Oct 25
Today was our 3rd and final Tundra Buggy Adventure followed by an evening flight to Winnipeg.
This mornings’ breakfast had all the usual things with Porridge
and apple pastries being the daily addition. Both were most excellent. Their fresh fruit every day was
so good.
We packed our bags and put them outside our bunks and
dressed for the buggies and headed out for our last day on the tundra. The
weather was much better than predicted and we had some great sightings today. It
was nice to have photos with bears in the snow as compared to just the dusting
that was there on our first day. The wind seemed to spur the birds on as we saw
quite a few ducks today.
With the wind and snow a lot of the photos were flat and
grey so I did contrast some of the photos to make them easier to see. Many shots are through the window as the wind was really blowing.
It was interesting to see a bear curled up in the snow and get covered in it.
We had our usual hot chocolate & cookie break.
Lunch today was Borsch & Pierogies. YUM!
We stopped for another muskrat. He looked like he was frozen onto the ice. Just when we though he might be dead & frozen solid, he took off.
We were bused to the Lakeview Signature by Wyndham Hotel. and by the time we reorganized our luggage to fly it was time for bed. Another middle of the night wakeup time to catch our flight out. UGH….
Oct 26
We got breakfast at the airport and had some time to shop
and spend off most of the CAD. Flights were on time, but still no time for
lunch in the airport in Toronto. Customs and security took up all the time. We
spend the last of the CAD on snacks for the plane. We had mac & cheese
again for lunch on the plane. Flights to Orlando are always full of kids. Lots
of crying and kicking of our seats. Once a used chip bag fell on my chest from
the seat behind me. Everyone excited to see Mickey. We got in a bit early and got
to our car and stopped for gas and since we were still full from lunch we drove
straight home to Port St Lucie. We stopped for dinner at Panera and stopped at
Publix for some food for the next day.
Final thoughts:
We couldn’t have been more pleased with the food, service,
and accommodations with Frontier’s North. The airport hotel wasn’t fancy but
was very convenient. All drivers and guides were knowledgeable and just nice
guys. The weather was quite nice despite the predictions. It was nice to see it
go from no snow to drifting snow. The Tundra Buggy Lodge was quite comfortable
considering we were out in the middle of nowhere. All of the servers were fun
and friendly. Food was better than expected and presented like you were in a
nice restaurant.
Fellow travelers were a mixed bag. Our group of 20 were all
pretty much on the same page. (one couple was a bit of a pain) They were into
the wildlife and friendly. The other group was a different story. They seemed
to be there to party. Other than wine that flowed freely at dinner, no alcohol
was on board. You were allowed to bring on beer or hard liquor if you wanted
it. The other group spent a lot of time in the lounge drinking the many bottles
of alcohol they brought onboard, and they were loud. (compared to our quiet
group) So, we thought we lucked into the right group for us.
We did hear some complaints from the other group. They were
in the new electric vehicle, and it wasn’t doing as well as their regular
vehicles. They hope to change to all of these in the future. It had a wheel
that wasn’t turning with the rest of them and just wasn’t handling the terrain
as well. Just as an observation the guides/drivers noticed that the bears were
used to the buggies that made some noise and the silent ones seemed to confuse
them. They said in time they will get used to that, but they have been used to
the sounds of the buggies and pretty much just ignore them.
There were complaints on the food, and they didn’t like the dog sled guy. Our group thought he was funny and treated his dogs well. Can’t always please everyone. All it takes is a couple complainers and oftentimes the whole group jumps on the bandwagon. I was impressed with the fresh salads and the fresh fruit and really everything was very good.
Most everyone we talked to were well traveled and exchanged stories of past travels. A few were younger and still working, so they haven't yet had to the time to accumulate travels. (if the travel bug bites them and seemed it had)
There was a small kitchen with a small refrigerator in the
Lodge where you could get sodas or keep your own drinks in. They always had
plenty of chips & candy bars to have at any time. Their appetizers that were
served before dinner were always good and varied.
In the town of Churchill there aren’t fancy accommodations,
but they are clean and comfortable. (we heard people complain) Same with the
restaurants. Considering they were serving 40 of us and the rest of the people
in the restaurant, they did a wonderful job. We were there for the wildlife and
sometimes that means rustic accommodations.
One humorous thing was when you got up to go to the bathroom
in the night it was a cacophony of people snoring as you walked down the hall.
There never is a guarantee that you will see wildlife. Timing is everything and we chose a week that could have had tons of bears or just a few. The guide said we probably saw 5 or 6 different bears. On the webcam this week we saw a mother & cub right at the Lodge. So, it’s luck of the draw. We were extremely pleased with what we saw, and the time spent watching their behavior.
Tundra Buggy Adventure – Day 3 https://photos.app.goo.gl/psNpC6ixFUoUPwQC8
Video of Bears: Polar Bears near Churchill
Dog sledding with Wapusk https://youtu.be/FGwZP10AXpM
for all albums: https://photos.google.com/sharing
