Rocky Mountaineer

Up at 5am for a light breakfast and off to the Rocky Mountaineer.  Very excited.  Get on board, the train is fabulous, lots of leg room, comfy seats and fabulous dome for viewing.

We were immediately fed hot scones with coffee, followed by a five star breakfast then back to the seats for drinkies and cheese and bikkies then a 3 course lunch, more drinkies (in fact they were continuous) and more food.  All you do is eat and drink – didn’t finish lunch till 4pm.

A bit disappointed in the scenery as I was expecting jaw dropping stuff but it was very pretty and different and the train ride was fabulous.  We were so full and tipsy that we got off train and to hotel about 8pm and just went straight to bed.

Up reasonably early and off  to the train for another day of overindulging.  Morning was quite – think everyone was a little hungover.  Afternoon scenery got into the jawdropping beauty stuff.  It was just magical as there was a beautiful clear blue sky, lots of snow, frozen lakes – picture postcard stuff.  We were all on the hunt for bears and as it’s a late spring we were told not to expect to see any as they were just starting to come out of hibernation now.  Saw one in the distance which had everyone excited and then late in the afternoon when all the men were out the back (we were last carriage)doing secret mens things with cameras I spotted 2 bear cubs up a tree.  Very excitedly I jumped up knocking drinks flying shouting ‘bear my side, baby bears, up trees, baby bears,’ apparently quite incoherently. A brief view of mumma bear at the bottom of a bare tree with 2 cubs right at the top – magical.  It was an unofficial sighting as apparently no man saw them but was later officially recognized as a number of us females did.  The men complain that they had no idea what the hell I was shouting about but the women did, so suck eggs to the men.  That certainly livened everyone up and we spent rest of the journey oohing and aarhing about the scenery and wildlife watching. 

Thoroughly enjoyed the train trip. I think it would be even more spectacular in Sept with the changing colour of the leaves but can’t complain about views through the  bare trees and the snow.

Even though the late spring has meant lots of snow and frozen lakes – which has meant we can’t do canoeing or rafting as everything is frozen still – it has made for spectacular sightseeing.  We are having to rearrange our excursion choices due to the snow.

Must say the food is fabulous everywhere we go and already I’m finding the clothes getting too tight.