Duffle bags out at 6:00.
Breakfast from 6:30-7:45.
Transfer to the airport at 8:00.
Private chartered flight to Churchill 9:00-11:30.
(The bus drove right onto the tarmac and dropped us at the ramp of the plane like we were B. Springsteen groupies on the move!)
Transfer to a bus and then to a heated Polar Rover vehicle around noon.

The rover, a million dollar vehicle specially designed for wildlife viewing in the tundra, has large windows that open, a huge slanted front windshield, and a steel-grate outdoor observation deck. Six tires that are five feet tall and three feet wide keep the viewers completely out of harm’s way and allow the vehicle to ford streams and traverse rocky terrain. Although we are here to see bears, there are other wildlife attractions that would be fun to see as well including red fox, Arctic fox, Arctic hare, willow ptarmigan, and snowy owl.

We were not 10 minutes into our ride when we spotted two foxes and our first bear! He was napping on a large rock and looked like a rug that had been laid out to dry. Although we think of polar bears as white, they are actually a light butter yellow which makes them easier to spot against the white snow and dark rocks. Even our guides were giddy at this auspicious start. We stopped for lunch and before our four-course meal was laid out a large bear popped up from behind some rocks and strolled over to check us out and then situated himself on a large rock right next to the vehicle and took a nap. About that time another red fox decided to zip in and out of the rocks.

Around 4:00 o’clock we arrived at our home for the next two nights: the Tundra Lodge. Think train-on-wheels comprised of connected cars: lounge, dining, sleeping, and staff. Then add three observation decks with flooring made of steel grates. Each of us has our own sleeping pod, a cubby just big enough for a narrow bed and small storage area. At first glance we were thrilled we had followed instructions and left our big suitcases in Winnipeg. Our welcome gift of a bear shaped cookie, a greeting card, and a little passport to keep track of our wildlife sightings was waiting for us in our cubbies. We put our phones on airplane mode since there is no WIFI at the lodge.

Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at 4:30.
Four course dinner at 6:00.
Wildlife presentation at 8:00.

Including two bears that came to the lodge to check us out after dark we ended the day seeing 9 adults bears and one cub as well as a very busy group of five snow white ptarmigan feasting on buds in low lying willow bushes. A banner beginning by any standard!

Yesterday and today zipped by with a lecture each day, three delicious meals, and hours spent on the rover. The bears could not have been more cooperative! Twice we saw males sparring and wrestling! One pair put on what looked like a boxing match with them both on their hind legs throwing punches one after the next. They took a break and went at it again, and again, and again. We saw a mom with two coy (cubs of the/this year) a few hundred yards across a frozen pond. As if on cue they got up, walked across the pond straight toward us. They explored the vehicle and then plopped down and took a nap 15 feet from the front tires. We were surprised and thrilled. Another treat was a mom with yearling twins. The twins were the same size as their mother, still nursing, and ready to head out onto the ice for the last time with her at their side. One bear was napping in the willows about 10 feet from the trail we were on. He lifted his head to acknowledge us but could not be bothered to get up. Another gal walked right down the path heading right towards us. We stopped, but she just kept on going. By the end of the last two days we had seen about 30 more bears including a few that came to the lodge for our amusement. We added one mink, several common ravens, and a few Canada jays to our list of sightings.

We absolutely could not have asked for better luck with the bears. So much fun to watch them as they hung around waiting for the bay to freeze, so they can return to their happy place.

We ended the day off the tundra at the humble little Seaport Hotel in Churchill. Although we were all excited to explore the town of 850 +/- year round residents, we were not allowed out after dinner because of the possibility of a bear encounter. Not uncommon, hence the bear squad that is on duty 24/7 during bear season.

… Bear Buzz …

These marine mammals thrive in the depths of winter
when they scavenge the ocean for seals primarily but won’t pass up
a beluga whale, young walrus, or the carcass of an adult walrus, narwhal, or bowhead whale.

In the Hudson Bay, polar bears hunt by finding seal breathing holes in the ice.
When a seal comes up to breathe …boom… the bear grabs it and pulls it out of the water.

With male polar bears weighing up to 1,700 pounds on average,
these kings and queens of the artic have no natural predators.

Polar bears can swim for days, but they can’t feed their cubs, eat, or rest in the water.

Polar bears can devour up to 150 pounds in one sitting, preferably blubber, not meat.

Their starving time, just the opposite of brown and black bears, is during the summer
when there is little to no ice to support their weight.

A polar bear’s home range can be enormous and depends on two main factors:
the quality of the sea ice and the availability of seals.

Scientists have divided these bears into 20 populations,
some of which are shared by more than one country.

Their skin is black, which helps absorb heat, and their tongues are blue.