. Overhang.   Layers.   Checking it out.

A thistle near the lodge. Tangle Falls (on the road back to Jasper). A wild rose. Hot springs in mud. Islands in river.   Elk. Glacial runoff is green! (Leech Lake)


Mountain Goats
On the way back to Jasper, we encountered some mountain goats
beside the road.   Goats.   Youth.   Rest in shade.   Shedding winter coat.   Hmmm.   Munch, munch.
VIA
From
Jasper we took VIA Rail, whose rolling stock is refurbished stainless steel cars from the '50s. Even a few Vista cars. No, this steam engine was merely on display. (Details for train buffs.)

We had adjoining rooms and during the day they would open up the wall between them so we could play bridge. We were a little rusty, so sometimes it was a struggle. to decide what to play. Daddy usually got every trick possible. The dining car was always had fresh flowers.

We rapidly left the mountains behind for marshlands and prairies, sometimes even a muskrat home.

The train's tail.


Quebec
We took a bus tour to
Quebec City. (verdigris roof.) The Hotel.

Can one person play three recorders?   Bridges over St. Lawrence river. The city was teeming with tourists, partially because they were shipped in. There were two murals (more?) painted on building walls. This one [larger] has many significant people from the past. Another (not yet on display). What does he see?. Buildings?.

Waterfall. Crumbly wall. Montmorency waterfall, outside Quebec City. (top);   (bottom).


Montreal
There are 32 connected miles of underground shopping and food courts. (Rivals the COEX in Seoul.) Beware of the
MadVac with its sucker on the front! View from Mont Royal.   Olympic Stadium, with it its novel roof.   (again).   This hotel was nicknamed the cheese grater.   Reflective windows.

Saint Joseph's Basilica on top of Mont Royal.   View from it.   Inside.   Window.   Window.   Organ.   [closer].

This house had an interesting story; too bad I forget.

Cathedrale of Notre Dame in downtown Montreal Indoors.   (enlarged).   Window.   Window.   its organ.

What's a good caption for this hockey pose? Bird near the rapids on the St. Lawrence that kept boat traffic from getting by for many centuries. The rapids are now bypassed by the St. Lawrence Seaway. rapids.   rapids.   rapids.   rapids.   Flowers & ducks.

Right off the train station ("gare") are many miles of underground shops and food courts. We had quite a bit of trouble getting to the train station because of the beginning of a funeral for a VIP. Historic building.   Along the docks.   On right is island with amusement park. Why is the water cascading like this?   Don't know, but birds liked it. Marina and skyline. Would you rent one of these? The St. Lawrence needed locks, now frequented by pleasure craft, to avoid the rapids

Getting around the wharf... by scooters,   scooters,   inline scates,   inline scates,   bicycles,   , bicycles,   tandem bikes,   reclino-pedal,   horseless carriage?,   4-door model?.

Headed for Halifax. A bit of fog?


Nova Scotia
Lobster time.

For tall dogs. (Alas, I did not get a shot of the one for Sandy's dogs.)

Peggy's Cove had a rugged coast. rocks/waves   rocks/waves   rocks/waves   rocks/waves   rocks/waves   rocks/waves   rocks/waves   rocks/waves   rocks/waves   Memorial to crash of Swissair Flight 111 in 1998 Flower. "Warp Drive" chasing the red gumball.

If they don't know what's up ahead, how should we? And all I had as a kid was a cowboy gun.   Bluenose.   Wharf.


Toronto
The old magestic
Toronto train station.   The cafe at the Royal Oak had strange cooks and guests. (The food was fine.) Hockey Stadium.   Mary Anne and the Hockey players.   Breakfast.   Birds in a mall (not live). Antique toys.   More.   Lots of commuter trains. You build it, I'll poke holes in it.
CN Tower
Now, to climb
the tower!   The construction workers weren't sure which way to build it. It's a long way up.   Long wait for the elevator -- Provincial banners   more   Grand view (North) from 1000+ feet!   East   Mega-shadow   South (Lake Ontario). Airport on an island -- No bridge to it! Some other stadium (west). Curious roofs. The Royal York used to be the tallest building in Toronto. Grammy and Granddaddy rested in their room, see them waving? Train station and Hockey stadium. Shortcut for getting down. Yes, that is my foot (on glass).
Niagara
Near the falls is a
huge analog clock. When going on the Maid of the Mist, plan to get wet. Even a stroller got a raincoat. Rainbow?.   Rainbow?.   Sister boat.   Rainbow?.   Rainbow?.   Ready to get wet.   Ready to get wet.   American Falls with rocks that fell a few years ago. Cave of the Winds walkway in lower right. Rock fall.   Am Falls.   Am Falls. American Falls and looking down   Canadian Falls.   From top.   Both.   Over the top -- Canadian. Canadian top, plus balloon.   Old ship & dam spillway.   Kiss?.  

Whirlpool in a bend downriver from the falls. Whirlpool.   Ride over it.   Whirlpool.   Whirlpool.


Family Pics at Various Sites
Tim & Rick.   Rick and waterfall.   Rock 'n Rick.   Just off the Snow Coach.   GonG (Grammy on Glacier). On bridge at waterfall   Grandaddy at waterfall   Both at waterfall   Watching scenery.   Bus ride.   We rarely saw Daddy's face.   3 of us (Note Tim Horton's -- on every block.) (Bridge behind is train station right at Molsen Hockey stadium, Montreal.) Love those licorice ropes. Sometimes we even got a snooze. Or read a book. Alfalfa?.   Camera at ready.   Found Tim's print in the Royal York's elevator.   Waiting for the bus.
Water
[I got carried away trying out pictures of water. Here are some of them.] This was a trip of water. Even in the underground malls there were
waterfalls.   etc.   Near Jasper,   Fall and rainbow (Near Jasper). Closer.   Froth.   The water here had carved a small canyon, including a "pothole".

-- rjasdf @ telocity.com
http://members.DIRECTVInternet.com/~rjasdf/canada.html
Thanks to Phil James for providing the disk space and on-the-fly image transformations.