Shipmate Column
It was a lot of fun, for I love to travel, to visit new places, and to experiment with new food. It was also very nostalgic for me, because my father was in the Navy during WWII and my maternal grandparents were in southern California, and I had traveled back and forth across country several times on a train by the time I was eight -- in addition to many other shorter rail trips through my high school years.
Anyway, Dave spooned me early on and gave me "carry on," so it was great all around. The Canadian railroad, VIVA, is nationally owned and run. The main line goes from Quebec across southern Canada to Vancouver. We opted to go from Toronto to Jasper, Alberta, where we dismounted, rented a car, and took a trip to Banff for several days. That part of Canada is truly beautiful, with Lake Louise in between Jasper and Banff. There are some premier hotels built by the original railroad barons, and Rocky Mountain scenery abounds.
From Jasper we traveled on a different railroad, the Skeena, which goes more northwest through King George and to Prince Rupert on the west coast of British Columbia. We wanted to do that because we thought that route would give us a better view and more daytime through the Rockies. If I had to do it over, I would have just gone straight to Vancouver. Most of Canada's population is near the US border. Believe me; when you go much more north, it is desolate (not so desolate that we ever saw a bear, however!). Anyway, after a couple of nights in Prince Rupert, we caught a ferry for an 8-10 hour ride to the northern tip of Vancouver Island to Port Hardy, a quaint little town that reminded me a lot of Annapolis. With hindsight, we would rather have spent a couple of days there rather than in Prince Rupert.
At Port Hardy we rented another car, drove to Victoria at the southern end of the island and had the pleasure of staying -- and eating-- in a beautiful city. The weather was perfect there, compared to the dismal, drizzly weather we had had at Prince Rupert. From Victoria we took a hydrofoil across to Seattle, where we separated from the Banners. They stayed to visit their daughter nearby, but Virginia and I caught a flight home right away, since the trip had already taken two full weeks . We called it our "Trains, planes, automobiles, ferry and hydrofoil" trip. The trip was not cheap, but with the value of the U.S. dollar, it made the trip not only a great trip, but a great value too! The trains had great attendants and very good meals. I would recommend it highly. Stay at the Jasper Lodge in Jasper, the Banff Chateau in Banff, and the Chateau Louise at Lake Louise for luxury accommodations, great food, and, in the latter two cases, great views. (Lessons learned: we stayed at the Jasper Lodge, but only ate at the other two; highly recommend that you stay there, however, should you go.)
In contrast to my wife, I personally like to experience adventure and to get close to the outdoors. As a Boy Scout leader for almost 20 years, I have been on many campouts, canoe trips, backpacking trips, hikes, and high adventures. On other occasions I grab my sons or daughter and we take off, since they share my love of the outdoors. My most recent adventure of significance was a week-long rafting trip with my son, Robert, on the northern Colorado River in October '98.
I am still hanging in
there as an outer beltway bandit in the defense contracting world, but
there is no denying that since the Berlin Wall came down and defense spending
went south, it has been a struggle. I still am running, but I have
to admit that my times are inexorably getting longer and longer!
I ran my 15th marathon in Philadelphia last November and nearly died doing
it. In fact, if you feel that bad when you die, avoid dying at all
costs! Are there any other classmates who are long distance runners?
At the Beat Army pizza dinner in Virginia
