Mom and I were up bright and early for our Rocky Mountaineer First Passage to the West two day train journey from Vancouver to Banff. When we arrived at the Vancouver Rocky Mountaineer Train Station around 6:45 am we were greeted by the friendly staff who brought our bags to the check in counter to tag them for the hotels we would be staying at over the next two nights. The train station was big and filled with sunlight and you could get drinks and lounge around watching clips of the journey on large screens while a piano player played in the background.
Before boarding the train they gathered everyone together at the front of the hall for a departure ceremony with a bagpiper. After the call of "all aboard" everyone headed to their designated train carriage and as we departed at 8:00 am all the Rocky Mountaineer staff were outside waving us farewell on our journey. We were in the SilverLeaf Service single level dome car and had assigned seats near the front of the carriage. There was lots of leg room and large windows to peer out of to see all the scenery. You could also go out back to the outside platform where we entered to take pictures as well.
Each carriage has three dedicated staff - we had sisters Katie and Tracey as our servers and tour guides, and Jordan cooking all our meals. One thing about the Rocky Mountaineer is that you will never go thirsty or hungry. They are constantly serving you throughout the day. The food was hot and excellent. For breakfast we got a cinnamon scone then three cheese omelette with chicken sausage, skillet potatoes and roasted tomatoes. For lunch we had a sliced tomato salad and grilled salmon with a creamy dill sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. For dessert there was a chocolate brownie with fudge sauce, as well as snacks of mixed nuts and dried fruit in between meals if you were interested.
For today's journey we traveled from Vancouver to Kamloops, which was 460 km/285 miles. We began with the green agricultural region of the Fraser Valley and the sight of our first mountain - Mount Baker.
As we climbed into the Cascade Mountains it got very green and lush, and then we saw Hell's Gate, which is the narrowest part of the Fraser River in the canyon.
Next we hit the Cisco Crossings, where the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National train lines cross the Fraser River on an orange arched bridge.
As we traveled further we came through Lytton, where the Thompson and Fraser Rivers met and the water goes from muddy to clear.
From here the landscape changes and becomes more dry and arid. The trees became more sparse as you went along and then it became more like a desert with all the brown rocks and slides.
On the way into the town of Kamloops the Thompson River widened into the massive Kamloops Lake. As we traveled around it we kept an eye out for animals on the hills and saw a few mountain goats along the way.
We made really good time during the day, and as the Rocky Mountaineer pulled into Kamloops we were greeted by the volunteer Kamloops Mounted Patrol. They come out with their horses to welcome train passengers into town.
Everything was very well organised as we departed the train. We got on our designated motorcoach and then drove the short distance to the Thompson Hotel and Conference Centre, where everyone was already checked in and had their bags waiting for them in the room. Mom and I grabbed dinner next door at The Noble Pig Brewhouse, and then got to sleep as it was another early start with a 6:15 am departure back to the Rocky Mountaineer in the morning.
As we climbed into the Cascade Mountains it got very green and lush, and then we saw Hell's Gate, which is the narrowest part of the Fraser River in the canyon.
Next we hit the Cisco Crossings, where the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National train lines cross the Fraser River on an orange arched bridge.
As we traveled further we came through Lytton, where the Thompson and Fraser Rivers met and the water goes from muddy to clear.
From here the landscape changes and becomes more dry and arid. The trees became more sparse as you went along and then it became more like a desert with all the brown rocks and slides.
On the way into the town of Kamloops the Thompson River widened into the massive Kamloops Lake. As we traveled around it we kept an eye out for animals on the hills and saw a few mountain goats along the way.
We made really good time during the day, and as the Rocky Mountaineer pulled into Kamloops we were greeted by the volunteer Kamloops Mounted Patrol. They come out with their horses to welcome train passengers into town.
Everything was very well organised as we departed the train. We got on our designated motorcoach and then drove the short distance to the Thompson Hotel and Conference Centre, where everyone was already checked in and had their bags waiting for them in the room. Mom and I grabbed dinner next door at The Noble Pig Brewhouse, and then got to sleep as it was another early start with a 6:15 am departure back to the Rocky Mountaineer in the morning.
