Day T-5

Sleeping fitfully on a train while propped up is an art form only the truly exhausted or the young can master. Looking back, I’m not sure how we did it. The landscape of northern Ontario rolled by in a blur of fir, pine, and birch trees—mile after mile of a constant green wall only interrupted by the occasional beaver lodge. Every now and then, we'd pass through small towns that seemed frozen in time, with log shacks and simple wooden crosses on the churches.

I was struck by the lakes. Unlike the repetitive trees, each lake felt like its own unique work of art, and I found myself wishing we could stop at every single one. Wildlife was sparse, mostly loons and other birds drifting on the water. One sight that definitely broke the monotony was the remains of a train wreck at Sioux Lookout—twisted metal and freight cars gathered on flatbeds in the yard. It was a sobering reminder of the power behind our 'steel can' home.

The shift from Ontario's rock to Manitoba's marsh and topsoil was gradual but welcome as the land began to flatten out. We spent two hours stalled just outside Winnipeg, watching the city on the horizon without moving an inch. When we finally reached the city, I headed straight for The Forks. I’ve always been a sucker for a Beavertail, specifically a Killaloe Sunrise. Ending the day in the observation deck, watching the sunset over the newly sprouting prairie fields with a group of travelers from Australia and the Netherlands, I felt that true sense of international adventure.

Sleeping was possible albeit fitful and uncomfortable. I ended up sleeping on my pillow to relieve soreness in my lower back. Each of us were able to stretch our legs out thanks to the empty seat. While struggling not to, I am spending a suitable chunk of the afternoon napping. The scenery is quite nice. Endless stretches of lakes, marshes, bushes, and rocky outcroppings. The train has passed through at least three tunnels while I have been awake. Quite soon after passing into Manitoba, the rocky hills disappeared leaving flat bush. Soon enough, the bush has disappeared to reveal long flat fields.

We are off the train for about fifteen minutes in Sioux Lookout. It is cloudy and cooler than yesterday, probably somewhere in the mid-teens. Here in Sioux Lookout, on another set of tracks, there are railcars loaded with what looks like parts and pieces of other railcars. An hour later we pass the remains of a recent freight train derailment. There are about six or so railcars to the side of the tracks. Some are twisted and unnaturally bent. Something mildly reassuring to see while riding the train. We have stopped or passed by many small Via stations, one of which six people came out of it wet and in bathing suits looking quite shocked that a train was going by.

A gentleman sitting across from us sees a moose but we are past it before anyone else have a chance to see it. Yesterday we saw a brown bear watching the train go by. We have seen numerous beaver lodges - but no beavers - and a few solitary loons.

We are going over the maps of British Columbia again reconsidering our camp sites since we originally intended on riding 100km a day. Blue is suggesting 60 to 70km days which I feel I will have no problem handling. I am sure we can transfer weight around to ensure we can each cycle a decent distance. I found a trail that takes us from Christina Lake to Castlegar, bypassing Rossland and Trail, which I have read is very hilly. This trail has a maximum 2.2% grade, ten rail bridges, and seven tunnels. There might be a photographic opportunity or two.

Sitting in the observation deck, we can see Winnipeg on the horizon ahead of us and a grain elevator in the distance behind us. Neither seems to be drawing closer or getting further away, just as people warned us it would be like. However, it is not because of the flatness of the land. We are stopped outside Transcona for two hours waiting for a train ahead of us to be serviced. We were supposed to be in Winnipeg at 3:40p (Central time since we moved our watches back this morning) but we are still in Transcona at 6:15p. The conductor assures us that we will make up the time once we get to Edmonton or Jasper and that we will be early to Vancouver.

We get into Winnipeg about four hours late. We detrain long enough to grab supper around 7:00p. I spend the evening in the observation deck watching the sun set and talking to a gentleman who was born in Zurich, Switzerland. He now lives in the Caribbean, retired from the hotel business, and now travels somewhere different each year. He is bound for Edmonton where he will then drive to Alaska.