Sat Aug 5

The Best of Canada

2017

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At 0545, it’s 70^o and I secured tea from the lobby of the Kamloops Sandman Signature Hotel where we are in room 428. We were picked up at the hotel and returned to the train station, boarding at 0820 and rolling at 0825. By 0900, we were called down to first seating breakfast. Lew replicated her Eggs Benedict and I selected blueberry pancakes. We returned to our seats and enjoyed the scenery as we continued to climb into The Canadian Rockies. At noon, following two rounds of drinks, we returned to the dining room for lunch with the same couple from Pennsylvania with whom we had breakfast. Lew skipped the first course of which I selected the beet salad. For her entree, Lew selected the chicken and I picked the Ahi tuna. In the afternoon, we continued north, occasionally occupying a siding to allow a bigger, southbound freight the right of way. We passed Pyramid Falls and, in the distance, snow-capped mountains. We passed Mount Robeson, crossing into Alberta and MDT, and then ran along Moose Lake, the headwaters of the Fraser River. At 1903, the galley produced an oatmeal-raisin cookie. James told the story of imitating a moose in order to get his job as a host. Arriving in Jasper, a town of 5000, we boarded one of the two busses going to Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. This is a sprawling complex and we were golf-carted to our cabin, 384. We opened the front door and found a spacious living room, with four doors to connecting bedrooms --- all locked and impervious to our keys. A call to the desk resulted in a bellman who checked all four bedrooms and pronounced them all occupied. So, which one is ours, and where is our luggage? The bellman returned about 2115 with Tyler, a supervisor. Tyler directed him to open the right rear bedroom, which was ours, as was the living room/dining room areas. (Snacks and basket on the table bore the label Happy Anniversary!) Ok, now we have a bedroom, but no luggage. Tyler assured us the luggage was making the rounds of the property and would soon arrive. True to his word, about 2130, a truck pulled up to our cabin. We refused the piece of luggage that was not ours and stopped the young lady who was carrying two of ours to another cabin. By 2145, we were sufficiently unpacked for the evening and Lew went to bed. There is no air-conditioning in the cabin, so I opened the bedroom windows, but carefully locked the door to the back porch as there are bear on-property. I opened the merlot buried in the anniversary basket and sat down to update the daily activities and download the day’s pictures.