Day 2 on the Rocky Mountaineer - Part 2

This second day on the Rocky Mountaineer proved to be even more fascinating than the first. We saw two dramatic changes in the second half of this journey. 

One minute we were travelling along the bank of a river that was set in a fairly stark, almost treeless, plateaued landscape, and in the next, around a bend in the river, there were forests and mountains again. At times in this new section we were really high and travelling at the same level as the treetops. When you looked down the gorges below you could barely make out the bottom of the trees, they were so tall and straight and densely packed!  

The river we had been following was milky blue-green, with many spots with fast-moving rapids. Suddenly another river of a brown clay colour joined and flowed into the first. For a while we travelled beside a striped river! Then eventually the blue-green stripe simply disappeared! This phenomenon was just amazing to see. 

During the two days of the journey, I was very lucky to be sitting next to a delightful English woman of about my age who was travelling with her brother and his wife. We had a very similar sense of humour and so had a great time, not only enjoying the whole experience but also, I must confess, people-watching . . . 

It was about 6.30 pm when we finally stopped at the special station for the Rocky Mountaineer in Vancouver. At that moment one poor lady just a few seats behind us kind of collapsed. Within a minute a highly trained staff team were up with her, and the rest of us were very efficiently and quietly removed from the scene by both the passenger exit and the staff exit in the small service area in front of our carriage. Buses then took us to our hotels, as had been arranged.

I cannot speak highly enough of the Rocky Mountaineer company for this most memorable of trips through the Rocky Mountains, its staff, its facilities, and its wonderful and highly organised service. Its attention to detail was brilliant. 

Some challenging rapids.

The bend the after which some major changes occurred in the landscape.

The striped river is shown in this and the next few photos. 

Now we mainly travelled in amongst forests -and there were often short tunnels too.

I finally managed to capture a photo of some of the birds we saw - mainly eagles.

We went over an historic narrow bridge. That was quite scary if you looked down.

Coming into Vancouver at last.

At the station, taken from the bus that was organised to take me to my hotel.