Day 5 Rocky Mountaineer Kamloops to Vancouver

WE MAY HAVE PEAKED!!" 🎉
After a highly comfortable night's rest in Kamloops, we boarded the Rocky Mountaineer for Day 2 of our rail odyssey. This morning, we were welcomed aboard the red carpet flanked by the National Flag of Canada on one side and the Provincial Flag of British Columbia on the other. At 8:00 AM sharp, we began gliding out of town, tracking tightly alongside the wide, winding Thompson and Fraser rivers toward the Pacific coast.
The geography today was jaw-dropping. We watched the semi-arid, desert-like landscapes of Kamloops completely transform into the dramatic, steep rock cliffs of the Fraser Canyon. A major highlight was passing right through the roaring rapids of Hell's Gate, where we looked down to see the historic fish ladders built to help the salmon swim upstream. We were treated to the incredible sight of thousands of sockeye salmon actively leaping through the rushing water!
As the train plunged through numerous dark mountain tunnels, the scenery remained spectacularly wild before gradually shifting into greener, more inhabited valley communities as we approached the coast. The wildlife tracking continued, too—today it was Ian who spotted a bear right by the tracks (and once again, it vanished too quickly for the rest of us to see!). Our trip leader, Glen, also shared a wonderful collection of different bird photos he’d captured along the way.
The social vibe in our carriage stayed at an all-time high with the second afternoon trivia quiz of the trip. This one was officially hosted by Ian and brilliantly won by Jo and Jon!
There was absolutely no shortage of laughter and fun, though the majestic wilderness took a rather unexpected turn during the latter part of the journey. As we approached civilization, we were welcomed by various local men in various states of dress along the tracks—including a classic "mooning," a "helicopter," and a man casually freeing his bladder right next to the rails! It was certainly a different kind of scenery to wrap up the trip!!!
We hit another freight train delay today, having to wait on the sidings for the massive cargo trains and then waiting for our final arrival slot in Vancouver to clear. The crew kept us going with a late-afternoon snack before we finally rolled into the station around 7:30 PM. True to form, the slick Rocky Mountaineer operations had a fleet of motor coaches waiting right at the final rail siding to instantly whisk us off to our downtown Vancouver hotel.
An absolutely incredible, unforgettable couple of days on the rails!Read more