This morning we woke up in Winnipeg and enjoyed brunch of Mimosas and scrambled eggs in the unseasonal sunshine. Today was to be the first step of our polar bear trip. Leaving Winnipeg mid afternoon we took a Calm Air puddle jumper two hours northeast to Churchill, Manitoba. As the plane circled and climbed out of Winnipeg it was really clear how remote the place is. A town that was created thanks to of the local agriculture, all you can see as far as the horizon in all directions is grain fields and flatness. Apart from the airport the only connection with the rest of the world seems to be the railway – the tracks stretch off into the distance as straight as any Roman road. From several thousand feet the we could see the tape-worm like trains with their infinite procession of carriages.
The flight itself was beautiful – this is easily the furthest north I’ve ever been and as a confirmed townie I was surprised and slightly unsettled at the total absence of civilization of any sort for hour after hour. As the flight progressed, the large lakes we passed changed to many, many small lakes that were increasingly icy. The biggest treat of the trip was the sunset – the whole horizon bathed in reds and oranges.
Churchill itself is tiny – almost a one road town huddled on the edge of Hudson Bay. Remarkably the temperature is currently just around about freezing. I was actually slightly disappointed that it is so warm as I came armed to the teeth with fleeces, ski wear, hand warmers and every sort of thermal clothing I could think of. Trip preparation also involved some rather unseemly fleece fondling in local sportswear shops so all that forward planning will have gone to waste. Still they think it might be colder on Wednesday…
A brief excursion into town revealed that there isn’t a whole lot here, and that they have some pretty crazy licensing laws – many places aren’t licensed, those that are won’t sell booze to take out, and even they only have certain rooms where you can drink it. The best place to buy some is the state liquor store, which closes at 6pm. (our arrival time; 6.05pm….).
It’s recommended you don’t walk anywhere after approx 10pm as Polar bears sometimes cruise around town. I’m insanely excited and keep checking the windows just in case. In any case it looks like we’ll get to see some tomorrow.
Here’s where Churchill is:
