We were supposed to fly out to Winnipeg on the 6th,
however our airline reservation had an issue
and we ended up being delayed by a day.
We arrived at our hotel at 2:00 AM
and went to the airport at 8:00 AM on the same day.
So this was all we saw of Winnipeg
prior to flying to Churchill!
Our flight to Churchill was on this prop plane.
Actually the 2 1/2 hour flight was quite smooth.
Our flight back to Winnipeg had only 8 people on board
since it was a charter and the outbound segment
was full for the next program at the lodge!
Churchill is a small town of 900 residents
located where the Churchill River flows
into the Hudson Bay.
Downtown Churchill
It also has a very sophisticated weather station!
Our ride from the airport!
And we arrive at the Lazy Bear Lodge,
our home base for our trip.
There was no one around to take a $25 souvenir photo
to document we had been there,
so we had to improvise.
No green screen was used!
The sign says it all!
The ruins of Cape Merry Battery
Kathleen looking for bears!
Polar bears are frequently seen in and around town.
This is an inukshuk. These were assembled by the Inuit,
the indigenous people of the area. They were used
to mark a location of special significance.
The remains of Miss Piggy,
a freight plane that crashed shortly
after takeoff in 1979.
The mural was added later on as
part of a program to promote Churchill.
The program involved multiple artist who
painted murals on multiple structures
throughout the area.
Bill makes it to the top of the hill
without breaking anything
As mentioned previously, polar bears frequently
visit the area. When they do, they are captured in
traps such as these and transported out of the area.
The Polar Bear Jail.
Bears that keep returning into town are held
here for about three weeks
and then transported to very remote locations and released.
We are outfitted with dry suits to keep us
warm and dry while out on the boat in the Churchill River
and Hudson Bay viewing the Beluga Whales and the
Polar Bears in their native environment.
This is the boat (the Sam Hearne) that we were on
for the Hudson Bay Coastal Tour.
The first group of pictures are the Beluga whales
migrating down the Churchill River into the Hudson Bay.
There were literally hundreds of whales in the
water around us.
The white colored whales are adults,
the grey colored whales are juveniles who
will turn completely white in 7-10 years after birth.
The last picture above is a grain elevator
at the entrance to the Churchill harbor.
It could load up to four ships at one time
for transport to overseas markets.
The last shipment was in 2019 and
it is hoped that shipments will resume next year.
The next group of pictures are the Polar Bears
which could be seen on the banks of the
river across from Churchill.
The bears are just coming out of hibernation
and are not very active. But they were very
aware of our presence on the boat.
This bear was just outside of town
lying on the rocks by the side of the road with it's cub.
We also attempted to get a close up
look of the whales on a zodiac.
We did see several, but had to turn back
due the swells caused by the
25 mph winds on the river.
Both Kathleen and Bill got thoroughly soaked
during the short trip.
On our final day in Churchill,
we went out on the tundra in one of these vehicles
which are designed to travel on the rough and wet terrain.
It was a very bumpy ride!
Yes, we went straight through the pond ahead.
A flock of geese which had just crossed the path we were on.
Above is the Ithaca which ran aground in 1960.
You can actually walk over to the ship during low tide.
Our tour guides.
We were the first group of the season with just 8 people in our group.
The next group arrived by a charter flight and had almost 50 people.
Our return flight on the same plane has only eight people aboard.
We didn't have to wait long for the inflight snack and beverage service!
All in all, it was a really great trip!