Last Day in Churchill

 No tundra rovering for us today. :-(

We were Winnipeg bound this afternoon but prior to that there was still some of Churchill to take in.  Our first stop was the local museum. A treasure trove of artifacts, indigenous stories, taxidermied animals and little gifts for purchase. I felt like a little dry sponge, hungry for whatever Churchill could impart to me.

I came away with a recipe book and a tidbit...  A Churchill resident showed me which of the local recipes published in it the folks around here like to bake and bring to a fall potluck! You betcha I'll be trying it!

Then, the heli-pad. Mark and I plus another 4 in our group, had booked the extra excursion that involved a 1 hour helicopter tour over the Wildlife Management area and into the Wapusk National Park... the national park that us regular people CAN'T actually visit. 

Well, it's not that anyone can't but unless you are a researcher at an established camp, you are not invited and this is one park that is by invitation only. The camp sleeps no more than 20 people and only about 225 people per year find themselves with the opportunity to step foot in Wapusk NP. Wapusk is set up to protect polar bears, plain and simple. Inside this area are valuable winter denning grounds for the bears and in summer, it's where the caribou have their calves. It's a culturally and ecologically sensitive stretch of northern Manitoba along Hudson Bay, butting up to the Wildlife Management Area that we rovered around in the past 3 days. 

So... here we go with pilot Jen, off to overfly Wapusk and catch a glimpse of the terrain, maybe a bear or two and for me, to see the beginnings of sea ice forming as it does each year around this time.

I sat back seat on the right behind Jen. Mark sat up front. His experience was quite different from mine as the pilot didn't seem to have much appreciation for the view being different from the back seat and she chattered away like he was the only passenger on board and had come to talk about flying the helicopter. LOL 

My headset was one of those David Clark models from decades gone by (not a stretch to imagine it being a first generation headset actually). It didn't have a reliable mic or volume control so that left me hearing chit chat about how to fly a helicopter, at FULL VOLUME for the entire hour. Beside me Dan tried to help - and the volume knob twiddled right off in his hand as we both shrugged and gave up. I might have been less irritated if the noise had at least featured valuable info about the area or animals... alas Jen was clueless about the bears, migrating caribou and everything else that was not aviation related. (Can you tell that pilot Jen was a very big change and big disappointment from the awesomeness that Nat Hab had provided up to this point? IMHO someone needed to chuck that gal in the back seat and give her the tourist experience from "not the pilot" perspective... then send her to a class about the area and animals - or advise her to just put a sock in it for a bit so the peacefulness of the area could be experienced!)

Can't say I got good pictures of the Ithaca (ship run aground off the coast) or the rocket facility that she was nattering about and pointed to at 12 o'clock - hidden by her head unless you sit front seat! But I did like the pics of the wider geography and managed to spot the occasional polar bear before Jen departed the area she had just pointed out 30 seconds ago. And seeing it from the air gave me a better understanding of how the bay, river and bears were all interacting and making it possible for us to have such a magical experience on the ground these past few days.

Churchill itself, being small and home to only 800 people on the edge of incredible remoteness, still surprised me with its amenities and color!

Ok, so just when I thought the wildlife viewing had come to and end, someone in our group had spotted an arctic hare in town and Garrett took us on a detour to find it! We did too!  Planted serenely under the back end of an old school bus a couple of blocks away... this guy. His black ears being the last little bit of his summer color left to turn white. Gorgeous!!!

Final stop before the airport? The polar bear jail!

When polar bears persist in venturing into town, like to poke into trash, seem unfazed by cracker-shots, car horns and bright lights, they find themselves on the receiving end of a tranquilizer dart. They'll wake up safely inside polar bear jail. Individual concrete cells alongside other naughty bears. It's stressful to be this close to other bears they can't see... and there are no treats for good behavior. Three weeks later, when the sea is frozen, all the bears are released humanely and they make a mad dash out onto the ice in search of seals for dinner. The smart ones have learned to never reoffend!

Will looks like he's going to be a smart one!

If the season doesn't permit a short stay until the ice freezes, the alternative is airlifting him/her to the far north. It's labor intensive and expensive. No bear can be released into the environment while still sleepy or compromised, for their own safety. These polar bear experts know what they are doing though and this system, funded with grants and government help, is a beautiful way for the people of this area to live with polar bears. The bears are protected by the people. The people use the attraction of having happy healthy bears, to lure tourists and keep their economy afloat.

Day 3 on the Tundra - And Halloween to boot!

 Armed with the information that we had seen more than most guides see in a season on the tundra, I was hopeful but satiated already when we ventured out with Lorne for our final day on the tundra. 

Spirits were high! It was Halloween and NatHab commissioned kids to make each rover a jack-o-lantern! It appeared no matter how good yesterday was, everyone here was determined to make today just as special in it's own way...

Brace yourself... Lorne LET ME DRIVE a little!!! Did I just die and go to heaven?!

(It's ok you need video proof... I almost don't believe it myself now.)

Video shot by fellow passenger: Shawn Ridgway (Used with much gratitude!)

And did I mention our guide, Garrett was all costumed up and today we were being lead across the tundra by a walking, talking hotdog! Maybe he attracted more bears that way? Who am I to judge :-)

It was not as windy as yesterday. Sure it was cold and fingers left too close to the window for too long felt the sting of winter coming, but OMG was it worth it.

I got lucky enough again to photograph these gorgeous animals who survive and maybe thrive under unimaginable pressure and against all odds. The cuddles within a family, playtimes with friends, curiosity toward us; No Youtube vid, bear tracking website, PB documentary had prepared me emotionally for the love, joy, wonder and connection that I felt here.

At the end of day 3 on the tundra half the passengers were out like a light as we traversed the misery mile on the way back to the rover base camp.  

Mark and I made a quick visit to the famed Northern Store before walking-curfew after sunset, was upon us. We had to verify for ourselves that this place sold everything you could think of. Yessiree... from snowmobiles to furniture, liquor, groceries, souvenirs and clothes... Even optimism could be found here!

Then we did a quick tutorial/presentation with Garrett about photo editing before chowing down dinner.

 But the day was not over... 

It was Halloween and our own personal hotdog (Garrett) had plans that involved being a mobile candy-giving vehicle through town. Halloween in Churchill is special. An armed troop sweeps town and establishes a perimeter before dark. They maintain a patrol all night long and that allows kids and adults alike to walk without fear of they themselves becoming a Halloween snack for a polar bear. 

If you've never found yourself watching (aiding and abetting) a guy dressed as a hotdog, luring kids into a short white bus under the cover of darkness, then you've missed out on the type of giggles that almost make you pee yourself. 

Just one more way that Nat Hab has exceeding expectations in Churchill. I just love our little group... passengers, drivers and guide, all invested in having fun and making the most of every minute. Invested in making sure we ALL have the best possible experience!