Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

It has been a long journey north, but I’ve arrived in Churchill! Thankfully, I don’t have any crazy travel antics to share. My experience has been a little like Renee Zellweger’s character in the recent movie New In Town.

The long train ride from Winnipeg to Churchill was quite enjoyable. There are not many people going north this time of year, so there was plenty of room to spread out. The train had a laid back atmosphere. Everyone was very friendly.



I ate 4 delicious meals in the dining car, and the coffee was excellent!

I met 4 other “Earthwatchers” on the train. We had great conversations about the adventure ahead of us and what led each of us to embark on this trip. I also met Lody, who is originally from France, but is currently living in Montreal. He is travelling all over North America for 30 days. Tonight, he hopes to see the Northern Lights in Churchill.

Track conditions worsened the farther north we travelled. Many times along the way the train would slow to a jogging pace, especially the last 4-5 hours of the trip. Though I’ve seen lots of animal tracks in the snow, I’ve not spotted much wildlife. We saw several ptarmigan. Can you see the 5 ptarmigan in the picture below?


The train’s conductor saw a caribou walking down the track in front of us early this morning. I have witnessed the landscape change from my window. It was mostly dense forest for the entire first day. As I woke up this morning the trees were smaller and more spread out, and I could see far into the distance. I also began to see the effects of the wind on the trees and the snow.

There will be a lot to tell in the coming days. I will be adding pictures soon too. If you have time, please check out these blogs of my teammates also.


Happy Birthday, LJ!! :)