Last Sunday we packed a lunch and drove out to the Matsqui Trail for the first time.
It's an easy walk along the Fraser River on the lower trail,
and beautiful farmland views on the upper trail.
We parked near the bridge that crosses over to Mission,
the one we cross when we go to the lakehouse.
This bridge was opened in 1972.
On our walk we came upon the old (original) bridge that was used for the CPR
as well as for car traffic - with wooden planks between and outside the rails to make this possible.
By surprise I was taken back to my first and possibly only time of crossing it by car.
I was ten years old in 1967 when my family came from Brazil,
landed in Toronto to visit relatives (who had sponsored us)
and then took the train across the prairies to BC.
I wonder if my dad wanted us to see the vastness of this land ...
a whole new place of opportunities for us.
A new life, language and culture.
A country with beautiful seasons ...
some of which we saw for the first time on our trek in October.
Our final stop was at the Mission Harbor Station
from where my great uncle and aunt picked us up.
We stayed in Abbotsford with them for about a week,
after which we moved to Vancouver where my dad had found work.
On our walk, we stopped to watch and take pictures of
a double stack container transport train.
It was very long, but we enjoyed watching it.
I wonder, is it just me
or does everyone feel the nostalgia and the romance
associated with trains and train stations,
the feeling that some things never change.
Where we now live, we hear the train whistle, and I love it!
I met my H in 1973 on a church youth camping trip.
we married in 1975 and made our home in Abbotsford.
Home, sweet home ...
and I say that in wonder of life
and the things I never could have guessed about when I was ten.
9 comments:
Beautiful post as always....I don't post much anymore, but this did bring back
pleasant memories of trains from my childhood...My grampa was a station master at
the last stop for a passenger train in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the copper
range....I got to ride it a couple times with the engineer when he went to the Y to turn
the train around....I loved it...And where I lived in Wisconsin I had an attic bedroom that
the windows opened in and I would listen to the whistle of the train 2 blocks away in the
evening while raining and I could smell the rain and the lilacs below by the porch and hear the train....That was one of my favorite memories from my childhood. Thank you for sharing this post of memories for me...
Blessings from this NC widow
Wonderful memories to remember and write about. We only heard a train from one of the houses I grew up in. We had friends on the other side of those tracks and it was always scary for me to cross railroad tracks growing up. Don't know where that fear came from.
I've always enjoyed watching trains, but have rarely traveled on them. Your memories make for interesting reading.
Thank you, Sandy, for sharing your memory. It's like reading a book, but real.
Ellen, you have a healthy fear.
Lorrie, there used to be a dinner train going here on the West Coast to Porteau Cove. We enjoyed that for one special birthday. Some of us MGCC took the train down to Seattle one time as well. It's a beautiful setting for visiting while you travel. Ah... what we used to do, right?
Your post brings back so many memories. I travelled to Manitoba by train with my sister Bev in 1965 to visit family. That was my first and only long train ride, but a fun experience! There used to be a short train ride between Pemberton and Lilloett In the 80’s. The train was called ‘The Bud’ and we did a round trip with our young children to give them the train experience. As for the original Mission bridge, I recall waiting to cross with an MEI volleyball team scheduled to play in Mission. It could take a long time to cross the single lane bridge.
Such great memories of your special train ride across this vast "new" land. It truly is like reading a book - a romantic one! You write it so beautifully.
What great photos of the train track/train. The train tracks run two blocks northeast of our house. When the windows are open we enjoy hearing the train whistles. I miss them in the summer when the AC is louder than they are.
It's fun to think back on how life was. I remember the bridge to Mission that was shared by trains and cars.... it seemed normal back then, but I wonder if a setup like that would even be allowed now. Trains definitely bring back nostalgic memories!
I didn't realize there would be those of you who also have specific memories of this train bridge. So, thank you for sharing. Judy, that memory with your sister at this time, when you've just lost her, is significant. I like knowing others love the sound of the train whistle too. Such a simple part of life with which we all relate in one way or another.
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