POLAR BEARS OF CHURCHILL
August 2024
August 2024
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Our trip included a full day in Winnipeg before we headed up to Churchill. In the morning, we made our way to the Manitoba Museum of human and natural history. The dioramas were world-class as was the replica of the Nonsuch, a merchant ship built in England in 1650 to trade furs in Hudson Bay. For lunch and a little browsing through shops, we visit The Forks across from our hotel. In the afternoon, with our private guide and driver, we enjoyed an overview tour of Winnipeg. We saw St Boniface Cathedral, the Legislative building, polar bear statues and several other highlights. As we were a small group of just seven, our guide was able to walk us through what's known as “Back Alley Arctic”, where the artist and activist Kal Barteski had painted dozens of garage doors and fences with wildlife murals. We would later see her work in Churchill. That night we were treated to a welcome dinner with a representative of our lodge in Churchill.
The next morning, we took our chartered flight to Churchill, where we were greeted by our young guide for five days, Deacon, and the professional photographer, Fred. After lunch at our Lazy Bear Lodge, we went straight out on a Culture and Heritage sightseeing tour of Churchill. We saw the Polar Bear Jail where those that wander too close to town are housed until they can be released into the wilderness. At Cape Merry, we learned the history of the founding of the town in 1717 when a fur trading post was built. Churchill is now a town of 900 where the winter nighttime temperatures hover around -20 F, and daytime highs are below freezing half the year. Most of its goods arrive by boat or train, so there are sometimes long waits for supplies. It’s definitely for the hardy!
That night our welcome dinner included arctic char, elk and bison. We invited Fred to join us, and he became the "permanent eighth" in our little band. Much later, just as some of us were dozing off, we got calls alerting us the Northern Lights were visible. We saw some out in front of the lodge, but a cloud cover pretty much obscured them shortly thereafter.
The weather in Churchill determines which activities happen each day, and the very next morning, we switched to go out in Zodiacs to take advantage of the high tide and clear waters. We were rewarded by having hundreds of beluga whales frolic around us the entire time. They're so curious and friendly! While out on the water, we disembarked for a visit to Prince of Wales Fort built in the 1700's, but now largely in ruins. That evening after dinner, photographer Fred gave our little group a presentation on how to take the best wildlife and nature photographs. We learned the best Northern Lights photos are when the shutter is open 5-10 seconds
The following day we went out in a huge Arctic Crawler to explore part of the tundra. Its tires are well over five feet tall, and the vehicle is very long and wide. In it, we traveled over dirt roads and river rocks, and through ponds. We saw various species of birds. We also saw at a distance, two female polar bears with their cubs. We visited Dave Daley the dog musher and Indigenous People’s activist who told us harrowing tales of multi-day dogsled races in sub-zero weather, with packs of wolves in pursuit. Some dogs are born leaders, some are middle of the packers and others like to be near the sled. Each has its own personality and unique physical characteristics. The visit's highlight was a one-mile ride in a dogsled on wheels.
That afternoon, most of us visited the one-room Inuit Museum in town with its exceptional collection of Inuit carvings made of whalebone, soapstone and caribou antler. We also went to the post office to get polar bear stamps in our passports, and we hit the handful of gift shops along the main road. That evening, we again got a late call alerting us to the Northern Lights. This time we got some excellent photos. The lights are said to appear 300 nights a year.
The next day, we were out on the big 55-person boat on a 10-hour quest to see polar bears. They were on the rocks, walking and paddling along the shore, and swimming right around our boat. We counted 10 in all, a successful day!
On our final morning in Churchill, we had a private tour of Northern Studies Center, a field station founded in 1976 for research and education on the subarctic. Scientists stay at the center while performing their research. We learned all about polar bears and the center’s program to grow greens hydroponically. We also took a peek up in their aurora dome. That afternoon we flew back to Winnipeg and had a final dinner together at Smith restaurant in our hotel.
We were so thrilled to have seen our Big Three: Belugas, Polar Bears and Northern Lights—and so much more.
The next morning, we took our chartered flight to Churchill, where we were greeted by our young guide for five days, Deacon, and the professional photographer, Fred. After lunch at our Lazy Bear Lodge, we went straight out on a Culture and Heritage sightseeing tour of Churchill. We saw the Polar Bear Jail where those that wander too close to town are housed until they can be released into the wilderness. At Cape Merry, we learned the history of the founding of the town in 1717 when a fur trading post was built. Churchill is now a town of 900 where the winter nighttime temperatures hover around -20 F, and daytime highs are below freezing half the year. Most of its goods arrive by boat or train, so there are sometimes long waits for supplies. It’s definitely for the hardy!
That night our welcome dinner included arctic char, elk and bison. We invited Fred to join us, and he became the "permanent eighth" in our little band. Much later, just as some of us were dozing off, we got calls alerting us the Northern Lights were visible. We saw some out in front of the lodge, but a cloud cover pretty much obscured them shortly thereafter.
The weather in Churchill determines which activities happen each day, and the very next morning, we switched to go out in Zodiacs to take advantage of the high tide and clear waters. We were rewarded by having hundreds of beluga whales frolic around us the entire time. They're so curious and friendly! While out on the water, we disembarked for a visit to Prince of Wales Fort built in the 1700's, but now largely in ruins. That evening after dinner, photographer Fred gave our little group a presentation on how to take the best wildlife and nature photographs. We learned the best Northern Lights photos are when the shutter is open 5-10 seconds
The following day we went out in a huge Arctic Crawler to explore part of the tundra. Its tires are well over five feet tall, and the vehicle is very long and wide. In it, we traveled over dirt roads and river rocks, and through ponds. We saw various species of birds. We also saw at a distance, two female polar bears with their cubs. We visited Dave Daley the dog musher and Indigenous People’s activist who told us harrowing tales of multi-day dogsled races in sub-zero weather, with packs of wolves in pursuit. Some dogs are born leaders, some are middle of the packers and others like to be near the sled. Each has its own personality and unique physical characteristics. The visit's highlight was a one-mile ride in a dogsled on wheels.
That afternoon, most of us visited the one-room Inuit Museum in town with its exceptional collection of Inuit carvings made of whalebone, soapstone and caribou antler. We also went to the post office to get polar bear stamps in our passports, and we hit the handful of gift shops along the main road. That evening, we again got a late call alerting us to the Northern Lights. This time we got some excellent photos. The lights are said to appear 300 nights a year.
The next day, we were out on the big 55-person boat on a 10-hour quest to see polar bears. They were on the rocks, walking and paddling along the shore, and swimming right around our boat. We counted 10 in all, a successful day!
On our final morning in Churchill, we had a private tour of Northern Studies Center, a field station founded in 1976 for research and education on the subarctic. Scientists stay at the center while performing their research. We learned all about polar bears and the center’s program to grow greens hydroponically. We also took a peek up in their aurora dome. That afternoon we flew back to Winnipeg and had a final dinner together at Smith restaurant in our hotel.
We were so thrilled to have seen our Big Three: Belugas, Polar Bears and Northern Lights—and so much more.