For Mother's Day, I landed a one day cruise, from Vancouver to Seattle... it took place a few days after Mother's Day, actually, but that's OK... it was close enough!  =]

To get up to Vancouver, we took the train... a trip in itself!

We brought the Tadpole down to his Grandparents, which he immediately enjoyed! 

We had a "Door to Door" car from Shuttle Express bring us to the station... what a nice way to travel!

We had a very leisurely drive into the city... and no, I didn't feel guilty watching all the commuters heading to work!  =]

We got to Union Station, built in 1910, which is still the train station for the city.

The building is showing its age a bit, but it still is pretty grand, if even in a rustic sort of way.

It actually went a lot smoother than I'd thought it would go.  We had a short wait to board the trains, and the opportunity to look around.

 
Before too long, they called for boarding, and after our tickets were checked, we boarded the train.

The seats were VERY roomy, with more than enough foot room, and even a footrest, reclining seats with a rest for your legs, and a table I could actually use.

As the train pulled out of the station, we noticed some odd artwork on the support structures for the roadway (I hadn't realized it was a bridge... I thought the tracks were cut below grade, but apparently not)

There was quite a bit of room in the car, and the nice thing is that you don't have to stay in your seat...

As we headed north, the scenery glided by... even with the marine layer, it was a pretty nice view, and we were seeing things from a different angle -- like the view of the Locks...  

I'd been watching for the Mukilteo lighthouse, but almost missed it in the fog... 

 
We stopped at a few stations along the way, which were a blend of modern, with a hint of history to them.

It was a very relaxing trip, and the seats were very comfortable... it seems I've found my new favorite way to travel!

 
We passed out of the metro area, and into the farm country of Skagit County, and the land really opened up.

I explored the train for a bit, checking out the car... I also enjoyed my table so much I took a picture of it.  =]  On a plane, I can't really use the table - they're not "my sized" - but I had more than enough room.

 
After a bit, we followed the shoreline... the tracks ran along the upper end of the beach.

Even with the marine layer, the scenery was quite enjoyable.

 
We pulled into Vancouver about a half hour behind schedule; something wrong with the lighting on the tracks.  "Restricted Speed", my friend - who is a train engineer for UP - called it.

But we had plenty of time... we had allowed more than 5 hours of lag time, so it didn't really matter.

I thought the merging tracks on a wooden structure was pretty interesting... three tracks merged, counting the one we were on.

We stopped at the "VIA" terminal, which is the Canadian "Amtrak"... Customs wasn't too grueling, and before long, we were in the Vancouver station.

Vancouver's train station was quite a bit larger than Seattle's.

It was quite bright, and in a little better state of repair.

Not knowing that "Poisson" is French for Fish made the package funny... =]

 
The Station is pretty impressive from the outside!

By the time we left the station, the Marine Layer had burned off, and it was a VERY clear sunny day!

The Tulips were VERY impressive!  More than waist high!

 
We walked over to the SkyTrain station, and took the train down to the waterfront.

It was a pretty nice ride, although it was partly underground... not exactly "Sky"...

We got out at the Waterfront station, which is about a block from our destination... Canada Place, and the Holland America Cruise Terminal...

The first part of our mini-vacation was done... now came the 'main event'.  =]

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