Polar Bear Town–Here we Come!

Sunday, October 8, 2017

We are FINALLY going to Churchill!  It has taken us almost a week to get this far.  The only way to get into Churchill is by train or plane.  Unfortunately the railway tracks were washed out by the summer floods, so our scheduled train ride to Churchill has been replaced by a plane flight aboard Calm Air Airline.  Taxis picked us up at the campground, delivered us to the airport in Thompson, and dropped us off right at the door!  The airport is very small (even the restrooms are outside!)

Since we had a charter flight, there was no security line, simply a bag weigh-in  and checkin.  We left sunny skies and after a 55 minute flight reached Churchill, an even smaller airport where it was raining and 45 degrees.  The airport had signs about polar bear safety, and we were handed brochures explaining safety procedures.

A bus picked us up and our tour guide Paul gave us a great tour of the city which has 14 streets, no stoplights, and one stop sign.  It is a city of 800 (People, not polar bears!)  The railroad shutdown has had a huge impact on the area…they are having trouble replenishing supplies that used to come via the railway.   Food prices have soared due to scarcity of product (a 10 lb bag of potatoes costs $27; gas is $10 per gallon). They are waiting for a ship to come in to bring propane so they can make it through the winter—it is a difficult time right now for these folks, as the plan to repair the railroad tracks is caught up in a political tug-of-war on who will foot the bill for repair.

Churchill is called the Polar Bear Capital of the World because of its location right on the Hudson Bay.  The Polar Bears congregate in Churchill waiting for the Hudson Bay to freeze so they can go out to hunt. It’s hard to imagine full-time life in this city, but the locals seem to love it.  It’s funny to see bear warning signs, like we would see a school zone sign.

We are staying at the Tundra Inn for the next three nights.  It’s one of the few hotels in the area.    Tomorrow, we head out early to find the polar bears…stay tuned for details!