We both had a restless night due to our concern for our delayed schedule, and also the noise of the railway workers as they cleaned car windows and performed other services @ about 2:30 am (PDT) when we stopped in Kamloops, British Columbia.

When we awoke and finally got up, we learned that we’d made up some time during the night and that our delay was hovering around 4 to 4 1/2 hours.  That provided the breathing room we needed to ensure that we got to the airport in time to catch our flight home.  But we were monitoring stops for freight trains as we rocketed toward Vancouver, British Columbia (at a healthy 50mph-60mph), hoping that there were no freight trains in our path.

We had our last breakfast aboard in the dining car.  Mom had her usual healthy selections, while I stuck with eggs, hash browns, sausage and toast.  Gotta keep the calorie count up to make up for all of the walking I did in Canada.

After breakfast we lazed around just watching the scenery pass, sitting in our “compartment” for a while and then going to the observation area in the Dome Car.  It was practically empty.

About 30 minutes before our projected arrival in Vancouver, we went back to our area to get our luggage in order.  Our car manager/purser asked us to put our large bags in the vestibule between the cars so that we could immediately grab them and get off as soon as the train stopped in the station.  She was aware of our plight and did all she could to help ease our frustration and concern.

As soon as the train came to a stop, we quickly stepped onto the platform and the purser handed the two suitcases down to us.  We then hurriedly walked into and through the station and out to the front to hail a taxi.  There were several waiting along the curb; one driver saw Mom walking quickly so he jumped out and opened the trunk of his car.  We tossed our baggage into the trunk, hopped in the back seat, and asked him to get us to the airport as fast as he could.  Be careful what you ask for.

During our “ride” through the streets of south Vancouver to the airport, we learned that our driver was from Fiji and had been in Vancouver for 50 years.  He spent most of our 30-minute ride to the airport criticizing the city government’s decision to buy 500 more taxis for use during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.  He offered that there’d be 500 cars with no drivers, because the taxi/cab business has taken a hit economically and there aren’t enough drivers for the current fleet.  His driving left a lot of room for improvement.  He sped up and slowed, and frequently looked quickly to see if he could change lanes.  But we made it safely to the airport with plenty of time to check in, clear Customs, and get to our gate.

I found it interesting that we processed through U.S. Customs and Immigration in the Vancouver airport rather than in Seattle when we actually arrived in the States.  The Customs official jokingly remarked that they wanted to catch the bad guys before they got onto American soil.

Once we checked in with the airline, cleared Customs, and got through airport security, we walked the concourse to see if we could find a place to get a sandwich.  We’d had breakfast almost six hours earlier and we’d have less than an hour in Seattle to change planes.  We found a place, picked up a couple of sandwiches and drinks, and then went to our gate to await our flight departure.  We waited to dine until we were safely aboard our airplane, then we ate and reflected on our good fortune to be on that particular flight and headed home.

The plane change in Seattle was uneventful.  We stood around the gate with the other sheep waiting for the boarding call.  We were there less than an hour before we were airborne.

We arrived at our airport about ten minutes early, but our friends Earl and Reneé pulled into the front row of the short-term parking just as I walked out the terminal door to see if they were there.  It took us about 25 minutes to get our bags, but we got everything loaded and headed for the dog kennel to pick up our “kids.”

We got the formalities taken care of quickly (paid the bill) and went back outside to meet our dogs.  They were being brought out to the parking area just as we left the main entrance.  They saw us but I don’t think they immediately recognized us until we called to them.  I think they were glad to see us; we know we were glad to see them!

We pulled into our driveway about 6:00 pm (PDT) and were glad the journey was over.  We unloaded our baggage and then unpacked in the family room so we wouldn’t have to take everything upstairs and then back downstairs to the laundry room.  We got comfortable and sat in the family room getting reacquainted with our dogs.  They appear to be none the worse for their ordeal (three weeks in a kennel), but I’ll bet if we could ask them they’d tell us that they don’t want us to do that again.

There you have it, a snapshot of our 21-day adventure that included two states, six Canadian provinces, almost 1500 miles on New York, Vermont, and Canadian roadways, two languages, and nearly five days on a train.  What a trip.

Would we do it again?  Probably not, but our experience should be good fodder for others planning a similar journey.