Happy Feet

Well by golly, your remembrance of the southern train route reminds me of another story...

In 1988 or 89 I lived in Banff as a climbing bum and decided to return to my hometown for the summer to cut grass while my girlfriend travelled abroad.

I bought a ticket cheap because I possessed a student card from SAIT for an EMT course I took that year and recall I could board my bike without box or bag - just rolled it on.

That was the far more scenic route compared to the northern route through Jasper. It goes through Banff, Lake Louise, the Spiral Tunnels of the Kicking Horse Pass, Rogers Pass and more. A year or two later it was privatized and renamed the Rockie Mountaineer and the ticket price went up into the thousands.

Now only rich tourists ride it but I only paid $110 and completed the trip without incident.