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Showing posts with label Churchill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Churchill. Show all posts

Thursday 25 February 2016

Tundra Buggy Tour (Day One)

Lazy Bear Lodge Tundra Buggy.

Location: Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Address: Churchill Wildlife Management Area
Date: Oct 2014
Website: www.everythingchurchill.com

  Most people come to Churchill with hopes of seeing a polar bear, but as you walk around the town you hope that you will not have an encounter with one of these giant predators.  The best way to see the bears is from the safety of a Tundra Buggy as it crawls across the rocky terrain of northern Manitoba.  A Tundra Buggy looks sort of like two school buses welded together and then put up on some giant wheels from a construction vehicle.  We spent two days inside one of these buggies in search of some big white bears.

All Aboard the Lazy Bear Bus.

  We first had to travel from our lodge on red school buses.  The buses took us into the Churchill Wildlife Management Area which was just outside of town.

Churchill Wildlife Management Area.

  We then had to transfer directly from the bus into the safety of our Tundra Buggy under the watchful eye of our guide.  You never know when a bear may be nearby.

The Tundra towards Churchill.

  The first thing we learned is that polar bears can hide surprisingly well on the tundra.   You would think that on a terrain that is mostly grey rock, orange moss, and shallow water, that these white animals would pop right out.  In most cases they do, but if a polar bear lays flat it can hide behind even the shortest of bushes.

  A sleeping bear laying low.

  There are also many white rocks scattered across the tundra.  We had a fun time playing "Polar Bear or Rock".  Someone would shout out "Bear!" and all the binoculars and cameras would zoom in to inspect the area.  Coming to a conclusion proved rather difficult.  In one instance, after several minutes of observation,  our entire group had determined one white lump to be just a rock.  When we returned to that area later in the day we were surprised to see that the rock was walking around.

Polar Bear or Rock?

  So far we had only seen a few signs that the bears were there.  There were some tracks by the water's edge which were obviously made by some huge paws dragging across the sand.

The Bear is Near.

  In fact there were more signs that other Tundra Buggies had been roaming around than bears.  There were huge tracks where a Tundra Buggy had taken a wrong turn and its tires had sunk deep into the muddy terrain.  Our Tundra Buggy had also headed into the same area and then wisely decided against that route.  We wondered what would happen if a Tundra Buggy broke down or got stuck in the mud or rocks?  On the second day of our tour we would get our answer.

Tundra Tracks.

  After much searching we learned that traveling in a Tundra Buggy looking for polar bears is a slow process that requires patience.  A glimpse of white was spotted up on a rocky edge.  Just as quickly it disappeared again.  A helicopter flying overhead turned towards the area.  We held our cameras up over our heads as high as we could and fired away.   A bear lifted its head above the rocks and looked straight up at  the helicopter.  Then just as quickly it was gone.  Perhaps it had wandered off down the rocks or just put its head down to take a nap.  At this time of year polar bears are saving their energy before they face a long hard winter trying to survive out on the sea ice.  As the water begins to freeze, more and more bears come to the shoreline waiting to step out onto the ice.

Polar Bear vs Helicopter.
 
  We finally spotted an active polar bear out in the open, way over on the other side of the water.  Our guides let us know it may take about an hour to get over to where we could see him better and they could not guarantee the bear would still be there. We took our chances and after bumping and crawling along around to where the bear had been, we pulled up onto some rocks.

  Tundra Buggy On The Rocks.

  Our gamble had paid off as the bear was still there busily digging through whatever had washed up on the shore.  You could see the grooves from where the bear had been digging most likely for many hours, if not for days.

Can You Dig It?

  We spent some time admiring this bear at work and then it was time for our buggy to make the long trek back to our red school bus.  From there it was a drive back to our lodge for the night.  Tomorrow would be another day spent bouncing around the tundra in search of the bears and we could hardly wait.

You can read about Day Two here.


Map of Our World
Tundra Buggy Tour , Tundra Buggy Tour (Digging Bear)

Post # 98

Tuesday 5 May 2015

Northern Lights Attempt

The Lights of Churchill.

Location: Churchill, Manitoba, Canada 
Address: Joe Buck's Ridge
Date: Oct 2014
Website:  www.everythingchurchill.com

  We went to Churchill to see polar bears and Northern Lights.  We succeeded in seeing polar bears.  The Northern Lights are caused by charged particles entering the Earth's atmosphere.  The resulting collision causes the much sought after light display.  Usually it manifests itself as greenish lights causing waves across the sky.  Unfortunately, for the three nights we were in Churchill, the skies were cloudy.  We slept in our room each night with the curtains drawn back despite the glare from the street lights.  All of this was in the hopes of catching even a glimpse of this spectacle.  

The spectacle of The Northern Street Lights.

  While we were in Churchill, we went dog sledding with a company called Bluesky.   They are located to the south-west of the town.  As we waited for our chance to go sledding we could see the lights from the town to the north.  The lights were giving off a yellowish green glow visible through the trees.  The picture below may be able to fool some people into believing we had captured the Northern Lights, but not us.  We hope to head north again soon and give it a try once more.  Perhaps in Iceland?

The Lights of Churchill


Map of Our World
Churchill, Manitoba

Post # 49

Friday 20 March 2015

The Polar Bear & The Frog

Once upon a time a polar bear walked through downtown Churchill.

Location: Churchill, Manitoba,Canada 
Address: Kelsey Blvd.
Date: Oct 2014
Website:  www.everythingchurchill.com

  Churchill, Manitoba is the polar bear capital of the world.  This means that occasionally you may see one walk right down the main street and you should always be on alert.  While we were in Churchill we didn't encounter any bears in town, we did however have this very unusual experience.
  We had just exited the Parks Canada Visitor Centre when we spotted something big and white walking down the street.  It was someone dressed up in a polar bear costume.  We wondered where could they be going?  We hurried up to the main street to see what was going on.  As we turned the corner what should be headed our way but a frog driving an ATV.  Of course. The frog waved to the polar bear.

A frog was driving his ATV down the road when he saw the bear and waved.

And the polar bear waved back  We got the impression that they knew each other.

And the polar bear waved back.

 The bear continued up the road and as he walked along he waved at everyone he saw.  When we recounted this story to one of our tour guides, they were quick to point out that it is against the law to impersonate a polar bear in Churchill.  Even if it is a cute, big headed one that walks upright.  As we mentioned before the real bears often end up in the middle of town.   You run the risk of being tranquilized and hauled off to Polar Bear Jail.  Our guide was unaware of any penalty for impersonating a frog.

The bear headed down the road waving at everyone he saw.

  By the time we caught up to the action the bear had headed into Gypsy's Bakery & Restaurant.  The frog had parked his ATV and joined the bear inside.  As we walked up to the restaurant we noticed the camera crew that had been filming the entire event.  We also noticed the Japanese flags on their vehicles.  We are not sure how they obtained their vehicles, but we do know that there are no roads to Churchill.  Anything that arrives in town comes either by train or by plane, so vehicles are usually hard to come by.

And then they all sang Happy Birthday. The End.

  When we finally entered the restaurant,  the polar bear and the frog were with another woman who had grabbed a few people and they were holding a sign that said "Happy Birthday Peace The 15th Anniversary".  As the woman tried to explain that she wanted everyone to sing Happy Birthday, more people crowded into the doorway of the restaurant.  As everyone was just standing around, the restaurant owner asked if we would either come in or go out.  We chose out, and made our way back out onto the street.
  Seeing a polar bear in Churchill is a common sight indeed, but this bear lead us on an unusual journey that may never be explained.


Map of Our World
The Polar Bear & The Frog

Post # 42