Friday July 31st
We were up and out early and made it to Sunwapta Falls a little after 8.30. These were impressive but nothing compared to the Athabasca Falls a few miles north: surging grey water pounding downward with so much spray that at one point we could see a double rainbow over the water.
We headed on toward Jasper up Highway 93A again avoiding the main traffic for more scenic views and a pothole enriched driving surface. We made it in good time to turn in the car, have lunch and check in our luggage before The Canadian arrived. Less novelty and more daytime journeying meant the girls got bored a bit sooner, but soon turned into the official entertainers of all the smaller children in our carriage. Again we passed the time watching the view from the glass-topped dome-car, listening to music, reading and just enjoying some enforced relaxation time. We ate dinner on the train and then Angus and I crashed out while Rhona and Maya fostered Anglo-Canadian relations with some “hotties” in the dome-car before returning to their drooling, snoring parents. We snuggled down under our Canadian blankets and slept as best we could, though the logic of the train stopping for an hour and half because it’s got into a station early makes me wonder at the efficacy of VIA Rail’s timetabling.
