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Day 4 - Mon 14 Apr 2003
Up early before dawn, but forgot that I should have put my clock back again, so it was in fact 5am! Crossed a big bridge, but didn't see that much in the pre-dawn gloom. Breakfast was French toast and sausages. Arrived at Edmonton, very cold, it must be only just above freezing - No t-shirts here! The train station is at the end of a runway, so got to see the bottom of a number of jets on final approach. Back on the train - there are more towns and highways now, but still a lot of nothing! Lots of trees and big lakes. Vancouver is getting closer every minute, and that's where I have to leave the security of the train, and get out into the big wide world again.
This country is VAST I've been on this train, which hasn't stopped for more that three hours in the last 48 hours, and I'm still only three quarters of the way across the country! There must be vast tracts of land where no one has ever stepped.
Wow - the landscape has changed and in such a few miles. Humps have turned into hills, hills into blocks and blocks into mountains! As I had lunch we started down a river valley that got steeper and steeper. Spotted sheep/goats at the side of the track, and a wild dog on the river bank.
The train stopped at Jasper, a small town surrounded by mountains, not a great deal going on, the town is full of restaurants and gift shops. The population seemed to double as the train pulled in! Had a quick look around the town, and nipped into a bakers to get some cakes!
Back on the train - a tour group has got on the train, so space is now at a premium, the sky dome is full for the run into Vancouver! The mountains are impressive. Again the feel of the train has changed again. I guess it's due to the extra numbers of passengers.
Views of the Rockies continued after we left Jasper and the ' sleeper' skydome was packed, and very hot, so I took a gamble and moved forward into the 'coach' skydome - it was next to empty. I met up with a couple I'd had breakfast with and had a good old chat!
We've now started to descend the other side of the Rockies, and things are tuning greener by the second. The weather has closed in again, and it's now raining hard. We've followed the river valley down the mountain, and it's getting wider and wider now. I must admit this train is staring to get to me now, cabin fever has hit, and I'm ready to get off and do my own thing, my own way! I have to get down to it and work out what I want to see in Vancouver.
Got off the train for a wander at Kanloops, saw the lights of the town in the distance as the train dropped down a long incline. The lights flickered and got closer and closer but then the train stopped. It seems that Kanloops station is quite a way from the town!
NextView my route around the world here
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