Oh course I have to lead with the bears. Churchill is often referred to as ‘The Polar Bear Capitol of the world’ and I do have more of them to show you. This is a different mother and cub from the ones I posted before and they are shot in black and white.
Churchill itself is a most remarkable and unique place. In the summer it is nippy, but in the winter, it is another story altogether. Hudson Bay freezes over and the polar bears are in their element. People, not so much. But clever and resourceful humans have adapted many ways to make life in this forbidding climate livable. Check out this polar research vehicle which you have to admit is pretty darn nifty. (In the background you can see an abandoned missile silo. More about this later).
Decades ago polar bear populations around Churchill were in very serious decline. Protection and creative bear management practices have brought numbers up significantly. This is the ‘Polar Bear Holding Facility,’ which locals call, “Polar Bear Jail.” Bears that cause repeated problems in town are held in this facility and then relocated by helicopter far away in the tundra. The town has a Bear Patrol, which is called out when bears become a threat, to shoo them out of town. These smart practices are saving the lives of both bears and people.
Inukshuks were used by northern Inuit people as traditional directional markers. An Inukshuk like this one symbolizes friendship and safety. Today, “Inukshuks have been transformed into worldwide symbols of hope and friendship transcending borders and welcoming people all over the world.”
(Source: https://www.sustainabilitytelevision.com/news/why-inukshuk-represents-heart-canada)
Respecting the meaning of symbols like this seems more important than ever in today’s world.
Note: the femur bone at the bottom right of the photo. Most likely caribou. This is polar bear country after all.
Traditional Caribou Hall is a National Landmark and a town centerpiece.
My son is checking out the wreck of a plane that crashed in Churchill in 1979. All aboard survived, but what ends up in Churchill, often stays in Churchill, because the only way in and out of town is either a train ride that takes about 45 hours, or an air flight. The commuter airline that makes the trip between Winnipeg and Churchill is called “Calm Air.” It offers a lovely ride that we enjoyed immensely, even though some locals refer to the airline as “Calamity Air,” due to, errrr…..unforeseen weather variations enroute.
These are the community vegetable gardens. Vegetables are prized and hard to grow in this frozen tundra environment, so community effort is important. Recycled arctic buggy wheels make useful above frozen ground planters.
A traditional cabin built to withstand the arctic winter.
Our lodge was built of reclaimed logs and has this sign in front.
Churchill is filled with amazing open air art. Click on this link and read how and why this is so. You will be glad you did. The story is awe inspiring: https://www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov/features/a-winnipeg-artist-brought-hope-to-churchill-manitoba-when-they-needed-it-th
This abandoned building is a concrete blast shelter connected to a former missile test facility by underground tunnels. This facility operated in Churchill from the 1950’s until the mid 1980’s. All the missile testing buildings are now abandoned.
The seemingly endless miles and miles of tundra topography surrounding Churchill is stunning and utterly unique.
Cheers to you from amazingly beautiful Churchill Manitoba~
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Absolutely wonderful. I loved every photo.
That is why you are my awesome friend <3
That was an interesting article on Churchill’s open air art, Cindy.
The goodness of some people never ceases to amaze.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed & thanks for letting me know.
Great story and pictures Cindy! Polar bear jail. Maybe they need a warden. 🙂
Do you want the job? Apparently the bears sleep, which they seem to enjoy doing. Smart bears.
Beautiful countryside. If you live there, you are one tough lady…
Yes, I have great respect for the people who live here, especially the indigenous people who thrived here for thousands of years.
I can’t get enough of those polar bears! Churchill looks beautiful even if it’s a bit too remote for me.
Churchill is a long way from everything on a land’s end. Beautiful photos, great artwork, and very nice they are working with the polar bears.
Beautiful scenery. I do not think I would want to be part of the polar bear patrol through 🙂
So many cool photos, Cindy! Good on you, though, for leading with the bears!
Now this is exactly the kind of place I love to visit- remote, offbeat, and wild. Thanks for the tour.
Oh, I hope you go. There are ways to do it more economically and independently, so research carefully and plan according to your preferences.
It really looks like a beautiful place. It reminds me of northern Maine. Thanks for sharing.
<3 Alana
It is a part of the world that stays with you because it is so uniquely special.
I’ll just echo the other comments. This and your other polar bear posts just make me want to pack up and find a way to get up there.
Gosh, I hope you do, and post about it too. I am home now and already I want to go back in spring, when the birds arrive, or in November when the bears mass.
Greetings from one corner of the Arctic to another. 🙂
It’s good to see the parts of the country that are not in the limelight so often. I’ve enjoyed your series on Churchill.
I am so glad you have. Thank you for telling me <3
What a fascinating story! As always your world of explorations in writeups and photography are like being there.
You are an awesome travel companion Dor and you make the trip better <3
Hi Cindy. I am really in awe of all your life travels that you have shared. The photographic journaling of your experiences is a wonderful sharing of what most will never experience. Love this post. <3
Having you travel along with me Olga makes the experience so much richer. Your comment is lovely and so are you. Thank you my friend and be well <3
Really enjoyed these photos!
Thank you for telling me & cheers to you!
Thanks for showing us this unique place! 45 hours – yikes! That is a long train ride – and how cool to go there with your son….
My son makes every trip he joins us on much better. I think I would actually like to take the train. It would be incredible to pass through the taiga into the tundra and see the vast tracts of wilderness.
That would be great to sight see on that on the train ride — and with the son even better eh?
Yes it would. He doesn’t consent to go on every trip, but he went on this one so I was happy.
That is awesome and have a nice weekend C
You too my friend & thank you <3
His chronicle of excellent narration and his photos tell us about the beauty of the landscape and how majestic the bears look. With you we travel in first class. Regards.
You are very kind and most appreciated. Thank you for your lovely comment my friend and cheers to you <3
You are welcome
<3
Wow! Cindy. Fabulous photos. The tundra landscape sure is inspiring in its wildness and beauty. The Romantic side of me would love to live in the wilderness in a log cabin and while not viable in my current life, maybe my next life on planet earth? 😀
Yes, I understand and share the same fantasy. I settle for yearly cabin rentals in the wilderness. As soon as I leave I want to return.
Fascinating pictorial and story. Interesting about Kat Barteski, too
This amazing post goes beyond the portrayal of the polar bear. It shows important aspects of culture, people’s courageous attempts to grow vegetables and the fascinating landscape. Thank you for sharing your precious experiences with us, Cindy!
Thank you so much more Peter, for recognizing, the wonder of people, especially those who find ways to thrive in challenging isolated environments with wild animals for neighbors.
OMG, Cindy, I love your posts. You show me a world I never knew existed. Every picture you post, I want to be there. I guess I will have to live vicariously!
Forty-five hours on a train. Oh, MY. I guess that would be like a traveling hotel.
Thank you and love back to you. I thought the train ride was an impossibility for me, until I got here. This unique ecosystem straddles three distinct biomes, the taiga, the tundra, and the arctic. To be able to take a train from civilization (Winnipeg) through all this stark wilderness and changing ecosystems is now completely appealing to me. Plus, they have sleeper cars. I want to go~
I’d want to go, too. Awesome. More pix from you when you go…
That would be an interesting train journey. Many years ago, we took a train from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (670 miles from Churchill, according to that sign) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. We went through some amazing country, but I’ve never been to the Arctic. Thanks for the great photos!
Wow that train experience must have been fascinating. I actually would like to take the train. The vast taiga and tundra between Winnipeg and Churchill would be fascinating to see. I hear the train stops in random places like trains in Alaska to pick up and drop off people, and it has sleeper cars.
It was a great experience, by what was called VIA Rail at the time (don’t know if they’re still in business). We were in a sleeper car, with “uppers and lowers,” kind of like bunk beds. A totally different travel experience than flying.
I have been in those sleeper cars in Europe a long time ago. I would to take one across the Canadian wilderness. How lucky you did that!
Beautiful photos and a great article
You are very kind & much appreciated Francisco. Thank you!
Amazing country considering its harshness. And very heart warming to hear the people and practices to keep the Polar Bears ‘alive’, a compromise that should be heeded by the many leaders around the world. There is always that compromise, it just has to be found 😀
“a compromise that should be heeded by the many leaders around the world.”
Amen! Why is it that some of our leaders don’t learn from other’s good examples and hence lead so badly. It is highly frustrating isn’t it.
Hmmm, maybe when they become obnoxious we could put them in a cage and take them somewhere out in the wild…for their own safety of course! 😀
What an excellent idea. They would need to be sedated first for their own safety. I can think of a few world leaders that would benefit from tranquilizers……
lol 😂 Me too! 😀
I’d put them in with the bears but I don’t want to upset the bears 😀
Exactly right. The bears deserve better.
Amazing photos Cindy! Of course, who could resist those polar bears?
Certainly not me. They are magnificent and massive!
Cindy what an amazing place. You take us to the most unique places and show us so much. So interesting and illustrated with super pictures! Thank you.
You are very kind & most appreciated my friend. Thank you <3
Glad to hear that the polar bears have hope
Yes, it was heartening to learn and to see <3
I like happy endings ❤️
God knows we need them these days.
Exactly 🙏
<3
Really a beautiful and interesting post, Cindy 😀
Honored, thank you Irene & cheers to you.
Cheers Cindy 🙂
<3 <3
Thank you more for your kind appreciation Irene <3
<3
That polar research vehicle looks like a cross between a tank and a Citroen 2CV! The rounded back and the bonnet are both very reminiscent of a 2CV, while the extremely solid centre and caterpillar tracks instead of wheels are very tank like. Splendid pictures as always.
It is awesome isn’t it. Someone must have custom designed it. I want to ride in it over the frozen bay! I bet it can tractor up hills efficiently.
Thanks for showing all this!
Thank you for appreciating it.
How lovely to read that the community and the polar bears are supporting one another. Thank you for a very interesting post.
Yes it is a community that has learned to live harmoniously with powerful wild creatures.
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Pictures by Cindy Knoke of Churchill, Manitoba often called The Polar Bear Capital of the world.
Thank you sweet friend & have an awesome weekend <3
A fascinating tour, Cindy. WordPress is still not registering some of my likes, including yours
Thank you Derrick. Maybe drop WP an email so they can fix this for you. They seem to always fix what goes wrong for me.
das hat Spaß gemacht, genieße die folgenden Tage, es soll ja wettermäßig schöner werden, Klaus
Vielen Dank, lieber Freund, und ein wunderschönes, warmes Wochenende!
Surely is a unique place. What drew you to Churchill?
The largest concentration of polar bears & beluga whales on earth. Now I want to go back in spring and see the birds!
Quite fascinating, Cindy! I love adventuring around the world with your posts, I learn and see so much!! ❤
You are awesome to travel with Donna <3
Reblogged this on Echoes in the Mist.
Thank you Sharon. You rock <3
I have yet to visit Churchill but have heard it is amazing. Your pictures are enticing.
Oh, I do hope you visit and want to hear your impressions if you do <3
Fantastic post Cindy and I am glad I clicked on your link to read that fascinating story on Kal Barteski.
People like this restore our faith in humanity <3
Beautiful territory. A person must be hardy and resourceful to live there.
Yes indeed and they have a skill set that I lack. I am very aware of this when I am here.
thank you for sharing the wonderful environment you are visiting. Wonderful…
Thank you for appreciating Churchill and cheers to you my friend <3
I’m in love with this place that I will likely never see. Thank you for taking me!!!
You make the experience better my friend so thank you <3
😀
Thank you for the for introducing Churchill M to us, Cindy. Wonderful stories and love the bear capture.
Thank you & you are most welcome Amy <3
These are amazing and fascinating. Of course, I can’t imagine living like that at all! LOL
It is a different world isn’t it. I admire the people who thrive here <3
Long may the bears thrive there!
Second that motion <3
Glad to see those bears are still looking healthy Cindy. What a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing with us.
Leslie xoxo
Thank you Leslie for appreciating the bears <3
It’s heart braking to see them suffer.
Horrible and unacceptable.
xoxo
What a gorgeous place! I would love to wander around the tundra and Churchill. But the bears. Hmmm. When we hike in WA state, I am overzealous about running into bears. How would I feel knowing polar bears were out in close proximity? Yikes.
You are sensible. Your caution keeps you and the bears safe. In polar bear country you need an experienced local guide.
The art and creativity is wonderful. What an interesting place to visit.
Artists who donate their street art impress the heck out of me.