Leann wanted to see polar bears and one of the best places to do that is Churchill, Manitoba. I always wanted to do a multiple day train trip so we booked a trip in 2020 to take the train to Churchill and see the bears. Covid cancelled, Leann looked at doing it this year but they were already booked for the winter. She saw a special deal on a cabin for the train trip in July so we booked. This time of year turned out better since you can do more in summer than winter (-20).
Since we do not trust airlines to be on time we gave ourselves an extra day to get to the train station.
We flew into Winnipeg, Manitoba to catch the train. Manitoba is flat!We had an early flight so we arrived in time to visit Delta Marsh before heading to the hotel.We got up at 2:00 AM since we had an early flight so by the time we got to the hotel we were both hungry and tired. There was a Prairie Donair attached to the hotel so we gave it a try. Think of this as an upscale fast food place with wraps, rice bowls, Naan bread, etc. I had the famous chicken and lamb and it was awesome.Our first national park in Canada, 37 more to go!The roads were closed to our first 2 trail options so we headed to Moon Lake. You were only allowed to hike with 3 or more people. We later learned this was due to bear activity in the area. On to plan DPlan D: another boardwalk, we can’t seem to avoid these.View from our hotel room. Staying in a major city is very unusual for us. We walked around the local area and I took this picture outside of the art museum.
THE TRAIN! THE TRAIN!
I felt like a little kid waiting to go on a roller coaster. I was excited for our first train trip. This is the lobby of the train station.The place was empty, I was surprised how few people were getting on the train to Churchill. This is the route to Churchill. We realized while on the train we were also going through Saskatchewan which is a new province for us. Our train at one of the may stops along the way. The train had 2 engines, 3 economy cars, one combo car: kitchen/dining/viewing and 1 sleeper car.Our “cozy” place for 2 days. Sink in the middle and toilet on the right. The shower was communal but was just outside our door.Left is set up for day time and they drop the bunks for the night. The beds were too small to share. This is the dining car which was only open to people that stayed in sleeper cars. It was pretty quiet.The food was not very exciting, basically airline food. Everything was pre-made and microwaved. I had the curry chicken and it was pretty good so I also got it for the second night. The coffee was really good and the beer was cold so I survived.
I had the viewing deck to myselfThis is one of the most relaxing vacations we ever had. I read 8 books.Looney & Tuney: Looney is 1 Canadian dollar, Tuney is 2 Canadian dollars.
VIEWS FROM THE TRAIN
We passed field after field of this yellow plant. We were told it was either mustard or Canola.Lots of Birch trees.As we headed North the landscape opened more and we went by a lot of ponds and lakes.This was taken from the viewing car.Sunrise of our last day was spectacular.
STOPS ALONG THE WAY
The train made a lot of stops along the way, this is Dauphin which is home to 8,368 people and is considered a gateway to the northern wildernessCanora has 3500 residents and is home to the tallest Ukrainian lady. The statue holds a loaf of braided bread known as kolach and salt. The bread and salt are a sign of welcome in the Ukrainian culture. The town looked nice but we only had five minutes and could not wander far.Smallest village where we stopped, population of 109.We had a long stop in Thompson and went to the local Walmart to get salads for dinner. We were told to be careful since the town has some crime issues. Turns out there was a fight in the parking lot. Nothing like a mid morning brawl to get your day started. I did some research when we got home and Thompson’s violence score index is the highest in all of Canada. Yikes.Planes, trains and automobiles and we are finally in Churchill.
LAZY BEAR LODGE
We booked 4 nights at Lazy Bear Lodge, everyone was very friendly. Lazy Bear also provides guided tours and we booked 3 tours with them: cultural, kayak and zodiac.Our package included one dinner and all breakfasts. My bison and Leann’s Char was OK but breakfast was good.
CULTURAL TOUR
FORD Transit was the vehicle of choice for most of the local guide companies.First thing we learned, almost every house in town has guns and almost everyone has a 12 gauge shotgun for bears. They load it with bangers (very loud) to scare the bear away and slugs if they did not scare. Alex was our guide for the cultural tour. The town is safe except for the bears. Everyone knows everyone else, they all have guns and there is no place to run if you break the law. People actually leave their cars unlocked with the keys in the ignition.Purple Vetch
View from Cape Marcy of the Churchill River flowing into Hudson Bay. You can hear our guide talking in the background.Inukshuks mean in the likeness of a human. They serve several functions, including guiding travelers, warning of danger, assisting hunters and marking places of reverence. We also saw these in Alaska and I want to build one in our backyard.Leann on Hudson Bay.Miss Piggy crash site: This C46 crashed in 1979 due to an oversized load. Nobody was killed and the plane is still in decent shape, but I don’t think it is ready for flight.This is a polar bear trap, they bate it with seal meat and the bear goes in to eat. The door drops and they take the bear to the Polar bear jail. The traps are used for nuisance bears that keep going into town.Polar bear jail, bears are kept here until the ice forms. The bears make a beeline to ice since that is where they hunt.
CHURCHILL
The population is 870 and they get approximately 12,000 tourists per year.Turns out our room was a good place to look for birds.
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
—John Muir
This quote was on a display at the entrance to the city. I liked it and John is also a fellow Scotsman.
In 2017, Winnipeg artist Kal Barteski organized an art project in Churchill. Eighteen artists from all over the world volunteered their time to paint a series of murals on empty buildings. The town’s port had closed, spring floods had recently washed out the rail line, leaving the community isolated and its residents feeling trapped and forgotten. “Public art is proven to change communities for the better. I know that people are inspired by art, and I know that art makes a difference,” says Barteski, in the documentary Know I’m Here, which was about the project.
CANADA DAY
We had no idea when we booked but Canada Day was celebrated while we visited. The day commemorates the anniversary of the Constitution Act, which consolidated three territories into the single nation of Canada in 1867.
The day started with a paradeRCMP: Royal Canadian Mounted Police. AKA Dudley D0-RightLocal source for eggsThis is the vehicle used in winter for polar bear tours.Our guide from the cultural tour (Alex) was in the bear costume.This was our best meal in town. I had a Bison burger and fries, Leann had a burger and onion rings. The onion rings were the best I ever had. We ordered a bottle of wine for dinner. The waiter went to get it and they were out. We tried again with the same result. He then brought out all of the wines they had in stock…3 bottles. We picked one and it was good.They had fireworks to celebrate the day but at this time of year it does not get very dark. This was taken at 11:00 PM.
KAYAK
Next up was a kayak tour to see Beluga Whales, they were everywhere
Beluga WhalesI got this picture from the net so people could get a better view of what they look like.
Also known as “sea canaries,” belugas are one of the most vocal of all whales.
Beluga dives last up to 25 minutes and can reach depths of 800 meters.
The word beluga comes from the Russian word “bielo” meaning white. Beluga are born dark gray. It can take up to eight years before they turn completely white.
They can swim backwards.
The beluga can change the shape of its forehead, called a “melon”, by blowing air around its sinuses.
Belugas, like other arctic whales, do not have dorsal fins. A dorsal fin causes extra heat loss and would be a major problem under the ice.
The vertebrae in a beluga’s neck is not fused together, giving it the unusual ability to turn its head up, down and side-to-side.
ZODIACTOUR
Zodiac: made famous by Navy sealsOur guide saw something sleeping on top of the rocksOur first polar bear!Look at the size of those paws! No, this is not a picture from a zoo.
A few facts about Polar bears
They are considered marine animals since they spend most of their time on sea ice.
Their skin is actually black
They can swim constantly for days at a time
Less than 2% of their hunts are successful
They are the largest land carnivore and can weigh as much as 10 men
Female polar bears fast longer than any other mammal, up to 8 months when pregnant
They cross breed with Grizzly bears.
They don’t hibernate since food is plentiful in the winter
They are epic travelers and have been known to cover 2300 miles in 1 year
Leann was very happy to see the bear and got an added bonus. The boat actually crossed the boundary line between Manitoba and Nunavut, this was a new province for us and one that is hard to visit. She would like to see all of the provinces. Since we crossed off the hardest one that might be easier to accomplish. We can get the rest in Blaze.Happy wife, happy lifeMore BelugaSeal and lots of bird poop.It took the English 40 years to build this fort and they surrendered to the French without firing a shot.
BIRD TOUR
Leann booked a bird tour with a local. Rhonda was awesome, she took us everywhere and really knew her birds. The tour was for 3 hours and she spent almost 5 hours with us.The round ball on the tree is Mistletoe which is parasitic.
HOMEWARD BOUND
LOL, there was no security to get on the plane. I wonder if anyone carried on a 12 gauge shotgun?The first 20 minutes of the flight was not calm. I don’t care what the plane says.
This was a great trip. Leann saw a Polar bear, we visited 3 new provinces, I got my overnight train trip and the people on the train and in Churchill were very friendly. What more could you ask for?
