All Aboard!

Last night the wind howled outside the hotel window in Hinton; so much so that I thought I would be joining Dorothy and Toto.  I didn't know what to expect for the train trip in the morning.

It turned out that the wind gusted until we got to Jasper, then died down and the sun came out.  We had a tailgate lunch in the parking lot of the train station before leaving for Dunster, British Columbia.

There were 7 of us in the tour group.  We were venturing out on the half day Skeena train tour.

All aboard!  We got to sit in the domed car so the view of the snow covered peaks was breath taking.  The peaks seemed to be the only place that had any snow.  The Jasper town site was brown.

The train traveled the rails at a leisurely pace; perfect for sight seeing. 

The scenery was beautiful.  Creeks and rivers flowed alongside the tracks.  The further west we got, the more snow there was.

The train meandered through forested areas and rock walls.  It rolled across bridges and through tunnels until it stopped at Dunster, our drop off point.

The tour van picked us up in front of the Dunster General Store.  Going into the store is like taking a step back in time.  It is a post office, a vet supply store, a grocery store, a hardware store and just about any other kind of store that you can think of.  It is the heart of the little farming community.

On our way back to Jasper, the guide made a couple of pit stops so we could stretch our legs and take in the beauty of the mountains.  5.5 hours from the time that we left, we were back in the Jasper town site.

The sun was starting to set and was creating some beautiful colors in the sky.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.