TRAVEL TALES

Young Chang

Through a thick, fogged window, Corona del Mar residents Dick and Jane

Freeman saw the landscape between Montreal and Vancouver while heavy

wheels spun and chugged below them for about two weeks on a Canadian

railway.

From the train, they saw trees and mountain goats, melting snow and a

river that was for some reason almost bright green. It was called the

Fraser River and connected the town of Fraser to Vancouver. The train

coursed above it, and Dick Freeman looked 2,000 feet straight down, which

was almost scary, the 72-year-old said.

The couple traveled during late April with about 40 others from the

Elderhostel Program, an international, nonprofit group that provides

“adventures” for adults 55 years or older. Canada’s Railway Dream, which

is the trip the Freemans joined, included lectures and landmark tours,

excursions through provinces such as Toronto and much time on the train.

Freeman, who runs a consulting firm, answered honestly when asked if

he likes being in the train.

“Not particularly, but when you know it’s going to be this sort of

thing -- the views, the people and the food as good as they were -- the

whole ambience becomes much more favorable,” he said.

In Montreal, the group stayed at a small hotel and toured the city’s

famous spots, including the Basilica of Notre Dame and Old Montreal. The

latter town was filled with interesting architecture, said Jane Freeman,

who added that this was a highlight of the trip.

“And there was a lovely square with flower stalls and lots of people

strolling and beautiful statues and fountains,” the retired director of

Harbor Day School added.

Jasper, a ski town, was also a favorite stop for the 72-year-old.

Snowcapped mountains acted as a backdrop for a cluster of cozy coffee

shops while the weather was kind.

“You learn so much, and you experience so much, and you meet so many

people from all over the country,” she said. “It’s different, and it’s

broadening.”

A historian also traveled with the group and gave more than a dozen

lectures. One was about Canada’s railway heritage, another was about

Quebec and yet another focused on railway culture.

But Dick Freeman’s recollections indicate that in some instances,

simply seeing can be the most educational. Between the deer, elk, moose

and bears that dotted the views between towns, the Canadian landscape was

equivalent to eye candy for this unweary traveler.

“The train also had a couple of dome cars, where you can sit in the

dome and kind of watch the land go by,” he said.

* Have you, or someone you know, gone on an interesting vacation

recently? Tell us your adventures. Drop us a line to Travel Tales, 330 W.

Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; e-mail young.chang@latimes.com; or fax to

(949) 646-4170.