The Final Leg of Our Journey

 May 12 - Back on the train to Vancouver, BC

 

Temperature around 10° with a few clouds.  This will change as the day goes on as Vancouver is forecasting rain all day!

 

Our bus arrived to get us back to the train for our 460 km journey.  We said good bye to our luggage one last time.  Hopefully it will be in our hotel room when we get to Vancouver!

 

Last night we actually looked at Alaska cruises leaving from Vancouver this weekend, but the only ones available were one way northbound, which would have made our return flight arrangements from Anchorage a bit complicated!  This trip was nice, but we felt like it went by way too quickly!  If there had been a 7 day round trip cruise from Vancouver I would have been twisting Mary’s arm!  (Note to self - always add a second trip if the first one is short!  LOL) 

 

Today we are on 1st seating for meals

 

We are winding our way around Lake Kamloops and then we turn southbound and follow the Thompson River to where it meets the Fraser near Lytton.  Along the side of the tracks we saw osprey nests, more hoodoos, and on the mountain sides for many kms were the trees destroyed by the fires.

 

Osprey Nests

 

More Hoodoos!

 

Trees burned in last year’s fires covered the hills near Lytton

 

Always something to see…

 

Cisco Crossing 

and Rainbow Canyon

 

At Lytton, the town that was completely destroyed by fires last year we saw the confluence of the clear Thompson and muddy Fraser Rivers. We’ll now be following the Fraser as it winds its way to the Pacific Ocean.

 

After lunch we came into the Fraser Valley, a lush garden area. Huge blueberry fields could be seen on either side of the train.  

 

As we approached Chilliwack and the Mission area it started to rain!  It looks like that will accompany us all the way into Vancouver. 

 

Rail traffic has picked up.  Because longer trains have the right of way, we have had to move to a side rail a couple of times, slowing our trip to Vancouver.

 

We pulled into the Rocky Mountaineer Station around 5:30 where buses were waiting to take us to our hotel. It has been another great journey to tuck away in our Memory Books!

 

See you soon!

The Happy Travellers