We awoke much too early to a glorious sunny day in Kamloops. It was a bit of a scramble to get ourselves up, ready and down to the coach for 7.25am but we made it just in time. As instructed we left our luggage in the room to be collected and follow on after. Such trust that we will find our bags waiting for us in the hotel when we reach Jasper!

Back on the train and on our way, we passed 2 bald eagles in a tree and an osprey nest on a telegraph pole even as we pulled out of the station. To begin with we travelled at snail's pace past many empty green fields occupied by the occasional horse or abandoned car, but not much else to see at the moment other than blue skies and sunshine. The first sitting people have gone down for breakfast and we are awaiting coffee and the ubiquitous cinnamon bun. When it eventually arrived it was truly delicious so no complaints there.

We picked up speed as we carried on up the picturesque valley of the North Thompson River. The scenery became more mountainous and there were many more trees lining the track. In many areas forest fires had left patches of blackened and dead trees, especially round the area of Barriere where there was a huge fire 11 years ago. It left a lot of damage but has cleared the undergrowth leaving room for new plants to regenerate, although it will take many years to recover fully.

As we continued our journey through the mountains and forests our turn for breakfast arrived and we went downstairs to the dining area. Breakfast was worth waiting for today and we chose eggs Benedict to follow our fruit, really delicious! The train stopped again for a while to let a freight train through. We are getting used to many stops and starts on this single track line. Going on up through the valley we get our first glimpse of snow covered mountains in the distance. The river flows alongside the left of the train and in places is partially blocked by trees and dams built by beavers.

We chugged along, passing through Little Fort Ferry, Boulder and Clearwater and then through the small town of Vavenby. Apparently this should have been called Navenby, but the post official made a mistake! Time for another hot towel … does this mean we might manage to get a drink served soon? Not too long to wait. The first sitting people went down for lunch and those of us remaining were given a very nice selection of Canadian cheese and biscuits accompanied (of course!) by some lovely Canadian wine, Cab Sav for us. We had a nice scenic moment crossing the Thompson river before continuing on through the trees. The river was always by our side, fast moving and white topped as it has been all the way. After some time we passed an area where the trees had been affected by the incredibly destructive Mountain Pine beetle and we were shown a piece of wood taken from such a tree. Apparently the blue tinge has made it very popular for furniture so it’s an ill wind etc. Not long after we reached Little Hell’s Gate, a really narrow gap in the canyon with boiling white water even more exciting and powerful than its big brother we saw yesterday!

It was our turn to go down for the second sitting of lunch. Whilst enjoying our meal we passed the small town of Blue Water. Shortly afterwards we came upon the stunning Pyramid Falls and the train did what we have come to know as a roll by so that we could take photos. The falls are quite breath-taking and can only be seen from the train.

From now on we began to see beautiful views of the magnificent mountains of the Premier Range, 11 glacier-topped peaks in all. The massive glacier which spreads across 3 of the highest peaks is the headwaters of the North Thompson River which we have been travelling along. Following on from this we were able to see some amazing views of Mount Robson, the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. We were lucky that we had such a sunny day and such a clear view.

Soon after passing through a very long tunnel built after a severe avalanche affected the railway line in 1916, we crossed the Fraser River which is the longest river wholly within British Columbia. A little later we passed Moose Lake which is 5 miles long and crystal clear, famous for an abundance of huge rainbow trout. Travelling on we passed Yellowhead Lake and onto Yellowhead Pass which, at 3,711 feet above sea level is one of the lowest crossing points along the Continental Divide. We learned that this made it the pass of choice for First Nations people and early European settlers. At this point we crossed over the Continental Divide which separates the Pacific and Atlantic watersheds. The rivers, lakes and rainfall on the eastern side of the divide will eventually flow into the Atlantic Ocean and waters on the eastern side will eventually flow into the Pacific Ocean. It is the border between Alberta and British Columbia and the dividing line between Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial Park. It also means we have to put our watches one hour later because we are now on Mountain Time!

After another long day on the train we eventually pulled into Jasper Townsite and the end of our journey on The Rocky Mountaineer. It has been a fascinating and memorable journey all the way from Vancouver and we are looking forward to the next part of our trip on our whistle stop tour through the Canadian Rockies.