Sharing anniversary drinks in #Skyline Car
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 4
Started the day with 6 am wakeup of the freight train roaring past at #Sioux Falls. Beautiful morning though with misty lake surface perfectly reflecting the morning sunrise.
All day - water and trees
Today's journey is water, water and water, on rails frequently perched above the forest floor over endless steel bridges. Back to the spruce and pine forest and an increasing number of trees showing their reds and gold of fall.
Woke to one bar of service to catch up on news from home, #Europe and #London - all with different stories to tell.
Think this has been my favourite day of countryside - travelling across the waterlogged #Canadian Shield. Very old area of flat terrain, covered in water, reeds and tall pine trees. We've had a smoke free clear day, with wispy overhead clouds and no smoke haze. The reflections have been beautiful.
We started the day at 45 minutes behind schedule at #Sioux Falls this morning and were 2 hours behind for our afternoon arrival in #Hornepayne. Not sure how we will do it, but staff are predicting an early arrival in #Toronto tomorrow morning.
The late arrival means that the time off the train is greatly reduced - so places like #Jasper, #Melville, and #Hornepayne were just a dash around the station platform or a quick sprint around the block. In the case of #Winnepeg last night, we were so late there were very few things even open between 10 and 11 p.m. on a Sunday night.
We do enjoy the forward, back, sideways and up view from the dome of the #Skyline car
There is a growing familiarity amongst the travellers and there are lots of conversations and fun. Had a couple celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary today pop a cork on a bottle of champagne and share it around. @Larry was keen to notice my crocheting and asked that when I was finished, could I make him a beer cosy. While he was at lunch, I whipped him one up - much to the delight of fellow travellers. He was certainly chuffed - and was using it with pride.
He asked - I delivered - in bottle green - with pink trim
@Lisa (English) and @Sal (maths teacher from #Toowoomba) are two solo travellers who have struck up a friendship on the train. They have loads of fun stories and adventures to share and have kept us entertained as they too are regulars in the #Skyline Car.
Everyone is on high alert for wildlife spotting. Still not much luck in that department and on this part of the journey have not really sighted many people! Isolated cabins here and there around a lake or a small group of houses that look to be associated with the railway line.
Not much else. In fact, other than our 6 am catchup in #Sioux Falls this morning we have definitely been offline and out of range.
We had a change of crew last night in #Winnipeg. We know they deserve a break- but we were really enjoying their interactions with the old and familiar crew and of course we are trained with the "way" they did things. Have to now familiarise ourselves with the ways of the new crew ... or train them to our ways. All very different.
@Mac got off the train at #Horneypayne today. It was our only stop for "fresh air" and because we are behind schedule was a mere 10 minutes. @Marion is a mad geocaching fan and she was keen to go on her treasure hunt and was busy clambering up the embankment to retrieve the "cache.
" It's a real passion" for her - she has recorded some five and a half thousand around the world, has laid out 150 of her own and hosts a major event in her town. Husband @Larry not so much - and apparently in keeping her 366 day streak going - even during blizzards and whiteouts - there were "grounds for divorce."
Looking for the cache
He got the pic of the engines at last
We were also intrigued by the fishing stories of @Cheryl and @Vern at lunch. They plan all their trips around wetting a line. They are heading to tuna fishing off #Nova Scotia and fly fishing in #New Brunswick once they get off the train. But they were global in their pursuits which included 18 fishing trips to Australia. Lucky - @Mac had his " big barramundi" story to tell. Mind you, their recent 300 lb in 6 packing case haul from #Alaska did take the shine away from his #Darwin success.
Enjoyed our final evening dinner with @Christine and @Steve. We were very lucky to have scored a place at the late sitting mind you, think that with growing familiarity and the constant flow of alcohol in the #Prestige class, the noise level in the confines of the dining car was elevated tonight. Poor @Mac had a circus happening in his left ear and was hard pressed to hear our table conversation - I was doing a lot of relaying of the highlights. I think that is how it transpired that we were asked to leave - when the other guests left and we had the car to ourselves - we were deep on conversation and hadn't quite registered "it was time to go."
Big day of eating even before we got to dinner
Headed back to our "snug" as quietly as we could, passing all the curtains of the upper and lower bunk dwellers who had already called it a day. No mean feat to make your way along the passageways as darkness falls because the engineers definitely take the brake off and hoik along at breakneck speeds. They definitely are committed to an early arrival in #Toronto tomorrow.
Picked @Cheryl and @Vern's (a pair of absolute passionate fishermen) brains at lunch for tips for @Kathy and @Dave:
A. Plenty of storage room to unpack bags and small hanging space
B. Bathroom includes hair-dryer (ours doesn't)
C. Always have separate pre dinner entrees and champers before other guests permitted to dining room
D. Room includes L shaped couch for daytime use
E. Extremely attentive staff dedicated to #Prestige guests
F. Swipe card entry to rooms which can be locked when left
G. Fold down bed is a double
H. Of course, all drinks included and 24/7 access to #Park Car
Meanwhile in Europe 🇪🇺 with @M&I
Just brief message opportunity today that indicated they were heading back to Athens - and that on arrival, they scored the same room as their original visit. If memory serves me, that was the spiral staircase three floors up!
Trekking across Ontario today
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