Monday July 24 - Day 24 Current Location: Jasper, AB; On Train to Saskatchewan Distance Traveled: 12,120km Today's voyage on board the train has been beautiful. Most of the haze and smoke has gone from the Rockies and the mountain landscape, so it's easy to finally enjoy and appreciate the parks and mountain ranges as we pass them by. Instead of interjecting with more euphoric descriptions of the Canadian wilderness for all of today, I've made a slideshow with all of my window pictures from today in one spot. I'll be the first to admit I'm not the best nature photographer - added too by the fact all these photos were taken from a fast moving train. These really don't do justice to the expansiveness and feelings of grandeur the mountains evoke, but they come close. Most pictures are just random sights - but in the middle there are two of both the Pyramid Falls and Grouse Mountain - BC's highest peak at 13,000 feet. I did also record one of my video logs from the train this morning, and it was well timed to when we were passing the majestic Pyramid Falls in British Columbia. They can only be seen from the Via Rail northern tracks we rode on; follow this link to see it any my other video logs from the train: https://www.facebook.com/tyler.collins.5243/videos_by The morning was uneventful, and lunch was a sandwich and granola bar that I made in Surrey with Sue yesterday. Most of my time was spent finally watching The Crown on Netflix, which I downloaded prior to leaving, and watching the world go by. This specific Canadian train seems to be built and configured differently, with fewer service cars but also more dining tables and booths. The halls in these special eating cars are very narrow, sometimes with just a tight corridor and then a big metal door leading to the assigned seats. Still, the luxury of eating in booths is a nice plus (if you're lucky to get one!). I also had a crazy run-in with some friends from another train. Pictured below are (left to right) Thibi, Giva and Jelani, three friends from Hamilton, ON who are also Canada150 passholders. We met playing Cards Against Humanity to pass the time en route to Edmonton a few weeks ago, but since then, we've also run into each other by coincidence at Lake Louise in Alberta, and going to Vancouver last Tuesday. This time we were seated in different cars, but I've run into these three more often than anyone else my entire trip, and we all laugh each time it happens. (It happened a fifth time too, later today in Jasper.) We've spent hours just hanging out, and they've been lots of fun. You can see their stories and pictures from the trip on Twitter and Instagram at @thibianthy, @capturedbygiva and @jelzxxn. Speaking of Jasper - the big adventure today was a two hour stop in the famous Alberta mountain town. Around dinner time the train stopped to be cleaned, serviced and refueled. Everyone on board was welcome to disembark and enjoy the town for two hours before we had to get back on the train. I love the decor and the architecture here - everything is ornate and cozy, with that great rustic lodge look. For my dinner, I got a tip from one of the porters on the train about a local pizza lodge joint, and given the infrequency I've had pizza this month, I thought it would be a satisfying supper for a long day's trip. The pizza was hefty, but super tasty and a definitely belly-filler. I also really liked the homemade raspberry juice the had to drink. YUM. Raspberries are my absolute favourite food, so having a juice of it was heavenly. It wasn't overly sweet like a slushie or a Fruitopia - think more like a thin crushed Juice, or a sugar-free Italian Soda. Whatever it was, it was delicious, and I enjoyed three. I also enjoyed watching baseball on the TV and the mountain views from the windows. After dinner there was a short bit of time to walk around, so I took some pictures around the Jasper station and the nearby park. There's a real charm and quaintness to this town, aptly helped by almost every building being made of stone or old-fashioned log cabin. Their train station, unlike many of the smaller stops, is well stocked and offers plenty of affordable services, like snacks, gifts, and local tourism desks. Edmonton and Ottawa, in particular, could learn a thing or two from here. Back on board, we quickly returned to the mountain landscapes and precise chugging along. We're running about two hours behind, so I'm anticipating a delayed arrival in Saskatoon tomorrow by mid to late morning. A short delay like this is actually somewhat helpful - because instead of disembarking around 8:00am, I can sleep in tomorrow instead. This could be the first and only time railway traffic might work in my favour, so long as it doesn't get any worse. The only other event of interest was perhaps my leftover pizza come sunset, which I enjoyed at one of those fancy new booths. This late, nobody else was eating, so I sat and enjoyed some peace and quiet. (My car today had four families and three infants; I was ready for a break from the racket.) Between the pizza, lakes, waterfalls and mountaintops, I've enjoyed some of the more reserved nature of today's activities. I'm going to miss this wilderness once we're back in the boring, regular forests of Ontario this time next week. And for Western Canada? This private nature show is as exotic as it gets.
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