Brian and Linda's Polar Bear Adventure

OK. The last days' events are posted and we are home again. Hope you enjoyed the pics, commentary, etc. Slideshow to come. - Brian

Check Day 10 for our first polar bear Tundra Buggy results
And here is a video teaser of some of the action we saw on Day 10

Sturbridge to Winnipeg - 1794 miles, approx 30 hours, then on to Churchill....However, as we arrived in Winnipeg on Friday night we had gone 1,989 miles for all the side trips, etc.
Roundtrip, arriving back in Sturbridge Sunday November 21, was 4,126 miles of driving!
See the weather in Churchill and note the wind/wind chill

Dead Deer count - 26
Eagles count - 5
Polar bears - 40-50 (but some duplicates)
Moose - 4-6

Click on Day link to quickly move - Blue shaded days are train days, Red shaded days are Churchill days, other days are travel days (Niagara, Winnipeg included)

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16 -
 leaving day
Day 17-21






Day 1 - November 1, 2010 - How Garmin GPS Directed Two Tourist Over Niagara Falls

Sturbridge to Niagara Falls - 420 miles, 7.5 hours

Incredibly, we left Sturbridge before 1000 and without incident - except for seeing the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile on the NY Thruway - we made it to Niagara Falls by 1630. Thanks to our Garmin, we ended up on the American side with a direction to proceed 0.3 miles - which would have been very interesting and you would have heard about us on the news! We decided to ignore it and park in the parking lot. Proceeding on foot with the Garmin safely turned off in the car, we made our way to the edge of doom. WOW! Better by much than I remembered it! Still had plenty of daylight so walked up past the falls by the rapids - Sonny, it wouldn't have mattered if you said "Left, right, Mickey, or Minnie", we would be dead in those waves, drops, and rock - and crossed over to Goat Island (lots of history I will ignore with all the spots around the falls) where we were able to get some nice shots of a rainbow against the falls and Rainbow Bridge (to Canada) as backdrops. Many pictures which will get posted to Picasa eventually so stay tuned for the link - Linda, who has a Macbook, already has hers done up. We then proceeded around some more to look at Horseshoe Falls which was also spectacular plus it had old powerplants around it - beautiful old structures. Heading back as it got dim we came across a statue of Nikola Tesla who got this whole AC thing going. Will be going back tomorrow to see it in the morning light.

Somehow we made it past the Canadian Border Guards after giving them some misinformation. They ask the strangest questions. Found a motel and went out to dinner at an OK Italian place down near where all the action is. OMG, what a neon horror show. We thought we had crossed back into the US but, no, it was those crazy Canucks sucking the tourists dry with all kinds of rides, haunted houses, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Cuban cigars (sorry, Fir) and waterpipes (sorry, Bob), and more things than you could think of. Only place I wanted to go in was the House of Fudge (take it away, Fir). Walked down to the riverside and found that, yes, the Canadian side has a fantastic view of all the falls - whereas the American side lets you get up close and personal and experience the power and noise. Plus the falls are lit up rainbow-style at night. Managed to get a couple of semi-decent pics. Started back to see more horror show but noticed, at 2100 believe it or not and with the streets fairly deserted as it is November after all, that the local polizia where handing out parking tickets! Reread the parking sign which read, after looking closed, 9 AM to 3 AM, not 3 PM! I cannot imagine how crazy this place must be in the summer. I will be sending in my $20 to pay the ticket.

So ends day 1, basically a resounding success but $20 poorer with nothing to show for it.

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Day 2 - November 2, 2010 - Walking in the rainy sunshine

Niagara Falls to Toledo, Ohio - 330 miles, 5.5 hours

On a partly sunny day we got soaked! The mist coming up from Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side is intense! Luckily, Linda had a hood on her jacket and brought an umbrella for me. Rainbows everywhere - we even saw one in the woods across from the falls. Paid $14 to park thus avoiding a $20 parking ticket (you can teach old dogs new tricks) and a long walk to the Canadian Welcome Center for the Horseshoe Falls area. Besides the usual souvenier shops and food offerings, there were some good sounding presentations and tours but we didn't do them, just walked and took pictures. Beautiful architecture on some of the power plants (old and out of use). Old barge that got swept close to going over the falls hung up on the rocks - looks like it had been there a long time which is surprising considering the force that must come during floods in the spring. Some very heavy periphyton on the rocks (would you risk your life to sample, Joannie?). After two hours of walking, it was time to hit the road as it was noon. Without much further ado, we made it to Toledo where we are shacking up for the night and planning how to take two days to reach Heyward, Wisconsin.

BTW, we did see our first polar bears....

   but no Mudhens in Toledo yet.
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Day 3 - November 3, 2010 - Foodie Paradise on a Badger Budget 

Toledo to Madison, WI - 392 miles, over 7 hours as we got lost

Awoke in Toledo to a hard frost on the windshield - that was about it for excitement in Toledo. But if I had only known about Tony Packo's Cafe, home of the "Hungarian hot dog" which Terri Beaudoin emailed me after we left. In rapid succession we easily drove the rest of Ohio and Indiana. The exception was Illinois (even skirting Chicago the traffic was heavy plus we lost an hour when we took a shortcut - Bilbo Baggins always said shortcuts make for long delays.) Arrived in Madison about 1630 taking into account the time zone change. Drove to our motel with each of us looking at the other saying how sketchy does it look? But, while not modern (actually have to use a key to get into the building and rooms), it was OK and, in fact, had the best and quietest heater on the trip so far and for many other trips to boot.

Stowed our gear and headed into Madison which, as any 4th grader knows, is both the capitol and the home of the mighty Badgers of U of Wisconsin. Hit it right at rush hour and traffic was very heavy but took another shortcut and this time Bilbo was wrong. Started seeing numerous German restaurants. Parked within a few hundred feet of the state house which was magnificent. Proceeded to find State Street which is the Marshall Street of Madison (Marshall Street is where it all happens in Syracuse) except that State Street blew Marshall Street away. Confused? The food offerings are tremendous: the Afghan restaurant was next to the Turkish one which was next to the East African one; there were two or three Tibetan ones plus a Nepali; also a brat-house, Italian, bars galore and the beers are very cheap. I even discovered one that answered the question, "Where did Richard Dorfman end up?"



Bought some caramel corn at a gourmet popcorn shop and encountered our first person with a Fargo accent - I loved it! Then we went to an Irish bar for a couple of Spotted Cows - hope to bring some back for Pat Austin. Talked with an old gent at the bar for quite awhile about Frank Lloyd Wright, Carl Sandberg, and other luminaries thinking this old barfly must be a retired prof but turned out to be a retired longshoreman - you can't judge a book by it's cover. Bought him a beer as we left. Barkeep suggested we eat at The Old Fashioned restaurant and bar which features Wisconsin food but warned us it might be busy. Directly across from the state house, it was the hoppingest place in town and we had a 30 minute wait. I got a 4 snit sampler of IPAs: Rush River, Bitter Woman, Snake Hollow, and Wild Ride. Check out the website for their beer and food menus. Ordered beer-battered cheese curds - although in the din in the restaurant Linda thought I ordered cheese turds. They were great coming with a dipping sauce. Then on came the lake perch, matchstick fries, poppyseed coleslaw, and toasted rye bread. Linda ordered a salad with fresh Wisconsin blue cheese (very tasty and strong) and cherries.

James Meek - standing on State Street I could almost touch both a 5 Guys and a Qdoba at the same time. Eat your heart out.

Dana Samuelson - across from the state house is the Veteran's Museum which I hope to get to tomorrow to get you a poster and a record. Also, tomorrow, we hope to get to the Unitarian Universalist church that Frank Lloyd Wright designed.

I would love to spend more time hear just doing the restaurant tour! If UMass ever plays UW out here, a road trip is in order! Who's with me?

Guess it was no surprise that the Republicans/Tea Party did so well. Here's a pic of how they see government -

Yup, put the people who caused the problem back in office. Real smart.













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Day 4 - November 4, 2010 - I Smell Fish Breath 

Madison, WI to Hayward, WI - 282 miles, 5 hours 

Despite the sketchy first impression of the motel the afternoon before, it turned out okay, the place was mostly old. But the breakfast was pretty good including a make-your-own omelet, pancakes, and waffles plus a nice fruit bar (canned) that included tropical fruits as well. Putting that behind us, we headed out to the UU church that Frank Lloyd Wright built in Madison in the early 1950s when he was in his late 70s/early 80s. Interesting stone structure, low height, very cozy inside although as the membership grew a new wing was added which is used for services today. I'm sure someone with more aesthetic understanding could add more but I'll just include a picture of the outside (the pipe organ pipes are just inside the windows) and a picture of Linda giving her first and only sermon there.

From there we drove back through the heart of the UWisconsin campus - it is big, lots of bikes and motor scooters and the city is set up to accomodate the bikes, and the coeds.... - over to the state house again where, unlike Boston, it was a breeze to park. Went down to the Veterans Museum and talked with a few people so I could get some info back to Dana.

Then the next 4.5 hours were a daze as we drove through fairly desolate country although there were some interesting geological formations, etc. Arrived in Hayward about 1500, did some shopping, and then went fishing... Unfortunately, the Freshwater Fishing Museum was closed for the season. Fortunately, the Freshwater Fishing Museum was closed for the season. Why the apparent contradiction? I read on a sign outside what I was to see inside: over 1000 outboard motors, over 500 pairs of oars, and need I say more. But I heartily recommend the 1400 or so mile journey to all you fishermen.








Our final destination for the day was only a few miles away on the same road as the museum but we were surprised, nay shocked, to be met by an aggressive member of the Wisconsin Militia... Actrually, this was Corinne who was practicing for the Olympics biathalon. She is already a member of the National Junior Team. She has been living and practicing in Maine, as well, as the national training site is located there.

Linda met up with her friend Dayle out in the music shed (very nicely built and warmly cozy) where two other musicians where practicing Christmas music. Linda stayed out to listen and I went to the main house (even nicer and just as cozy) which is a log cabin style but very well done. We'll be staying overnight and for dinner before pushing off as early as we can for the final leg (Wisconsin, Minnisota, North Dakota, and, finally, Winnipeg, Manitoba) before the train ride to Churchill. This will be our longest leg while today was our shortest.

And what was it that Linda said today that was totally funny - hope I can remember and edit it in later.
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Day 5 - November 5, 2010 - Can I Rent a Wood Chipper in Fargo?  Babe's Big Blue Ones

Hayward, WI to Winnipeg, Manitoba - 454 miles, about 8 to 9 hours but we took 11

Up at 0700 to a hard but beautiful frost, a quick goodbye to Dayle and brother David the Gypsy, a cup of coffe and scones to goPaul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, and we were off to Duluth (I just like saying that). We really were leaving a lot of civilization behind at this point and the driving was incredibly easy as there were almost no cars or trucks. In fact, jumping ahead, I would say the linear density was about 1 vehicle/mile once we hit north of Grand Forks, North Dakota, but I digress. Had hoped to get a better view of Lake Superior in Duluth, just another of life's little disappointments. But we made up for it in Bemidji where we stopped to see the Paul and Babe statue (Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe) - as I entered on the guest book "Another item on the bucket list crossed off!" Saw 4 eagles today to go with the one yesterday. After Bemidji the landscape turned to farmland, and along with North Dakota, the darkest soil I have ever seen - talked with an old farmer while getting gas in Drayton, ND, who explained that it was a clay base but the land had been worked so long (I assume a lot of manure went into this) that it now had this marvelously rich color. He also explained about Lake Aggasiz and the only two rivers that run north, the Red and the Nile (hey, what about the Assabet, the Nashua, and a couple of hundred others but I bit my tongue). Backtracking, we stopped at an A&W with car hop service (at least they have it in the summer)A&W carhop service - I love A&W and you still find them in the midwest and Canada including Winnipeg. A&W mealThen in East Grand Forks, MN, we stopped at Cabela's having seen some of the weather that was going to hit Churchill plus becoming recently aware of the wind chill - got a Mad Bomber hat as I left mine at home plus some more thermals. Oh, another thing about most of upper MN and ND, we never saw any stones in the fields except once where it was quite noticeable; might have something to do with the ancient Lake Agassiz thing and all the siltation. And another thing that puzzled me was where were all the tractors and combines that worked the mega-fields. I just didn't see any place where they were stored at the small farms that occupied the corners of the humongous fields.

Finally got to Winnipeg about 1900 after fighting with the Garmin the last two blocks. Nice room on 9th floor downtown within walking distance of Forks district and a number of other areas. Hope to do some walking tomorrow. Went out for dinner about 2100 to Ken's Chinese restaurant which was recommended - jelly fish, whole pickerel either poached or fried with special sauce, shark fin soup, bird nest soup, and many other things not found at Ping's (for non-DWMers, Pings is the local Chinese restaurant near work, oh, that's right, I don't work anymore!). But we chickened out and had Szechuan shrimp and a large bowl of wontons and noodle soup.

Well, if you read this far looking for something about wood chippers and Fargo, you'll have to wait because we never did go to Fargo but will hit it on our way back so I'll keep some of you in suspense. BTW, Linda met, a few minutes ago, a young man from Fargo who when asked what was the best thing in Fargo replied "the overpass." I can hardly wait to get there.
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Day 6 - November 6, 2010 - Getting Forked in Winnipeg

Awoke to a cool but warming day in downtown Winnipeg. Set off on foot to see The Forks, an important old trade route for both native Canadians and the old fur trade. It is also the confluence of the Assipinoinent (sp?) and Red Rivers and was currently in flood enroaching upon many of the grassy areas. Both running a deep brown with much sediment. Assinopinent River flood and sedimentThe Forks market was quite nice, lots of crafts and great foods many of both international. We had samosas, a very light fried dough which probably has a more interesting Canadian name, and a long talk mostly about real estate and world finance with a beekeeper originally from Switzerland who told us to stop by on the way back and he would have something for us - have to take him up on it as it will give us an excuse to sample more food. Took a ride up to the viewing platform for great view of the city, the rivers, Fort Garry hotel, etc. Explored a large circle with tusk-like poles extending skyward - upon closer examination each one had sights that would point to particular stars in constellations at precise times during the summer. Linda really enjoyed that. Fort Garry hotel Winnipeg

Also a very nice welcome center, nice toy shop, Spaghetti Factory (for you, Christina), foot bridge across the Red River to the French Quarter but legs, mine and Linda's had given out by then so took the free bus back to near our hotel but stopped to see The Body exhibit. Very interesting seeing all those parts on us that are failing. Tip: probably not necessary to get the headset.

Pretty done in by then so back to the hotel to repack for Churchill - where will all the snacks go? Dinner in the hotel with a very chatty waitress.

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Day 7 - November 7, 2010 - Churchill choo-choo

Up at 0800 to finish packing and load up the car for the short ride to Union Station where the parking facility was a total disaster for us and many others going to Churchill. We all hope our cars will not be towed while away. Then my Capital One card started acting up, 15 minutes on hold, and was told there was no problem - we'll see when I order the filet mignon on the train tonight and have to settle for peanut butter and jelly with the few loonies I have in my pocket. Train arrived about an hour late and with some to do we found our train car Linda in our cabin- note to self, send VIA Rail a note about how they number their train cars! Settled in to our cabin which is extremely cozy as long as you don't try to both get up and move at the same time: sink, two chairs which fold down to let the two bunks down, toilet with a vacuum flush to rip your arm off, and Damon the porter Damon the porterto take care of us. Shower down the hall which was nice especially as the sink was too small (and the faucets were momentary ones) to wash my hair. Checked out the other accomodations and glad we got a cabin - thanks Huey and Dottie for that tip! Had dinner with our cabin neighbors, Susan and her nephew, Emerson, from Toronto. Sue takes each of her neices/nephews on a Canadian trip of their choice when they turn 11 and Emerson wanted Churchill. Am going to teach Emerson cribbage this afternoon - I'm sure he'll be more of a challenge than Huey! Dinner was very nice with the four of us choosing either salmon or pot roast. The wine incident was really not Susan's fault despite what "Sunshine" says. After dinner we continued reading,
listening to Zune/iTouch, watched our beds get brought down, got off for a stretch at Dauphne. Emerson supplied us with a trip map and time schedule which Linda has been following. I took the top bunk about 2130 but hadDaupne station a mostly sleepless night; Linda did much better. But I've never been a good sleeper. Will probably be tired enough tonight to do better.










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Day 8 - November 8, 2010 - On the tracks to Churchill

Up at about 0730 for a nice breakfast - omelets, blueberry pancakes (but syrup was not really maple!), scrambled eggs - with Susan and Emerson. No more farmland at least from the train window. Lots of fresh beaver activity and old lodges. Discarded railroad ties. Old telephone poles in tripod formation.
water and bogs
fir or spruce tall and narrow
birch, mabe aspen
Still a little below Thompson, where we stop for an hour or so, and all the ponds/lakes are frozen, flowing water still open. Got a 5 minute stretch after breakfast at a desolate stop. Miles and miles, no bird life or other animal life seen in quite awhile. Linda and engineI did buy a book about the building of this rail line but couldn't get into it too much as it was very detail oriented with lots of diary enteries, etc. It's noon and just saw the sign for Thompson Junction which means we have made up a lot of the time we lost yesterday or so I thought) - train has switched to junction for our "visit" to Thompson - moving extremely slowly with lots of creeking!! So slowly that by the time we got there, turned the train around, loaded cargo and more passengers, we are still a couple of hours behind. Do Not Flush in StationHey, just means we can sleep later before arriving Churchil. Thompson appears to be an interesting city but the train station only had a candy machine plus a very informative booklet. Marketing is not a big deal at VIA rail stations.

Note pic to left: why you don't walk down the middle of the tracks!

Had bison burger for lunch, like beef but more flavor. Ate with mother and daughter from the UK going to Churchill for the bears, of course. Their last trip was to Thailand where they lived and learned as mahouts for two weeks - elephant handlers! Taught Emerson how to play cribbage and then the only card trick I know. We are scheduled for the 2000 dinner seating so bring on the snacks until then. It's dark now and has been since about 1700, nothing to see. Good night, moon.

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Day 9 - November 9, 2010 - If it's Tuesday, it must be Churchill

Up in the twilight about 0630 to a treeless landscape, little snow but more snow as we reached Churchill as they had a small dusting the night before. Approaching ChurchillLots of excitement on the train. Note the varied garb of our fellow travelers! Yes, the gent in the middle is wearing shorts!
Churchill train station sign
They come in shorts...
...and furs

Said good-bye to Sue and Emerson as they set out for the Gypsy Cafe and BakerySue & Emerson off to Gypsy's Cafe - we hope they see a lot of bears tomorrow! Picked up in the yellow school bus, about 16 of us, and drove through town to about 16km outside of town to the (wow, just saw my first guide go by with shotgun on his back @ 1141) CNSC (Churchill Northern Studies Center) where we got a greeting, some ground rules, late breakfast, and settled into our bunk rooms. Yellow school busI'm rooming with Paul and another Brian; Linda is in with two other women - did I bring a necktie to put on the doorknob??? Lots of neat artifacts and maps around. A domed observation hut in case any bears come in close - they shoo them away - and in case the northern lights decide to show up (let's hope so but not prime season). Hey, I think I can see Sarah Palin's home from here! Flashback to last night's sleep on the train - wow, what a ride almost like being on a sailboat - guess the tracks are susceptible to spring and fall frost heaving. Which is one reason the trip took about 43 hours as this was not a bullet train! The first day was the roughest but I think we got used to it very quickly and I wouldn't mind going back by train but we already have out flight tickets. Tomorrow is our first Tundra Buggy ride so should, hopefully, have some pics of real bears by tomorrow night. I already signed up to do dishes after dinner tonight. Folks from another group just got back from a short outside trip but only saw a snowy owl but it was a short trip whereas we will be leaving at 0815 and not returning until 1730 tomorrow.

Linda just told me we are coming back next year or 2012 for the spring Northern Lights trip - much cheaper, btw. You will not see polar bears, though. Anybody want to go with us? She is serious.


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Day 10 - November 10, 2010 - Come out, come out, wherever you are

OK. I know you all have been waiting for us to see a polar bear. Well, today we went on a day long (0800-1700) expedition in Tundra Buggy #16 and, yes, we saw a polar bear...
We saw a polar bear!

Boy, we sure got our money's worth! LOL Actually, it was a National Geographic type of day. We saw 20 polar bears - males, females, cubs, and two year olds. Up close. All kinds of behavior. These bears are very inquisitive and approach the Tundra Buggies, some of them coming from over a mile away - you can spot them with a keen eye and follow them in. For awhile we had 6 in one spot. Other times one, two, or three. OK, so where are the pictures, you say? Here are 30 pics of the over 300 we took! The videos will have to wait as they are all over 50Mb - have to edit them down, etc.
Here they are, just click.

The day started out with a bang on the bus, btw, with all the coffee cups falling and breaking when the buggy hit a particularly nasty pothole. There were many a steep angle these things had to traverse and they occasionally do get stuck. And, on the way back, both Linda and a bunkmate went flying out of their seats across the aisle in the bat of an eye when we hit another incredible pothole. Would definitely have made America's Funniest Home videos! It's 0027 on November 11 as I have been fighting this webpage - made a lot of stupid mistakes because I am tired. More later. Good night.

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Day 11 - November 11, 2010 - Remembrance Day in Canada

The Canadians are very respectful of their Remembrance Day as we learned on our walk around the CNSC facility this morning in a cold, blowing snow. We stopped around 1100 for a full two minute silence near one of the old missle launch pads. Then as a group we arrive near the site of the Rusty Bear geocache site which Carol, Isabelle, and I looked for using my PN-60 - it wasn't hard to find purposefully as who has time to wander around looking when there might be bears in the area - we did have 3 staff with 12 gauge shotguns with us. Easy find especially as Isabelle kicked it! A number of other people crowded around to see what it was all about and I think we got a couple of converts. Took some items, left some items. Back to base station for lunch and then a trip in the snow to the polar bear jail, airport, and LIQUOR STORE. If this cold keeps up the next few days the bay will be freezing over and the bears will be on their way out onto the ice. Which means we had an incredibly good day yesterday as once the ice forms the bears are out of here. Incredible listening to all the other visitors and the places they have been - all over the world including Antartica. After a great dinner - french fries with gravy, Waldorf salad, pork chops plus a whole slew of other things but those were my favorites and butterscotch pudding - had a lecture by Rupert, he's our guide and resident bear expert, on bears other than polar bears. He also read the poem Flanders Field which is about WWI and written by a Canadian. BTW, there are 8 types of bears in the world - can you name them? I couldn't. Then we made up bag lunches for tomorrow's dog sled rides which will be on sleds with runners as we got enough snow today. Plus a trip to the Eskimo museum, the Canadian History museum, shopping in downtown Churchill, and meeting up at world famous Gypsy's Cafe at 1700 but more on that in tomorrow's edition. It's very quiet outside the room now which means, I suspect, everyone is down in the kitchen sharing all their wine, booze, and beer. We finally were able to buy a case of Rickard's Red along with some wine, Bailey's and, of course, mango margarita. So I think I'll join them plus I did not go to bed until 0045 this morning (stopped in to have a drink about then with some of the staff including Rupert after working stupidly on this blog - I made a tired mistake that kept me confounded for a couple of hours as I was tired.)

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Day 12 -  November 12, 2010 - Going to the dogs

Today was dog sledding day. Neither of us ever thought it would be such a blast. Partly because of the musher who ran it and partly because it was just so neat running on fresh snow and seeing the dogs so eager to be running. Had lunch in a teepee with all the folks we are closest to here. Will have to doctor up a lot of the pics as it was overcast today; also got nice videos. Everyone is taking pics/videos of other couples so have to figure out how to exchange them at some point but we don't have much free time at all. After lunch headed into Churchill for Eskimo museum - fascinating and how did they ever get into that kayak - then a Canadian Conservancy talk with exhibits and videos that was quite good including an old video of two natives removing a caribou stomach, emptying it, and converting it into a cooking pot! Amazing. Then hit the souveneir shops, the Post Office for stamps and a probably illegal polar bear stamp on my passport (hope I make it back into the US - seriously). And we all met up at Gypsy's Cafe, world renowned, for beer, caramel coated fritter (I was only one who got it but made sure everyone helped me eat the gigantic thing), saw Martha Stewart's pic on the wall as she was up here last week for a whirlwind tour (haven't met anyone yet who thought she was nice), then back to station for Italian night and a lecture by a very old Denee woman - if you saw Rabbit Fence, she along with a lot of other Denee children were taken from their homes around Churchill and sent to Winnipeg for over 10 years pretty much destroying a lot of culture - I bought the book about it so if anyone wants to read it... Gave Rupert my pics of bear snouts in case any of them are useful to the researcher who will be talking to us tomorrow night - I smell Noble Prize.

Tomorrow is helicopter rides over the tundra (tiaga) looking for bears and observing the landscape. And it should be a sunny day! It has been a pretty much perfect trip for humans so far. The bears, however, are chaffing to get out on the ice which might form up in less than a week - and then you won't see them on land until next late spring.

Sorry there are so few pics posted by it is pretty time consuming doing this. And it will make for a fresh slideshow when I see you all in a few weeks.

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Day 13 - November 13, 2010 - Bears from the air...and a moose or two

Beautiful sunrise today! Possibly our first one since being up here. A number of us wandered out to take pics, then heard the guns going off (firecrackers) as there were 3 bears around the station. After being shooed back in (at least no one scolded us for breaking safety protocol) we headed up into the observation dome to take more pics. Breakfast came and excellent as usual. Then, while the first group took their heli rides, we watched The Snow Walker, a movie based on Farley Mowats book of another title - a number of wet eyes by the end. But, having seen it before, and now having been exposed to this area - roughly the area and native culture where the movie took place (and it was filmed around Churchill so one shot had the Ithaca shipwreck in it) - I was much more appreciative of the movie especially the native culture. After drying eyes, a quick lunch as we were heading out on the helis at 1230. Very modern Ranger heli, seats 5 plus pilot although we only had 3 of us plus the pilot. Headed out towards the coast taking us through the forest - moose! Some big racks. Neat seeing them from the air and moving plus all their tracks in the snow. Then came the same thing for polar bears as we got closer to the coast. Saw 10-15 bears at least, some on the move, some resting. Got a good look at the shoreline and the state of the ice or grease ice in the bay - it will still be a few days or more before the ice can freeze up enough for the bears to head out. BTW, the flight itself was fantastic. What a way to see things. Coop was right, we should have had some helis for water quality work! Folks went out for a short walk this afteroon (guarded, of course). Then later Dr. Jane Waterman will be giving a lecture on a bear identification method she is testing out - identifying bears by their whisker patterns. We can try out the software as well as submit pics for use in the study. She hopes to use pics to track the bears eventually.

Should mention the rousing game of Spoons a number of us played last night.Sppons and booze I was cajoled into it after having a few nips of Bailey's. Rupert, our bear man, was a bit concerned given all the noise and potential mayhem from the group - mostly wanted to ensure the safety of their new projector. All injuries were suffered only by the participants. Have heard there will be a repeat tonight although they might be playing Tablespoons. Wouldn't be surprised to see more participants and more booze.







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Day 14 -  November 14, 2010 - Tundra Buggy Troubles

Today was our 3rd and last day searching the tundra (tiaga) for bears, once again an all day trip. New buggy driver this time with only 3 years experience so we got stuck! With us as lookouts he got out - in the freezing water and mud - to hook up a tow chain to the buggy in front of us which got us out. Then we started seeing bears. Not quite as great a day as the first time out but we saw plenty, some up close, some sparring, but no cubs. And there were some bonus sightings - but you'll have to wait for the slide show. Even though my writing doesn't indicate it, it was an exciting day for most everyone although a few people were becoming bear blasé. We had another coffee cup disaster! Apparently no one in Canada has heard of using bungee cords or rope to tie things down. On our two trips we must have lost close to 60 coffee mugs. Had our bag lunch which we have to pack ourselves the night before, two coffee/hot chocolate breaks with the last one the traditional Bailey's Irish Cream one (item 15 on the list in bold of things to bring onto the bus by the staff). Coming back as it was getting dark we came across a tundra buggy that had broken down, apparently a tie rod. Under armed guard they were repairing it in the field. A couple people threw out cookies to them which was appreciated. Then, we got stuck again but got pushed out. After dinner not much going on except a movie but we can all use the down time. The movie, The Fastest Runner, is an Inuit film that gathered many accolades and is available here to either watch or download. Also available as DVD on Amazon. It is in the native language with subtitles. A little confusing but very interesting cultural insights. Maybe another game of Spoons? Drinking a Rickards Red as I write this - nothing Yankee Dave would get excited about, though. Tomorrow is Linda's birthday, btw. Good night, everyone.

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Day 15 - November 15, 2010 - Happy Birthday, Linda

Light day today, even slept in till 0730 making it to breakfast barely with scary hair. Most of us took another walk around the missle range


 with commentary, the usual 3 rifles - that's our bear expert Rupert on the left- , and, this time, the polar bear horn went off but we, I guess fortunately, didn't see one although we all wanted to as you can imagine - just think of the footage I would have got - or the lunch the polar bear would have got! Then a lecture by Jane Waterman on polar bear "play" and some of the research on why they do it - and only in the Churchill area, the southern reach of polar bears throughout the world. Lunch followed by a group pic with some of us wearing requisite polar bear research gear (see below). Then back to the lecture hall for more by Jane including some beta use and critique of her polar bear whisker identification software and website. Some of us are playing Spoons instead. Tonight after dinner we will have a sampling of regional foods (bannock, smoked arctic char, local jams) and wines and a wrap up with all of us leaving for either the airport or train station at 0900 tomorrow. Those going to the train station actually have to spend two more nights but in the town of Churchill as the train does not run every day - so they will get back to Winnipeg Saturday.


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Day 16 - November 16, 2010 - Back to civilization
Lots of hugs as we all said good-bye after a fabulous week. Thanks to John for the picture and captions below!We really did luck out with the weather which was great for humans but not so great for the polar bears who are anxious to get onto the ice and find seal dinners. However, by the 17th the weather in Churchill took a sharp turn to the bitter cold and by now (Nov 22) Hudson Bay should be frozen and all the bears heading out to the ice - I will try to get a confirmation on this from Mike at CNSC. A number of us fly back on Calm Air - the flight might have been calm but, boy, was it noisy especially as we sat directly across from the propellors. In retrospect we would have stayed in Churchill another two days - despite the bitter weather that developed - to spend more time at the Eskimo museum and local shops especially Gypsy's Cafe and to enjoy the train ride back which we had come to appreciate.

Back in Winnipeg we took a cab ride to our hotel which was across the street from the Union Station where our car was parked. Lo and behold, it was still there with all 16 parking stubs on the dashboard. By now the parking ticket dispenser was working correctly - would have saved a lot of angst. Nice hotel, Humprhy Inn. Walked over to The Fort Garry Hotel and rang up our new friends from the UK, Ali and David, who came down to join us for dinner and drinks. What a posh looking place! We tried to get reservations but they were impossible to come by but, if we get up here again, we will book way ahead of time. Plus The Fort Garry was no more, and actually less, than the two places we did stay. Oh, and the piano player, Robert Naumko, he of the long white hair, was soothingly smooth. Back to our hotel for a good nights sleep after Ali and Dave left to see a Scottish comic. They picked up the check, btw, which was very nice so we are hoping they come back to the US so we can take them to Fenway for a ball game.









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Day 17-21 -  November 17-21, 2010 - Don't SPAM me, bro

Here go 5 days worth of events! First, a walk over to Toad Hall Toy Store in Winnipeg which was quite nice and we spent another small fortune in Canada! Checked out of the hotel and drove to the Winnipeg Canada Mint for a self-guided tour, hefted a gold brick, bought some souveniers including a roll of nice and shiny Canadian pennies for use as markers on the green that no one will "steal" from me ;-) . A stop at a Winnipeg mall to look for CDs by the piano player above which was fruitless - have to get them on-line from his website apparently. Then headed south to the border with a quick stop at the duty-free store where I picked up a bottle of Amarula as recommended by Steve from our Churchill group. More driving, a few snowflakes, then we came to Fargo where I could not find a wood chipper anywhere. But we did have a good steak dinner in this town of 90,000, a far cry from the cow town I was expecting. After dinner we continued driving - a long day - to Sauk Centre, MN, home of Sinclair Lewis and the Lake Wobegon Trail but we only made it to Walmart for dental floss and Diet Coke as it was late.

Next morning we drove to Austin, MN to visit the Holy Grail of Meats, the Spam Museum. We had to drive two hours south of Minneapolis for this and it was worth it. All you wanted to know about Spam, very well done, but the gift shop at the end (admission was free to the museum) just sucks you in - hope all my girls are wanting Spam memoriablia for Christmas! They had some varieties of Spam I had never heard of. Stopped at Jerry's Other Place Restaurant where I had beer battered Spam strips which even Linda said were good although she mostly ate her salad. Also across from the museum was Johnny's Main Event Spamarama Menu which I'll go to next time. Back to Minneapolis, 2 hours, to have dinner with John Erdmann at the Market BBQ, his favorite BBQ joint (I'll be sending him pics of mine, Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse). Then we went back to his house to meet Diane where we had dessert and played a Tibetan singing bowl - you can get CDs on Amazon!!! Amazing. After we left John and Diane's we worked our way back around the lakes and convoluted roads to where we were staying with Lynda and Bill, our hosts from the UureHome association of B&Bs of Unitarian Church members - we will probably list our house eventually. Beautiful home and very nice people and Lynda has Massachusetts and Maine ties. Great night sleep.

Off by 0900 for the fairly short drive (about 285 miles) to Madison, WI. But first a stop in Red Wing, MN, to check out the town and their boots and see the world's largest boot - although I'll be checking it against LL Beans big boot! Nice little Uffda town, great accents, nice meal at Bev's, then ended up buying a pair of boots at the Red Wing store that might displace my LL Bean bean boots. Still had a long way to go to get to Madison, WI. Along the way we travelled along the Mississippi River for quite awhile, marveling at how wide it was and coming across hundreds of swans (Linda thinks they might have been trumpeter swans but I couldn't get close enough to tell) along with as many or more ducks all in this one area. And the bluffs cut out by the river were very interesting.

The Old Fashioned restaruant awaited us in Madison plus we booked a hotel across the street from it and the capitol building so we wouldn't have to drive if we had too many IPAs. I got #8, the wurst plate and it was great - came with sauerkraut and dilly beans and had a Monkey Paw IPA. Had hoped to walk State Street again but Linda was tired.

Awoke on Saturday, our 20th day, to face our longest drive yet - 675 miles - to Dunkirk, NY. Traffic was light but it wasn't until about 2100 that we arrived at our motel. Desk clerk suggested the Kettle and Keg, a towny bar, which had charm and good food and drink. Perusing the menu, I came across Beef on Weck which I had heard about so after the waitress assured me how good it was I ordered it along with an Amber Bock. Basically, it is a roast beef sandwich but on a Weck roll - topped with kosher salt and caraway seeds. While it was good, it would have been better if it had been more rare and had some au jus as in the link above.

Sunday, our last day, saw us arrive in Syracuse shortly after noon and head immediately, without pause, to Dinosaur BBQ where after a little wait - waiting and smelling the aroma of BBQ - we split a 3/4 rib with fried green tomatoes, chili, and cajun salt potatoes. Soooooo goooooood! Sated, it was a 4 hour trip further to home. Where we found waiting for us a polar bear huffing and puffing in the kitchen! Melanie and Andrew got us an inflatable Christmas polar bear - very cute and much safer than the real thing!

It was quite an adventure, both the drive but especially the fantastic learning adventure in Churchill among the polar bears. I'll be putting together some lessons learned which I'll be glad to share with anyone who might be thinking they would like to go on this adventure - be sure to check in with me.
Thanks to Mike, Rupert, Jane, Ros (who fed us), Heidi, and especially Jessica and to all the staff and volunteers who made the adventure the great one it was!


Now, to sleep for a week....

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