Morning came and we all searched out our windows to find if the bear was still nearby. He was there, foraging around, sniffing out any meal he could find. At breakfast, some of the members and our staff had come up with a fantastic nick name for our bear………The Mad Hatter! Perfect!!!
After breakfast there was enough time to gather our belongings as our luggage was to be loaded and brought back to the pick up location whereby they would be taken to the airport for our departing flight back to Winnipeg. Somehow through all of this excitement, one piece of luggage did not make it aboard. A carry on that, I believe, among it’s contents held someone’s passports!! Side note – through out the whole day the staff worked tirelessly to find the bag. It was located and placed among the rest of the group’s luggage. LUCKY….again!
Leaving on our buggy again, we scanned the horizon for more wild life. Time had passed and it was time for lunch and drinks (it seems like we’re always eating!!). As we ramble along, Kevin slowly comes to a stop. He gets out of the driver’s seat and calmly asks us if we would like to see an Artic Hare. Starving for more wildlife, we grab our cameras. The trouble becomes finding this creature! It is incredibly well camouflaged. Only Kevin’s keen eyesight was able to see the jet black eye of this hare. Once pointed out, we could barely make out the shape nestled among the bush right next to the trail. The hare left its hiding spot and started munching on the surrounding foliage providing proof that, in fact, it wasn’t an illusion. I must say, they have some very cooperative fauna on this part of the tundra. Very well trained!!
As comes time to head back to the pick up location, Kevin is generous enough to let some of the luck few aboard drive the buggy. Now, keep in mind, we are on the flat parts of the trail, NO OFF ROADING was attempted much to the dismay of our lucky drivers. After Kevin takes back the controls we meander along, still trying to capture one more glimpse of wildlife out on the tundra.
Once back, we say our good-byes to Kevin. Patiently waiting for us there was our wonderful friend Bill. We board the bus quickly, as he promises to get us back to town for some last minute shopping. We even got to stop by the post office, which was closed when we first arrived, to receive a postmark in our passports for those of us that wanted to have more proof that we were indeed in the Polar Bear Capital of The World!
Arriving at the airport, we gather our luggage, check in and prepare for our flight back to Winnipeg. As the only way into or out of Churchill is by train or plane, there were 2 flights to Winnipeg to accommodate the large number of passengers. While part of our group awaited boarding, an announcement was made that rather than the 15 minutes or so that separated the two flights there was now a delay of over an hour. Luck was on our side again, as the second flight was able to make it to it’s destination not long after the first group.
After checking into the luxurious Hilton Suites, some grabbed a light supper in the hotels’ lounge before heading off to bed. Some just went straight up as there were a few couples that had early flights. Either way, we all enjoyed the accommodations after “roughing it” out on the tundra!
See all photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/mimpolarbears/PolarBearCaravan#
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