Day T-4

Grain elevators are exactly as you'd imagine them: silent markers keeping watch over the vast prairies. As we crossed into Alberta, the landscape underwent a transformation—farms gave way to ranches, grain elevators were replaced by oil rigs, and the flat horizon started to roll into hills. I still love the spunk of the town of Biggar; their slogan, 'New York is big, but this is Biggar!', is a classic piece of prairie humor. Edmonton was a bit of a non-event, with the station feeling like it was in the middle of nowhere, just a lonely outpost next to the airport.

But then, we caught our first sight of the mountains—soft shadows rising above the Alberta foothills. Traveling through them is a sensory overload: waterfalls, crystal clear lakes, and scenic views that could fill a case of postcards. We’ve spotted mountain goats, elk, deer, and black bears aplenty, though the moose and grizzlies are still keeping their distance. Jasper was a mild disappointment, mostly because our three-hour delay meant our stop was shortened to a quick walk through the usual tourist trap shops. After ten hours in the mountains, I found myself getting anxious to finish this phase and start the main event—getting on the bikes.

I finished my book this morning, which Wendy promptly 'stole.' I’ve already seen her eyeing Shayne, encouraging him to read faster so she can snatch his next. Mt. Robson was a true standout; while the other peaks were spectacular, Robson was stunning—a massive, tall behemoth with its peak lost in the clouds. On a more sobering note, the patches of clear-cutting on the mountainsides were eerie to see, like a bad sci-fi movie where machines process once-living matter. I was also fascinated by the abandoned power lines along the rails, many of which are now being reclaimed by the forest. It’s a constant cycle: man beats nature, nature beats man, and the wheels of the train just keep going.

All of us wake up around 4:00a (Saskatchewan does not observe Daylight Saving Time so we have to put our watches back another hour) when we arrive in Saskatoon. I could not get back to sleep since it felt like 6:00a back home. The man headed for Fort McMurray got wasted on a couple bottles of wine last night. We were treated to him staggering around the train during the night and this morning, when his hangover hit, he started puking. Thank goodness for the superb ventilation system.

I am spending most of my time in the observation deck. All of the scenery I have seen so far has a beauty of its own. Manitoba and southern Saskatchewan are perfectly flat and give way to gently rolling hills and small lakes. Around 8:00a we enter Alberta and enter Mountain time without having to change our watches again. We have seen numerous grain elevators and, now that we are in Alberta, many oil and natural gas pumps. As we have heard, the paved roads all appear to have paved shoulders, which will be nice if we have to ride on the road. We have left rain behind at 7:00a and have entered clear, blue skies with bright, warm sunshine.

The detraining in Edmonton is disappointing. The station is in the north end of the city next to the airport and essentially in the middle of nowhere. It is still sunny and warm but we get a decent sample of the strong Prairie winds that, hopefully, will be pushing us home.

Leaving Edmonton, we circle around Wabamun Lake that has one coal and three hydro-electric power stations. The terrain is getting hillier and we have passed over more than one gorge. Soon after passing through Edson station, I catch my first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains far off in the distance. For the next hour, every time the train emerges from the hills, there are a few more mountains to see and they are growing larger as we ride closer.

We are following a river into the mountains and the train is winding back and forth. I am still in the observation car where I have been all day and everyone is waiting to see the wildest of wildlife. Suddenly an Australian girl rushes in saying she has seen a bear and a cub. Since then we are having numerous black bear sightings. Most of the bears are quite close to the tracks, nonchalantly watching the train pass by.

We have passed through three tunnels that have original rock interiors that are marvelously jagged and rough. More and more clouds are appearing creating beautiful dark patches on the sides of the mountains. There are well defined lines on the mountains where the snow begins and the trees end. There are large stretches down the sides of the mountains devoid of trees where a slide of rock or snow has occurred. There are also snakes of snow wiggling down the mountain carrying snow to the rivers and lakes below. There are fabulous reds, oranges, and yellows on the sides of mountains, presumably from some sort of ore deposits.

Jasper seems quite similar to Niagara Falls: littered with tourist shops. The temperature is now in the mid to high teens. Back in the observation car, while waiting for the train to depart, the windows receive a high pressure wash by a train attendant. This, of course, has caused it to start raining. Low, foggy clouds are obscuring the tops of the mountains. The conductor comes on the intercom to tell us that the tallest mountain in British Columbia, Mount Robson, is on our right. Sure enough, dwarfing all of the other mountains either side of it, is a 3 954 metre behemoth with its peak shrouded in cloud.