After 3 amazing days with Marion in Vancouver, we got up at 4:45AM to catch the train from downtown Vancouver to Banff. The train is very comfortable, a doubledecked carriage with clear plastic ceilings for viewing the gorgeous countryside. We were served a tasty breakfast and settled on in for the 10 hour trip over to Kamloops. 
The landscape we are traveling through is green, lush and full of wildlife. We have seen osprey, eagles, marmots, and promised the possibility of a glimpse of grizzly bear. But the overwhelming impression is that of clean, clear water. Lakes and rivers have wound along the entire route, reminiscent of New Zealand. We have learned all a
bout the rough life of the local salmon, and seen huge protected habitats of the seabirds that live in the area.
After a night in Kamloops, we reboarded the train for the 12 hour jaunt into Banff. More of the same stunning scenery with all of the food and drink we could ever want. We had just left the relative flatlands of BC with an increasing climb up the mountains towards Banff, when we came to a stop. We have now been sitting here on the RM tracks for 90 minutes, and were just informed that our secondary engine is malfunctioning. Because of the steepness of the track, we can’t make it without the second engine, and so here we sit. They are sending another engine, and in the meantime we are enjoying the summer rain, the green environs and the free alcohol. I just hope that the Avis rental car agency will still be open when we do finally limp into town. But we are staying at the Fairmont Banff Springs so if we can’t get the car tonight- we’ll get it tomorrow! No worries, as they all say.
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