A Train Trip to Churchill

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Hi guys.
We drove the 1200 km from Sioux to Thompson in two days, making a few stops to break the journey up a bit. Having done our chores in the grand city of Winnipeg, we headed northward for a couple of hours through the seemingly endless expanse of farmland of the Manitoba prairies. We were followed by thunderclouds and the rain was just hammering down on us, lots of warning lights were flashing on the dashboard because of the water, so we opted to make an over-night stop at the small village of Ashern to let the car dry out a bit. The next day we drove north for 7 hours on a very empty stretch of highway to the nickel mining town of Thompson. The paved highway stops here, and it's also the place where we put our car onto the train. The train ride to Churchill takes about 18 hours and it rivals the highway for it's remoteness. The boreal forest slowly turns to taiga before transitioning into the treeless tundra of the Canadian arctic. The sea ice is still lingering, although it doesn't look as if it will linger for much longer.
Dave and Theresa...

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Photos

Windows.
Winnipeg

Pisew Falls
Manitoba's mightiest waterfall.

Thompson, The Wolf City.
750 km north of Winnipeg is the nickel mining town of Thompson. This beautiful mural is from Robert Bateman's work.

The Wolves.
The wolves of Thompson.

Plane redone
This plane was pulled out of the swamp after crashing a few decades ago and reconstructed over a few years. Now on display in Thompson.

The howling wolf.
There are dozens of these wolf sculptures in Thompson. There are also a few in other Manitoban towns, including Churchill...

Duct-tape in the vending machine.
Apparently too many people were asking to borrow packing tape then not returning it... Thompson train station.

Waiting for the train.
Thompson train station.

On the train.
From Thompson to Churchill is 18 hours by train.

The Kettle Generating Station
The three biggest of Manitoba's hydro dams are near Gillam. This dam is on the Kettle Rapids of the Nelson River.

The Taiga Forest.
The trees get smaller and smaller as the train creeps ever northward.

The Treeless Manitoba Coast
Cape Merry. The Churchill River flows into the frozen bay.

The Frozen Bay.
We arrived in Churchill on June 1st and all is still frozen on Hudson Bay.

House Cleaning.
Our apartment in Churchill was not left particularly clean for us!

Comments

[Flynne]

Awesome!
I'm enjoying the blog and the pictures! I have always wanted to make this trip. I think taking the train is ideal. I will need to talk with you one day more at length, and map out a course! Have fun and stay cozy! Nice clean up on the apartment. Want to come clean mine next? :) Cheers Flynne

[Just Bob]

Keep on blogging
hey, bob here. Really enjoying your BLOG. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to hearing more about Churchill. Hope to see you there this summer...:-) Bob