Day 1 - October 7, 2007 – Sunday – Denver, CO to Vancouver, BC, Canada It was cool and crisp in Monument when we left the house at 7:45 am. We stopped at Castle Rock for gas and then had open highways all the way to DIA! This was the first time we have flown United in a few years and found many changes at the check in counters. We were able to use one of the electronic kiosks ...
Read Day 1!
Day 2 - October 8, 2007 – Monday – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada We woke up at 6:00 and went down to our buffet breakfast at the hotel at 7:00. Rosalie gave us an information-orientation briefing at 8:00 and by 8:45 we had just enough time to go back up to our room to get our cameras and backpacks for our tour of the city. There are 45 of us on this Vantage trip with ...
Read Day 2!
Day 3 - October 9, 2007 – Tuesday – Hell’s Gate & Kamloops Our alarm went off at 5 AM and our luggage had to be out at 5:30. We met our group in the lobby at 6:15 to go to the train station and saw Rosalie checking the luggage. We waited around and wondered why we were having a delay and then a representative from the Rocky Mountaineer (RM) greeted us with the news that there had ...
Read Day 3!
Day 4 - October 10, 2007 – Wednesday – Kamloops, BC to Banff, Alberta It was so dark in Kamloops when we woke up at 5:40 am! By 6:30 we had met our fellow travelers at the lobby and we were on our way to the train station. The logistics of picking everyone up from the hundreds of hotels and getting everyone on the right train car on time was incredible! We arrived at the tracks ...
Read Day 4!
Day 5 - October 11, 2007 – Thursday – Banff, Alberta As we had breakfast this morning we watched the sun come up and illuminate the rugged peaks of the Canadian Rockies. After breakfast we met our driver and guide Mike with Gray Line who gave us a bus tour of the city of Banff. He told us about the city and its strict regulations because it is in the center of Banff National ...
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Day 6 - October 12, 2007 – Friday – Banff, Alberta to Jasper, Alberta The sky was a bit cloudy so the sunrise was not quite as spectacular this morning. However, as we left the hotel at 9:00 the skies cleared and the snow white peaks glistened in the morning sun. Our driver Mike pointed out a few highlights as we said goodbye to Banff, a town only since 1990. Before that time ...
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Day 7 - October 13, 2007 – Saturday – Jasper, Alberta board The Canadian We woke up to very cold day with a heavy frost – at first we thought it was snow! Because we have a tiny space on the sleeper cars on our train for the next few days, we had to bring a small carry-on bag. The large luggage left for the train at 7:45 and we met our fellow travelers in the breakfast at 8 ...
Read Day 7!
Day 8 - October 14, 2007 – Sunday – On Board The Canadian After a clickity-clack night crossing the western Canadian plains we woke up before the sun. We had a restful night sleep and in spite of our small quarters, the beds were relatively comfortable. We were the first ones in and out of the shower and then went to the dining car for breakfast. While we were gone, our ...
Read Day 8!
Day 9 - October 15, 2007 – Monday – On board The Canadian to Toronto, Ontario With the time change to Eastern Daylight Time during the night and the dark morning we slept in a little later today. We took our time showering and getting ready for the day. We are learning the ways of “train time” – there is no hurry as there is no place to go! We continued our ride through ...
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Day 10 - October 16, 2007 – Tuesday – Toronto, Ontario We woke up to pink skies as the sun was coming up between the skyscrapers of Toronto. We had a nice buffet breakfast in the hotel and then came back to our room to catch up on a few messages and put up yesterday’s journal. Our city tour began at 10 AM with everyone meeting at the lobby of our luxury hotel. We have been so ...
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Day 11 - October 17, 2007 - Wednesday - Flight to Denver and Home Our wake up call came at 5:20 and we quickly took our showers and finished packing the few items remaining. Most things we had organized and packed last night after our Farewell Dinner. We took our own baggage down to the lobby, turned in our keys, and said our final goodbyes to Rosalie and the others who were ...
Read Day 11!