Churchill- last day part 2

Churchill- last day part 3

Churchill - last day in the frozen tundra.

The three days in northern Manitoba went by so quickly. Seems like we just arrived. It has not been without a bevy of interesting experiences. Last night the power grid when down putting the entire town in the dark. Note this was at about 4:30. The sun sets at 4:10 this time of year. Much of the heat for buildings is electric. Not that that was on our minds... Very easy to keep the beer cold but not so easy to keep the feet warm. ;D. The air temps are either just above zero or a bit below, the windchill — subtract about another 20 degrees. Pretty sure I have a patch of frostbite on my face. The wind freezes the snot before dripping out your nose- eek. Power was thankfully restored in about 90 minutes, whew. We stayed warm all through the night. This morning, loaded up and off we went to spend the day on the tundra buggy. The tundra and its fragile permafrost did not disappoint. We saw a cross fox, red fox, willow ptarmigans, split tail grouse, ravens, and of course, polar bears. Such a treat to see a couple of sets of mama bears with their cubs. So cool! With the aid of several modes of transportation, back to Winnipeg tonight and home tomorrow. Thank you for traveling with me!

Churchill - the town part 2

Churchill - the town and culture

Churchill, aka Inuktitut, on the west short of the Hudson Bay and roughly 68 miles from the Nunavut border. It is most known for its lush populations of polar bears and beluga whales (in the summer). Today the town supports a population of around 750-900 give or take depending on the wildlife season. A variety of nomadic Arctic tribes have live(d) hunted in this region over the past 1000 years — Matis, Dene, Cree, Thule and Chipewyan. Which all have contributed to the evolution of the Inuit culture. The 20th century, due to the French/English and Catholics oppression, created many many hardships for the Inuit nations. The reconciliation continues today. Churchill is rich with history along with its fascinating wilderness. Well worth a visit. They are hoping train service soon is restored. This is their lifeline for supplies to live. Not to mention, the only way to get a car in or out of this town... enjoy a few pics of the beautiful murals that adorn their buildings and the shore line. Note! The ice is now as far as you can see. 2 days ago it was all open water. Check the blog entry. Amazing!
Today we learned about the Dene people, dog sledding and trapping. Fascinating!

Churchill- Tundra buggy day

Today is the day! Our first day in a Tundra Buggy in Polar Bear central. We spent 8 hours bouncing around on the permafrost and tundra in search of bears. Good thing it was equipped with beverages, a nice lunch and a biffy. Whew. The beauty of digital, shot about 364 pics of 17 bears. Enjoy a few.

Churchill - let’s check out the polar bears!

There are no roads to Churchill making this one of the most remote places visited to date. Currently accessible only by air. There was train service unfortunately for these residents, it is in the process of changing owners and conducting much needed repairs. The bay is quickly freezing, so shipping is not really happening this time of year. The residents are hoping to be reconnected by rail in the next few months. Meanwhile supplies are a bit limited. A box of cereal is about $16 and a bottle of ketchup ringing in at about $21. We were treated to a couple hours touring this fair city of about 750 by a fabulous bus driver. She was a hoot and loaded with lots of local history. We bounced around in the frozen tundra rock roads in a modified school bus. Walking outside of the bus was severely limited for two good reasons...polar bears are like, everywhere, and the windchill could not have been above -10 f. It is quite effective to make your face hurt from the cold... Bonus!, was able to get my first real shot of a real live polar bear!!! ...from the bus! The distant shot is him sleeping in amongst the trees. We did some shopping here in the Hudson Bay. Nearly froze our faces off walking around the 2 block square. Oh goodness, winter is on its way here ....

Winnipeg- gateway to Churchill

Winnipeg is an absolutely fascinating city. Lots of culture and commerce here. Alas, the topography is totally flat. A bicycler's dream come true. We explored the Forks, the Human Rights Museum, the exchange area and, thanks to Tim, a number of craft breweries. The museum is an absolute must do sometime in your life. What a journey our civilizations have traveled, and the struggles continue ...
Enjoy a few pics of Winnipeg. Next entry ... Churchill!

Australia! Sydney episode 16 final chapter

One just cannot take too many pictures of Sydney harbor, the Opera House, the Sydney Harbor Bridge and quays. Today we witnessed another couple of angles. Our most adept tour guide, Matt spent the first half of our free day making sure we had the opportunity for new exploration. He took us on the Sydney tram across the quay to walk back on the harbor bridge. Brilliant! It was so cool and did not cost a cent. For a about $300 AUD you can climb to the top of the bridge. It is exceedingly high and a bit spendy. We had quite nice view from the footpath and a very doable elevation. He took us to the nearby art museum to the cafe for another outstanding view of the harbor .... when there is not a cruise ship in port... like there was today. Oh well, it was a beautiful day to see the bridge. :)
From there we all scattered to our own experiences of this interesting city. Candace, Brenda and I chose a walking tour. So much history from the origins of this city built by convicts. 23,907 steps later, chose to let Candace and Brenda go shopping while I retired to the nearest pub to quench that powerful thirst we worked up.
Tonight our farewell dinner. So appreciative of each person in this travel group. One could not have asked for better travel companions. Our guide, Matt, was the best guide to date. Feel most grateful to have had this good fortune for his skillful guidance and a most excellent group. Keep traveling and continue your curiosity of this world.

Australia! Sydney Exploration episode 15 part 3

All this touring worked up a bit of hunger, lunch in the Rocks Cafe. This area originally was sandstone and where the convicts were employed to quarry the stone to to be used as building material. Next stop was an Opal shop. The owner gave us a most interesting tour. The majority of gem quality opals are mined in Australia. Who knew?! We also go a look at the world's largest opal. The high quality gems are a bit out of my/our price range... We all scattered to explore on our own. BJ, Candace and I set out to find, what else could it be...the Hard Rock Cafe! Success! On our way explored the Pitt Street Mall, Queen Victoria building, Pymont pedestrian swing bridge and Darling Harbor.
Tomorrow our last day before the trek home. Check back for more pics of the Sydney Harbor and more.