The words "awesome" and "terrible" used to have resonance far greater than today: Awesome meant "inspiring admiration and wonder." Terrible meant "extremely formidable."
Welcome to one of the most awesome train trips anywhere. Welcome to a land of terrible beauty. Welcome to the Roots on the Rails Polar Bear Train.
This is no ordinary journey. Most people have never seen a polar bear in the wild. Most people have never journeyed overland by rail to Hudsons Bay. Most people have never experienced the amazing music, intense camaraderie and kinetic fun of a Roots on the Rails trip.
This is your chance to be one of the very, very few.
Join us in Winnipeg, the great trading city of the Canadian plains, where we journey on rails built on permafrost nine hundred miles north to Churchill, Manitoba, "the Polar Bear Capitol of the World." From the plains to rolling farmland, to the immense Northern Boreal Forest stretching to the horizon on all sides, to the so-called "Barren Lands" - a world of brutal north winds, rock, lichen and moss, a land beyond trees; to Hudsons Bay.
Each autumn on the Bay, sea ice first forms near the spit of land where Churchill is situated. And in November of 2008, we will be there.
We will be there at what should be the absolute peak of bear activity; immediately prior to the moment when the ice freezes enough for the bears to depart in search of ringed seals, the staple of their diet. Each day in Churchill, half our party will venture out on a "Tundrabuggy" - forty-seat vehicles with observation platforms - in search of bears in their natural habitat.
We'll have our own section of the train - four sleepers, Skyline Dome lounge, Performance Car. and dining car. The train will be our base of operations for the whole trip - both for the journey and for our two nights in Churchill. Comfortable berth space is included in trip price. Each car has toilet facilities and a shower. Optional private rooms (for one, two or three) provide additional storage space, privacy and one's own sink and toilet.
Our musical hosts will be the great Fred Eaglesmith and his band. Beautifully written songs of heartache, hard times and flinty humor. Canadian commentary and snail jokes. Rough-hewn music as wide-open as the land itself. Plenty of time for songs on board as we travel. Shows on land or on the train each night. Open mics. Song swaps. Special guests. Big fun.
Naturalist Elsabe Kloppers will be along to explain the flora, fauna and passing geography.
Delicious, freshly prepared meals on board during travel days are included, as well as a late-night snack every night. After land-based activities are done for each day, our lounge car will be open for socializing, guitar picking and Aurora Borealis viewing from our glass-topped dome car.
You've read about the Polar Bears of Churchill in every adventure tourism magazine. Now is the time to live the journey. Join Fred Eaglesmith and Roots on the Rails for the trip of a lifetime. Awesome. Terrible. Magnificent. And absolutely unforgettable.
To join us, call 866-484-3669 (toll free) or 802-258-1397 or email trains@sover.net.
Visit www.myspace.com/flyingunderradar for more information, video clips, etc.
THE SCHEDULE
Sunday, Nov.2
Travelers arrive in Winnipeg during the day. We depart at 8:45pm on Via Rail's HUDSON BAY, traveling west, then swinging north, on our way to Churchill, Manitoba, on the shores of storied, forbidding Hudson's Bay.
Monday, Nov. 3
a morning stop at The Pas, then a full day of travel through the remote (and we mean _remote_) boreal forest to Thompson. After that, there are no roads. None. the train tracks are built on permafrost, and the telegraph poles are on tripods (to keep 'em from sinking). We move slowly. Very slowly. Lots of music on board in the performance car, though.
Tuesday, Nov. 4
The train is supposed to arrive in Churchill in the morning (It won't. Instead, we'll arrive sometime in the afternoon). It's an amazing travel day. We leave forest behind and enter the so-called "Barren Lands." Afternoon arrival, with the afternoon free for exploring Churchill. Don't worry: if there are polar bears in town, sirens will go off. Evening music either on-board or in town.
Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 5 and 6
Each day, one-half our group heads off at 7:30 am for a day of bear viewing in one of the legendary tundrabuggies (for a good overview of what the buggies - and Churchill- look like, check out: http://www.sphutchens.com/churchill. When Charlie was riding a buggy on his reconnaissance trip last fall, the seat next to him was missing a large chunk of upholstery by the window. Upon being asked why, the driver just shrugged, saying "Someone left a window open, and the bears are curious"). The other half of the group will enjoy a leisurely morning, then some sort of fun-filled afternoon activity (but we don't know what yet - maybe a visit to the nature center and a bus tour, maybe optional dogsledding... if we are able to procure additional tundra buggy seats, we will make them available). Evening music event. After a full Thursday, we depart Churchill in the evening, with music late into the night.
Friday, Nov. 7
We retrace our route through remote native settlements and Northern forest. Music programs during the day, concert at night and constant marvelling at having been one of the very, very few to have ever witnessed what we just have.
Saturday, Nov. 8
Saturday, Nov. 8 - We're supposed to arrive in Winnipeg in the morning. We won't. Arrival sometime during the day, check in to our Winnipeg hotel (it'll be an excellent hotel; we just don't know which one yet), with a farewell concert that night.
Sunday, Nov. 9
We head our separate ways.
PRICE
Price:
$3459.00 CN per person. Includes all Polar Bear Train activities, all meals on board when train is enroute, sleeper accommodations (upper or lower semi-private berth accommodations, shower in each car, private dome car/lounge, concerts and workshops in Performance Car, farewell concert in Winnipeg, hotel room in Winnipeg 11/8. Gratuities, alcoholic beverages and transfers are not included. Private (enclosed room) sleeping car space for one, two or three provides additional storage space, privacy and one's own sink and toilet facilities. $748 per person CN additional.
$300 CN per person non-refundable deposit by credit card required to hold space. 2% discount on total price if you provide us with monthly postdated checks, sent at time of sign-up. Payments outside of deposit are refundable until 60 days prior to departure. Reservations are transferrable. Trip is limited to 70 patrons. Liability release signature required.
The Fine Print: The payment of a deposit or any part or full payment for a reservation shall constitute consent to all the provisions contained herein. Flying Under Radar, LLC and Sawdust Promotions shall not be held responsible for property loss or damage and/or any damages resulting from illness, personal injuries or death which may be sustained by reason of, or while engaged on, any trip or tour whether due to the ownership, maintenance, use, operation or control of any vehicle, hotel, common carrier or any other conveyance used in carrying out these tours. We can assume no liability due to any cause whatsoever whether caused by failure or delay or other irregularity, acts or omissions occurring during a tour under which the means of transportation or other service thereby is offered or supplied by owners, operators or public carriers for whom Flying Under Radar, LLC acts only as agent. Flying Under Radar, LLC reserves the right (at its discretion) to alter or omit any part of the itinerary, or change any reservation, feature and/or means of conveyance without notice or for any reason whatsoever and without allowance or refund and with extra costs, if any, resulting therefrom paid by the passengers. Lineup subject to change. We reserve the right to cancel any tour prior to departure, in which case payment will be refunded without further obligation on our part. Flying Under Radar, LLC shall not be responsible for any injury to person (whether or not resulting in death) or damage to property. Flying Under Radar, LLC strongly urges individual passengers to obtain appropriate insurance coverage. Baggage is at the owner's risk entirely. The transportation companies concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not aboard their carriers or conveyances. The passenger contract in use by the carriers concerned (when issued) shall constitute the sole contract between the transportation companies and the purchaser of these tours and/or passage. By accepting the ticket the passenger also agrees to its terms and conditions. By forwarding of deposit, the passenger certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other passengers. Flying Under Radar, LLC reserves the right to cancel or withdraw any person as a member of the tour at any time.
