We started early, with a 530am wakeup. We had to be at the station for 630am to catch the 7am train, now called Train 186 as it headed back eastward. I walked across Highway 17 and over to the A&W in the dark, to pick up coffees for the group, before walking the rest of the way to the station. The rest of the fam grabbed snacks at Robin's Donuts and met me there, courtesy of the nice motel staff.
There were fewer people on the train today, though we did see a few familiar faces. Others were choosing to spend a few more days in the White River area, or were heading on further west by other means. Rather than sitting facing each other, with two riding backwards as we had yesterday, today we sat four across with all of us facing forwards. The snacks were also more readily available.
As the sun came up to reveal rock and tree and lake and stream, so too did the rains come. While the rains did bring out the greens in this verdant country, it did also at times make it hard to see clearly through the windows or take photos that really do the place justice. We still enjoyed a seemingly endless stream of beautiful scenery, even seeing the same stretch of Canada for the second day in a row, albeit in reverse.
After a few stops along the way, we arrived back in Sudbury right on time. Despite the fatigue, we hit the road immediately for the three-hour drive back south. Luckily, the rains had abated as we neared the station, and our drive was largely dry as we sped south along the 400. We arrived in Orillia clearly just after a major storm, and stopped for dinner.
Back at my dad's, we spent one more day together with a nice bonfire under starry skies, before parting company and heading our separate ways home.
I would highly recommend the Train 185 experience - also the subject of a TVO documentary entitled "Tripping Train 185" for those looking for more info (and video footage).
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