ViaRail – The Canadian

From Edmonton to Vancouver it’s two nights and a day on the train through the Rocky Mountains.

We passed Mount Robson, Canada’s highest peak and the most prominent point of the Rockies in North America.

The Canadian has a viewing car, games room and dining car. The views are truly spectacular.

The stop in Jasper was cancelled due to devastating fires that demolished 30% of the town located deep in Jasper National Park.

Victoria

In Vancouver, BC Ferries took me to Victoria, the capital of British Colombia on Vancouver Island where my Canadian cousins hosted and guided me. We took in both local and family history.  Apparently, Victoria was chosen as the capital in order to secure the island for the province.

Butchart Gardens are world famous for a good reason; they are unbelievably immaculate and picture perfect. Started in 1904 by Lady Jennie Butchart the site was a quarry.

The Bills performed that night, playing ‘Stardust’.

Local Trivial Quirks

There seemed to be an dearth of footpaths in the suburbs – no matter where I went. I noticed the same thing in the U.S. many years ago – a symptom of car culture?

I mentioned how abundant fresh water is in Canada. Perhaps that explains why in most the toilet bowls the water lever is so high that your business never hits a hard surface. It certainly seems to help keep them clean. Initially I thought the water pressure in all the showers was fixed. Many are, but with a lot of them, the knob pulls in and out to adjust the flow, something I wasn’t familiar with. Low flow shower heads are encouraged as is general efficiency, because water shortages do occur, although nowhere near as often as in Australia. There are no desalination plants in Canada, but the problem seems to be the infrastructure limitations of getting water to where it’s needed.  Another quirk that is unsurprising are the many gas fireplaces with fake wood. There are masses of wooden logs on beaches that have escaped from logging activities on the river systems. Perhaps one day they’ll come in handy when and if global energy systems deteriorate and need to become more localized.

Flight home

Harbour Air seaplanes fly routes to and from Victoria and surrounding locations including Seattle.  The company is developing electric planes that are expected to go into commercial operation by 2027. It was a great way to see the area from above and a quick route to the international airport.

I arrived home feeling well rested and ready to think about my next trip… to Norfolk Island.