A love affair to remember.

The polar bear capital of the world.

Gawd it's hot today.  What will I do?  Yep, lie down again.  I'm not called Loafer for nothing.

And out of the bushes came .....

Brown bear paw impression (R).  Polar bear paw  (L)

Big thrill - Loafer and I.

"The polar bear, more than any other animal, symbolises the Arctic.  People all around the world who will never see one knows what they look like.  Like the vastness of the polar sea ice  it has evolved to be at home on, the sheer size of an adult polar bear is impressive.  It's pristine whiteness matches the backdrop of snow and ice we all associate with the Arctic."  Ian Stirling polar bear researcher for more than three decades.  

Don't ask me why but I'm fascinated by the big bears and polar bears are the biggest.  I went to Churchill hoping to see some a learn about them and that I did.  Researchers think that polar bears evolved from brown bears about 120 000 years ago and then spread across the polar regions of the Arctic.  They are highly specialised animals perfectly adapted to their environment.  The males are the biggest and can weigh up to 650kg and females up to 250kg.  They feed mostly on ring seals and only when on the sea ice .  They spend the summer months in a kind of walking hibernation and are very hungry by this time of the year as they wait for the sea to ice over again and, hence,  they can begin hunting and eating once again.   They evolved to be large animals as an efficient way of conserving energy.  It is estimated that they need to eat at least one seal a week during the winter to ensure they have sufficient reserves to see through the summer on land .  And so they congregate near where the sea ices over first and wait for it to happen.  One such place is Churchill and life in Churchill is dominated by polar bears at this time of the year and they roam through the town looking for food.  

The real thing.

A REMINDER, CLICK ON ANY PHOTOS YOU WANT TO SEE IN MORE DETAIL TO ENLARGE THEM.

The next morning we were all up and buzzing and on the road early.  The tundra vehicles were parked just down the road but we weren't able to walk.  We had to be driven down in case we were confronted by a polar bear.  Tundra vehicles are big clumsy looking vehicles.  These particular ones are ex fire trucks which have been stripped down to the essentials, fitted with the cabin and huge tyres.  They have a heated cabin and a viewing deck on the back and they slowly lumber around the designated areas.  They're also high off the ground providing safety from polar bears if they show interest in the smells coming from the vehicles.

Our coordinator, Mike, had repeated the possibility of not seeing any polar bears and reinforced the fact that other animals in the area are just as important in the local environment of western Hudsons
Bay.  Who did he think he was fooling?  At that point I was totally disinterested in skinny little arctic foxes.  I had come half way around the world to see big, beautiful polar bears.  After an appropriate amount of tension and build up, something was spotted.  Two white lumps  on the horizon.   They seemed to be walking together and then parting; sniffing through the bushes and sniffing the air.  They were two males waiting at Churchill for the water to freeze.

Mike told us to watch because something might happen.  Ten minutes pass and the bears saunter around, back and forth.  Mike warns us that this is a polar bear heat wave and the bears may not be too energetic.  Then out of the blue, they start sparing.  Two big boys playing at being boss.  Such a fabulous surprise.  The reaction of the group on the bus was was a huge "Ahhhh!"

I won't bore you silly with minute details of every sighting but each one was equally exciting and had us all on edge.  Such a privilege to be so close to these ancient and majestic creatures.

More photos in the next post.

Truly Lords of the North.

They say anticipation is half the enjoyment.  Not always; and nor did this trip fit that description.  I had been thinking about it and saving for it and planning for it and excited about it for quite some time and yet I was not disappointed with the experience.  I fell in love with the big bears in 2010.  They are majestic, intelligent, ancient and VERY big;  and so the seeds were sown for seeing and learning more about polar bears, the biggest of them all.  It seemed so unattainable and intriguing to a Queenslander.  And so to Churchill I went full of anticipation and excitement.

Our first stop was a rainy and cold Winnipeg.  We visited some interesting places such as the Museum which was a good preparation for where we were to go and what we would do.  We also visited the new Polar Bear Conservation Centre which will be working with other agencies to expand research into polar bear conservation.  This centre will be part of polar bear rescues which includes transitioning rescued cubs to various parts of the world.  The greatest surprise was an introduction to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.  The building is still under construction but the concept and the planning are well under way and we spent an interesting afternoon be informed by the woman who will be the Director.  It is part of Canada's commitment to recognising, celebrating and promoting Human Rights and a reflection of their Charter of Human Rights as part of their Constitution.

However informative and interesting all of this was, all I wanted to do was get to Churchill.

We flew in under the clouds and were greeted by a couple of staff from the Churchill Northern Study Centre (CNSC).  We were taken to a lecture room and completed paperwork and had a safety briefing, the core of which was we were not to go out of the centre without permission or an armed guard.  Um, things are getting interesting.  We had a quick dinner and then off to our first lecture.  This is what I had come for to learn about and see polar bears.  YES!!!  We were told about the western Hudson Bay population, the ecology and other marine animals in the area.  We also learned about research that was currently happening at the centre.  We needed to know something because we were spending the next day on a tundra buggy hoping to see some bears.  Oh boy!  How good is that?

I thought I could

Early to the airport thanks to a kind friend.  Get through security - of all things - I lost my Chapstick and my nail file.  It must be my new, dangerous granny look that did it.  Wait around for a long time and then load on to the plane.  Having managed almost no sleep the night before I did manage a doze on the flight to Auckland.  Offload at Auckland, freshen up and wait around for another long time.  There were some magnificent woolen goods to buy (wool mixed with possum fur) but those I don't need as a general rule.  I found a quiet corner of the terminal and did a couple of sets of Tai Chi and turned around to see this gorgeous young blonde thing just about tying herself in knots.  So it's not just the old broads who need to loosen up!  In through Security again and this time it was water.  I (along with others) had to guzzle down my water before getting through.

Onto the plane again and ..... what's this ....... no one else in my row of three seats.  Could I be so lucky on a long flight?  Almost.  After take off when the Captain said we could move around the cabin, a young girl escaped from two strange men and settled down in my row.  I did send a steely look her way but I can understand why she did it.  Hence, not much sleep between Auckland and San Francisco.  I do like Air New Zealand.  They're really good

Coming in to SFO was spectacular.  At first, there was just endless blue water and a tiny shadow of our plane below us.  Then the occasional leisure craft and some puffy, little white clouds.  The clouds became quite thick and it looked like little mountains of white below us with rainbows on top of them.  Magical.  And a reminder of my long ago parachute jump - seeing circular rainbows above the clouds.

When we crossed the coast, it was magnificent.  Miles and miles (we're in the States now) of sandy cliffs and beaches with waves rolling in.  This was followed by mountains and green bush land with a few houses perched in strategic places among the trees.  It brought to mind bush fires and beautiful homes being lost.  The plane banked and the huge bay came into view.  So here I am at last.

Getting through Customs and Immigration took forever with one hold up after another but I had plenty of time so the time didn't matter.  Being sent from one place to another to another without resolving anything mattered but I got through that with patience in tatters but problems resolved.  Now to get through Security.  OMG another queue a mile long.  Just behind me in the line was a group of P*_+sh tourists some of whom I had previously noticed sharing a a bottle of Jack Daniels.  They were very impatient and if I took too long to proceed two steps they indicated to me that I should move along.  Having used up a fair bit of my short supply of patience by this time, I thought this would be a good time to undo the laces to my big boots in preparation for going through Security.  I can't understand P*_+sh so I just gave them a good Aussie smile and took my time.  Had my first X-ray going through security and, as a result, had to have my left shoulder patted down.  Only bones and the usual stuff to be found.  Then to collect all the bits and pieces, repack and put on my shoes.

The trip to Portland was fairly uneventful except for some passengers who got on the wrong plane and the captain announced,  " Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.  This is United Airlines Flight 580 to Portland Oregon.  If you are going to New York, you're on the wrong plane.  Yours is the one next door." And then a friendly face at Portland airport and I'm in familiar surroundings again.