Thursday was our first full day in Churchill, and we packed a tonne into it. In the morning we ate breakfast, which was a carb lover’s idea of heaven. Cereal, bread, muffins, and make-you-own-waffles. Not a bit of good protein in sight. I made a waffle, drenched it in maple syrup, and shared it with Glen. Once carboloaded, we were ready for the day’s adventures.

Bugs

Originally we had nothing planned for the morning, but we booked ourselves in at the last minute to the Beluga whales and fort tour. My thinking on that is, do it while you can because you don’t know what might happen tomorrow. So, at 9:30, we headed down to the launch with about thirty other people.

Our Sea North Tours boat driver/tour guide gave a short presentation about Beluga whales, using a real beluga skull that he had. Beluga whales are set slightly off centre. Their blow hole is a little to the left, and they have an extra tooth on their left mandible. It helps with echolocation, similar to the way (some?) owls have their left ear lower than their right to help guide them.

Standing around, the bugs were having a field day. We sprayed spray, which helped, but they were a bit annoying. I looked with longing at the fly nets some smart people had on. Soon we were boarding the boat and we got a bit of respite from the bugs.

When we first got to Canada and people told us about the bugs in summer, I didn’t believe them. Honestly, how bad could they be? After only being outside for a short while here, I can fully appreciate how maddening they are.

Our first stop was across the estuary and at the Prince of Wales fort. We got off the boat, met the Parks Canada guide, and were then introduced to the bear monitor. He had a gun. He pointed out his buddy standing on top of the fort in the distance, also with a gun. It looked like something out of a movie, a guard patrolling some bad guy’s lair. We walked along the path up to the fort, keeping an eye out for polar bears. Eight had been seen there the day before.

The fort is a stone fort, built in the 1700s by the British. It wasn’t used for long, from what I remember, and was eventually surrendered to the French, who ruined it as much as they could so as to disrupt the fur trade.

Inside we saw some stone walls, the restored original cannons had only been the previous week. In the mason’s quarters was a Masonic symbol on the wall, believed to be the oldest in Canada. There were also archaeologists working there on a public archaeology trip, digging through the rubble. We spent about an hour there all up, then got back on the boat.

Beluga whales

On the way out to the fort, I’d spotted a few white backs breaking through the waves but now we were going to get closer to some pods. It didn’t take long to find a suitable spot, and soon we were all running from port to starboard, and stern to bow, to get a look at them. The whales’ backs crest through the water, but you don’t get a chance to see their faces. Still an amazing sight as they come nearer, go under the boat, then rise on the other side. We even saw some young whales as well. They’re grey, instead of white.

It was so wonderful to see them out there, to see any wild animal so at ease and (seemingly) so plentiful. We made it back to shore, and it was very pleased with what we’d seen so far. Snorkelling with them the next day would only enhance it.

Once back in town, Glen and I went for lunch at the Seaport. There are only four places to eat in Churchill (five if you count the hospital for lunch), and by the time we leave, we would have eaten at all of them multiple times. The food at the Seaport was fine, they make pretty good chocolate milkshakes, but the waiter leaves a lot to be desired. Something about his manner that’s just off. Bit of a shock when everyone has been so friendly here.

Polar bears

I’d prebooked a tundra buggy tour for the afternoon with Frontiers North. The tundra buggies are giant vehicles, a cross between a bus and a monster truck. They’re mostly used to go out on the tundra during winter in search of polar bears, as they’re so high yet allow you to get a good view of the tundra and the bears. In the summer though, they go out on the tundra looking for blooms and birds (with bears a bonus).

When I booked the tour it was for 2:30pm to 8:30pm, but the sign in our hotel said the start was 1pm, while another place said 3pm. We checked. 3pm was the correct time. We got to the Tundra Inn, our meeting place, in time, but the tour was delayed. The train was late coming in and everyone on the tour except us was on the train.

Time ticked on, and we were rapidly losing energy. Glen just about fell asleep on the comfy couch in the inn, while we listened to people recount the tale of the polar bear who’d tried to get into the Tundra Inn at 4 in the morning. I was just about to ask if we could reschedule our tour to the next day because there seemed to be no start time in sight, but at that moment everyone arrived, including the guide, and we were off.

Our tour group included a family of four from Saskatchewan, a retired pastor from Pennsylvania, the tour guide called Neil, originally from Ontario, and us. We boarded the tour bus, drove out of Churchill, and got a bit of information about what were seeing. This included the town dump, which attracted bears even though it was all inside a building, and those bears who don’t leave town when persuaded are put in the bear jail nearby.

Eventually we reach the Tundra Buggies, a bunch of them parked and ready to go. We jumped into number 17. Each buggy is big enough to fit about 30-plus people, but we were lucky there were only the seven of us. The day before had thirty. Because there were so few of us, we each had a window and it was an easy, collegial grouping. Food and drink were also provided.

Neil started up the buggy and set off into the conservation area. Neil told a lot of bad dad jokes through the hours, but those jokes are the best kind.

Driving out over the rocky tundra, we saw Sandhill Cranes, Canada Geese, Snow Geese, terns and ptarmigan. We went out quite a way, keeping an eye out for polar bears. I wasn’t expecting to see them this trip, thinking it wasn’t the right time of year for them. But apparently the bears are sitting around Churchill, waiting for it to get cold so they can go eat again. I didn’t want to get my hopes up though. Belugas was the goal for this trip.

We parked for a bit, ate sandwiches, had hot chocolate, chatted, looked out across the tundra. It’s a stunning landscape. You’d think it would be dull and boring, but not so. Rocks, different coloured ground cover, stunted trees, just beautiful.

Neil started up the buggy again, and we headed back the way we came. Then we saw a caribou off in the distance, just stepping through the rocks and low water. Caribou! Then, after a bit more of a drive, Neil shouts out. He’d spotted a polar bear lying down. We got closer, the large male not all that concerned with our approach. Soon, we were only a few metres away from him.

We couldn’t believe we saw him. Such a beautiful, big bear. No doubt deadly but he’d looked so peaceful and lazy. We took many, many photos, though it was just nice to watch him. Every time the truck moved, he moved, standing up, sniffing the air, lying down again. We had to leave eventually though and continued on…only to spot a mum and a cub some distance away. It was while we watched them that Glen spotted an Arctic hare just near the truck. What a way for wildlife viewing!

On the drive back, we also crossed into Nunavut, as part of the province dips down here. So, we can cross that province off the list (though I wouldn’t mind seeing something else of it).

We got back to the base, unloaded onto the bus and back into Churchill by ten. We went for dinner at the Tundra Pub, a bit exhausted after the day’s sightseeing, but so happy with what we’d experienced. If we’d seen the northern lights that night too, I think I would have lost my mind. Sadly, we didn’t though, as the aurora activity is low. Still, I live in hope.