The train fell further behind last night due entirely to frequent forced stops as long freight trains of grain, potash, oil and other things moved by. We are now 9 hours behind and sitting again so that another train can pass.
We are now on Toronto time and expect to see the big city before dark. Our short time there will be less now but the time on the train is full of interesting people and their stories with amazing views of lake country like we never see. The sky is overcast and a light rain may have fallen. We are seeing a little less color now too.
Our breakfast partner worked on the railroad near here and is celebrating his 60th wedding anniversary. He had good info and perspective to share along with a gruff exterior. His wife rested in their room.
We have our system down now. I'm sure other strategies are used too. We get our clothes out the evening before. Showers are down the hall and taken opportunistically. We eat earlier meals and have our room made up then. There are observation and activity cars and the train can be wandered down its twisting hallways and space is shared as needed. Reading, viewing, socializing are the primary activities. People on trains tend to be older and well traveled but there are many variations and quite a few are regional or infrequent train riders.
When the train stops the sound of its engines and wheels fade away. Hums, room sounds and occasional hallway chard become clear. The window view allows for a closer look at the diverse vegetation when the train is stopped. Jack pine, popular, brown ferns, green or yellow shrubs and a little bare ground are dominant other than occasional rock outcrops covered in rusty looking lichen.
A brief stop in Capreol gave time to stretch our legs and get some fresh air while taking a few photos. We learned that the train had waited earlier for the two longest trains in Canada, Number 1 and 2, to pass. Each was about 200 cars long. We expect to make up some time and may still get in by dark.
We have 8 hours of running time to reach Toronto but are behind a large freight train. Like in the US, CN owns the tracks we are so freight comes first. Via will give us a 50% discount on a future ticket for our inconvenience which made us happier than we already were. Maybe we will use it to go to Churchill to look for polar bears and northern lights?
We had an awkward time at lunch with a retired Alaska lodge owner and his wife. He dominated the conversation all about himself and directed at me. Laurie wanted to see Margo at another table but I couldn't stand up. She was unhappy about that. This is an extra unplanned meal with fewer options but the chef did a good job again. We didn't get dessert for some reason and left the dining car early and grumpy but it gave me things to think about later as we rolled on to Toronto.
We learned from Via staff that Ontario province has about 25% of the worlds fresh water and seems to collect old Canadian rock stars and hockey players in their retirement.
We got to the large and under construction Toronto station about 7 pm and Laurie had a nice visit with Elsbeth and Douglas from Scotland while we waited for baggage. We had to search a bit but were soon on the right subway for a few stops. The walk to the Planet Traveler hostel, our next lodging, was longer than expected but not too far. The hostel staff were friendly and helpful and our private room was adequate for our needs. We were able to do laundry on site which gave us time to relax, visit with family and do some reading. I was able to clean up and post a few things on the blog. We are down to one day in Toronto and plan to relax and enjoy wandering about.
We stopped here for quite a while waiting for a long freight train to go by.
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