Day 1 -- Vancouver

It was a dark and stormy night – OK it wasn’t. But it was dark when we left the house at 5:15 am to catch a ferry to Edmonds to catch a train to Vancouver. My good friend, Alana, volunteered to drive us to Kingston to catch a 6:25 am ferry. We packed the car with lots of luggage as we don’t know how to travel lightly. I am very proud of myself as I only had 2 suitcases, plus my purse plus a small bag with breakfast and other miscellaneous junk. Michael had 2 suitcases, a brief case, his bridge case and a backpack. Thank goodness for wheeled luggage. We looked like we were moving in instead of going on a 2 week cruise. It must have looked amusing watching me lug my suitcases up the ramp to the ferry as I woke up with muscle spasms in my back and could barely walk.

We arrived at the train station and had to wait ½ hour before it opened. Our train was scheduled for 8:05 am. When we went to check our large suitcases, we were surprised to find out that they weighed the suitcases just like at the airport. My suitcase was 56 pounds and I asked how much it would cost to let it go. They have a weight limit of 50 pounds – period. Michael’s was 53 pounds. So there we were, in the train station moving all our clothes around trying to stuff the overage into our smaller suitcases which were already packed. We managed to get them down to 51 pounds and the station manager let them go. The train was late out of Seattle due to brake problems; we finally got on the train at 9:20 am.

The ride was surprisingly smooth and the coach was very comfortable. Too bad airplanes aren’t as roomy and comfortable. It was overcast, but warm outside. The scenery was very nice as we rode along the water most of the way. When we arrived in Vancouver, it was raining. It took about ¾ hour to get through customs. Our friends, Leonard and Mary, met us there. We went out to lunch and then back to their house where we spent a relaxing afternoon. Michael hooked up a VCR and did some computer maintenance. We had a lovely home cooked meal and after dinner, took a walk along the waterfront on Coal Harbor. Turned in early and had a good night’s sleep.