On the way back home I was hoping that there'd be some place that I could connect online to upload my final post. Unfortunately our three hour layover in Thompson was a bust.
For anyone considering the Churchill trip, you are more than welcome to experience the very long train trip. If, however, you want to cut it only one overnight, it is common to drive to Thompson and hop on board there.
If you bring your vehicle, make sure not to park it at the train station, as it is pretty likely to either not be there, or only be partly there upon your return. It seems that most folks use McCreedy Campground, which charges a reasonable fee to not only keep your car safe in their lot, but also pick and drop you off at the train station.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Last day in Churchill
I can't believe our time here is over. Time has flown by yet lazed along at the same time. Vacation here wasn't rush rush like I've been used to in trips past. Instead there were one or two things to do at its own pace through the day.
Sunrise, sunset
One thing that is hard to get used to is the light outside, hardly getting dark. Now I know that compared to most of the world, Winnipeg sees its fair share of daylight in the summer. But here? Looking out at 2am you can hardly see stars. It is pretty freaky!
Churchill Sat, July 31st
Sunrise: 5:03
Sunset: 21:43
Winnipeg (same day)
Sunrise: 5:57
Sunset: 21:13
Windsor, ON (just to compare)
Sunrise: 6:23
Sunset: 20:53
Is that a gun you're carrying?
A common and weird site you'll see around Churchill is people carrying rifles. On our way to the tundra yesterday there was a guy riding his bike on the road, with a rifle on his back. In the town itself you're safe, as you have the guards on the lookout. But once you leave the main urban area you either need a guide or a gun.
Is that a berry?
To honour Chris' random berry eating, I ate some not-so-random berry on the tundra! I know it wasn't a bear berry, which isn't in season, but I can't remember what berry it was. I blame the berry, which was seedy and tart and dark purply-blue.
There are actually quite a few berries that can be picked around here, even including cranberries in Wapusk. Not too sure why more people don't get into local eating and pick berries around here.
Land of Big Tables
In the restaurants of Churchill it is not uncommon to find tables that can seat large quantities of people. When these have been used it has either been by large families, or groupings of families. Or they are used by large groups of friends. Whatever the case, it seems like there is a real sense of community up here.
Off to the Train
We decided to spend out final meal at the Tundra Inn, which was night and day compared to our last visit. Taking 15 minutes before anyone came to talk to us about food should have been an indicator for us to pick up and leave. (Ah the joys of hindsight)
When we were finally able to order our food we specifically noted that we needed to be on the train that was leaving that day. We were assured it wasn't a problem. Of course it was.
We finally got our nachos 30 minutes later, at which point we were sucking them down like vacuums. At the same time I was looking for any sign of waitress life to cancel what we could, or pack up what we couldn't. Another 20 minutes and we were flying out to get back to our Lodge.
Thankfully for being a small town we ran into the shuttle taking us to the train station, along with our luggage. This made us even more furious at the Tundra Inn, as earlier that day (of course) we were talking about how we wouldn't want to be the stragglers holding up a group.
It wasn't the best ending to our trip, but we were happy to be on board the train to settle down and try to relax. Looking out at Churchill and seeing how serene it was reminded me of the week's events. It was a fantastic trip and Churchill is a place that everyone should try to experience!
Sunrise, sunset
One thing that is hard to get used to is the light outside, hardly getting dark. Now I know that compared to most of the world, Winnipeg sees its fair share of daylight in the summer. But here? Looking out at 2am you can hardly see stars. It is pretty freaky!
Churchill Sat, July 31st
Sunrise: 5:03
Sunset: 21:43
Winnipeg (same day)
Sunrise: 5:57
Sunset: 21:13
Windsor, ON (just to compare)
Sunrise: 6:23
Sunset: 20:53
Is that a gun you're carrying?
A common and weird site you'll see around Churchill is people carrying rifles. On our way to the tundra yesterday there was a guy riding his bike on the road, with a rifle on his back. In the town itself you're safe, as you have the guards on the lookout. But once you leave the main urban area you either need a guide or a gun.
Is that a berry?
To honour Chris' random berry eating, I ate some not-so-random berry on the tundra! I know it wasn't a bear berry, which isn't in season, but I can't remember what berry it was. I blame the berry, which was seedy and tart and dark purply-blue.
There are actually quite a few berries that can be picked around here, even including cranberries in Wapusk. Not too sure why more people don't get into local eating and pick berries around here.
Land of Big Tables
In the restaurants of Churchill it is not uncommon to find tables that can seat large quantities of people. When these have been used it has either been by large families, or groupings of families. Or they are used by large groups of friends. Whatever the case, it seems like there is a real sense of community up here.
Off to the Train
We decided to spend out final meal at the Tundra Inn, which was night and day compared to our last visit. Taking 15 minutes before anyone came to talk to us about food should have been an indicator for us to pick up and leave. (Ah the joys of hindsight)
When we were finally able to order our food we specifically noted that we needed to be on the train that was leaving that day. We were assured it wasn't a problem. Of course it was.
We finally got our nachos 30 minutes later, at which point we were sucking them down like vacuums. At the same time I was looking for any sign of waitress life to cancel what we could, or pack up what we couldn't. Another 20 minutes and we were flying out to get back to our Lodge.
Thankfully for being a small town we ran into the shuttle taking us to the train station, along with our luggage. This made us even more furious at the Tundra Inn, as earlier that day (of course) we were talking about how we wouldn't want to be the stragglers holding up a group.
It wasn't the best ending to our trip, but we were happy to be on board the train to settle down and try to relax. Looking out at Churchill and seeing how serene it was reminded me of the week's events. It was a fantastic trip and Churchill is a place that everyone should try to experience!
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