Breakfast at 0800 meant that we could get an extra hour of sleep which apparently was much needed as I woke up at 3 with all the lights on and my phone lying on my chest. I managed to sort myself out quickly before passing out again and swearing at my alarm that went off 4 hours later. The beds in the lodge were nice but apparently my body preferred an actual soft bed.
We left at 0845 and first point on today’s schedule was dog sleighing. The owner of the place we were visiting – who himself is a creator and main coordinator of one the rougher dog sleigh races – introduced himself and family, who are also involved in the business, background and the art of dog sleighing. We were sent out on a course on 2-passenger sleighs with a driver in the rear. The weather was crisp clear with light clouds and the run – though short, less than 10 minutes – was a fresh and beautiful ride. The course is called Ididamile, and the owner pointed out that some people take scarily long to figure out why it’s called that. I honestly didn’t have much expectations of the experience but I honestly had great fun the entire time. And despite the dogs being working animals the were very social and never shied away from getting a bit of extra petting.
Probably the best weather on the tour.
Those eyes....
From there we went and picked up a bear guard (who was naturally armed) and an extra lookout which let us go drive out of town and go for short walks. We got to see a few historical locations and multiple murals. In between this we got to visit a local artist and have lunch.
A fox was hiding in the grass and keeping a close eye on us while we were taking in the sights.
A 4 hour old foot print from a decently sized bear, compared to my (size EU 45) foot.
Having driven around in the afternoon we both managed to see a silver fox in the distance and a few more bears. What a great end to the trip. Though a snowy owl or two would have been a great bonus. At around 1700-ish we were back at the airport and got a flight back to Winnipeg. As opposed to coming north this time the flight was almost full.
More murals.
Silver fox.
Back in Winnipeg we checked in at the airport hotel we started at and had dinner before saying goodbye. After a very good night’s sleep a few of us had breakfast before I left for the airport and got my uneventful flight back home.
A light breakfast before departing.
Huge thanks to Maggie and Rick for letting me stay at their place and showing me Winnipeg for a few days before meeting up with the group - I don't think I ever managed to fully express my happiness for seeing you again since my first trips north and south. Big thanks to our guide Mike Gere and buggy driver “Buggy” Bob – you two were a great team and knew exactly where to be to get the shots. Thanks to the team at the lodge – great service and amazing food (and wine included – and they let me help get rid of excess dessert!). Big thanks to Dave Daley for introducing us to his human and canine families and letting us try riding a dog sleigh. So much fun! And thanks to Bjorn, Kim, Sylvie, Shelly, Yuka, Tom & Sue, Brenda, Jane, Harriet, Bonnie, Tom & Heike, Karsten & Sybille for being great travel friends and help making this trip amazing.
When typing this out in March 2022 (only slightly delayed) things have happened since the trip. The travel company has an annual photo competition, and while I never partake in such competitions (a mix of me not thinking my shots can keep up with the competition and the fact that the winner is often found by the number of likes and not actual quality) I was pretty proud of my bear-in-sunrise shot, and as people from the tour badgered me to add it to the competition I ended up thinking that it couldn’t hurt. And to my surprise I actually ended up winning! Not the first place, mind you, but the runner-up place and that absolutely good enough for me! A photo I took actually won something! I was absolutely full of myself in the days after I found out.
Full album can be found here.
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