Wintry Visions from my window on VIA Rail

Whoever imagines winter train rides as boring has never seen the beauty of the Canadian landscape in its snowy splendor. Fleeting images are many. Here are but a few.

Banks of snow-dusted birches, their white trunks glistening in sunshine.

Clusters of ducks paddling in watery holes amid icy ponds.

Woodpeckers tap-tap-tapping on a tall tree, oblivious to the train rolling by.

The train slowing down as we cross a bridge over a rushing waterfall, its edges frozen into shapes that look like mini polar bears.

Pretty clapboard homes, maybe a century old, their gingerbread trimmed with sparkling icicles.

Ride the rails in winter and you’ll agree, VIA Rail is more than transportation. It’s a ride filled with memorable images that will linger long after you roll into your destination.

For a glimpse of riding the rails in May, read "Romancing the Rails" @ www.travelterrific.com/summer2000/canada_sum00_04.html

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