2010 NCA Regional
Hosted by the Oregon High Desert Grotto in Central Oregon!
The 2010 NCA Regional is September 3rd thru the 6th (Labor Day weekend). Central Oregon is the location of the event. The site is located at Crane Prairie Campground. Directions to the site are:
To reach Crane Prairie Campground from Bend go south on US Hwy 97 for 26.8 miles to forest route 43 (Wickiup Junction). Go west on 43 for 11 miles to forest route 42. Go west on 42 for 5.4 miles to forest route 4270. Go north on 4270 for 4.2 miles to Crane Prairie Campground.
Another short approach to the campground (but without mileage) is to go south from Bend, and go west on Vandevert road. Follow this until you come to route 42 and then take a right on it. Follow this till you get to 4270 and turn left on it. Follow this to the campground. Here's directions via MapQuest.
Registration for the event is now open. Download the registration form. Print it out, complete it, and mail it in with a payment. All the pertinent information for registration is on the form.
Preregistration deadline is AUGUST 6th! Refunds not available after July 31st. You can register on-site but must preregister to guarantee a group camp spot, t-shirts, guidebooks, patches, and the meal plan. If you have questions, email ohdgrotto.@.gmail.com. (remove the periods surrounding the @ symbol).
All cave gear will have to comply with the current USFS White-Nose Syndrome decontamination procedure before visiting any wild cave. Details to follow.
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The event will be held at the USFS Crane Prairie Campground. This is the official campground website. We have secured the Group Campground (Yellow Loop sites 1-15). We are probably going to have a few additional sites nearby. Check with the registration table at the event in site #1 for more information upon arrival. If you desire a private site in the campground there is a reservation link and number on the official website.
The Crane Prairie Resort has RV sites with hook-ups, cabins, a convenience store, showers, gas station and boat rentals. We have reserved a large cabin at the resort which will be used for preparing and serving meals. This resort and meal cabin is about a two minute walk from the USFS Group Site. If you desire a full hook-up site or cabin you can make arrangements through the resort. See their rate sheet and brochure for details.
As hosts we're offering meal packages, or if you'd like, individual meals. Food will be served Saturday and Sunday (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner) and on Monday (Breakfast and Lunch only). Guidebooks,
T-shirts, and even the Oregon High Desert Grotto's very first patch will be available for purchase via the registration form. As hosts of the event we've also invited three guest speakers for some education and entertainment. Vertical practice and vertical caving will also be on the menu.
Here's a breakdown of prices:
- Registration ( $15 Single, $25 Family )
- Full Adult Meal Package (8 meals: 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners) ( $45 )
- Full Child Meal Package (8 meals) ( $ 30 )
- Single Breakfast ( $ 5 )
- Single Lunch ( $ 5 )
- Single Dinner ( $ 8 )
- 2010 Regional T-Shirt ( $15 )
- 2010 Regional Guidebook ( $12 )
- Oregon High Desert Grotto patch ( $3.50 )
Many of you might be wondering what caves will be the focus of the event. We are already in talks to have many of the gated caves open for visitation with cooperation from the Deschutes National Forest. In addition to those, we have hundreds of other caves to choose from in central Oregon. Within minutes of the campground we have major cave areas nearby. Look forward to some great self-guided trips as well. The guidebook will have information about the campsite, geology of the local area, the caves, and it will be chock full of cave maps. Hopefully with some new offerings for those veteran cavers out there.
Other recreational opportunities include river rafting on the Deschutes, swimming, fishing, hiking, mountainbike trails, Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway, world famous climbing at Smith Rock, OHV trails, and of course the tourist city of Bend is always a lure.
Hope to see you there this summer!
Google Maps location of the Crane Prarie group camp site.
Or punch in these coordinates into Google Earth: 43°47'50.56"N 121°45'46.10"W
Or punch these coordinates into your GPS handheld. Datum is WGS84.
N 43 degress 47.8230 W 121 deg 45.5656
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What follows is a photo gallery of the campground...
