POLAR BEARS 2019 - 3

Wednesday, Nov. 6th:

I am still having issues with my boots. I tried on some Sorel brand winter boots and found a size that would work for me. Will look into ordering a pair after the trip.

This was our third day on the Tundra Buggy. It was quite cold today with a brisk wind blowing so the the feel like temperature was in the range of -30 F. To say the least one did not go out on the back deck for an extended period of time. If you were able you stayed inside the buggy and shot through the open windows. Even so, you could chill down quite quickly. 

We spent the day following a couple of male bears. 

WAITING FOR ICE

Good Morning 

We caught them resting, 

WHAT IS GOING ON

SHAKING OFF

WAKING UP

lounging, and sparing with each other at different times.

Another rest stop:

at the end of the day they were moving toward the Bay.

As we returned to the base area we had a bit of a sunset. 

This was the last day for group one. I am staying on another day due to flight scheduling, so I will have four days of polar bear viewing. :-)

Thursday, November 7th.

Today saw clearing skies. It was a treat, though it was quite cold.

First up was a nice sunrise on the taiga followed by some early low light on various snow formations.  

There was a small bird we  passed that was on the ground. Luckily Jim, our driver, was quick to identify it as a snow bunting. It was nestled down on the ground out of the cold wind.

TRACK OF A BEAR AND TWO CUBS

SNOW SCULPTURED BY WIND

The real treat was seeing a Mom and two cubs. These were the first and only family that I saw. 

as you can see here it was quite windy.

Later we followed a male on his wanderings as the weather deteriorated.

One thing he wanted to do was chew on the tundra buggy tire! It was a cold and blustery day so that the bears seemed to want to hunker down.

The last critter we were able to photograph was a cross fox late in the afternoon, and through the glass of the buggy. This is just a record shot.

This evening I started my trip home. I flew to Winnipeg, and spent a couple of hours in a motel taking a nap. Then it was off to the airport at 0415 for a 6:30 flight. The flight from Winnipeg went smoothly with clearing Customs before boarding for Denver. The flight arrived in Denver about 30 minutes early. 😁

Once in San Diego we headed for home, and my disrobing some of my winter layers.  Lunch was crab sandwiches, a tradition as Pt. Loma Seafood is right on our way.

This was a good trip and I enjoyed seeing the polar bears once again. Seeing some photo friends from previous trips, and enjoying the overall experience.

POLAR BEARS 2019 - 2

Monday, November 4:

This was our first day on the tundra buggy.  Our driver, Jim, has driven for LightChase for a couple of years, and he is quite knowledgeable and personable. The weather was cold and overcast all day with the wind blowing 25 - 35 mph. This is when it is quite comfortable inside the buggy with a heater and the windows closed except when we are photographing. Once we spot something to photograph the windows open and the wind blows in. Then you are most grateful for your winter clothing including gloves and a warm hat.

Our sighting today included three bears, 

a large group of ptarmigan, which were difficult to isolate

an arctic hare nestled beside a bolder out of the wind, 

and a cross fox which we saw at dusk and did not photograph well.

My  bargain winter boots are dangerous as the snow cakes up on the heels and soles, so that you feel like you are walking on very slippery ice. I really have to move very slowly in them. Luckily there is not a lot of walking on this trip.

This evening eight of us enjoyed a fresh pickerel dinner put on at our B&B. The fish was accompanied with baked beans, coleslaw, mixed vegetables, and mashed potatoes. It was quite the feast. We all enjoyed eating "at Home" so to speak, and swapping stories about our various adventures.

We made our sandwiches for tomorrow, downloaded pictures, and then finally were off to bed.

Tuesday, November 5:

The morning started out well with a male bear running away from the road as we headed out to the loading site. Terri and Robbie were on board the tundra buggy quickly as they did not have lots of gear to transfer. They claimed a seat for me directly behind Mark, up front. I took a seat behind the driver, Jim, but Terri graciously let me have access to the window when there was action that side of the vehicle. Robbie helped with opening and closing the window as it is quite hard to maneuver. 

As we traveled around we came upon the pair of sparring males several times. It was fun to see and photograph them in various activities.

Wandering the ice -

Making a day bed -

 Sparing bears - 

 

JUST BEING CURIOUS

THINKING

 Today we also celebrated Mark's 50th Birthday as well as the birthdays of our Driver, Jim, and Scott Nagel, one of our  photographers. The cake was provided by Jenephor from Blue Sky B&B. She has also supplied us daily with hot soup to add to our lunches.

Back in Churchill we had dinner at the Lazy Bear Inn. Lin and I enjoyed a very good fish dinner.  By the time a group of 15 order and eat their dinner it is time to head home, and get ready for tomorrow.

POLAR BEARS 2019 -1

In the early October I was invited To join the LightChase Photo Tour to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada to photograph Polar Bears, and other creatures of the North. My last trip there had been in 2012. I was curious to see how the change in weather over the past seven years had effected the area and the bear population.

On 1 November I was joined by my friend and photo compatriot, Lin, for the long day of flying. We departed San Diego at 0615 with a flight to Denver, followed by flights to Winnipeg, Canada, and onto Churchill. The transfer in Winnipeg made us truly aware of the weather as there was a cold wind blowing as we walked out onto the tarmac to board our flight to Churchill.

We arrived on time and were greeted by our B&B hostess, Ashley. By the time we got to the house it was well past dinner time, so we snacked on what was available in the kitchen. By now it was 2100 Central Time/1900 Pacific Time. Spent time unpacking and organizing gear for the stay in Churchill, before calling it a day and going to bed.

We had the pleasure of being able to sleep in on the 2nd of November as the remaining group was arriving this morning. Today was spent being tourists in Churchill. The first order of business was getting Canadian money. Then it was lunch time where we ate at the Tundra Inn. Lin and I split the lunch and  had plenty to eat. We visited the six gift/souvenir stores as this was the only day we would Not be out on a tundra buggy with early morning departures and post sunset returns. I was about done with the shopping ordeal after four!

 Sunday, November 3:

Today we spent exploring the surrounding areas of Churchill using our two rental vehicles. While driving, we saw one polar bear quite a distance away, and walking away from us.

 A couple of years ago there were some artists who came to the area, and added some art to the outside of a number of buildings. It certainly added color to the area.

During our roving about ....

TUNDRA BUGGY BASE

TAIGA FOREST

The taiga is a forest of the cold, subarctic area of the Northern Hemisphere that lies just South of the Arctic Circle. It lies between the tundra to the North and the temperate forests to the South. The taiga, generally referred to in North America, is a boreal forest or snow forest. The forest is very sparse.

We visited "Miss Piggy", the wreck of a Curtiss C-46 cargo plane. It crashed shortly after takeoff in November 1979. She was named Miss Piggy because she could be heavily loaded with supplies for the North.

Car rentals in Churchill are not of the newest models. The cars have a hard life up here, and are a bit the worse for wear. While stopped at Miss Piggy,  one vehicle decided it had had enough of the cold and would not start when we were ready to move on. As a result the occupants were shuttled back to town by the other car, and it was all reported to the rental company. we were given another vehicle which functioned fine for the remainder of our stay. (The temperature range for November here is in the low digits to -10˚F.)

LIN

After lunch we headed off to Blue Sky Expeditions for an afternoon of dogsledding. All in the group took rides of 2 miles in length. Then we were able to visit with the dogs while they had a free play time.  We then returned to town for a little break, and to make our sandwiches for tomorrow when we go out on the Tundra Buggy for a day.

ROBBIE AND TERRI

Dinner tonight was back at Blue Sky Expeditions where Gerald and Jenephor hosted a chicken dinner for us. We were also serenaded by one of the dog handlers with a violin concert. 

Finally it was time to call it a night and get back to our respective B&Bs, shower, organize our gear for tomorrow and get some sleep.