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 This year our annual fall trip Down Canadian Roads was a 3 day, 3 night junket composed of a flight from Victoria to Winnipeg, a night in the historic Fort Garry Hotel, a train trip from Winnipeg to Vancouver,  a ferry trip from Vancouver to Victoria and a car ride back to Ladysmith. Our Winnipeg based crew made us feel special and pampered. The passengers like us, were predominantly elderly. Rumbling while rolling over and through the landscape, we had infrequent contact with the neurotic energy of urban communities. We were accompanied by Allison and Duncan.

A throwback to a leisurely, gentler, less progressive era, the train trip is as much time travel as travel through space. A hypnosis of sound and motion allows the brain to slip comfortably into somnolence or contemplation. If you listen carefully you can hear your own thoughts even over the strangely delightful cacophony of train noises. The dining car consistently provides fare remarkable for its variety, quality and quantity.

ViaRail, Canadian 1, you rock!  And you roll!

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Train Talk

Composed of

Impressions of

The rhythms of the

Night train, and sights,

Lights and sounds in the close

Confines of the small room in which

One is being propelled through the autumn night.

Train Talk

Clack klak,  clack klak. clack

Flash, clack, klak , flash flash klak

You mustn’t go there, you better come here

You better come here, you mustn’t go there

Flash flash flash, clack klak, flash flash, clack

When? When? When? When? Disappearing When? When?

Scrape, scrape, flash clack, reappearing clack, disappearing flash

Clack flash, flashes, mish mash, crashes, red red flying ashes, green light also flashes

Wait, wait, ouch! scrape, strike, more scrapes, red light passes, Ding dinghy ding dinghy

Ding ding dinghy, something masks the orange flashes, dark dark night passes, night train passes

Slow train passes, freight train catches, but you mustn’ go there, you better come here,

Night train screeches, cracks then reaches, then goes slack, then lights go flash,

But you mustn’nt go there, you better come here, then night train rocks

But you mustn’nt go there, you better come here flash

But where is here, the endless here and then When?

When? When?When disappearing when? Re-

Appearing When? Then flash! Ding

Dinghy disappearing Ding

Flash crossing back,

Cling cling clingy

Orange dinghy

Night train

In my brain,

Rhythms and lights

Playing on the night train

Playing in my brain

Ouch! scrape! Flashes, clashes

Night train in my brain,

When? When when? When?

Whee! Whee!

Scrrraaaape!

Screeeetch!

Cheu, Cheu

Chu, Chu

Chue…

Guggy 2015

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Snapshots From  a Moving

Train

Winnipeg to Vancouver

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Photography by Deanne: Click on an image to start Carousel

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