All Aboard! Train Ride to Churchill

The train left Winnipeg on March 8th, and I arrived in Churchill on Tuesday morning. It is about a 44 hour ride, with speeds varying between 20-30 miles an hour. It depends on track conditions evidently. This year there were very few passengers on board, and I had the whole sleeper car to myself for much of the trip.

Our train pulls into the Thompson, Manitoba station

In Thompson, we had a few hours to ourselves, so I walked into town to do a little shopping and get some fresh air. On my way into town, I came across some ravens. I always wonder if I am able to tell them apart from crows, but these birds are huge! In fact they are nicknamed "Thompson's Turkey". I can see why. Also, their call sounded very little like the crows dining at our compost pile Franklin, Maine.

I came across a familiar wooded area which I recognized from our walk two years ago. I believe they are alder trees, but I will correct this once I confirm an identification. They look much like birch trees, but with a soft, pale tan color.

A Stand of Alder Trees

The train pulled into Churchill early Tuesday morning, and the rest of the day was filled with warm welcomes from our northern family. Brian and I went out for a walk in the afternoon. We checked out an igloo where two folks had slept the night before. It must have been a long night! I am laughing because I can't imagine how this was possible.

Brian has always wanted his photo with this road sign. This makes him smile, as there is only one road!

We proceeded to the other side of CNSC to investigate a quinzhee which had been built by some junior rangers. Brian thought we could just walk out to it, but you can see why snowshoes would have been a good idea. Check out the sticks. We learned last year that when you construct a quinzhee, you create a large pile of snow, insert some sticks  about 12 inches into the surface, and then as you hollow it out, the sticks let you know when you should not go any farther. I had forgotten that.

 After our walk, we were treated to some very beautiful sundogs with quite intense rainbow colors.

There wasn't much of an aurora forecast, but with some patience, we came up with a little bit of aurora. The skies were beautifully clear, and I spent a lot of time in the dome last night.

I will end with one of my favorite views out the back window of CNSC. The other is just a fun sculpting of snow. No idea what is going on with the little trees at a bizarre angle.