The Rocky Mountaineer is a tourist train that runs through the Canadian Rockies via three separate routes, in this particular case, the "First Passage to the West" from Vancouver via Kamloops to Banff. Along the way, it offers panoramic views and gourmet meals in a very comfortable first class environment. Day 1 My Goldleaf railtour of Western Canada, to include all its free flora, fauna, food, and drink, started the way every tour does: standing in line to board a motorcoach entirely too...

It was hot in Kansas City, like Africa hot and Vancouver was the embarkation point for a train to cooler climes. Friday 7:05 p.m. Boarded the SkyTrain (Canada Line) from the airport (YVR) to our hotel on the Waterfront. You can tell a lot about a city by how it transports you from the airport. In NYC they have the JFK Airtrain, which isn't bad except for having to pay two separate fares and transferring at Jamaica via a set of stairs because the escalator is broken (that is, when the entire...

Kansas that is. It's important for the reader to know that I'm not referring to Abilene . . . Texas, the home of the eponymous zoo and philharmonic. And if that's a dealbreaker, I completely understand. Abilene . . . Kansas was on my before I sell my home and blow out of Kansas City for good list. Stick around and you'll see why. Wednesday 10:41 a.m. Exited I-70 and after heading south on N. Buckeye Ave immediately noticed that an American flag was flying on every utility pole, which...