We are in the prairies now. It's flat, flat, flat, flat as far as the eye reaches, flat as far as the horizon, and as it's too early for any vegetation yet, the flatness is dusty, arid, yellow grey. There is a lot of sky…Read More

We are in the prairies now. It's flat, flat, flat, flat as far as the eye reaches, flat as far as the horizon, and as it's too early for any vegetation yet, the flatness is dusty, arid, yellow grey. There is a lot of sky above the flatness, but it's uniformly blue, feeble and pale just above the ground and deep blue higher up.

But it's not an absolute and uniform flatness. It's broken by grain elevators, occasional homesteads, irrigation channels and lines of trees, probably purposefully planted hedges that provide shade and prevent erosion as it's unlikely natural trees would grow in lines. In fact, there are quite many trees, and the vast wheat fields stretching uniformly all around have not yet appeared: the fields are big, but not THAT big.

As we go on, and into Saskatchewan, it the landscape chages a bit: wilder, more western perhaps. Strangely compelling prairie landscape, the mesmerising flatness.

As we drive into Alberta, the grain elevators of Saskatchewan disappear and the small oil wells start to appear. The lettering on buildings becomes more wild-west and rodeos are advertised as farms change to ranches.

***

The whole of Canada is a study in the influence of natural environment over human culture, society and industry, and simultaneously, a study of human ingenuity and industry making its mark, working with and - dare I say - conquering nature.

Manitoba stretches from the frozen tundra of the Hudson Bay to the plain bordering the US along the 49th parallel. Winnipeg experiences the typical extremes of a continental climate, with the winter temperatures dropping below 40C and the summer ones raising above 30C. We are VERY far from any ocean and the tempering influences of large bodies of water.

We are also very far from everywhere that's anywhere and I suspect this distance is another, and possibly more defining feature of Winnipeg. For time immemorial a trading post and a meeting place at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, Winnipeg boomed when the rail road came and transformed it into the first significant city of the prairies and the gateway to the West. It still remains very far from everywhere, though: a six hour drive (or 10 hours on the train) to Saskatoon and 8 hours' drive to Thunder Bay, neither of which is exactly a cosmopolitan metropolis.

Winnipeg itself is actually pretty multicultural if not quite multi-racial, with a population originally attracted by the fertile plains to the west, drawn from all over Europe. Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Ukrainian and French mix with the "standard" North American British and German heritages to create a multi-lingual, multi-cultural community now celebrates those various backgrounds under an umbrella of a noticeable and resolute prairie-Canadian identity.

Winnipeg's vast distance from anywhere makes it self-sufficient in a cultural and social sense, with four universities, excellent theatres, music and art scenes. It's surprisingly its own place though it seemed to me to look a little bit more more to the west and Vancouver than to the east.
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As the sign states on their rooftop Gypsy's is "THE PLACE TO BE IN CHURCHILL." Our tour group operator Churchill Nature Tours had all of our meals while in Churchill taken care of by Gypsy's. When we were "in town" our breakfasts and…Read More

As the sign states on their rooftop Gypsy's is "THE PLACE TO BE IN CHURCHILL." Our tour group operator Churchill Nature Tours had all of our meals while in Churchill taken care of by Gypsy's. When we were "in town" our breakfasts and dinners were at Gypsy's. Our tundra buggy tour picnic lunches were prepared by them as well. Churchill Nature Tours must be highly regarded as everyone there knew our guide Steve and he seemed to enjoy his conversations with them.

Gypsy's is a mix between a cafeteria line type operation (breakfast and lunch) and sit-down diner (dinner). For our group, we had our choice of anything on the ala carte menu for breakfast, including selections from their fresh daily bakery case. Who would have thought you could get great pastries and bakery goods at a cafe located in frontier town like Churchill?

Tour groups who were brought in for meals had reserved tables awaiting their arrival. In the front of the restaurant was a table set for eight or ten, reserved and intended for the locals. After a couple of meals at Gypsy's the locals became recognizable. It was typically the same assortment of characters (and I say that in a respectful way) each morning and evening.

I enjoyed my scrambled eggs and sausage during our first breakfast there . . . and REALLY enjoyed the eggs benedict the next two. Others had everything from pancakes to hot oatmeal to steak n eggs. I do not believe I heard a single negative comment about the quality of the breakfasts our group had.

We only had one lunch actually at Gypsy's, our first day in town. I opted for a burger and fries really more of a safe choice as I figured nobody could mess up a burger. Obviously I had forgotten about the "meatloaf" burger I had two years ago in Scotland, but all was good with my Gypsy's burger!

For dinner, our first night our choice was made for us as they wanted to get folks into the Canadian frame of mind serving local favorite arctic char. Akin to salmon, it had a good light flavor. Served with a choice of soup or salad, rice and steamed veggies and anything from the pastry/dessert case, it was an outstanding meal.

The other two nights in town, we had our choice from a limited offering menu which did provide an assortment of fish, meat and pasta entrees. For the first I had pickerel, a local freshwater fish which is similar to walleye found in the Great Lakes region of the USA . . . and the next evening I opted for a nice NY strip steak. Both meals were also served with choice of soup, veggies or salad and a dessert from the case.

For our two tundra buggy days, our picnic lunch consisted of hot soup (mmmm for a cold day out on the tundra), a choice of sandwich (everything from egg or tuna salad to corned beef or turkey). I had the tuna salad on wheat one day and turkey on a kaiser the second. For dessert, we had danishes (apple on Monday and lemon on Tuesday). Hot and cold beverages were also available during our buggy meal.

Beverages such as coffee, tea, juice, soda and milk came with all of our meals. Wine could be purchased for an additional fee. My new "friends" enjoyed the house red wine.

They have a web site, although there is no menu posted there: http://www.gypsybakery.ca/theplace.html .

253 Kelsey Blvd.
Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
R0B 0E0
204-675-2322
tdasilva@mts.net
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It was a remarkable day in spite of, or maybe because of the snow blizzard! A storm came in from Alberta, and the forecast was for upwards of a foot of snow and winds exceeding 50mph. Weather is a funny thing because the bears like…Read More

It was a remarkable day in spite of, or maybe because of the snow blizzard! A storm came in from Alberta, and the forecast was for upwards of a foot of snow and winds exceeding 50mph. Weather is a funny thing because the bears like it cold, the colder the better and the snow really doesn't affect them much. They don't care for the high winds however, so we had a few things working against us for the bear viewing day out on the tundra:

1. The air temp was around 30F which is warmer than bears like it, making them a bit lethargic in general. (Probably why we saw so many laying around yesterday and rather limited in their general activities . . . and NO sparring.)
2. With the whiteout conditions, it's difficult to even see polar bears if they are up and around . . . or more likely bunkered in the willows that block the wind.
3. Our tour group in general was a bit apathetic and less than optimistic about seeing bears. Believe me when I say the weather conditions (especially the high winds) were brutal!

Folks were napping, reading books, and doing a lot of things not conducive to finding the bears! Around 10:00am our buggy driver and our group tour guide decided to break away from the other two early morning buggies. They felt that in knowing bear behavior, there was a good chance to find a bear or two in a small land area covered with willow between a couple of frozen over ponds. Just getting into this area was quite treacherous as we were going to venture off the trail and onto the frozen ponds. In some areas, there was more slushy marsh than solid ice, making the ride a bit of an added adventure. We observed one of the other company's buggies coming in behind us. It was amazing to see it navigate through the two foot deep mud and snow.

Their hunch paid off and we were treated to one bear who immediately scampered off out of sight. Shortly after, however, something was seen that was not visible as we entered this area. It was a sub adult male nearly covered in snow. At first he was a bit boring to watch, raising his head every few minutes as to check to see if we were still watching. Later in the morning, he seemed a bit restless especially as a couple of other buggies "found us" and zeroed in on OUR bear!

The bear did get up, stretch, pose, slide in the snow and then walk around our buggy. He even reached up onto the front of the vehicle as though he was trying to look into the front windshield. He then proceeded around the other side of the buggy, walked across the frozen lake, looking for a new place to make his day bed. Not comfy with what he found over there, he waltzed back nearly retracing his foot steps to his earlier resting point.

By this time, there were several buggies creating a small amphitheater around him. We had the best vantage point less than 50 feet away. This was where we had our tundra picnic lunch and stayed for over two hours. The show we were treated to by this single bear was gladly worth the price of the day's tour!

We did see a couple of other bears on our return trip to the buggy launch, as well as two arctic hares. Unfortunately in the wind driven snow, it was nearly impossible to see them . . . and literally impossible to photograph them. Perhaps my favorite photo of the hundreds I shot was the one of the bear walking across the frozen pond in the blizzard's harsh wind driven snow.

While the day before was outstanding from a total bear count (16) point of view, Tuesday was even better proving sometimes it is about more than quantity. I think our final bear count for the day was "just" six.
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OMG was it incredible! We were out of the tundra buggy launch pad by 9:00a and within a mile or so, we experienced our first bear. He was very close to the path, on a slightly elevated lakeshore. When we first pulled up he…Read More

OMG was it incredible! We were out of the tundra buggy launch pad by 9:00a and within a mile or so, we experienced our first bear. He was very close to the path, on a slightly elevated lakeshore. When we first pulled up he was just laying there, but it was clear they are very curious animals. He lifted his head and looked over at us several times. Seemingly bored with us, he started to roll around in the snow bring about the first oooohhhhs and aaawwwwws of our two days on the tundra.

From there, the day only got better as we had a very active morning of bear viewing . . . including a momma and two cubs. At first they were completely out of sight, but someone on the buggy noticed the movement in the willows. Out appeared the mom. As though that wasn't good enough, up popped a cub head . . . and then the second. The momma enjoyed sliding down the hill as her babies watched. One came out almost immediately, while the other seemed a bit more timid. Eventually he too came out, although he seemed to lag behind and had to run often to catch up when mom was ready to move.

Having heard on the radio that there were a couple of bears along the freezing Hudson Bay, we made our way over to where another company's buggy was perched. There was one big boy right on the shore of the Hudson Bay, which you could see starting to freeze up behind him. From time to time he could be seen munching on some old dried up sea kelp that had washed up onto the shore. Like the bears before him, while he laid around for some amount of time, he did become restless . . . standing up . . . turning over . . . and yawning before laying back down.

This was where we stayed for our tundra picnic lunch. It was a beautiful spot to watch the bears while we enjoyed our lunch of hot soup, sandwich and apple pastry (catered by Gypsy's).

On our trek back in towards the buggy launch area, we stopped in at the Great White Bear Lodge, the tundra camp for those who want to live out with the bears during their stay in Churchill. There were a couple of bears in and around the camp, but one seemed to only have mischief on his mind. It was funny watching him pace under the food car, trying to figure out how to get up there even if just for a closer look at what smelled so good. I've posted a photo with this entry of him up on his hind legs trying to see in.

On Monday's bear adventure we saw 16 bears, probably "about average" for this time of the bear season. Everyone agreed, it was a wonderful day!!
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After a hectic day of travel, our group of 21 arrived safely in Churchill by mid morning Sunday. Thank goodness for "falling back" the night before as we all needed the extra hour's sleep. We have a very eclectic group, with roughly a third from…Read More

After a hectic day of travel, our group of 21 arrived safely in Churchill by mid morning Sunday. Thank goodness for "falling back" the night before as we all needed the extra hour's sleep. We have a very eclectic group, with roughly a third from the UK, USA and Canada each. I was amazed at the number of folks that cross "the pond" to come to the Polar Bear Capital of the World . . . Churchill, Manitoba.

Upon our arrival, our tour guide Steve provided us with a thorough tour of the town, highlighting everything of importance . . . where NOT to go due to safety issues with bears in town . . . where to go shopping for gifts and souvenirs . . . and where we'll be dining for most of our meals while in Churchill. We also got to see where bears are taken if they wander into town - Polar Bear Compound aka Polar Bear Jail.

Before lunch we paid a short visit to the train station which also serves as the home to a series of interpretive exhibits telling the story of Churchill, the polar bear and Inuit people.

With a noontime lunch date at Gypsy's, world famous I might add, we were treated to a "whatever you want off the menu board" lunch that was part of our group's tour package. Lunch was very good, as was dinner later that evening (Arctic Char). Both meals were outstanding!

Our day was jam packed with activities, which included our one-hour helicopter tour of Churchill Bay and the Wapusk National Park where the polar bears have been preparing for a feast of the own. Once the ice forms, they will venture out for months to get their fill of ring seals. In the meantime, they will eat whatever they can kill, which for one big boy, was a caribou. The flight was incredible! With six passengers in the copter, we were limited to what camera gear we could bring aboard. While my photos aren't the best (I was using a digital point n shoot), I have included a couple here for folks to get the idea.

After some down time for shopping, a nap or both . . . we reconvened just before 6:00pm for dinner at Gypsy's. The arctic char is akin to salmon, but seemed like a lighter, flakier fish to me. It was very good and not very fishy tasting. After dinner we were treated to Churchill through her four seasons compliments of a local photographer Mike. His work is beautiful including wildlife (polar bears, beluga whales, foxes) and the aurora borealis. This was the perfect ending to a wonderful first day in Churchill.
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A beautiful three hour drive from Manitoba's capital city Winnipeg, lies Elkhorn Resort. Besides the beautiful surroundings of…Read More

A beautiful three hour drive from Manitoba's capital city Winnipeg, lies Elkhorn Resort.

Besides the beautiful surroundings of Elkhorn's resort, the solstice spa awaits the traveller; her pristine waters inviting you to soak your troubles away.

My wife and I spent a weekend here during her second trimester. A selfish weekend to ourselves before the arrival of our son, a weekend to enjoy ourselves and enjoy complete comfort and luxury.

Upon arriving at the resort, we quickly changed into our bathing suits, and made our way to the main resort. And within an hour of checking in began soaking in the mineral pool. Hours spent soaking in the tub, left us a little withered, but rejuvenated for the night, and after a quick healthy meal we made our way to bed with visions of the spa and treatments dancing in our heads.

With morning came a sprinkle of snow, and the chilly air as again we rushed to the main resort and the comforts of the mineral pools.

We felt tranquility that is only written about as we soaked in the pool discussing how life was soon to change with the arrival of our first child and then the call came for our appointed times for massage treatment.

Everything after that was a blur, and even though I had promised myself I would not fall asleep during the massage I awoke with drool running down my chin, and a smile on my face.

My body was recharged and my soul awakened, and arm in arm with my wife we made it back to our room, and slept a nights sleep our parents tell us we will only be dreaming of.

And with morning came the drive back to Winnipeg, travelling into the rising sun, the light glistening off the snow. We had been recharged and looking forward to the new year and the things to come.

And now writing this I look forward to our next stay, this time with our newborn son Luke this fall, again a chance to get reenergized and ready for the new year and things to come. Close

On a hot day the clear, cool waters of Clear Lake are most inviting, and the lake's sandy beaches are popular. The beach in Wasagaming has changing rooms and washrooms, as well as outdoor showers. And this is a great place for families to swim.…Read More

On a hot day the clear, cool waters of Clear Lake are most inviting, and the lake's sandy beaches are popular. The beach in Wasagaming has changing rooms and washrooms, as well as outdoor showers. And this is a great place for families to swim. It will be packed during the afternoon, particularly on weekends all summer long. But packed by Western Canadian standards, it isn't really that packed.

To escape the crowds, however, there are several quieter swimming areas on the lake. A particularly good one is just past the "Wishing Well" on the lake's north side. However, the lake gets quite deep here, and quickly. This is not a good spot for children or weak swimmers. But it is a quiet and beautiful spot, great for evening swims. During the day it is sometimes used as a scuba-diving site. But you can still swim there anyhow.

There are also swimming areas on Lake Katherine, Lake Audy, and Moon Lake. However, remember that all swimming areas in the park are unsupervised; thus, you swim at your own risk.

Regular lake-swimming safety applies. The water is clear and you can often see the bottom, but it is still wise to always jump in feet first, at least until you've been in the water and gauged the depth, presence of any underwater rocks, or anything like that. It's also advisable to swim with someone else when possible, just in case something happens. Always exercise common sense when swimming.

You can swim in any of the park's lakes, but many have muddy bottoms. I took a dip in Lake Kinosao and found it quite refreshing, even if the bottom was a little muddy. But then I'd just been hiking for several hours.

You'll likely hear a lot about swimmer's itch, a small parasite that causes itching and irritation, which is found in most park waters. Simple precautions of coating your skin with sunscreen or some sort of oil, or rubbing skin vigorously with a towel following swimming, should prevent any complications. Another simple precaution is showering shortly after swimming just to rinse off.

However, swimmer's itch is hit-or-miss anyway. There were several times when I swam where I didn't take any of these precautions and did not get "the itch." Nor did anyone I was with. All this is just to say that all of this talk of swimmer's itch need not keep you out of the water.

 

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If the polar bears aren't in town knocking over garbage cans and scaring the tourists, there isn't a lot to do in Churchill. It is mainly a port town and built there because the Hudsons Bay seldom freezes. However, there is one thing of great interest…Read More

If the polar bears aren't in town knocking over garbage cans and scaring the tourists, there isn't a lot to do in Churchill. It is mainly a port town and built there because the Hudsons Bay seldom freezes. However, there is one thing of great interest to me in Churchill, and that is the Town Centre. It is one enormous building, much like a covered shopping mall, except that this one has the main stores, the post office, the city hall, a playground, schools, a movie theater, and a magnificent sweeping view across Hudsons Bay. The other thing about the trip that makes it really worthwhile is the train ride. It is my favorite train ride of them all. It is like being in a David Lean movie as you go across the tundra hour after hour. People who take this train ride aren't the usual band of tourists. All I met were seasoned travelers and most were locals going to and from Churchill, and some were trappers who got off the train at some landmark that escaped me entirely. It was all virgin tundra as far as I could tell. I bought the use of a roomette, one of those tiny compartments that is about the size of your shower stall at home. During the day it has a chair and a toilet, plus a sink that folds out of the wall. At night it becomes a bed and that is all the room you have;just the single bed. The dining room/club car on the train is the equivalent of a small town tavern and the food is along those lines; hearty and filling. Body fuel. But it is here you can meet the train crew and fellow passengers. Close

Gender-specific dorm-like rooms with 2-3 comfy bunkbeds per room. Hot showers and toilets across the rooms. Dressers are provided and in some rooms, there are closets. Free laundry facilities in the same dorms. Even though there is a lack of design and "instant comfort," the…Read More

Gender-specific dorm-like rooms with 2-3 comfy bunkbeds per room. Hot showers and toilets across the rooms. Dressers are provided and in some rooms, there are closets. Free laundry facilities in the same dorms. Even though there is a lack of design and "instant comfort," the simple rooms are actually quiet and comfortable.

Meals are available at Mallard Lodge as part of the package. Kitchen facilities with appliances are also available for use. Mallard Lodge has a DVD player/TV/collection of DVD for your personal use whenever you feel like taking a nice break. Close

Take in this very multicultural city. Winnipeg (A.A. Milne, named Winnie the Pooh here) offers a fasinating history with the best choice of resturantes than most other major cities. Canada's fourth largest city about half of Manitoba's population live in this city. Winnipeg is the geographical…Read More

Take in this very multicultural city. Winnipeg (A.A. Milne, named Winnie the Pooh here) offers a fasinating history with the best choice of resturantes than most other major cities. Canada's fourth largest city about half of Manitoba's population live in this city.

Winnipeg is the geographical center of Canada thus the gateway to the north, east, west, and south. It's a major stopover point for travelers crossing Canada. Excellent connections for air/rail and road travel. Just a two-hour drive from the North Dakota border, it's not the easiest city to drive around. Major highways into the city, tend to change names once within city limits. lots of divertions/road works in the summer months due to exstream climate dammage to the city streets. Winnipeg's Portage Ave runs east/west, part of the Trans Canada Highway, while Main St runs north/south. Most downtown side streets are one-way, alternating in direction as a rule. Skywalks across Portage Ave, connect many of the major department stores in the downtown area. locals call the Portage and Main Corner of this city; "the windiest in North America". Summers very hot and winters very cold.

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