For reasons that are both political and aesthetic, traveling down to Portland is best done by train. Traveling up to Vancouver, however, is best done by car. In this case, the aesthetics soundly beats the politics. The car ride is undeniably more beautiful than the train ride. The opposite is true for the trip down to Portland. The car ride is simply unpleasing and dull, while the train ride is really something else. These considerations were made here at Harrison Hot Springs, the closest thing the Northwest has to the mood of the Alps.