Hello NYC

My plan this morning was to get up early, pack, check-out and make my way to one of the art galleries along The Mall before my train to New York at 2pm. I'd run out of time to visit these on Tuesday and I was a little intrigued by a sign for one of the exhibits. Everything went according to plan until I discovered that, unlike most of the other museums, the art galleries don't open until 11:30; I think it's because they stay open until later. Bum! 

So, after grabbing a coffee and something to eat, I made my way to another museum instead. I decided on the American History Museum. I think I have a fair handle on American history in general but thought it might be interesting all the same. And it was. As with all of the Smithsonian museums, it's extremely well laid out and presented. I spent a few hours wandering before it was time to make my way back to the hotel, pick up my bags and get to the train station. 

As you may have guessed, train travel is my preferred mode of transport and the Acela Express is a relatively high speed train that takes a couple of hours to get from Washington to NYC. My ticket gave me access to the lounge so I could sit somewhere comfortable and await my train.

The train journey was good. The train was comfortable, great service and some nice scenery. I didn't take any pictures though: a) I was feeling a bit camera-ed out and b) the other passengers mainly appeared to be businessmen wheeling and dealing on their cell phones and I didn't really want to blow my cover as a "tourist".

Anyway, we got to NYC on time. I eventually found my way out of the station and to the taxi queue - that kept getting longer and longer and longer as I made my way around the corner. It was 5:00pm, after all. And it was freezing, much colder than the sunny DC I had left. Oh well, what can you do? I waited patiently in line with everyone else and about 1/2 hour later my taxi arrived. He got me to the hotel quickly while I thawed out in the back seat. 

Fortunately, the hotel is pretty much as I had expected. This is my view out of one window. 

This is my view out of the other.

And I can see both from the comfort of my bed!

This will be home for the next 12 nights and I'm pretty happy with that!

New York was the reason for this trip. It's the only place in North America I've always wanted to visit. Sure, I've discovered some fantastic places along the way. But this is what I came for. Can't wait to get out there tomorrow. 

But tonight I'm going to chill out here. The beauty of being here for more than a week is that I don't have to rush myself. New York nightlife can wait. 

The difficulties of train photography

I've learnt a bit about photography and my camera since my trip in Europe last year. All the same it took a bit of trial and error to get settings that were going to deliver sharp enough pictures while the train was in motion. My aim was to get the shutter speed to 1/2000 or below. That meant raising the ISO higher than I'd like to, but in the end I think the results are worth it. Unfortunately I has meant that many pictures were taken with a wide aperture with a somewhat narrow depth of field.

I was able to flip between my newly discovered focus modes to try and get the right one with the right metering. Having said all that, the trick was more about framing and focusing the shot and then quickly taking it before a tree, pole, sign, freight train or other obstacle got in the way. Not an easy thing to do. And a large number still had focus problems after all that. So I worked on the principle of taking as many as I could to increase the likelihood of some decent ones and, hopefully, a few really good ones. In the second half of the trip I used the continuous shooting mode which gave me more shots to choose from. Wish I'd thought of that earlier.

For a while I used the 50mm lens I'd bought for Europe. It certainly helped keep the shutter speed low, but I just wasn't getting enough of the scenery in the frame at once, so I reverted to my newer 18-200mm lens for most of the trip. That also allowed me to really zoom in when required. 

The Canadian

I've just arrived in Toronto after 3 days on The Canadian and, needless to say, there is too much to tell in detail in one post and way too many photos to show. So I'll try to summarise some aspects of the journey and I've created some montages of photos to give a feel of the images. If I get time I might post some full resolution images later.

I spent most of the days in my compartment glued to the window with camera in hand. I could have sat in the dome carriage for a while; it might have afforded a better view at times but I'm sure I would have driven the people around me crazy with the incessant shutter click of my camera.

Each time I began to get a bit tired or assumed that the scenery was becoming "more of the same" I would cap the lens and switch off the camera only for a brand new surprise to appear around the corner; so un-cap the lens, switch on and off we go again!

When I made it up to the dome carriage on the second day it was good, but wasn't really that much better for my photos; I didn't stay there long.

In many ways the view from Vancouver to the Rockies was familiar from the landscape I had seen in Stanley Park and across the bay. There was dense forest interspersed with evidence of logging, streams, rivers and lakes in a reasonably hilly terrain.

The sight of the first snow capped peak was very exciting. The largest, Mount Robson, came into view shortly after lunch on the first day so I hung around in the dining car for a bit longer to get a better view and some good pictures. Overall, I had expected the train track to wind more tightly between the mountains as Emily and I had experienced in the Swiss Alps. Maybe one of the trains dedicated to viewing the Rockies takes a different route? Still, they were majestic and impressive. I can begin to imagine what they must look like in the thick of winter.

In the middle of the Rockies is a little town called Jasper. I believe it's a big place for winter sports. When we got there it seemed quite sleepy. We stopped for an hour and could get out for a stroll. No matter which direction you look the buildings of the town are framed by these massive mountains in the distance.

After going to sleep with the mountainous Rockies and beyond still firmly in my mind it was quite a shock to open the blind on the morning of the second day. Mountain had given way to wide expanses of yellow and gold. At first, in the early morning half light, it looked like sand; almost desert. But soon I realised most of it was harvested crop land. The evidence was dotted here and there in round bales. What amazed me was just how far this land stretched. It seemed endless and we continued to pass these fields for at least half of the day.

After consulting my map and timetable I realised we had passed through Saskatoon in the early morning. Aside from the memorable name, the place has significance for me as my first real professional mentor came from there. I wondered what she is doing these days.

In the afternoon the flat crop lands slowly began to give way to a gentle undulating landscape that became less cultivated. I suspect these may be part of the prairies I've heard about. Towards the end of the day we reached a depression that must have been the flood plain for a river still meandering lazily through the middle.

The third morning revealed yet another landscape. It was similar to the pine forests, rivers and lakes in British Columbia, but without the mountains. And here there were many more rivers and lakes. The skies were overcast all day so getting bright pictures was a challenge. As we travelled east the evergreen pines were increasingly interspersed with golden leaved trees.

Although there was an increase in golden leaves towards the end of the third day, I still hadn't seen the rich mixture of autumn tones I had been hoping for. When daylight came on the final morning I finally got my wish. Unfortunately, we passed some of the most stunning combinations of autumn leaves, streams and forests while it was still only half light and I struggled to get clear images. But by the time we were about an hour out of Toronto they were everywhere and I had enough light for photos.

Throughout the journey there were numerous streams, rivers and lakes. Many of the rivers in the west appeared to be flowing quite rapidly and the lakes were a beautiful deep blue. Against the mountain and forest backdrop they were postcard perfect.

During the trip we had a few encounters with wildlife. First was a report of a moose on the left hand side of the train. I didn't make it there quickly enough to see it. Next was a black bear which I did photo but you can bear-ly make him out. The main encounter was a group of elk by the tracks shortly after leaving Jasper. And on the plains and prairies there were masses of what I think were geese, either in flight or preparing to take off.

On my side of the train I didn't see a lot of buildings. But I noticed a few farm houses, barns and churches; some in use and some abandoned.

The train itself was long; neatly divided between the coach class at the front and sleeper class at the back. I had a single cabin which provided both a place where I could click my camera without fear of annoying anyone during the day, and sleep (of sorts) at night. The bed folded down to make a cosy retreat. I didn't sleep at all well the first night. But by the end I managed to sleep though a kind of solid yet broken sleep.

It surprised me how often we had to stop to let freight trains pass. Sometimes the stop provided an opportunity for some detailed photos or a respite from the rocking. The further east we got, the bumpier the ride seemed to get. But I think part of that was an increase in speed to make up time we had lost over freight train stops earlier in the trip.

Meal times on the train were a great interlude. Not only was the food and service great, it was an opportunity to socialise. Each time I found myself seated with 3 other people. And for most meals I hadn't met at least one of them before. I really enjoyed speaking with people from different places and backgrounds.

Which just leaves the people. I didn't know quite what to expect on a train journey like this. There was the predictable number of retired folk who can afford the time to travel more casually, but there were almost as many younger people too. I reckon I was probably in the middle of the age extremes. And everyone was friendly and willing to strike up a conversation. Although I mainly kept to myself I still managed to meet some really lovely people.

All aboard

Vancouver station had wi-fi so one last chance for a quick post before I board. Today was a bit of an odd day. It started innocent enough. As recommended, I went online this morning to check the departure time of the train. No matter how I tried to search I came up with nothing. Alarm bells rang! What if the train had been cancelled? I've read of that happening. And of course there was the memory of my experience last year trying to get from Amsterdam to Berlin.

I needed to get this sorted out before doing anything else. I decided to walk to the station. It was a little way but nothing really compared to all the walking I've done lately. And besides, there might be things to see on the way.

While walking I calmly put a plan B together, just in case. I found the station easily. 

Before long my journey had been confirmed. Yes, the train was still running. All on time, nothing to worry about. I took the opportunity to work out where I'd need to check-in my luggage later too.

But the BIG revelation was that I'd been reading the departure time incorrectly. Dumbo me had misconverted railway time yet again. The train departs at 8:30 not the 10:30 I had in my head. Silly thing is, when I then checked my online itinerary it said 8:30 clear as day. Anyway, had it not been for this little adventure I might not have made it to the station in time; I could easily have missed the train!

I have some other stories and some pictures from today but I'll put them in a post a bit later. For now, all I need to do is sit in the lounge and wait to board. 

Radio silence

Today is my last day in Vancouver. The weather is still drizzly so I think I'll do a few indoor activities like art galleries and museums. I'd purposely left those for inclement weather days.

Tonight I catch the train across to Toronto. It's a long trip, taking 4 nights. I won't reach Toronto until early Saturday morning.

I believe there may be wi-fi at the train station tonight, maybe one or two along the way, but other than that it will be radio silence from me for a few days. When I'm back fully online I'll hopefully have some nice pictures from the journey.