Well, it was our last day at Banff. As you can see our general camping environment at Banff was camper van city”.
Thanks to Doretha and Linda, after one night in a totally unsuitable camp site, we were able to shift to a better site that still had power.
The setting of the campground itself was magnificent. Here are two views about 60 meters from our campsite:
Today was our departure day for our scenic train trip through the Rockies to Vancouver. I don’t have a bucket list on paper, but I had always imagined this trip to be on it. When Linda was planning this holiday, I was delighted when she put it on the schedule in spite of the cost.
Here is some stunning scenery in view as we are still in the vicinity of Banff:
We passed by the Lake Louise station.
Here is a couple more spectacular views of the Rockies.
A mountain stream rushing eastward.
Well, here it is – the continental divide.
The water is much stiller here, as it is trying to figure out which way to flow from the divide.
We saw this type of solar powered apparatus every 5 to 10 km. I think these are train detection devices which then transmit that information to the central train dispatching control.
Here is some more great Rock Mountain scenery:
Here we are on a bend.
Here we are going through a bit of a marshy area.
The river is still bubbling along.
The Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) has laid in a few sleepers for maintenance.
That river is picking up some steam.
Which is why there are rafters out there having a bit of adventure.
It is interested to see how deep the foundation is for the pylons on this bridge.
This face looks very susceptible to erosion.
Stunning waterfall.
Nice mountain scenery in the background.
Railroad bridge from the competing railway, Canadian National Railway (CNR). We would be shifting to their track on the second day of our trip.
Our train goes around a bend underneath an avalanche shelter. The photographers are pretty busy.
Here is a photo of another avalanche shelter.
This is a very old (greater than a century) bridge.
Another great mountain scenic
We are at a major switching/siding station. It’s just as well, since this train had the lowest priority of any train rolling. Consequently, we spent a long time sitting on sidings waiting for the “important” traffic to get through.
Bridges for the two competing railroads.
This is a resort built from scratch by one family. Apparently, it now provides luxury accommodation that also attract the best musical acts in Canada.
There was great concern in Eastern Canada (before federation) that British Columbia would elect to become part of the U.S. because of natural geography and transportation links. This was forestalled by building the transcontinental railway across the Rockies. Just like in the U.S. the building went on from both the Eastern and Western directions. In Canada the east/west branches met at Craigellachie. A suitable monument was raised there.
A gentle babbling brook
Shushwap Lake is a very large lake west of Kamloops. One of its main distinctions is the Adams River feeds it. The Adams River is famous for its Sockeye salmon run which happens every 3 to 4 years. Apparently, in earlier times the run was so heavy, that farmers used the salmon for fertilizer. Anyway, Shushwap Lake and Little Shushwap Lake form the basis of rich agricultural and recreational activity.
We started to hit a lot of rich agricultural land we reached the Kamloops area.
We arrived in Kamloops about 14 hours after departure. We found the seats very uncomfortable, so we were relieved have a quick supper, and a sleep in a bed after 9 days of camping.
Here is a compilation of a number of clips that Linda took during the day.
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