Churchill, Manitoba - What a Unique Place

Churchill, Manitoba         Tuesday, November 5 - Saturday, November 9 

Tuesday, November 5, 2019
The train shunted back and forth many times as we approached the Churchill station. Jim and I were all packed and ready to disembark, awaiting the final shunt in the comfort of our cabin. We were chatting about the various things we could see from our window - grain elevators, modest homes, various vehicles, barren topography - when there was a loud rap on our door and Jo announced that we were here and it was time to get off the train. The final shunt had already happened apparently and the view of the station was indeed across the hall and not from our window at all. Feeling a bit sheepish, we hurriedly gathered our things and followed Jo to the door for the last time. We thanked her profusely for her patience and help throughout the trip. We had already left a tip for the whole crew.

In the station, there was a gaggle of people, all heading off on adventures of their own planning. We were met by the woman from the car rental agency and given some cursory instructions about the car. It was parked in the parking lot and we could locate it ourselves. The most startling instruction, totally Churchillian, was to take the car to the airport on Saturday when we were flying out, leave the key in the ignition and the car in the parking lot. Someone from the agency would be out to pick it up. 

We gathered our luggage and put it in the car, keeping our warmest outerwear close at hand while we explored the various displays and information available in the train station. There was a National Parks office there which showed a fascinating film about a bear researcher who was highly regarded for his leadership of young researchers and his in-depth knowledge of all kinds of bears. The focus was on polar bears, in part because of our location and in part because of the plight of the polar bears due to climate change.

There were also several realistic displays of arctic animals - foxes, caribou, ptarmigan and, of course, polar bears. There was a full-sized stuffed polar bear in the station lobby and a kind woman took a photo of Jim and I with the bear. Was it ever tall, yet described as a small female bear.

After a short time, we donned our outerwear and made our way to the car, equipped with maps, directions, road warnings and places to look for polar bears. We were driving a Nissan Rogue which felt very comfortable to me. Jim, as usual, was the navigator and directed us throughout the town of Churchill.

We located our hotel (Bear Country Inn) on the main street of town but we knew our room would not be ready until at least 6 pm. (The train leaves at 5.) So we had the whole afternoon to fill before we could settle in. 

We decided to take a tour of the town. We checked out several hotels and eateries along the main street. We ventured into several residential areas where modest single-family homes, small apartment complexes and townhouses were the main types of housing. There were also several abandoned homes. Parking was almost always in front of the buildings, many offering battery plug-in receptacles to help get vehicles started in the very cold weather. Mostly trucks, snowmobiles and ATVs populated the lots. Cars and SUVs seemed not to be very popular.

On many businesses, large murals of northern scenes had been painted on exterior walls of the buildings. Polar bears, landscapes, northern lights, and tundra were featured in the murals. Some were particularly well done and others were ... not! 

We also stopped to take photos of unique signs - polar bears in the area, feeding of wildlife prohibited, report bear sightings to (phone number), welcome to Manitoba, welcome to Churchill. We did run across at least one very unique building as we roved through the town. This is a long building with a road tunnelled under a linking section where the main entrance is located. In this building is the school (both elementary and secondary, the community centre, the library and the health centre). We also drove past two churches in town, an Anglican Church and a Catholic Church. 

We drove down to the beach and enjoyed the inukshuk that had been built there. We chuckled at the picnic tables as we munched on cheese and crackers in the car. And we were awed by the power and colour of the Hudson Bay waters. We have never seen Hudson Bay before. Slate grey is how I would describe the colour. It looked incredibly cold. And the water was furious, waves crashing on the beach, spraying droplets high into the air. A visible mist emerged out of the waves and added moisture to the air.

We left the beach and followed a road out of town toward the eastern tip of the peninsula that separates Hudson Bay from the Churchill River. At its mouth the Churchill River is as wide as a bay and its fresh water blends with the salt water of Hudson Bay.  Much further upstream, there is a pumping station that removes water from the Churchill River and uses it to service the water needs of the town of Churchill.

One of the features at the east end of the peninsula is an enormous number of grain elevators, built in the 1920's in hopes of making Churchill a major port for grain export. Train tracks were built for the freight trains bringing the grain and a port was constructed to provide a safe haven for the ships to load with the grain. All went well for a period of time but today the grain elevators serve as a historical reminder of how economies change. Grain now travels by train to Lake Superior and down through the Welland Canal on its way to international destinations.

Cape Merry Battery, built by the French in the early 1700's, is the final destination on the peninsula. However, snow was falling heavily and drifting across the roads which made driving more than a bit treacherous. We turned back to town and stopped into the Churchill grocery store - The Northern. It offers groceries, alcohol, clothing, furniture, toys, craft materials ... everything it seemed except books. Not a book to be seen in the entire store. Good thing I still have one that I have not read.

Dinner was next on our agenda (still not time to check into our room). We went to the Tundra Inn for our meal, highly reviewed by Trip Advisor. The food was plentiful and attractive. Jim had a arctic char and I had a bison burger. Both were delicious. My burger was so large that I brought half of it home to eat at another time.

The internet at the Tundra Inn was very good and they were open to us occupying the table for a while longer as they had reservations for over 100 people that night. Clearly, others think it is a good place to eat as well.

It was about 7 pm when we finally arrived at our hotel and were able to settle into our room. Some of you will have heard the story about how we were overcharged by this hotel by $3300 before we arrived. Thankfully, we were refunded that money last week but I want to make a special note that the manager of the hotel personally apologized to Jim for the inconvenience and the error that was made. We were simply relieved that our reservation had remained in place and they had a room for us.

It was past time to relax in our room. We are here until Saturday so I unpacked and put my suitcase away. The rest of the evening was spent downloading and sorting photographs and writing the final section of our blog about the train trip. I like to complete each day's blog and photos as we go along. It is much easier to recall the details of the day and choose the photos that best reflect the way the day had unfolded.

Soon enough it was time to sleep.

Wednesday, November 5, 2019
We had a slow start to the morning, in part because I slept in. We had planned that today would be a low key day and that we would complete the tour of the town and surrounding area that we had begun yesterday. It was frigid cold outside but the air was much clearer than it had been yesterday. So we repeated some of our routes yesterday in search of better photographs. 

We had also made the decision that, in spite of having a rental car at our disposal, we would still benefit from the expertise of knowledgeable guides to achieve our purposes in coming, namely to see polar bears and to learn more about other birds and animals that live in this climate and environment. With that in mind, we have booked a full day tour on Thursday with A group called 'Nature' which focusses on all living things besides polar bears (although if they see one, they include it in the discussion as well). On Friday, we are spending about a half day with Trapper Joe who has lived in Churchill for 51 years and is purported to best know how to find polar bears. We were feeling quite encouraged that our purpose for coming to Churchill would be accomplished before we left on Saturday.

After a quick trip through town, we headed out in a westward direction toward Launch Road, a great place to see polar bears. We decided to detour into the current recycling station and right ahead of us on the road was a large polar bear, probably a female.

She was aware of our car although re stayed quite distance behind her. She was clearly not very interested in our company and began to move more quickly along the road. Occasionally she turned to look at the car. We were purposefully staying a long distance behind her and using the telephoto lens on the camera to get photos that were closer up. Eventually, she plunged into the nearby woodland and disappeared into the brush. We were very excited to have seen our first polar bear and to have found her on our own. 

We followed the road through the recycling station, always keeping our eye out for another sighting of the bear. We were not disappointed. On the other edge of the woodlot, she appeared again and plunged into a nearby bush. At that moment a large fox?/wolf? came running out of the very bush the bear had jumped on. Was it coincidence? Or had the bear's breakfast escaped? We waited and soon saw the bear ambling along another short roadway within the recycling station. We let her be this time, taking photos as we caught glimpses of her. We also photographed her very large paw prints before we left her behind.

We continued to travel west along Launch Road but the weather was deteriorating quickly and the road conditions were no longer as comfortable for casual travel. Finally, we turned around and began to head back to town in heavy snowfall being whipped across the road. It was a slow drive. But we made it safely.

By the time we got back to town, the weather had shifted again and the sky was truly clearing. We made our way back to the beach to watch the fury of the water and to enjoy another lunch of cheese and crackers. 

The edges of the bay are beginning to freeze and small ice pellets are being deposited by the waves that are breaking along the shore. It will not be long before there is an ice pack which will give the polar bears access to the water where they will feast on seals. And polar bear season will be over again in Churchill. We are glad to be here right now.

We travelled out to the east again, this time easily passing by the grain elevators and making it all the way to Cape Merry Battery. By the time we arrived, the sky had clear and the sun was shining brightly under the dominant blue. Hoar frost had formed on many of the trees and long grasses, making it a photographic dream world. 

The Battery was a broken down historic fort. There has been an attempt to rebuild part of it but it was closed for the winter and any access to it would have been treacherous due to the snow and ice. It was quite attractive in the snow under the sunlight. We are grateful that the weather changed.

Nothing in Churchill is very far so we now headed back along Launch Road to the west. It was hard to believe we were driving on the same road we had been on this morning. With only one troublesome drift, we made it all the way (15 km) to the Pumping Station where Churchill draws its water from the river. Arriving there was a bit anticlimactic as there really was nothing to see. Nonetheless, we spotted some animal tracks in the fresh snow and photographed them, hoping our guide tomorrow would be able to identify them for us. 

As we travelled back toward town, we crossed two narrow bridges with open streams, connecting bodies of water on both sides of the road. We also came past a marina with a bird-watching tower that had a special feature that protected its users from bears that might be in the area. We were not able to explore it more closely as the road access was closed for the winter. We also passed through a Dene village which had been relocated by the federal government in the 1960's with devastating results to the residents of the village. Many of the villagers died as a result. In the 1970's, the government took responsibility for their actions and provided a new place to locate their village and substantial moneys to help defray the cost of building and moving again.

Finally, we were back in the main road. And near the recycling station again ... one more look for 'our' bear with no success. Even the ravens refused to sit still for photos. The airport was just across the road, smaller that the Waterloo Regional Airport. We located the place to park our car and where to transport our luggage into the building. We are all set for our flight back to Winnipeg now.

On our way back to our hotel, we stopped into a gift shop to take a look at the merchandise. Not surprisingly, there is a wide range of items available but mostly at very inflated prices. We will look in some other shops as well but I have a feeling our purchases may be limited.

We are currently doing laundry and then we are off to dinner. It has been another very full and rewarding day.

Thursday, November 6, 2019

 We decided that today we would go on a formal tour in and around Churchill. After all, our primary purpose in coming to this destination was to see the wildlife, especially the polar bears. While we had found one by ourselves yesterday, we were hearing stories from others about having seen many more when travelling with a guide. So we chose Nature Tours with Paul as our guide, leaving our hotel at 9 am. Bring lunch and warm clothes were the instructions.

As it turned out, there was only one other couple on the tour, Tim and Sheena, from Britain. So it was a small group with extremely personalized service. We helped to scrape the windows on the small bus we were travelling in and the trip got underway. Paul immediately presented himself as a knowledgeable Churchillian who had lived here since he arrived as a young adult.

He headed out of town in the direction of the Transfer Station which is where we had seen our bear yesterday. Sure enough, there was a bear awaiting our arrival. He strolled across a field and disappeared behind a building. In order to see him again, Paul pulled the bus around the building in the opposite direction. That is when we saw the truck from the Polar Bear Rescue centre. Paul thought they were intending to tranquilize ‘our’ bear and take him to Polar Bear Prison. Our bear came into view again but the Polar Patrol team seemed to have other priorities. When we saw them next, they were pulling a bear cage in which they had caught another polar bear. They took him away to the Polar Bear Prison and left our bear to pose, flirt and watch us very carefully. We were only a few metres away so it was not safe to step down from the bus. That did not stop us from taking several photos, until the bear became bored and walked away.

As we left the Transfer Station, we spotted a second bear far across the landscape running along in front of some very rocky hills. Too far away to photo, but it was our third bear of the day already.

Then we saw a large fox scampering across a field, red body, long black tail. Paul said he was a mix of red fox and silver fox, carrying the colours of both. He seemed focussed on finding something to eat and meandered quickly from one point to the next. While we were able to watch him, he found no food at all but he sure was entertaining to see.

Then we saw another polar bear, this one a large male specimen. He was gorgeous, walking proudly across the landscape. He was idly chasing two white hares

who could have outrun him if he had made a serious effort to catch them. It was as if they were playing a game; the polar bear would suddenly lunge or leap in their direction and the two hares would scamper forward until they reached a safe distance and then turn to see if the bear was still in pursuit. This game went on for quite a few minutes until the bear seemed to get bored. We watched him for a long time while Paul filled us in with information about a polar bear’s life. Of course, our cameras with extremely busy.

We dropped into the Polar Bear Rescue Centre (Polar Bear Prison) where a polar bear was being prepared to be taken far away from Churchill by helicopter and released in a different habitat. The helicopter was on the ground; the bear had been tranquilized and bagged for the flight. But then, something went awry and the bear was transported back into the building and the helicopter flew off. 

The Polar Bear Rescue Centre is used to hold bears who have behaved in a unseemly way out in the wild. Bears that come too close to town are immediately transferred to the Rescue Centre where they are held for 30 days, tagged and numbered, before they are helicoptered to a new home habitat about 25 kilometres away.

At this season of the year, often the rescued bears are held until the ice freezes on Hudson Bay and they are released onto the ice where they can find food and float along the shore on ice flows, thus moving away from Churchill without the trauma of a flight.

As we left the Polar Bear Rescue Centre, another bear came within our line of sight. This one was far across the land in a gravel pit and meandering along a steep wall of rock. Again, no great photos but he still counted as a bear. Now we were up to 6 and we had not yet had lunch.

A silver fox, a red fox and a raven eating a ptarmigan were all spotted as we went to the Northern Research Station where we stopped for lunch. The Northern Research Station houses an organization that supports researchers from many places so long as their research topics are connected with northern interests and issues. There is accommodation available, research equipment to rent, meals prepared, office spaces to use, and outdoor gear for all seasons. Our group gathered at one table in the cafeteria and plied Paul with questions while we all ate the lunches we had brought along. Jim and I both checked out the gift shop. I make note that he is the only one of us who bought something.

We headed out on our bus again with our very obliging driver and guide, Paul. “Can we stop here for a photo, please?”; “Will you open the door so we can get a clearer view?”; “Can we please stop for a comfort break?”; “Back up just a little bit more. I am sure I saw a bear through the tree.”  How many days a week does Paul take groups on this tour? Seven!!! That is because polar bear season is only about 6 weeks long in a good year and that is when the tourists are here.

It was not long before we saw more wildlife. This time we saw another silver fox making its way across the rocky terrain. He clearly had something in mind … or should I say, in nose … as it was his nose that was guiding his way to his destination. And sure enough, before too long, he paused to eat something, probably a mouse or a lemming, according to Paul.

Along the way, we passed by Paul’s home, a modest abode about 3 miles from town. There were no other homes in sight and I got the impression that he likes it that way. He talked about home safety in bear country. First, you never leave the house without checking what may be in the yard. They have bars on all their windows and a steel cage around the main door so that if there is a bear nearby, it cannot get to you through the cage. Paul has a permit to carry a small firearm and never leaves the house without it. Even when he is outside doing maintenance or yard work the gun is with him. He told us a story that happened just this week. Late one night he noticed a light had been left on in his shop. It is only about 10 metres from the house. He grabbed his pistol and headed across the driveway toward the shop. On the way, a bear stepped out from behind the parked bus. Paul said he did not know which was more startled – him or the bear. Fortunately, the bear turned around and disappeared and Paul ran back into the house. The light in the shop remained on all night.

It is common for a bear to amble across Paul’s property. They had seen one this morning that passed by and crossed the road. When we came to see Paul’s home, the bear (a full-sized male) was sound asleep on a small hill and was clearly settled in for a long winter’s snooze. Of course, our cameras flew into action again.

Leaving his home, on this final run of the day, Paul guided his bus down toward the seashore. Camera crews in several trucks were already on sight with the goal of making a documentary. We were in for a treat. Polar bears were the main characters in this doc and while we were on that shoreline we were treated to three more bears. One of them was sleeping out on the newly formed ice. 

We think he was dreaming of a day very soon when he would be able to head out onto the ice and find a sumptuous seal to dine on. Paul said that judging by his size he was a fully grown male. Although the ice is not yet solid, the bear did not fall through. He is well prepared even if he had fallen through with his thick fur and layer of fat (which will grow larger as he eats more sumptuous seals).

After a short while one of us noticed a second full grown bear ambling slowly out onto the ice. 

He was heading in the direction of the sleeping bear who, at some point became aware of the second bear’s presence. Polar bears have a highly developed sense of smell. The original bear lifted his head and watched the movements of the second bear intently. The second bear was walking directly and steadily toward the first bear. We wondered what would happen? Soon enough, the second bear changed direction slightly and veered away from the original bear and walked closer to the shoreline. The first bear settled back into his sleep position and Bear Number 2 crossed the entire bay on the ice and disappeared over the rock cliff on the other side.

Meanwhile, there was a rumour among the guides that there was a third bear over in the nearby gravel pit. Off we went in the bus to check it out. Accurate information … there was a third bear exploring the territory on the other side of the bay. It was very exciting to see three bears in such close proximity. They must be getting eager to be out to sea.

We headed back to town and disembarked at our hotel. What a day it had been!! Cold! Exhilarating!! Fun! Rewarding!! And 10 bears as well as a collection of other wildlife. This is what we came to Churchill to see and we are thrilled!!

A nap, blog writing, photo editing, dinner and a good night’s sleep will complete the day for both of us.

Whatever will tomorrow bring as we join Trapper John on his tour of Churchill?

Friday, November 8, 2019

 I have not mentioned the weather very much in the description of our adventure in Churchill. It would be safe to assume, given the date and the latitude that it is cold here. Well, today hit a new low!! It was -24C which translated into -35C when the wind chill was factored in. That meant that walking just a short distance out-of-doors made it difficult to breath and chilled even a well clothed human body to feel the cold within a very few minutes. You know it is cold when the local people were complaining about the cold as well.

Not only was it cold, but it was completely overcast. Following the beautiful weather we enjoyed yesterday, it was quite disappointing to see the low lying grey sky and the total lack of sunlight.

Nonetheless, we proceeded with our plans to take another tour to see the wildlife in the area. Our tour companions were Tim and Sheena from Britain (we had shared the tour yesterday with them as well) and Janice from near Brisbane, Australia. (As a sidebar, I must mention the number of international visitors who have made their way to Churchill. The languages spoken around the breakfast table are quite astounding – some European, some Asian and some totally unrecognizable to us.) Our guide today was John, the father of the owner of the hotel we are staying in. And his ‘bus’ was a vehicle previously owned by the local police (RCMP) as a setting for intensive investigation at a crime scene. Such stories those walls must hold.

John is an interesting fellow, a community character to say the least. 

He helps his son with hotel maintenance; he runs a wildlife touring company which operates for part of the year; he does odd jobs around the community; and he is fixing up is bus. He has BIG plans for the vehicle we were travelling in. After installing about 10 passenger seats, he created a way to put a small wood burning stove near the front door. (I made sure there was another exit before I became comfortable with the stove.) John collects wood scraps from all manner of places and uses it as kindling in his stove. 

Although the bus was very cold when we first got in, I will say that the heat from the stove quickly raised the temperature until the bus was almost comfortable. John plans to add a small catering service in the van for customers who are out for the day with him. He has a large kettle to boil water and to serve coffee or tea to his guests. He is even thinking about cookies as snacks but will not do any of this until bear season 2020.

We headed out onto the now familiar roads and went east first of all to Cape Merry Battery. There, a Parks Canada guide met us and invited us to join her as she led a short tour around and explanation of the battery. I chose to remain in the bus and it was not too long before the others came hurriedly down the hill to gain refuge from the cold. The battery is located on a spit of land where the Churchill River joins Hudson Bay. It is totally exposed to the elements including a rather strong wind that was blowing across the point of land on which the visitors were standing. No one shared any information about the history of this place but they sure were eager to share details about the weather – the temperature, the wind chill, the wind gusts, frost on their eyebrows, how helpful their clothing was in the frigid air. I guess I will have to look up some information about the Battery. I was very happy to have remained in the bus and had an interesting conversation with John.

From the Battery, we headed back toward Churchill along now familiar roads where bear sightings were most likely. We were not as lucky today as we were yesterday. Although we travelled on many, many roads close to the bay, we did not see any bears. This was especially disappointing for Janice who had not seen a single bear during her short time here and was leaving for Winnipeg this evening.

We did see two red foxes, a silver fox and an arctic hare (Yes, there is a hare in the photo.), all beautiful creatures. And then, John saw it ... far, far out on the ice that has formed on the bay … a nondescript lump that appeared to be lumbering along toward the open water. This bear was so far away that even our telephoto lens could not capture a decent photo. Janice used binoculars and a camera to see the bear as best she could. It was the only bear that she would see all day long.

Speaking of ice, it was pretty remarkable to see how much ice had formed and pushed in toward shore overnight. Of course, the deep cold helped a lot to freeze the water. And the wind pushed the newly formed ice in to form a layered and lumpy base upon which other ice could grow. With low clouds and grey landscape, the view was quite desolate, inhospitable for beast or human. No wonder we were not seeing many animals.

We travelled to the Northern Research Station again today where we warmed up inside the building and enjoyed our lunches. In the early afternoon, we headed back toward town always looking and hoping but not seeing any other animals. We did come upon a vehicle that was stuck deeply in the soft snow on the side of a narrow road. John became the hero and the rest of us were a willing audience as the rescue took place.

John was equipped with a shovel and chains for the tires. He helped dig out as much snow as possible. He gave the chains to the people who were travelling in that vehicle to attach to the tires. John deftly turned the bus around and attached the chain to the back of the bus. It seemed almost effortless for the bus to pull the van out of the snow and free it from its roadside trauma. With few words, he collected his shovel and chains, climbed back into the driver’s seat and proceeded once again toward town.

Soon we were back at our hotel. Jim and I were planning to visit a few craft/souvenir shops this afternoon but we had to warm up first. A short nap in a warm bed was the antidote for cold feet.

We drove along the main street with a plan to visit three stores. The first one was close to the hotel but we did not see anything there that we were interested in. The second shop was the furthest away and it was there that we met a young couple from Switzerland who had also been on the train. They were just finishing their packing to fly back to Winnipeg tonight. It was good to see them again.

We stopped to fill our rental car with gas on our way to the third store. It was then that the trouble began. During the time that we have had this vehicle, the ‘check engine’ light has remained on on the dash. Pulling out of the gas station, a large noise began under the car. At first, I thought it could be a large chuck of ice that had become stuck. Jim checked it out but could not see anything. We pulled off to the side of the road and drove very slowly to the next parking lot. I went into the store and Jim explored the car a bit more. He backed it out of the parking space and that was where it quit working. Totally … it would not move at all. The engine would engage but the car would not go anywhere. Alas … the end of the use of that car for us. A call to the car rental agency reported the problem. As directed we left the key in the ignition and the doors unlocked before we walked back to our hotel, thankfully not a long walk. It was reported to us later that the mechanic and others came to get the car and pushed it down the street to the garage!

We began to think about our flight tomorrow and called to determine the exact time. There were conflicting reports about a change in the schedule. We also learned there is a shuttle to the airport, timed well for our flight. So, the fact that we no longer have a car is not going to be a problem. All things were coming together in a calm way.

We had arranged to have dinner with Tim and Sheena (from Britain) tonight so we all hopped into a taxi and headed off to the Lazy Bear Restaurant (we had eaten there last night as well). There is only one taxi in town and the fare to go anywhere is $9.00. It seemed like a reasonable price to pay to avoid the long cold walk that was our only other option.

We all ordered local food, choosing items that we would be less likely to find at home (pickerel for me and bison slices for Jim). It was nicely plated and very tasty. We deeply enjoyed the conversation we had with Tim and Sheena, many topics ranging from politics to education to children and back to politics. We extended our meal until we were the last people in the restaurant (8:30 pm). Things close early here in Churchill. Once again, we called the taxi and off we went to our hotel.

We had enjoyed another good day in Churchill! Our days here have gone by quickly.

 Saturday, November 9, 2019

This has been a pretty quiet day for us. Jim went out for a walk this morning and visited three small museums to start the day. 

One of them had a wonderful display of Inuit art and another was focussed exclusively on polar bears. Jim said that both were very informative. Additionally, Jim returned to one of the shops we had visited yesterday, one where there is a crafter's workshop in the back. One of the specialty items here is caribou hair sculptures. Caribou hair is dyed various colours and cut into appropriate lengths. It is then strung through a background material and trimmed into the desired shape. Earrings and broaches as well as Christmas tree decorations are all for sale in the shop, having been created right on the premises. 

We packed our bags and ascertained that our flight is actually going at its scheduled time, 6 pm tonight. The shuttle to the airport will leave the hotel at 4:30 pm and we will be sure to be on it. 

Waiting through the afternoon included activities such as photo organization, book-making and napping. The internet here is very slow and somewhat unreliable. It will be good to be back in Winnipeg where it is both faster and reliable.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Churchill. There is natural beauty in the landscape and in the animals that live here. There is a ruggedness and a hardiness deep in the hearts of the permanent residents. It is clearly a community that works together to maintain a strong and vibrant destination for the thousands of visitors who come each year. It has been a pleasure to be here to see the bears and also to experience the resilience of a remote Canadian community.