Inuksuk at the Town Beach: Aurora Borealis and Blue Skies

After making our way to town behind the front loader, we spent 3-4 days there seeing all of the sights in the town of Churchill. Each day and night, we came back to the Inuksuk at the town beach which sits on Hudson Bay.

Our first night, we walked across town over to the Inuksut (a challenging, nippy walk and almost lost Brian) in hopes of seeing the aurora. Despite the glowing lights of the town, the aurora danced over the bay in a splendid way. Brian had the extra challenge of being our photographer that night, and he did a fantastic job in the cold and the dark.

Chris and Dick admire the northen lights!

Brian took a souvenir photo by "painting" our faces in light for 1-2 seconds

During our daytime visits, we checked out the icy/snowy frozen water. Each day we saw a thick dark layer of moisture just above the horizon. This is what happens when a lead opens up and huge amounts of moisture escape. The dark area looked like smoke, and I am pretty sure it is referred to as ice smoke.

Check out the photo below. Almost looks like a daytime aurora, doesn't it? Just a contrail. So I had my day and the beach and a night at the beach too!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

In Churchill, we wait for northern lights to fill the nighttime sky, but for two days of our stay we had a blizzard that brought a “dump of snow” as the Canadians say. While the winds were not too too crazy, this was the most snow we’ve seen fall at one time while at CNSC.

This is a cropped photo from the drifts shown below- away from the building

This was a scene at the town beach on Hudson Bay

The next day the sun came out, and the landscape was transformed into something resembling desert sand except that it was snow blowing about. At CNSC, the placement and the shape of the the facility were both planned to avoid drifting snow near the building. It seems to work well with the building lined up in the same direction as the prevailing winds.  You’ll notice very little snow at the far end of the building where the deck is, and there were gorgeous drifts near the front of the building but not right up against it. Notice in the photo below that there is air flowing underneath the building. In the back of the building, the stairways were completely clear of any snow. Wish I could make that work in our driveway at home.

Anmana- space formed between drift and obstruction causing it. That would be CNSC

While at CNSC, we had a fascinating lecture on snow and some of the vocabulary to describe different kinds of snow. For people who live in the north around the world, there are an astounding number of words for snow. Anmana is my new vocabulary word for this year.  My favorites have been Qali which is the snow that sticks to trees, and Pukak which is the layer of snow at the bottom of the snowpack where many small mammals hang out.

After the storm had passed, we went on a short walk with one of the volunteers to check out the igloo he had built. Everywhere you looked, there were beautiful patterns created by the blowing crystals of snow. We all took turns crawling into the igloo, and then Andrew gave us a lesson on the type of snow needed for building igloos. There is a word for this snow too, if I can retreive it.

Chris, Dick, and I beside Andrew's igloo

View from inside- outside was chinked with snow

Probably the most dramatic moments after the storm came on our ride from CNSC into town. We traveled in a small caravan behind the front loader for the 13 mile trip. I’ve included a photo and  a short video clip. We would never have made it without the front loader. The whole road was blown in by the winds. It was a thrilling ride!

As we rode along, there were beautiful views of Hudson Bay as we approached town. The photos below were taken a couple days later. There would be no stopping for a photo op on that ride to town.

Most days after the snowstorm, it was at least partly sunny. With all of the ice crystals in the air, we were treated to both sun halos and sun pillars. I do have a photo of the halo. It was huge, and I was shocked to capture the whole thing on my little tiny Iphone!

I’ll end with one last photo at the town beach on Hudson Bay. This is one of my favorite places. The stone structure is an Inukshuk, a stone structure found on the tundra. This one is more of a monument, but it is fair to say that an Inukshuk is as much a symbol of the north as the polar bear is. What I want to point out is the thick layer of moisture right near the horizon. This is moisture released from a lead that opened up in the bay. Once again, it was fairly dramatic on this day.

A Day with the Dogs at Wapusk Dogsledding Adventure

During our time in Churchill, dogsledding is always a highlight of the week. This year we visited Wapusk Adventures with Dave Daley. Dave gave us a fascinating overview of what it means to be a dog musher and keep a dogsledding business in operation.

Dave has 39 dogs in his dogyard. There are also some very energetic puppies near the door to greet us and entertain us. Dave loves his dogs, and they clearly love and respect him. In fact the dogs we met seemed to love everyone!

Once it was time for the dogsled runs, the dogs began to go crazy. "Pick me, pick me!" they barked. There is no question that this translation is 100%accurate. Brian signed us up to be on the first sled so we could experience the full release of doggie power. It was a fast run!! By the time the dogs have done the ride a bunch of times, they are still fast but at a much more relaxed pace. As volunteers we had always gone last, and certainly savored every moment of the day's last ride. Now we know what it's like at the start of the day.

These dogs are true doggy athletes. Many have run in major races including the Iditarod. At Dave's place visitors do the Ididamile, and I have a snazzy certificate to prove I did it. In the photo above, you see a racing sled parked outside of the two outhouses. (there is a bird feeder attached to one of them and antlers to the other) And speaking of birds, we all had fun feeding the gray jays or whiskey jays from our hands or the tops of our hats.

There is a local race up here between Churchill and Gillam called the Hudson Bay Quest. The race is 220 miles long, and it is a very challenging course. If you'd like to read a little more about this race, follow this link. http://www.hbqrace.com/about-hbq/
Twice we have gotten to see the start of the race, but not this year. Here is a quote I loved from the link above.

 "It is a traditional race built on the history of the fur trade, the Hudson’s Bay Company and the early days of Churchill, Manitoba. It harkens back to a time when ‘There ain’t no law of God nor man goes north of 53°’ was a common saying."

Boreal Beauty at CNSC

At CNSC, we sit on the edge of the boreal forest. Borealis is the Latin word for "of the north", so it is a fitting description. Today we sit inside as there is a snowstorm outside. My fellow traveler tells me that he is just watching the trees disappear and then reappear as he gazes out at the landscape I love so much.

Two days ago we all traveled out to visit the boreal forest. We climbed into komatiks (box-like sleds pulled behind snowmobiles) for a short ride into the forest. I am always astounded by the beauty and the quiet once we arrive.

Entering the forest

Staff from CNSC gave a demonstration of snow sampling to demonstrate the data collection techniques for studying the snowpack. Photo courtesy of Chris Haller

There was also a quinzhee which had been built perhaps a week earlier. A quinzhee is a temporary shelter that is created from a pile of snow with a  hollowed out area. Notice the sticks in the top. They are inserted 6" into the pile so that as you hollow it out, you will know to leave it a thickness of 6".

This is a good time to look for animal tracks. This year I found two bunnies out for a walk- snowshoe hair? Some folks tried out snowshoes which are a necessity if you walk off the snowpacked trail. While the wind blows the snow from open areas, the opposite happens in the forest. The trees trap the snow, and it can be very deep- deceivingly deep.

Many of us walked back along the snowmobile trail until we came out onto Launch Road. We followed this across the lake  and through through the old rocket range. That will perhaps be another post, as we had a fascinating tour yesterday morning.

I snagged a ride home on the last leg of the walk, and had a komatik all to myself. Felt like a snow queen!

Warm welcomes in Winnipeg and Churchill, Manitoba

As seen from our elevator ride to the top of Prairie 360

Warm welcome at the Winnipeg Airport

This year our journey to Churchill has been shared with our good friends Chris and Dick Haller from Holland, MA. We arrived in Winnipeg on February 11th, even though this post says February 20th. We spent several days in Winnipeg at The Hotel Fort Garry, our favorite spot for both its old world elegance and its close location to the train station. Actually it was one of the grand old railroad hotels. Hotel Fort Garry is also located very close to The Forks, a national historic site where the Assiniboine River and the Red River converge. It has been a meeting place throughout history. I found this lovely poem on a bench outside The Forks Marketplace.

   I am always impressed by how much Canadians embrace winter sports. There are long stretches of the river for skating and hockey, and this year a new entertainment called Crokicurl made its debut. I believe it originated from a board game. I know that must sound crazy, so I hope it's right. Below you see a photo of the Crokicurl court and you can also see Chris and Dick skating along the river. Those trees along the river are recycled Christmas trees (pretty sure).

Brian is playing with some folks he met at The Forks

We also took in a play called The Flats, which is set in Churchill in the area of town along the river called The Flats. It was sort of a murder mystery, and quite entertaining. Brian's favorite quote was, "Either you were born here, or you have a reason." That made us chuckle, but in all seriousness we love the people in the community of Churchill. I do enjoy hearing the personal stories of resident Churchillians. Not sure that is a correct term.

We ate a lot of food in Winnipeg, with one location being Prairie 360. This is a revolving restaurant, and one of the views is of the train station and the Human Rights Museum.

Dinner with friends at Prairie 360

Finally, the day came to board the train to Churchill. We discovered that this year there was going to be a dome/lounge car. We were very excited. Also, there was real food this year, so the ride was much easier. Here is the train in Thompson, Manitoba. I believe there are almost 300 miles to go. We are almost there!

Last car on the train- Dome and lounge! Yey!

After our 44 hour trip, we arrived at 8:30am in Churchill on February 16th. We were greeted by so many friends during our arrival at CNSC. Here is a photo of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre taken last year. I call this the "landscaped view". Not sure what magical location Brian found for this photo, as the front view is very open. On the front of the building is its mission, "To Understand and Sustain the North". That is exactly what happens here: education and research which lead to understanding, knowledge, and the ability to better sustain the north.

Churchill Northern Studies Centre- note the dome and the bear-proof side deck

Can't resist adding my favorite view. This year, I have the pleasure of seeing this when I look out our window.