Canada - Churchill Beluga Whales 2014

The stop off in Canada was principally to go to Churchill to view the Beluga Whales (white whales (Dolphins)).  Churchill is not easy to get to at any time but when the rail line closes a few days before travel it becomes more dubious.  The road only goes as far as Thompson, except for a local road to Gillam, and thereafter land transport is only by rail however a derailment of a freight train closed the line between Gillam and  Churchill.  We had planned to fly to Winnipeg then by train to Churchill involving a train trip of about two and half days. The closure meant we had to overnight in Thompson then fly, at great expense, to Churchill.  While the return trip a week later was to be by train all the way from Churchill to Winnipeg heavy rain on the prairies, already water logged from earlier rains, caused further damage to the line nearer to Winnipeg.  We duly arrived at the Thompson station about mid-day only to be told the train was cancelled.  It would have been nice to know earlier as they had our email from the booking.  So we resorted to a rental car to Winnipeg and with limited accommodation along the route elected to stay in Thompson another night and do the 700 km the next day.  Fortunately it did not change our flight out of Winnipeg.

Shortly after leaving city of Winnipeg, established as a transportation hub for grain and capital of Manitoba, the train traveled through the open flat prairie. First intensively cropped where the soils appeared deep and fertile with scenes of green crops and farm yards.

Cultivated or recently seeded (drilled) land as far as the eye could see. 

Peas, potatoes, maize and grain.  No fences and a straight road around each square mile.

Usually there was a sign on the road near the rail line but no other warning however there was generally good visibility.

 Frequent spring rains had waterlogged soil and many crops had not been planted but worse was to come.  The next week a further 50mm of rain fell with more in some places leading to more flooding adding to the woes seen here.

As we went further north broadacre cropping gave way to mixed farming with more livestock appearing on farms.

The train had few stops at unmanned stations....

...were little more than historic relics.

This one well preserved illustrating the once important place rail held in passenger services.

Upkeep even extended to the hanging baskets on the town side.

Across the street another well maintained building from a bygone era.

While tidy most towns were purely utilitarian.

Soon giving way to small forest trees.  Thee was a small house in the trees not far from the rail line.

Running alongside the line was the remains of the telephone line that was the all important communication network from the when the line was built over an extended period from about 1912 until 1929.  The tripod configuration was not a patch up but the method required to keep the poles up where there was permafrost.  The telephone line is not still in use and many poles have now fallen over.

While we had to fly from Thompson, a one and a half day trip to Churchill, the rail line meets the Hudson Bay and summer sea route at the grain elevators in Churchill. They are still used but are looking a bit the worse for wear and one has to wonder what will be the outcome of continued grain exports from this terminal.

 The main street in Churchill looking toward the grain elevator in the distance.

The polar bear capital, Churchill where out of bear season we saw this bear the day we arrived when traveling into town from the airport.

We saw no more bears for a week until the last day when on a boat trip looking for Beluga's this sow and her cub swam ashore from her long since melted ice flow. She is likely to have swum a very long way because we had not seen ice for many days from the shore.

Oh these rocks are good, but where is the little chap.

Ah there he is just getting rid of a few kgs of water.

The purpose of the Churchill side trip was the Beluga white whale, really a dolphin.  Here are a few easily seen from the shore.

Harder still to get a photograph of tailing.  This taken by our host, Jenefor Assure the same day.  The younger one are darker in colour and some have a black tail.

The ducks in the foreground give some idea pf the size of the beluga. The white probably the mother of the younger dark one following.

A large adult following the boat.

It was not only bears and belugas. The dog musher also runs his dogs during the summer whale season which also helps get the dogs in condition for the winter snow season.  We were the first to take a short ride with each of three teams.

Lets go - hold on.

That was a good first run, dogs happy and all the wheels still on.  the snow will be a while yet.

It is a good place for photography providing the trainee bear dog keeps out of the way.

The folk at Blue Sky were excellent hosts.

Jenefor, all energy and go, with food at every turn. plus house and garden.

Gerald, musher par excellence, guide, boatman and spotter of all wildlife.

Gerald is our guide across the Churchill River to the old Hudson Bay Company - Prince of Wales Fort,

On the way he explains how the land slowly being molded leaving these rills.  In the foreground an historic rock pile the origin and reason for its existence is unknown.

Looking across the walls of the fort which was a company structure not a military establishment.  It was over-run by the French commander who destroyed it as a defensive position.

Wildflowers near the fort.

Jenefor also has another job three days a week releasing these weather balloons and attending to the accompanying data recording linked to widespread assistance to weather forecasting.

Crane were seen a couple of times together with many other migratory birds.

Kath close up with the wolves, these at Thompson.

Taking a break on the road trip down to Winnipeg.  Not Niagara but impressive all the same.

Boaties making use of a local river.on the prairie.

Nearing Winnipeg we came across this long rake of wagons.  Was it the result of the flooding, or congestion on the lines around Winnipeg (we waited an hour on the out ward journey to get a green light to leave Winnipeg on the train), or were they surplus wagons awaiting disposal.
Nest day, 6 July we flew out of Winnipeg to London via Vancouver.  It was cheaper to pick up our NZ - UK flight again in Vancouver than to try keeping going east from Winnipeg.