Rocking on

Oh dear, another very early start. The bus was scheduled to pick us up from the hotel at 06:15, which we just about made, but of course some other guests got the time wrong and departure was 10 minutes late. Nevertheless the train got going at 07:00 as planned, under grey skies. Today we were on second sitting for meals but with the earlier start we were called for breakfast not long after 09:00. To stay the pangs of hunger until then, we were supplied with coffee and scones at our seats. The breakfast itself was excellent as before - we chose Eggs Benedict (well only one egg each).

Meanwhile the train rattled along at varying speeds, usually slowly to allow appreciation of the views. The straight bits were taken rather faster, causing the now familiar bouncing and swaying. Stella preferred the downstairs open viewing platform at the end of the carriage, where the swaying wasn't so bad - the top deck of the carriage amplifies the movement. The scenery became steadily more dramatic, the sky gradually clearing. We passed through more tunnels, including the famous Spiral Tunnels which were bored so as to reduce the gradient which was causing the old locomotives to break down. Wildlife spotting wasn't up to much though - a juvenile bald eagle, the usual cormorants, and that was about it.

Lunch was very late this time, as we sat down at almost 3 pm. On top of that, we were to move into Alberta which is an hour ahead, so by the time lunch was finished it was after 5 pm. The food was again superb, although we thought it odd to serve coffee before dessert. The afternoon also involved crossing the Continental Divide, ie the watershed and the highest point of the journey at 5,800 feet. As the sun lowered, the light on the increasingly craggy mountains became even more dramatic.

The train stopped at Lake Louise to drop off some passengers, and then pulled into Banff at nearly 7 pm. Just before that, there was an elaborate farewell from the crew, no doubt to bolster their hopes of a generous tip. Other passengers agreed with us that inviting a gratuity of $70-$90 per couple, for which envelopes were provided, was rather cheeky, in view of how much the trip was costing. It is of course colder here, maximum today forecast to be 18 Celsius. We did see a prediction of snow later in the week, so will have to ask the car hire company whether they provide snow chains.

The Rocky Mountaineer certainly met expectations. The scenery is literally breathtaking, and we were very well looked after.  We also met some charming people aboard with whom we shared a table for meals.  We are now back to our standard accommodation - shabby but functional!