Fabulous tea find

While on the train I was introduced to a new brand/variety of tea that rocks on several levels.  They are Northern Delight Teas, fine Inuit herbal teas.  This rocks a) as they are great tasty teas, b) as they are herbal teas for when you want an herbal tea, c) as they are Inuit artisanal teas, d) it is supporting the Nunavik region and e) the website can be seen in Inuktitut.  I found a package in a store in Quebec City and grabbed myself a smattering of their varieties.  Goooood stuff.   Now to drink the mug of it I have in front of me…

QotD

“I can see that it’s much easier to say ‘porn did this to me, or that’ but at the end of the day, we are all responsible for the choices we make. I chose to be a porn star. Now I’m choosing not to be. It’s the beautifully terrible thing about free will: we can do whatever we like but we must be held accountable for whatever we do. Just because I don’t want to be a porn star today doesn’t mean that I should feel ashamed to have been one seven months ago. It’s something I did and I’m not afraid to say I did it, loved doing it, and just don’t feel like it’s what I need to do anymore. Shame and guilt are useless emotions. The only way I would feel ashamed is if I’d decided being a porn star isn’t what’s best for me and then continued doing it anyway.”  — Jennie Ketcham

Signatures in Steel

The light, glinting off the corrugated stainless steel exterior of the cars, signal lights streaking through the night sky, the ever present never coming closer circle of light from the distant locomotive, illuminating the trees as we pass them by, the light spilling from the cars, gently lighting the ground, the terrain so lit looking all the world as an ever present cloud of steam emanating from the train, the Fraser river to our left, gleaming from cloud glow above, emptying into the water left behind us, the gentle rolling to and fro, the curving one way and the other, like a giant metallic snake, letting me see the whole of the train peeling away only to catch back up to it, the low constant rumble, the train, moving onward, onward, onward.

Shining gaily in the dawn the river sits to the left, smells of breakfast filling the car along with the sounds of conversation and new friendships, vegetation streaking by the window again, again, again, the train car dancing with the cliff faces along the right, edging by, engaging in a game of closeness, high spirits for all, underpinned with a steady beat of rails, thadump, thadump, thadump.

People speaking in hushed tones, the valley through which we pass is our cathedral, muted tones of fading red and yellow dot the evergreen hillsides, rail sounds continuing to dominate, swaying back and forth, eyes transfixed on the landscape unfolding, the river Thompson glistening as it flows back the way we came, we weave gently between peaks, a summit suddenly beckoning all capped in white, shining tall amongst the other peaks, mottled colours climbing its distant face with the tree line sharp nearing its white crown, soon joined by companions, ringing the train, all around, from water to sky, nothing lies that does not please the eye, rolling on, one beautiful tableau after another.

Crisp air nips the face, delightful, the lowering sun revealing new colours on the hills, new shadows highlighting ancient topography, a pale half moon hanging silently over the lake, sharp reflection, the sky opening up, uninhibited, cold stars gleaming down, scents hanging in the air:  pine, birch and the moist earth and leaves upon which we travel, mountains tantalizing, wildlife strutting their stuff, living their lives, we as intruders, they as nature powerful, wild, alive.

Fading back into the ground the hills recede, fading, the evening light matching the hills, fading, rail cars shining with reflected twilight, prairies beckoning, awaking, the horizon as flat a line as can be, the land stretches, stretches, stretches, dull gold the colour all around, clusters of trees breaking the endless plain, all has been cut, the fields low, the season ended, the winter coming, clouds grey, a plane matching the one below, freight rumbles past, colour of colour of cars, all different purposes, all rumbling on, as we do, forward.

Snow is here, streaking by the window, grain elevators standing watch, watching the rolling trains going by, splashes of red, green, white, alighting from hoppers, support piping, towers of holding, sleepy is the world, harvest past, fields dormant, few moving in the world outside the windows of the train, only the towers bearing witness, glassy still ponds reflecting all in perfect artistic beauty, the air hushed, flakes, flakes, flakes.

A new day equals a new postcard, strong conifers lining the path, conically pointing towards the sky, birches standing interspersed, white trunks assertive, subdued fall colours not yet fully receded still shining through, lakes, lakes, lakes glide past, mottled dark and blue the sky blares overhead, matched with rocks of deep grey, red, orange, holding the ground heavy, ancient, thick, wilderness untouched, standing ever present,  trees, lakes,  bare lakes, most fowl now flown south for the oncoming winter, patches of white giving evidence of the advancing season, the air is still, the train noise continues, continues, continues, snow growing, ground adorned with white, more, more, more, marshes, rivers, ponds, lying all still, dark hued, ice clinging, gripping, to the shore.

Bursting through, the colours of fall strut their style, past their prime yet still proud, the warmer clime keeping their fall attire longer, vibrancy, vibrancy, exploding in our vision, ponds, clearings, landscape giving way suddenly to  urbanscape, roads, houses, bridges, parks, uptowns, downtowns, approaching the city, urbanity, graffiti, industrial, residential, big station looming, inside.

Into infinity, water hems the train on one side, yet not the ocean, traveling onward into the most populous region, through city, town, villages, lake calm, reflecting the sky, zooming by at high speeds, rocking steadily, fields,  trees, clearings, crossings, all becoming vibrant streaks of colour, the distinct ring of the horn blares, blares, blares, level crossings coming, coming, coming fast and furiously, fields standing ready, ready for the spring, for planting, and old city looms, envelops, Paris in North America, thick walls of mortar and history, colourful shops, people bustling, longstanding vitality, thriving, thriving, thriving.

More east than east, further than the continent has gone before, a jutt of land across the bay, birch and poplars standing guard over flamboyant red groundcover, bursting from a clearing, undulating land rolling towards the horizon, rivers, rivers, rivers, churches sitting nestled in the landscape, white amongst the colourful backdrop, two provinces blending into one, horses, farms, the water coming, we move, east, east, est.

Red soil lies beneath, turned up here and there, potatoes gone but the fields remaining, unusual to our eyes, unique and vivid, clouds lazily overhead, farms, fields, fields, fields, houses dotting, rural, laid back, surrounded by ocean, water, coast, coast, travel, coast, windmills turning overhead.

Nine of Ten, Ocean to Ocean though not to Ocean, lands into lands into lands, landscapes into landscapes into landscapes, socials into socials into socials, the days and nights of exploring, adventure, of witness, now done, the journey ended, the memories never done.

(the title for this post came from a book I loved to get from the library)

Location: Sunnyvale House

The great Canadian rail adventure post-trip wrap-up post!

Location: Bangor Airport

Checked in for the night before an early morning departure.  I have a good sore muscle burn going on right now, it was a great couple of days of seminars, got through the two sets, Rino’s school is full of great and fun people, we all had a blast.  And you know it’s been a good workout when you arrive at the hotel and realize that due to the time zone change you have now one extra hour for sleep.   Shaolin dreams…

Location: Grand Falls

Gone through Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, back to NB…

getting ready for the kung fu seminar I’ll be teaching this weekend.  It’s fun to be hanging out with a KF brother, went to a couple of his classses last night, we’ll be training a bunch tonight and it’s onto teaching 9 Province staff on saturday.  I’m as giddy as I was before getting on the train.

I’ll have to post a trip recap when I return — I’ve gotten less time and less net access along the way than I thought.

Train hard!  (ooo, a pun…)

Location: Quebec City Train Station

Ahhhh, Quebec City, perhaps the closest one can get to Paris in North America.  At least le vieux Quebec.  Been a great two days here, much fine food, great atmosphere, lots of history, and, of course, staying at the Chateau Frontnac.

Had been some 20 odd years since my last visit here.  And now the last leg of the rail journey, on the way to Halifax.  Another excellent sleeper car night.  And sure to be another different landscape when we awake… happy halloween!

Location: On train, in Oshawa

About to literally pass through my hometown of Bowmanville, riding the rails with the grand fun bonus of wifi.  Hehee… trip onward from Winnipeg was great, very fun to eat on the dining car, the landscape continues to change (warmer down south here, still lots of colour on the trees!).  Next stop… Montreal for a quick quick pause before boarding the train to Quebec City.

Location: Winnipeg Train Station

Some distance has certainly passed since the last update… 2500km or so.  I’m here at the Winnipeg train station, broadcasting from the Via1 wifi connection.  The times on the train have been great – after I closed the netbook in Vancouver and went out on the platform to wait I was positively giddy with anticipation.  The sleeper cabin is very neat, the food’s been great, the dome cars awesome, the scenery of course fantastic and changing and our two night stay in Jasper was very fun.  We did some hiking, some dining, some swimming, some relaxing, some more hiking, and took in the very beautiful landscape that surrounded us.  If anything, this trip is about being immersed in beauty.

Wildlife encountered so far:  squirrels (red), bighorn sheep, caribou, elk, deer, ducks and a bear hanging out at the side of the tracks.  Provinces stepped on so far:  British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba.  Landscape travelled:  West coast rainforest, foothills, rocky mountains, prairie.  Nifty people encountered:  plenty.  Seems I’m not the only one fulfilling on a long dream to do ride the rails on a journey such as this.  I’ve met many cool people on the train, had some fun conversations, and really enjoyed the different pace that is a train ride.  If you’re on the train, chances are you’re on it for the journey – less rushed, less intensity.  (Of course, I had a great conversation with someone on the second leg of my flight up to Vancouver too, so it certainly isn’t exclusionary)

Next few days see the landscape change as we hit northern Ontario, then down into the urban Toronto-Montreal corridor and we’ll end up in la belle ville de Quebec.   All aboard…

Location: Vancouver Train Station

Here we go!

Awaiting boarding onto our train… only a single night onboard for this leg, as we go to Jasper for our two night stay.  Mmmm… excited!  Trip up here so far has been great, met someone cool on the flight up, had a great dinner with Dave’s sister and her husband and son last night (and ate a tonne of sashimi and more), spent the day checking out the Vancouver art gallery and Grandville Island, and now we are here!

Silver & Blue class, sleeper car… alas leaving at night, so we won’t see much of the majestic landscape until tommorow morning (and we’ll pass over the infamous Cisco bridges sometime around 3am, so definitively not seeing those, again, alas…).  I love the train and I love the thought of the sleeper car.  Woo!

Boarding soon… more from accross the land…