Manitoba Geocaching Association

[Ztirnats]

Dates: July 1 - July 5th.
Cutoff date for booking is May 15, 2009.

Train leaves Thompson on July 1 at 19:00 hours.
Approx driving time to Thompson 8 hours.
Train Journey is 16 1/2 hours (approx) to Churchill.
Cost per person return is $113.

Train arrives in Churchill on July 2nd about (trust me, it is never on time) 11:30 am. This day is devoted to wandering Churchill town itself, the Parks Museum and a couple of locations in town. This day will help you reorient yourself to walking and living after the 16 1/2 hour traintrip. You will need it!

Stay at hotel for two nights. $210 for a couple $190 for a single.

July 3rd, Geocaching day. Board our special Yellow bus and meet our new friend the busdriver and bear guard! He will be here to guide us to the general locations of the cache and to protect us from the large white muggles that inhabit the area.... We will also get a chance to tour the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC), the old Rocket launching range, tundra hopefully full of early blooming flowers, and Miss Piggy! Lunch will be taken at the CNSC and is included in the price. We will have a chance to have a special lecture from one of the local scientists on the Northern environment, subject is to be disclosed at a later date. ALSO NEWLY EXPANDED ARE TWO NORTHERN EVENT CACHES Miss Piggy's party and Nunavut - Our Land. This last cache will allow you to legally add Nunavut to your caching map!!! Cost for this day is $65 each based on 20 people coming.

July 4th. two available tours for you.
1st is a 4 hour walking tour of the Fort and Sea Horse gully, very spectacular from all accounts.... Cost $55 each
2nd is a trip into Hudson's Bay River mouth where the Belugas should be coming in. Cost is $90 and is about 3 hours, includes a tour of the fort.
3rd is open to what you want, wander Churchill town or just relax out and enjoy the scenery - Cost - Free.

July 4th We get back on the train at 8:30 pm for the 16 1/2 hour trip back to Thompson where we arrive at 1:00 pm on the 5th.

So the bare bones cost for 2 people to experience this exciting trip is:
$283 each
or 1 is $368

TO NOTE:
Food (except for the lunch at CNSC and continental breakfast 2 mornings) is NOT included.

Travel to/from Thompson is NOT included (I will be driving and I will take two passengers as well) There are two great places to leave your vehicle in Thompson will cost about $40 to do so and they are protected.

The train trip to Churchill is akin to riding on the inside of a cement mixer for 16 1/2 hours, it is NOT a luxury trip and we will be riding daycoach, there are bedrooms and sleepers available if you want to waste some money and end up on the floor every 1/2 hour...

These prices are based on getting about 20 people to commit. The other tours may be reduced in price if we get some commitments to them. There are lots of other tours available (kayaking etc) if you want to go for something not on the list, but it must be on the Saturday, Friday is Geocaching day and you will be going!


List below if you are willing to commit to this adventure. Limit 20 people at the present time, so go for it! NOW EXPANDED TO A MAX OF 36!

Z'tirnats aka Stan stanr@prolific.ca if you have questions.

PS 27 spots are already booked:

3 for Z'tirnats and Z'ad
4 for Burchil
1 for ertyu
1 for Turdleggs
1 for MHz
1 for Junglehair
1 for Tromelin
2 for Peter and Gloria
2 for Trove Chasers
4 for swordsandarrows
2 for Honeybee77
2 for GG&J
1 for Search & Enjoy
2 for Honeybunch and Old Billy Goat

[dani_carriere]

Are the hotel rooms limited to 2 people, or can they accommodate up to 4? That way the cost of the hotel is less.

[burchil]

I will commit now - if I can put my children in the same room even better. I don't have two nickles to rub together but my family has been bugging me to get to Churchill for several years and this seems like a good opportunity.

[ertyu]

I'm in for 1.

Will have to figure out sleeping and driving options.

[Ztirnats]

[slippery_1]

Sadly, I must bow out of this great Northern Adventure.
I have work which requires me to attend to, and then coupled with a sad aniversary of my wifes parents passing last year means I cannot attend. I will however be thinking of you all.

[TurdleEggs]

What a great opportunity! It also fits in nicely with our summer holiday plans.

Two Turdles will make the trip to Churchill

[MHz]

I'm in but farmer Gord is out. July is just not a good time for him to be away for that many days.

I'd be interested in car pooling/caching to Thompson and back and the Beluga tour option.

Now the harder part....getting time off work for myself!

[ohmic]

D'ho!, d'ho! and re-d'ho!
I'll be caching near beluga whales as well at that time but it will be on the North shore of the St.Lawrence river in the Mingan archipelago.
Bummer!
Have fun and take lots of pics...

[junglehair]

I am definitely interested in this and the Beluga tour. Thanks for all your efforts coordinating this. Tromelin is interested as well.

[Peter and Gloria]

Sounds great. We are both definitely in.

[Ztirnats]

Trove chasers has confirmed they are going, but they are unable to log into the forums

[swordsandarrows]

We're interested. But there are 4 of us. Is that a problem going over the 20 limit?

[Peter and Gloria]

I should add that we want the beluga tour and we'll be driving so we can take 2 passengers.

[Ztirnats]

We have now expanded to a group of 36 Max!!!!