This was the crescendo we had been building up too for the last twelve months. It wasn't a disappointment! We traveled the Tundra for two days in a Tundra Buggy with our driver/guide Mark driving and occasionally - Gail driving. We saw seven Polar Bears, numerous Artic Hares, Ptarmigan birds, Red Foxes and various bird coveys. Temperatures were forty degrees or so but the winding was howling pushing the wind chill lower. We left the hotel at 8:30 every morning and returned at 5:00 PM. We had breakfast and dinner across the road from the hotel and lunch on the Tundra Buggy. Churchill has a year round population of 800 persons of which two thirds are "first nation" people. The Canadians living here are truly outdoor enthusiasts. The town is wide open from the perspective we live our daily lives in. The community polices itself and we were told they don't have crime problems. Lawbreakers get one chance to recover their senses! A one way ticket out of town takes care of those that can't adjust. If you're wondering about the bears - they come off the Hudson Bay ice in late Spring as the ice is breaking up. They spend the warm months out on the Tundra mating, hibernating and giving birth. In early October they began wondering toward the shore line in anticipation of the ice freeze which will occur by mid November. They spend the cold months on the ice gorging them selves on Seals and building up a layer of fat to live on the following Spring/Summer starting the cycle all over. We made friends with a tour guide whom we will be corresponding with. Would we go back? Maybe in the May/June time frame to witness the migratory birds leaving to head south. This was certainly a once in the life time experience we'll always remember.
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