Polar Bear Migration

Churchill, Manitoba, is a small town on the Hudson Bay.  It is 2 blocks wide and 6 blocks long.  We stayed at the Polar bear Inn.  We spent two days on the Tundra Buggy watching the bears.

We learned a lot about polar bears.  They are very different from black and grizzlies.  For instance, polar bears do not hybernate. They spend much of the summer in a semi sleep mode and are most active in the winter.  The polar bears gather in Churchill to await the freezing of the Hudson Bay.  As soon as the ice freezes they are gone.  They will migrate across the ice to feast on the seals.  Blubber being their favorite food.

Pregnant females give birth in December after a 2 month gestation period.  Cubs are born blind and hairless and very tiny.  They grow fast, however; on mom's milk.   They will join mom in March to migrate on the ices, where mom will  quickly fatten up on seal cubs.  She will continuing nursing the cubs for a year.

Bears found in town are darted and hauled off to jail for 30 days in a cell.    Cubs share a cell with mom.  During the 30 day incarceration they are not fed.  At the end of 30 days they are again darted and placed in a net which is lifted by helicopter to deliver the miscreant back to the wildlife refuge.  Bears are given 3 chances in lock up.  Usually once is enough.

Polar Bear Jail

This was a bucket list trip, and well worth the price.

Ptarmigan

Arctic Hare

The Tundra Buggy Outside

The Tundra Buggy Inside


Our first bear sighting

The video below was taken on our second trip out.  One of us made a comment on how dirty the bear was, when he decided to to roll around on the ground (according to our ranger guide, this is a bear bathing technique).

Iowa

We finally spent a night in Nebraska.   So the hole in our BTDT map and T shirts is filled.  Only 4 more  to go (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Delaware).

After Nebraska, it was on to Iowa.  We spent a couple of nights at a casino in Council Bluffs, then headed for the Ripperger family reunion and our favorite Corps of Engineers campground - Clarks Ferry on the Mississippi River near Blue Grass.  All my brothers an sisters, many of my nieces and nephews, lots of catching up, cards, puzzles, dominoes and an endless supply of food.

I went to Heritage Days at Wild Cat Den State Park (the old homestead).  Enjoyed going through the old grist mill which I used to sweep out every Sunday prior to opening to the public.  The local heritage society has it operational now.  They were grinding grain into white or wheat flour. 

Pine Creek Grist Mill

Early morning on the Mississippi

Barge (3 wide x  deep)

Heron coming in for a landing

 I grew up in Iowa, in a park; not a farm; so a visit to the Brus' farm was a fun experience.  We hitched a ride with Ryan on the combine during the bean harvest. 

Time to empty the beans - Charlie is on board

My turn

I have never seen so much bacon

 My nephew, Doug, took us for a Mississippi boat ride.    We stopped for a snack and glass of wine at Eileen and Bill's cabin and then headed upriver to see the trees  showing their fall colors.

Water was a little rough

Nan holding on for dear life

There's Mr. Bill

Trees in color

Tug boat

It was really rough on the way back

Thermopolis

We camped at the Riverton RV Park for two nights.  Went to the Wind River Casino for dinner and a few slot machines on the first night, then drove to Thermopolis for a bath in the Hot Springs the next day.

Thermopolis has three mineral baths.  The state bath is free; the temperature is 104 degrees, so you can only stay 20 minutes.  The other two are cooler, like warm swimming pools so you can stay as long as you like.  One is a water park with slides - and is popular with the kids.  We chose the short soak.  It felt wonderful.

State Bath House

The outdoor pool

At 104 degrees, 20 minutes is more than plentt

A cooling pond

The travertine terraces

More travertine

The travertine fountain

Our Last night in the Tetons

We drove out to Antelope Flats to photograph the "most photographed barn" and as always searched for wild life.

We found the herd

Found the barn also

We enjoyed the breakfast cruise so much we decided to do the Dinner Cruise to Elk Island on our last night.  Maybe we will see a bear?????

The ultimate tow vehicle

Looks like rain, dinner on the island may be wet

It's raining over the Tetons

Sunset on Elk Island

A bull Elk

 Dinner was steak, trout, potatoes, beans, corn on the cob, fruit, salad, rolls and cobblers (cherry and apple).  Food was good and plentiful, but we should have brought a bottle of wine like several of the others did.  All in all, we liked the breakfast cruise better.

Time to hit the road.  We will return. 

Goodbye Tetons

More Grand Tetons

The Teton RV Park at Coulter Bay is costly ($50 per night using the Golden Access Pass); sites are large and wooded with 50 amp full hook ups.  We love being in the park so we will probably stay here again on our next trip.    Phone and Internet are no problem for Verizon at the campsite, though we don't have phone everywhere in the park.  Charlie is suffering severe TV withdrawal - no satellite or antenna reception.  A chance to watch movies and all the stuff we have recorded.

Yesterday we went out early looking for wildlife to photograph.  After which we decided to breakfast at one of the lodges.  Jenny Lake Lodge was close, so we went there.  The menu listed all of the usual breakfast entrees and several of the unusual, all without prices.  At the bottom of the menu was a single price ($23).  In response to my confusion, the waitress explained it was like a buffet, you could order everything on the menu or a single item for $23.  I'm pretty sure Charlie got his money's worth.   The food was incredible.  Neither of us ate again until dinner last night.    I looked up the Jenny Lake Lodge ((rooms run over $500 per night (over $600 per couple)) with breakfast and dinner included.   The dining room was full, and the rest of the clientele looked more prosperous than the Stangers (who got up, got dressed, and went looking for bears -- no shower, no toothbrush, maybe I combed my hair).  I probably will stick to the RV park on my next trip.

sunrise

white tail

Jenny Lake

Butter at the Lodge

7 Brides for 7 Brothers has always been one of my favorite movies.  Neither of us had seen the play.  Dinner, complete with singing wait staff, was included with our Theater Tickets.  Food was great, play was phenomenal.   The choreography was every bit as good as the movie. 

Fence near where we parked the car

Marquee for the play

Ride em cowgirl

Our waiter was the actor who played Adam

One if the waitresses, played Milly

If you are ever in Jackson Hole, The Tetons, or Yellowstone, I highly recommend the Jackson Hole Playhouse.  You can do a play with or without dinner.  They change the play several times a year, and it is open year round. 

Yellowstone National Park

We drove to Yellowstone for the day in search of wildlife.  The buffalo, pronghorn, elk, were close enough to photograph; the grey wolf and eagle were seen only through binoculars.  We came home without sighting bears.  We stopped at some of the scenic spots, but a single day in Yellowstone is a drop in the bucket.

Lewis Falls

Tower Falls

A geyser  in the lower basin

Old Faithful

A Mud pot

A fumarole

A forest fire

Wildlife

This buffalo stopped traffic in both directions, then ambled right past our car

Elk

 

 

 

 

 

Pronged Antelope