The Rocky/Whistler Mountaineer has 3 spectacular 2 day/1 night trips! Whistler-Quesnel-Jasper and Vancouver-Kamloops-Jasper/Banff. I get to take my passengers on either a "Red Leaf" or "Gold Leaf" adventure through BC into the Alberta Rockies! This is one of the best ways to see the rugged beauty of the West!
My first job is to get all my guests settled so that the Rocky Mountaineer staff can"take over". I then start working ahead and get as many restaurant and activity bookings done. This involves providing a ton of info about the many restaurants and specifics about all the activities. It is a lot of work, but it is fun doing all the research. I am pretty much a critic for all aspects of the tour. I have make sure all the suppliers are providing first rate service for my guests.
The food on is excellent! We get a variety of Pacific Northwest highlights and other goodies like wine and cheese, fresh baked cookies and all kinds of beverages!
There is an outdoor area where you can get up close with nature, and that's usually where I'm at telling my guests about all my favorite spots along the river and nearby mountains. There are two tracks on either side of the river. One is owned by CN (Canadian National), and the parallel line is owned by CPR (Canadian Pacific Railways). We depart the Rocky Mountaineer Station near downtown Vancouver and make our way along the Fraser River through the Fraser Canyon. We see the landscape go from heavily forested to semi arid, almost like the Desert in the South West US. We stop in Kamloops for a lumberjack dinner show then call it a day.
Welcoming at the Kamloops Train Station for the big shot Tour Director...
Day 2 takes us through either the Fraser Discovery Route through the Yellowhead Pass, or the Kicking Horse Route to Banff. Both routes give us a chance to see wildlife such as Eagles, Hawks, Deer, Bears, Mountain Goats, etc!
We arrive in Banff after 2 full days on the train. Now we hop on our bus and take the short drive to the Castle in Sky, the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel! I'll tell you more about it next time!
