Churchill, MB

October 19-22, 2007
AC263 YYZ-YWG, NL-Charter YWG-YYQ, MO7548 YYQ-YWG, AC8492 YWG-YYZ

After hearing about Churchill from a friend at work, and then seeing the Tundra Buggy adventures on the Rick Mercer Report in November 2006, I’ve been very interested in going to Churchill to see the polar bears up close and personal before climate change makes it too difficult.  We managed to use only 15,000 Aeroplan points each for our flights on AC and Calm Air, but due to a scheduling problem we were moved for free to a Nolinor charter aircraft offered by the Frontiers North tour company for the flight to Churchill.  The flight was like a page from aviation history, flying in a Convair 580 built in 1956 with seating right out of Airport ’77, but we survived.  The town of Churchill wasn’t much, but the history of the fur trade and the current port activities on Hudson Bay were interesting.  The Tundra Buggy Adventure was a little bit of rough ride, but definitely worth the trip.  While the first day was good, the second day was outstanding.  Another once in a lifetime trip; however, for the benefit of everyone, hopefully there will still be bears to see for many years to come. 

Arrived in Winnipeg on night of 19th and on to Churchill early on the 20th

Exiting our circa-1956 Nolinor Convair 580 in Churchill, happy to have survived the experience

The gas fireplace in our Tundra Buggy

Ptarmagin on the tundra white before the snow

Open tundra tidal flats with hotel in the background

One of a number of Inukshuk sculptures on the open tundra

Our first bear, at aptly named Polar Bear Point

Bear in his normal state of rest on Hudson Bay seaweed

Tundra Lodge, for those lucky enough to stay out overnight with the bears

A larger and more dormant bear

One of his brief trips

Another smaller bear attracted to the hotel’s gray water drainage pipe

Another view under the hotel

Our last bear sighting up close for the day

Churchill sea port in the background, and a bear statue outside our rustic lodging

Beach in town with a bear warning sign; luckily we didn’t see any in town

Main street in Churchill

Oct 20
Day 2 on the tundra buggy and back to Winnipeg

Chasing a falcon at Gordon Point on Hudson Bay, at early morning low tide

Fresh bear tracks in the mud

The payoff for a long off-road journey across a few small rock-filled lakes

Although the bear liked to drink the water he didn’t like to step in it

One of many balancing acts to keep feet dry.  It was fascinating to watch each careful step

Our first mother and cub up close and the cause of a big traffic jam of buggies

The mother gets up close and personal with another buggy as we jealously watch

As the bears come to our buggy, I stick my head out for a better look

No longer have to strain my neck as they are now directly below

Realizing they aren’t getting any of our soup, they rest below the buggy

As the mother gets ready to rest, the cub plays with a tree branch

The fun continues for about 20 minutes

Play time is over

Time for a good rest

A conservationist gives us a lesson on polar bears and their unfortunately bleak future

Tundra Buggy Jam, or where the good bears are

Our first caribou sighting at the end of the day

Gordon Point when the tide is much higher

Flag trees, some of the few large trees able to grow in the cold wind on the harsh tundra

More typical scenery

An arctic hare up close.  Our last wildlife sighting for the day

Churchill Rocket Range completed in 1957 to launch aurora research rockets

Tom and Gord back on solid ground after another bumpy day

Our bus took us into town for shopping before evening flight to Winnipeg and home Monday