It's Monday so this must be Winnipeg

I must have died and gone to heaven.....no wait its Jasper. My my my.....what a view. I stepped off the train when VIA Rail eastbound Canadian rolled to an "all stopped" at the Jasper station Saturday evening and I was awestruck. My long ago Union colleague, Ron Senz, started his railway apprenticeship in Jasper and my minds eye envisioned him crying when he was transferred to Edmonton. "God's country" immediately came to mind, after reminiscing of my travels around the globe. "Forty minutes" the conductor announced before "all aboard the Canadian" heralding pre-departure. It was all I could do to keep from tripping over myself while scarfing in the eye candy of the surrounding mountains while loading up on chow and souveniers. The mainline out of town was littered with Elk, Big horned sheep, Mountain goats, Hoary Marmot (famous for its whistling alert call), White-tailed Ptarmigan, Ground Squirrels, Pikas, Deer, Fox, and even a Bald eagle.Watch for your postcards, eh!




Today finds me in Winnipeg. My brother Douglas met me when I arrived last nite. I slept like a log with my legs over compensating for the cramped quarters on the coach for the last 48 hours. Comfort class they call it and it was not as bad as I had imagined. I had hoped to use some connections to bump into a room.... but not on a sold out passenger list. The dining car was reaping all sorts of bad reviews but I had brought a feed bag that I kept well stocked (which is not hard with the likes of a jar of peanut butter and fresh buns and some fruit) so I avoided any subprime menus. The kids on the coach quickly tutored me on my new DS games that I picked up in Vancouver (thanks to Danny's tip on discount gaming software in Willows), and, the dome car complemented my morning coffee ritual by providing a spectacular view of the daily sunrise. I recommend the ride.




The next leg of the On the Road trip is rounded up by a flight from Winnipeg to London in a few weeks. I will be in touch.




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