Well after a long day of travel, flying from Vancouver Island back to Vancouver then a flight to Winnepeg. Arrived at 11:30pm and had to meet the group at 5:45am to fly to Churchill another 2 1/2 hour flight!
Hit the ground running with a tour around the area and the town with a very entertaining driver.

Outside polar bear jail

We were'nt allowed in!  There were bears in there!

Our bus driver on the way from the airport. Notice the gun just in case!

 

 

Plane crash on the tundra, although the pilot called it a "forced landing"  It clipped a power line and was sling shotted along, amazingly all 6 people survived

Main street Churchill takes about two mintutes to drive through! then lunch at the gypsy bakey.  I think it's the most happening place here. then a visit to the eskimo museum, small but very interesting with some great inuit art.
They have a curfew at 10pm at night for the kids and a siren sounds! It set all the husky puppies around the corner howling!  Also if your hear gunshots in the town don't run towards it as they're probaly chasing away a polar bear.
I was talking to a woman in one on the stores and two nights ago her daughter has a polar bear on her back doorstep at 1am in the morning!!!!

Main street Churchill

 

Husky puppies for sale

But no room in my suit case

 

 

At last 8am the next morning on the bus to go out for a day in the tundra buggy!

It's early in the season so we are all crossing our fingers that we find some bears!

 

 

 

 

After about 1/2 bus drive we're out in the tundra at Frontier Adventures buggy base.

The bus is driven up close to a platform which we enter through a locked stairwell just in case there are PB's underneath! the buggies are heated with a loo but get prety cold when the top windows are dropped for photo ops!

 

 

 

Old viewing platform still used by scientists occasionally.  looks like one good push from a bear and it would topple!

 

 

Cleaning the windows on the way, we all had to keep a lookout for PB's!

 

 

this is actually part of the road!

 

 

AT LAST all my dreams come true, my 1st polar bear in the wild!!!

 

 

 

In the distance BUT Wait there's more!

 

 

 

 

 

Really I took this! Not stolen off a website!

I love my camera, have learn't lots about it as a few others on the first tour had one as well.

 check out the feet!

 

 

 

More colours of the tundra

Tundra buggy with "sleepout buggies in front"

 

 

 

Now for the highlight of the day!

 

 

 

 

Meals on wheels, just what a hungry bear needs!!

 

Anyway a dream come true!

There's not a lot to do here at night so will probably update again soon.

It's hard to believe I'll be on the way home in a week tomorrow.

All the people I've met in the different tour groups have been lovely, there's even a couple from

Tassie in this one!

Well if off to bed but not before I check out the window to see if anything is prowling around!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's left of Knight Inlet Lodge

Beware the bears!!!

Rafting on the Athabasca river

Out the sea plane window Whistler

Another one out the window!

the litle plane I went on and no terrets!

Beautiful city of Victoria, Vancouver Is.

Victoria at night

Hi all

Sorry  I havent posted for awhile but the internet has been very limited or keeps droppin out.
Well we had the two day train ride, very speccy scenery.   No bears or mounties to be sighted!
Arrived in Banff, what amazing hotel. toured around in the bus and had a lovelynature walk and picnic. no bears joined us though.

Sept 13  Had a Gondola ride up Sulphur mountain. Again the scenery was magnificant (I'm running out of words to describe how beautiful Canada is!)  Off to Lake Louise, it's just as yu see it in the travel brochures!  It was a bit hard to nget a photo in front of the famous arched window. had to beg one of the waitresses to let us in a take our photo!  Also saw a porcipine, squirrels and a piqu but no bears!!!

Sept 14  Left the lovely Lake Louise and head to the Athabasca Glacier, speccy but not as good as the ones down south!  From one extreme to another, we then went river rafting on the Athabasca River with a very handsome guide (not in a mountie uniform though) I got a thoroughly wet bottom, Di half a bottom! 
Coming around the bend we came across a buck elk and his harem, so gorgeous, a definite highlight.

Sept 16  heading for Whistler.  Finally some bears on the way but o nly a few on the bus saw them, unfortunately not Di and I!We certainly got out of  our comfort zones again today and went  for a float plane ride all over the mountains around Whistler and I didn't get terrets!  It was incredible, I was on such a high for the rest of the day!  Ranges and ranges of mountains covered in snow and glaciers AND who was the lucky girl who got to sit inthe front seat.  Whislter would have to be a favourite, I would love to be here in winter. 

Staying at the Fairmont Whistler, very spesh!!!!

Well that's all for now, I'll try and put a few piccies up before bed time.  Another early start, on the bus by 7:30!!!

Di outside our trian

 

 

Me outside the train

 

 

 

Beaver dam on our nature walk

 

 

Lake Louise 6:30 am

Lake Louise 7:30 am

 

 

Athabasca Glacier