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By Sean Graham
Whenever I have to fly, I generally feel like this and assume that the flight is going to end like this. As a result, when I learned that Congress this past spring was going to be held in Victoria, my initial reaction to having to confront two cross country flights in the matter of days was something like this – although I will say that being able to watch Airplane on the flight out did make the entire experience much more bearable.
It quickly dawned on me, however, that I could take advantage of being on the west coast by taking the train back to the Eastern Time zone. Often included in those ‘100 Things To Do’ lists, the train follows a northern route out of Vancouver and stops in Jasper, Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg on its way to Toronto. I had done the trip between Saskatoon and Toronto a couple of times, but I had never done the whole route, which takes parts of five days (the train left Friday night and arrived on Tuesday morning). While the amenities were nice – the beds are surprisingly comfortable, the food is outstanding, and the inclusion of an on-board shower is critical – the opportunity to really soak in the country was what really made the trip worthwhile. From the mountains to the Prairies to the Canadian Shield, there is a chance to see the diversity of Canada’s landscapes. Continue reading