There were two things that drew us to a Western Canadian vacation. I had friends that I had not seen in many years in Calgary and Vancouver, and we wanted to take in the spectacular scenery of the Canadian Rockies. A brochure from my alma mater, Syracuse University, landed in our mail box with all the right places and time of year– we were sold! It was during August and we knew temps would be moderate and cool. We signed up for the guided tour that would take us from Calgary to Lake Louise, Banff and on to Jasper with final destination Vancouver.
The highlight of the trip was boarding the Rocky Mountaineer train in Banff. We were treated to an amazing experience of untamed wilderness of vast forests, snow covered peaks and rugged terrain. We hoped to see a lot of wildlife, more on that later. We opted for the Gold service—you only live once! — and we were not sorry. White tablecloth dining with three meals a day with snacks, unlimited drinks, and the camaraderie of fellow passengers awaited us in a domed car with unbelievable views. The food was amazing, especially the salmon. The service was impeccable and our rail car had its own chef.
From Banff we went on to Vancouver with an overnight stay in Kamloops and resumed the trip the next day. The train route cut through mountainsides, rolled along high cliffs and charged across verdant valleys on routes carved in the late 19th century. Now onto those wildlife sightings: over the course of 14 days we saw Dahl Sheep, Bighorn sheep, Mule deer, Black bears, many Bald Eagles, and numerous Elk. We hoped for a Sasquatch sighting but, alas, that evaded us.
Good food, good company, fabulous accommodations, spectacular scenery and the Rocky Mountaineer made this a unique and memorable adventure.
Andrea Kaye & Bruce Spaman