We'll be coming 'round the mountain

I awoke again the the train stopping... The train going in fine... but the stops are when I wake up. I felt like we stopped a lot last night. If I can get back to sleep when we are stopped, the motion when we continue allows me to keep on sleeping.
Early this morning we arrived in Edmonton. That guy slept through and once again didn't buy his ticket... I wonder what's going to happen with that.
I decided I better go for breakfast... my tummy was crying!
Once I got in the dinning car I met Josie. A middle-aged interior designer who was taking a bit of a break between companies. She looked fresh faced and well-slept. I could tell she had just gotten on the train.
We were joined by Katie, a retired teacher, with very short red hair, drawn-on eyebrows and a no-nonsense Scottish attitude. They had both left their husbands at home, and decided to travel; Katie for the romance of the train trip she had dreamed about for twenty years. Josie for a break from her life and work. The three of us had a chat about compromise in a marriage. We all agreed that a necessary level of compromise was essential for success of a relationship. However, if you compromise far too much than you begin to lose yourself. While compromise is key, one must ascertain themselves and do the things that make them happy and complete as a person.
After leaving the breakfast table, the conversations lesson remained in my thoughts. I wondered where the lines of comprise could be blurred, and if a relationship could really exist under the ideas of comprise even if it wasn't meant to be.
Josie and Katie were preaching the responsibilities of comprise and marriages, important lessons, yes... I couldn't help but notice that Josie was not wearing her wedding ring. Now my question is: how does one preach the responsibilities of comprimise and success of a marriage, but yet do not wear the ring. Not only that, but what exactly was she planning to do on this trip. I do not judge, for everyone needs some excitement in their life. It just struck me as odd. I wanted to ask her about it, but knew it would be inappropriate.
I went back to my seat, and took a brief nap. It being only about 8:00am at this point.

When I awoke, I headed into the dome car. I wanted a good seat and a good view for the entrance of the mountains. It was raining, and pretty overcast outside. Gloomy kind of day, and I did hope that the mountains might be visible. The dome car was much more social than it had been in previous days. There was about six or seven or us in there all sitting alone, but carrying on a conversation about many things. We were all quite different people from different walks of life, and each of us had some different to add to different parts of the conversation. Especially on the idea of legalizing marijuana use.

There was one lady in particularly who was so well versed in the world, and great to talk to. When the dome car began to get busy, I sat with her. She was interesting because she knew so many different things about art, artists, writers, books, authors, travel, nature vs. society.. and the list goes on and on.

The vibe in the dome car was great. Everyone was excited and in a positive chatty mood. As we got closer to the mountains it cleared up, and the rain was gone.

Right after leaving HInton we began to see the mountains in the distance.

As they got closer and closer everyone could not help but gasp and marvel at their beauty. All these glistening peaks, getting closer and closer. 

We pasted by lakes, and the Athabasca River. The river seemed so clean and green. I could also tell that it expanded much further than where it was. As if during the summer, it was over three times the width then what it is at currently.

Everyone was chatting about the region and the mountains. Everyone had their cameras out taking pictures. We travelled in this happy bliss for about an hour or so. Every so often the man the operates the take-out car, Raman, would come up into the car and tell us something educational about what we were seeing, or what was coming up next.

He told us about this one mountain. It's one of the most popular in the region. It's called mount Roage (not sure if that's the right name), but to the locals it's now as Old Man or Pocahontas. Can you see the face? I thought it was neat how the terrain was naturally eroded that way.

I realized all of the sudden that Jasper sits right in the middle of all these mountains. I got so pumped just thinking about being immersed inside of all of these wondrous beauties.

I can not describe to you the feeling when I got off of the train. It was something I can not describe, I can only say that I was completely overwhelmed with the extreme closeness of the mountains, and their size. The air was fresher, people everywhere were smiling and excited. I got my luggage and walked across town to my hotel. I was simply in awe, and could not stop staring at the landscape. For everywhere I looked a beautiful mountain was hovering in the distance, as if smiling and welcoming me.

I dropped off my stuff and went out for lunch. I was starving and craving pizza. Turns out in Jasper, there is only one place where you can get a slice of pizza, and I couldn't find it. I ended up getting a small hawaiian and enjoying it's fresh baked deliciousness. Fresh home-made tomato sauce on a perfectly cooked crust, with the perfect amount of toppings. One of the best pizza's I've had.

I took an hour long walk up and down the side streets to explore. They have two main streets, and a bunch of residential streets. Jasper is an amazingly clean town as I saw NO garbage anywhere at all. I think this is due to it being a National Park, and the people that live there help to preserve it.

I was walking past a retirement home, a noticed a cute man ahead of me. He was shuffling along the sidewalk with a stick in his hand. The stick had a rope tied to it, and the rope was strapped around his wrist (In case he dropped it, he wouldn't have to bend down and pick it up). He said "hello there" and I said hello back. I mentioned the nice weather we were having was (it was about 14 degrees) and I was still in full awe about the mountains. He stared to tell me about how he has such a hard time going outside, but had to come out today because of the weather, and to say hello to the mountains. I liked him, and we exchanged a few more words before continuing on my adventurous walk. It was so quite and peaceful everywhere and the town seemed to have a permanent feeling of bliss hovering above it.

I passed the elementary school and heard some kid whining at his brother that he "didn't want to go home". I thought that if home was away from the landscape, then I completely understood why.

Once I had wandered all through the side streets and through the main part of town twice, I decided to head back to the hotel. I was inspired to write.

I relaxed completely, couldn't help it when the vibe was so present throughout the town.

I watched the sunset from my balcony and the mountains slowly disappear into the night.

FORTress of Solitude

There's a cute old man who's sitting across from me. I know, I know, I always think the elderly are cute…. but they are. Maybe that's why I'm enjoying this trip so much, so many cute and interesting elderly people to look at.

Anywho… when we pulled out of Winnipeg he raced over to my side of the train and pressed his face against the glass and started waving. We past by his apartment building and his roommate was on the balcony waving too. I couldn't quite tell if his roommate had seen him, but as we passed his waves got more aggressive, so I told him I thought he had. We got into a bit of a nice chat about the different markets around Canada. Comparing The Forks (Winnipeg), St.Lawerence (Toronto), and Grandville Island (Vancouver). He is retired and likes to travel the rails now as a means of entertainment because his cost of living is a little low. He has some family in Missasagau and seems to know a bit about the different areas in Toronto. It was to talk about something familiar. I gave him directions to check out mini-China town on Broadview (he asked), as well as Riverdale Farm and that giant Riverdale park. 

I did a couple silly things on this train trip. Firstly they wouldn't turn off the goddamn search lights! Ok, not search lights, but blinding overhead lights for the whole coach car. I was sleepy and the blanket over my head was NOT working this time. I built myself a little fort. Everyone was looking at me strangely who walks by. But i do my evil laugh to myself and say, "Suckers! They wish they had their own fort to sleep in!" SpongeBob loves it! I'm ready to take it down, but he won't let me.

There is another man, in a couple seats in front of me. He came on without a ticket. He was instructed to pick one up in Sasktoon. He went to the dome car instead. Let's see if he gets on in Edmonton, or if he can make it to Kamloops for free.

We just passed through Wainwright. I look out the window and once again see snow. I shutter at the thought that Jasper might have snow still. I've been checking the weather, and they have been around and above ten degrees for a couple weeks now… but snow I still fear. I think mainly because I do not have the approbate clothing to deal with said weather conditions.

It's almost 4am, and all my coach-mates are asleep. I was awaken to the sound of my phone receiving signal once again, and receiving 11 texts, 4 e-mails, and 2 voicemails. I LOVE YOU GUYZ! My coach-mates looked annoyed, and I was embarrassed, but happy to know you guy are wondering about me. If anyone would like to send me an e-mail with updates on how you are, that would be great! I would love to hear from you and see how things are going for you.

Quite mental breaks from trying so hard to sleep are good. It also allows me to write silly entertaining things to myself. I hope you are enjoying reading these entries… if not, oh well! I am:p

Passing through the prairies at night is interesting. It's so dark, and all you can see are a few specks on light on the far distant horizon. I read in my rail-guide, that they purposely go through the parries at night to avoid people from getting prairie fever. It's supposedly so flat and boring, that people need a mental break from it. Oh mental break!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I think I'm gonna go back into my fort now, or as Luke would call it, my "Fortress of Solitude", and try to get a little more sleep. Nighty!