Winnipeg to Churchill - Oct 21

Oct 21 – Winnipeg to Churchill

We were up VERY early today. We met at 6:10 when we brought our luggage down to the lobby and we wouldn’t see it again until that evening at the hotel in Churchill. We were allowed a very small backpack on the plane to carry for the day’s touring. (cameras, meds, cash etc.) 

While we were all milling about checking our luggage and waiting for breakfast, Mark (guide for the other group) came up to us and said, “nice jackets, when were you there?” We had on the tell-tale yellow Quark jackets. He also has worked in Antarctica. He lives in Jasper and asks if we had ever been. We told him about our cross-Canada train trip, and he asked if we did the Columbia Icefields and we said yes, and he said I could have been your driver (he wasn’t) since he also drives the buggies there. They are quite similar, so it was an easy transition for him.

We had a wonderful buffet breakfast at the hotel (one of many fantastic meals with Frontier’s North) and then were transferred by bus to the airport for the chartered plane for the short flight to Churchill. The plane was about an hour late getting there so we had a wait until it got there. Mark joked that aren’t you glad we got you up so early this morning to wait an hour for the plane. Once it arrived, they drove the van right out on the tarmac to the private charter. The owner of the chartered plane and family got on first, complete with cute little dog that had no problems going up the steps to board the plane. We each had a row to ourselves, and drinks were served.

airport

from the window

arrival in Churchill

inside the airport

Once we arrived in Churchill, each group of 20 boarded a small van and we had an exploratory tour of the area. It was rainy & then turned snowy, and it became impossible to see out of the windows from the ice, mud & snow. So, while we got the explanations, we had no idea of how the town was laid out. At one point as Bryan was saying “on your right is” and we all cracked up laughing since we couldn’t see anything. He begins again and says, “IF you could see out”.  

Miss Piggy was a Curtiss C-46 Commando cargo aircraft and was nicknamed Miss Piggy because of the size of the loads she carried from site to site in the north. On November 13, 1979, Miss Piggy left the Churchill airport.  Shortly into the flight her No.1 engine oil temperature rose, and a drop in oil pressure forced the crew to descend and turn back to Churchill.

The aircraft couldn’t hold the altitude and a forced landing was made in rough terrain 1/4mile short of the runway. Reportedly, the aircraft was overloaded…a stuffed Piggy. Miss Piggy rests on a cliff edge north of the airport and is an official tourist attraction for Churchill.

It was starting to rain/snow but wasn't too bad. Our next stop was at the Polar Bear "Jail".

Bear trap

the holding facility (jail)

artwork on one end of the building

Inukshuk on the shore of the Hudson Bay. Inukshuk are standing stones erected by First Nations people

Trading Company

We had lunch at the Seaport Restaurant. We both had Elk Burgers & Yam Fries. Quite good.

After lunch we visited the Itsanitaq Museum which is one of Canada’s finest collections of Inuit carvings and artifacts dating from pre-Dorset, Dorset, Thule, and modern Inuit times. There were lots of interesting artefacts and Inuit stone, bone and ivory carvings depicting polar bears and other wildlife. It was established in 1944 by Roman Catholic missionaries who recognized the value of preserving carvings representative of the culture of the people of the north. We were surprised at all this small museum had on display.

Narwhal tusks - one on the right is a rare 2 tusk

After the museum we were taken to our hotel which was to be the Tundra Inn, but it filled up and some of us were at the Polar Inn. We got settled into the room and then went for dinner.

Dinner was at the Tundra Pub. Greg had Elk Meatloaf with a red wine demi-glace & garlic mash with vegetables and I had Wild Boar Bangers with caramelized onions & red wine demi-glace & Mash with vegetables. The boar was a bit strong but was good.

The guy across from us ordered one of their special beers. Toasted Marshmallow. They had quite a few very different sounding ones.

Elk Meatloaf

Wild Boar Bangers & Mash

We walked back to the Inn. After dark you must walk in groups and be on the lookout for bears in town. (none were encountered) Before arriving in Churchill we were told that all doors in Churchill are unlocked (cars, homes, businesses) in case you need to escape a bear) After some relaxing it was time for bed.

Tomorrow, we have more time in Churchill and in the afternoon, we board the Tundra Buggy to go to the Tundra Buggy Lodge. 

For larger photos:

Winnipeg to Churchill https://photos.app.goo.gl/tzBgRyTqkQNt35TC9