T-717: The Trip Before the Trip

Truly one of the pleasures of travelling is thinking about travelling.  We have already begun that part of the journey.  We are well into the debate about the route.  Should we go to San Francisco by train, then up the coast to Portland?  What if we take Canadian Rail  all the way to Victoria, then go down to Portland to start the trip?

A typical Canadian Shield landscape seen on the train

We seem to have settled on that choice, for two reasons.  Years ago, we had a fantastic train ride from Detroit (actually Windsor) to Toronto, then across Canada to Jasper, where we began a 1000 mile bike ride across the northern spine of the Rockies.  The train ride was wonderful for two reasons.  First we were able to load our bikes (and dog) onto the luggage car with breaking it down or boxing them (unlike American trains).  Second, the trip through the wilds of the North Woods around the Great Lakes was spectacular.  We entered deep woods the first night of the ride.  We were in the forest, surrounded by great masses of  rocks, water, and trees all the next day, all the next night, and well into the next day.  We called it the land of Big--big water, big trees, big rocks.  It is the land of the Canadian Shield, wild and remote to this day.

We were surprised when the train stopped twice, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.  One time, passengers entered the train from a lonely cabin on the side of the tracks, the great national rail line acting like a whistle stop.   A few hours later, the train stopped again to board a group of canoers and their boat.   Some miles later, they left the train again, having used the train to make a portage.  This pleased us enormously.  Can you imagine Amtrak being so personal and adaptable?

Wes and Chazz in the hills above Jasper, Alberta

We were able to jump out with the dog (our much beloved Chazz, still in his puppyhood) in towns like Manitoba and Winnipeg for a quick walkabout.  We could even stay in the baggage car to visit with our dog. It was clear that the VIA rail truly was the spine of the country and used to meeting the needs of a far flung and outdoor loving people.

Decision 1: Canadian Rail to Victoria, then to Portland by Wes' birthday on June 11.
One of about a thousand more to make.