In 2005 we decided on a trip to Canada, starting with a flight to Toronto, a train to Vancouver and a ferry over to the Island where we hired a car to get around to some amazing places. So join me on my Canadian trip of a lifetime.
Air: The following images are taken on coming in to land at Toronto as we circled right over the city. Sometimes even having a seat with a wing view can be interesting too.
Train: After a few days exploring Toronto and a quick trip down to Niagara Falls we joined the Canadian train departing from Union Station in the country’s largest city to cross through some of Canada’s most sparsely populated regions. On the first day the panorama changes from the glass skyscrapers of Toronto to the pine trees of Sioux Lookout. Day two took us to Edmonton, crossing Winnipeg River, the Prairies and the lakes of Whiteshell Provincial Park. On the third day the train steadily climbs through the foothills of the Rockies, crossing several rivers and glacial lakes of the most stunning colours. After Jasper the train winds its way through the Yellowhead Pass, the crest of which marks the border of Alberta and British Columbia. The Canadian is in sight of Mount Robson for 16 km before turning sharply south and descending. In the early hours of the morning the mountains suddenly fall away and the Canadian follows the flat green fields along the Fraser River. It arrives at the Pacific Railway Station in Vancouver after a long and astonishing journey.
Boat: On reaching Vancouver the next step of our journey was to travel on the wonderful BC Ferries up and along the Sunshine Coast then over to Vancouver Island. I’m not a very good sailor, but would go on these ferries any time, and if you are lucky, as we were, you might catch a glimpse of a pod or two of Orcas.
Of course there are many other types of boats on Vancouver Island, so here are a few of the smaller ones.
Road: Of course the journey would not be complete without the use of our lovely Lincoln hire car. She enabled us to get off the highways and to more remote places that were not easily accessible by public transport. On and off ferries to explore the smaller islands of Hornby and Denman, over a logging route to visit Telegraph Cove, along the Pacific Rim coastline to Port Renfrew, Ucluelet and Tofino, and north to Alert Bay. But my first journeys in the car were in the environs of Vancouver – to the fabulous UBC Anthropology Museum, Van Dusen Gardens and over the Lions Gate Bridge to Grouse Mountain.
And of course there are many other methods of transport available in Canada. I hope you have enjoyed the ride 🙂
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #215 |Planes, Trains and Automobiles
TRAVEL WORDS 
I did enjoy the travels, Jude. I have often thought I would like to take the trans-Canadian train although we have driven that highway and the Yellowhead. As you described each place, you jogged my memory.
It was a great train ride, though getting into the top bunks was fairly challenging, I’d never manage that now!
LOL – We would have to sleep on the floor.
That was a wonderful journey thanks Jude. Glad I could come along. My favourite photo is the houseboat and reflection 😀
We loved those houseboats, would quite happily lived there.
Same
Happy to hear you had an opportunity to get a wee taste of the country I call home. Canada is so vast with such a range of scenery & diversity in landscape. I hope you have the chance to return some day💕
It is a fabulous country, we have enjoyed a couple of visits, both to Vancouver and the Island again. I’d like to have visited the east, but that time may have been and gone now.
The east coast is equally as beautiful and very different in the landscape in the west. So grateful to have explored most of it with the exception of Newfoundland which I hope to do in the next year or two.
Do you think you’ll ever go back there, or will yet-unvisited places take priority?
Probably not. Any long haul will be to Australia where my son and his family live, but even that is doubtful.
Looks and sounds like a great trip.
It was pretty good. 😊
Some fabulous images of what was obviously a very memorable trip, Jude. I don’t think I’ve seen an image of that Whirlpool car at Niagara before. Looks interesting?
I messed up recording the tennis so will have to watch edited highlights. Sad face!
The whirlpool is down (up) stream from the falls – I think we considered going on the car, but it was closed as we got there.
That brought back memories of our one and only trip to Canada, just a few years before you. I’d love to go again and this time would do a long train journey as you did. Our impressions of the vast emptiness of Canada came from the air.
That train journey wasn’t cheap, but we did enjoy it. Maybe I can persuade the OH to do some European rail journeys, he’s not so keen on travelling any more, especially flying.
Tell him that train travel – and we’ve done a lot in Europe – is The Best. Stress free, relaxing, and as your Canadian experience will have taught you, a constant moving travelogue.
Certainly a fun trip across our northern neighbor. We’ve visited a few Canadian provinces over the years, but haven’t been east of Manitoba.
That changes next week as we board a cruise ship in New York today for a trip to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Ah, yes that’s the side of Canada I would have loved to have visited, but I can’t see many long haul trips in the future, I’ve fallen out of love with flying!
It’s a real challenge these days to fly anywhere.
Fantastic journey covering half of a vast country.
It was a lovely trip.
Fantastic trip. Big fan of rail travel, but to be honest we love the actual feeling of travelling, the journey is all part of the excitement and enjoyment, however we travel.
I used to like the journey until flying became such a chore with security and packing so many seats into the economy section. I don’t mind rail travel and still enjoy driving.
We can cope with it, though the actual feel of travel is undoubtedly at its least exciting whilst flying. Land and sea travel is so much more edifying.