In Churchill, "the tundra" can mean a lot of different things.
It might refer to the dominant biome in this region, north of the boreal forests and where there are few, if any, trees. In Russia they call it taiga, or land of little sticks. The resemblance here to the landscape of the northern USSR is the primary reason there was a strong military presence here in the 1950s - a chance to test equipment and train personnel in conditions similar to the home of a likely adversary.
The tundra might refer to the the barren areas east of Churchill, close to Hudson's Bay, home of Wapusk National Park and the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. These are parts best viewed from a Tundra Buggy, which Bobby, Audrey and my cousin Parker and I did on Wednesday. We had originally intended to move the trip to a warmer day, but I am glad they advised us not to.
Our driver, Jim, was the same fellow who took us out in 2016. His knowledge of flora and fauna are extraordinary, and he is also a raft guide working out of Jasper for part of the year.
Over the six hours we were on the buggy, we saw three bald eagles, five caribou including two young, and best of all, three polar bears. Sadly, I neglected to bring a camera with a decent zoom lens but luckily I did have the presence of mind to bring binoculars, which afforded us some intimate views of amazing wildlife.
Jim is not just knowledgeable but also funny, and a great storyteller, but his true gift is a brilliant wilderness guide's balance between showmanship and conservatorship. Everyone comes on these tours wanting to see a polar bear, even in the summer, but not all bears want to be seen.
His approach is cautious and circumspect because as much as his current passengers want to get as close as possible, future groups (and the bear!) will approach his discretion as he parks nearby with the engine running until the immense ursine relaxes. Having ascertained that this is his "little sweetheart" and not the skittish bear that is not used to the buggies, he shuts things down and serves up the packed lunch. We enjoy sandwiches and garlicky hummus while watching a healthy female polar bear nap on the tundra perhaps 40 yards away.
This is an amazing experience that not enough people avail themselves of.
Going to The Tundra can also refer to the Tundra Inn pub and restaurant, which we dropped into last night after supper. They are still getting up to speed having just reopened with a new cook but the staff are friendly and attentive.
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