High in the Sky: Banff an alpine town

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Geo: 51.1752, -115.573

The alarm did its job this morning and rattled us out of bed. Another early start in paradise and with usual efficiency the luggage was taken care of, checkout was invisible and the bus was waiting with the driver smiling and ready to deliver us to the red carpet entry of The Rocky Mountaineer for Day 2 on the train. We were farewelled by two Mounties (on horse back) who greet and farewell each train in Kamloops.

The morning began with scones, a juice and a hot cuppa followed of course by the silver service dining of breakfast. We shared this with Ray and Miriam ( Ray was a recently retired doctor who provided a family practice in the same community for 65 years) and shared the excitement of our first bear sighting of the day. Breakfast Bear was a small brown bear (even though he was brown he is still a black bear) sitting out in the open in the middle of a meadow....so we had a perfect viewing vantage because he was on our side of the dining cart. And yes @AuntyGail the food is scrumptious but it is the random lucky dip of the people you meet that adds the extra satisfaction to the delights served up by the chefs.

The journey continued with spectacular views. It is difficult to capture the incredible beauty presented at each stretch and bend of the line. Combine "what you see" with the fact that this giant train is running on a track that has been laid down on the side of mountains, above deep valleys and gorges, backwards and forwards across raging rivers and streams, through mountains, despite rain, snow and avalanches that super charges the adventure. It really is difficult to stop gasping and gawping. And as magnificent and beautiful as the glass domed carriage is, the rattling and rocking in the open vestibule is where you get to see, smell, feel and hear the differences in the trip...the roaring of the wind, the raging of the river and the whip of the trees as the train flies through the countryside.

So here is a little taste of what we heard about today in completing the 497 kilometre journey in 9 hours:

The Hoodoos: the 10 000 year old unique rock and clay remnants of glacial retreat
Adams River: home of the largest salmon run
Sicamous: the houseboat capital of Canada
Craigellachie: the place where the last spike of the CP railway was driven
Revelstoke: named in honour of the Englishman who provided vital funding for the railway in the 1880s
Connaught Tunnel: the 8 km tunnel built to avoid the challenging terrain of Roger's Pass
Stoned Creek Bridge: the third bridge built over the creek on the same shared foundation
Columbia River: flows from the Rockies to the Pacific and has 14 dams constructed on its course
The Spiral Tunnels: amazing engineering feat to use series of switchback tunnels to allow the train to climb the mountain
Continental Divide: the highest point on the journey and this point divides the watersheds of the Pacific and the Atlantic

Our three course lunch experience was shared today with Doris and Nelwyn from Dallas (quietly spoken southern ladies who love iced tea, bridge AND the Dallas Cowboys). We were in the second sitting of lunch and all the meals are a leisurely affair. We downed the last of the dessert and wine just after 4 pm and then needed to steel ourselves for the after lunch drinks and snacks. You can appreciate this is an epicurean marathon!

It was a three bear day today. The Breakfast Bear was complemented by the Railway Bear (a black bear sitting calmly on an unused railway track looking at us) and the Dancing Bear (a black bear startled in the forest alongside the train). All sightings were accompanied by screams of "left" and "right" and unfortunately as the train zipped by at 80 kph we were not quick enough to coordinate our hysteria at seeing one with our camera....so no pics!

The destination today was Banff, Alberta - the highest elevation for a town in Canada and right in the heart of an expansive National Park.

Originally settled as "siding 29" this early railway siding has been transformed since 1880 into a holiday destination for some 5 million tourists annually. As a national park town, Banff's permanent resident population is just 10 000 with all services and accommodation optimised and capped at this number.

Of course the Rocky Mountaineer slid into the station to be welcomed by the organisational team of The Fairmont and once again we could just walk up to the room with the invisible checkin process and there was our luggage waiting for us in our room.

The Fairmont is referred to as The Castle and this heritage listed building is the reason why Banff exists. Built in the 1880s to attract foreign travellers by the Canadian Railway it is the only building that is over three storeys and it stands impressively above the Bow River and the Bow Falls. It boast 760 rooms and runs at near full occupancy all year round!

The hotel is so expansive we were lost in the lobby trying to find our way to our room - but we got it sorted, settled in to our usual level of comfort in a Fairmont, opted for a light dinner of soup and then turned off the alarms! We are sleeping in!

Saturday
Temperature: still no idea!
Pedometer: 1 967
Bear Sightings = 3

Total Bear Sightings = 7

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