Roy Lobenhofer's
Journal of the
Arctic Odyssey Expedition
In January of this year, we decided it was time
to plan a trip to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.
We had been talking about a trip to
Pam had seen an advertisement about cruises
traveling near the
With Neelie's help, the trip was booked and we
received information about what we’d need to have to get the most enjoyment out
of the trip. Since this was going to be near the Arctic and on
Saturday, July 19, 2008
I liked the idea of having a flight around
noon. It allowed us to take our time in the morning, but didn’t give us so much
time for twiddling our thumbs. We had no problem with check in or security. The
flight to
While waiting for the shuttle, we met Frankie
(age 80+) and found she was going on the same expedition.
We were delighted to meet her for a couple of reasons.
Primarily because she was a wonderful lady, but it also meant we were not
going to be the oldest people on the expedition!
We were a little frustrated after check-in at
the Four Points. We were supposed
to be back at the airport at 7:30 in the morning, but all of the shuttles from
the motel to the airport between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. were already booked.
Since there was nothing else we could do, I ordered a cab for 7 a.m.
We had dinner at the hotel.
Not only was the food very good, but we had the opportunity to meet some
more people who were going to be on the cruise/expedition. We also learned ours
was the only Cruise North Expedition that wasn’t completely booked this year.
Ours had 72 out of a possible 122 passengers.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
We were up early in order to have the buffet
breakfast provided by the hotel and get our cab by 7 a.m. While it was a charter
flight to go to Churchill, we still had to go through security.
I received the most thorough pat down I had ever experienced.
I guess I looked like a terrorist or something.
It was about a 2 1/2 hour flight to Churchill
during which they served breakfast.
It looked like a very nice breakfast, but since we got up early to have time for
the hotel buffet, we didn't really eat it.
Although we didn’t realize it at the time,
we got the first glimpse of our ship as we approached Churchill.
Upon landing we were told our checked luggage
would be delivered to our cabin. We
boarded buses for a tour of the thriving metropolis of Churchill.
(Population 923 -- 2006 census) As it calls itself the polar bear capital
of the world, it was somewhat surprising to be shown the polar bear jail as our
first stop on the tour.
According to our guide Sheldon, the bears come
to Churchill in October and November waiting for the ice to form.
This has become quite a tourist event for Churchill; therefore, shooting
bears that show up in the wrong place isn't good for business.
Bears that find their way to the wrong place are trapped, put in “jail”
for a period of time, and then are relocated.
This building can hold about 30 bears.
We were looking at some birds when Sheldon got
a call over the radio indicating there was a polar bear in the area.
He pointed out this was not the right time of the year for the polar bear
to be there. So, it was a doubtful sighting, but thought we could take a look.
Needless to say, there was a polar bear.
According to Sheldon, it was approximately 2 1/2 years old and had most
likely just recently left its mother.
Pam thought he was “directionally” challenged. (It was very fortunate
this little fellow was in Churchill at the wrong time, because it was the only
polar bear we saw on the trip.)
These dogs became more interesting when we
talked to people from the other buses.
It seems each of the bus drivers had their own story about the dogs.
Sheldon told us that they were true Huskies, and each dog, when properly
trained would cost about $1800.
Another driver said they were worth about $600.
The third driver said they were a Chow mix breed.
(I guess the idea is if you really don't know, make up something the
Southerners will believe.) These are not the sled dogs used in races, but are
sledge dogs used for hauling heavy loads for shorter distances.
From there we went to see the Cape Merry
Battery of the Prince of Wales Fort. It’s a National Historic Site of Canada.
Looking out at our ship (it had to wait for the
proper tide to dock), was something when we noticed the beluga whales playing
between it and shore. There is a large population of beluga whales at Churchill
during the summer months. The scenery around this site was also impressive. I’ve
become a huge fan of Fireweed. I wish it would grow in
From there, it was into town to do some
shopping. We were greeted by an Inuksuk as we arrived. The Inuksuks have stood
for centuries as sentinels to travelers, guiding them through safe passageways.
Each one is unique.
Finally, it was time to board ship and have
dinner. Dinner was good, but the dining room on the ship was not equipped for
the unseasonably warm temperatures experienced that day. It was uncomfortably
hot. (This was a problem we experienced on and off during the trip.)
While waiting for the proper tide to sail, we
were given a beautiful sunset to try to photograph.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The plan for this day was cruising to our first
location. The time was spent with
talks about Arctic animals, birds, and vegetation as well as a general overview
of what was going to be happening and the mandatory life boat drill.
One of the items that really impressed me during these briefings was that
the
We also spent the day familiarizing
ourselves with our cabin and the ship.
Pam and I don't believe in getting the best accommodations when traveling
because we generally make a point not to spend much time in the room.
Actually, although we had the least expensive accommodations on the ship,
I was impressed with the size of our cabin.
The pictures below give an idea of what they were like.
As can be seen, it wasn’t luxurious but
certainly enough for the amount of time we were going to spend in it.
Perhaps the most negative thing about the accommodations was the towels.
Pam thought they were that way so we wouldn’t have to use other methods
to exfoliate while on board.
I was concerned that we were going have to do some sanding!
We were two decks below
the main deck. I think the picture
below will give you a good idea of why our porthole could not be opened.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
After a day at sea (or bay), I was certainly
ready to get off the ship and up close with the arctic. We were at
And the walruses were ready for us.
What wasn’t ready for us was the weather. The
passengers had been divided into two groups. The zodiacs would take one group
closer to walruses and then return them to the ship, and the other group would
have their turn. I wasn’t disappointed to be in the second group as it gave me
an opportunity to see how the zodiacs were loaded.
The first zodiac was loaded without much incident, but the sea kicked up
during the loading of the second. Looking at the two pictures below, notice the
rail at the lower left hand corner in both pictures. You can see in the second
one that it is no longer attached. That was caused by the severe bouncing of the
zodiac. The last person who was supposed to be on the second zodiac was sent
back up the stairs, and the rest of the excursion was cancelled.
This gives an idea of what zodiac travel looks
like for those who were lucky(?) enough to get on board.
We then sailed towards
We were happy the sea was much calmer when we
reached Coats. Pam and I experienced our first zodiac transfer. We also found
out why we needed the boots. The zodiacs do not go all the way up the beach. We
got out in water that was above the ankle, but with the boots we were dry. The
crew was really great helping us in and out of the zodiacs.
When all of us were there
we again divided into two groups. One was going to take a long walk and the
other a shorter walk. Pam opted for the short walk with the on-board botanist,
and I took the long. (That was the last time I went on the long walk.) Once
again I was impressed with the beauty of the scenery in such a harsh
environment.
Cruise North seems to expect polar bears to be
unpredictable. Every time we exited the zodiacs there was someone on lookout. In
this case, it’s Jaiku Angnatuk one of the young Inuits helping with the
expedition.
When we finished with the walks, we climbed
into the zodiacs and traveled a very short way to another cove where one of the
staff had found walruses.
Not only were the walruses enjoying the
communal rest they prefer, but some were also “playing” in the water.
Unfortunately, the sun was at such an angle that photos were very difficult, but
it was exciting being that close.
It was then time to head
back to the ship for dinner and rest. The day had started out kind of rough but
had ended up a success.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
We arrived at
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Today was the day to learn about the Inuit
culture. Kangiqsujuaq (you try to pronounce it, because I can’t) is an Inuit
village that is very welcoming to tourists.
The passengers were once again split into two groups, and the town
provided guides for each.
The first stop for our group was their museum.
While certainly not large, I was very impressed with their displays. It was sort
of a cross between a history museum and nature museum. It had material from the
past as well as information about the local wildlife and geography. From there
we went to the local gym where we were treated to a performance of dancing and
drumming by the children as an Inuit story teller.
The young lady on the far right was their
leader and one of the most memorable people we met on the trip. She has just
graduated from high school and wanted to come up to work with the Inuit even
though it’s just for the summer. She has a boy friend and their plans are to
move to the country after finishing their education, “live off the land”, and
home school the 12 children they’re going to have. I’m not sure whether it was
nervousness from talking to two old people like Pam and me, or if it was just
her natural personality, but I can’t remember ever talking to young person who
laughed and seemed to enjoy life as much as she did. She told us a little tidbit
I found quite interesting. She lives on a farm outside of
It was time to leave Kangiqsujuaq (and I still
can’t say it) and re-board the ship.
After dinner, the crew surprised us with an
opportunity for a zodiac cruise. Traveling along the quiet waters of
Friday, July 25, 2008
This was the day of the
marathon. (Yes, this was a marathon cruise. We had tried to avoid it because of
the fear of being compared to the “hard bodies” who’d run a marathon, but the
other Arctic Odyssey expedition without the marathon was booked.) The runners
and support people were off the ship early. After breakfast, the rest of us took
zodiacs to
Once again the beauty of things growing in this
harsh climate never ceases to amaze me. These are called Arctic Harebells.
While examining the beauty of the flora, we
were treated to a number of sightings of the fauna. In this case, it was
caribou. They are very majestic looking animals because of the way they carry
their heads when running.
Back to the ship for an on-deck, barbeque.
It was quite tasty. When the crew started filling the small pool at the back of
the ship, we wondered who would use it. The temperature was about 60o.
We soon found out who was going to be first in. (It wasn’t Pam or me!)
Once the runners were back on board, it was
time to be off to our next destination.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
This morning featured a trip to
The afternoon found us on
I should explain that the man in the second
picture is Julio, our expedition leader. He was attempting to encourage the musk
oxen to come closer to the group, but only succeeded in making sure they didn’t
go over the hill where we couldn’t have seen them at all.
Back on the ship for the recap of the day, the
sea started getting “interesting.” Some passengers left the recap rather
abruptly; others decided dinner was not in their best interest that night. Pam
was in that category. With my cast iron stomach it wasn’t a problem for me I’m
able to report that about 50% of the passengers made it to dinner.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Unfortunately, the seas had not calmed enough
for the passengers to do the zodiac cruise to
The sailing towards our final day of the
expedition did give me the opportunity to photograph icebergs. It’s hard to
judge size when at sea because of the lack of anything to make a comparison. My
feeling was the visible part of the berg shown below was about the size of our
ship, perhaps even bigger. Certainly more ice than is needed for any cocktail.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Our luggage had to be outside our cabins before
we left for breakfast. They were gone when we returned, and we were loaded into
the zodiacs to go to Kuujjuaq (Good luck trying to pronounce that one. I never
did.) in mid-morning. We were loaded into busses, taken on a town tour, to a
hotel for lunch and then to the airport. Unfortunately, there was a mechanical
problem with the plane that was supposed to take us back to Montréal. I think it
was fortunate that the president of Cruise North was with us. I think we got a
better response from First Air since he was there. First Air did send another
plane for us. Of course, the delay was of concern to some who were supposed to
be making connecting flights; however, it did not bother Pam and me as we
planned to stay a few days in Montréal.
The additional time gave me an opportunity to
reflect on our expedition. In case someone is reading this with the idea of
perhaps doing something similar, I thought it might be helpful to share thoughts
on some aspects of this trip.
Clothes:
Fancy clothes were certainly not an issue. It
was extremely casual. The waterproof gear and boots we purchased were essential.
A couple of our zodiac landings required us to get out in water that was
approximately midcalf. One of our fellow passengers had not believed in the
waterproof gear, and after zodiac rides in less than calm seas had to deal with
drying pants.
Of course, that brings up the issue of the 44
pounds of checked luggage and the 13 pounds of carry on. I don't know if our
experience was different because we did not have a full load of passengers, but
I heard stories of people coming on with 44 kg (97 lb) of checked luggage, and
our carry-on luggage was never weighed. It really bugs me when limits are set
and not enforced.
The Weather:
We were better prepared for the cold weather
than we were for the unseasonably hot weather we experienced. Their
recommendations for the cold weather clothes needed kept me very comfortable,
but I could have easily swapped one of the pair of pants I brought for a pair of
shorts. As for the rough weather/seas we experienced, this was an expedition.
Weather and wild animals are things that are not controlled.
The Crew:
I can't speak highly enough about the
expedition crew! They were very informative, interesting, courteous and helpful.
That was especially appreciated during the transfers in and out of zodiacs. We
did make a couple of transfers when the sea was not at its calmest, but Pam and
I felt safe.
The Food:
Fortunately or unfortunately, I am not one that
is easily impressed with cruise ship food and this was not a cruise ship. I
thought the food was good and was certainly plentiful enough for me. My only
possible complaint about the food was that the lunches could have been a little
less. By the end of the week, I was looking forward to having a sandwich for
lunch. (Pam loved the meals, especially the dinners.)
Those coming from the
Our Fellow Passengers:
I was very impressed with the diversity of our
fellow passengers who came from
Cruise North Organization:
I thought the Cruise North staff on board ship
show tremendous organization. When the adverse weather caused plan A to be
aborted, they were always ready with a plan B.
To me, their on land organization needs a
little work. The Four Points not having a shuttle service adequate to the needs
of the group was poor planning on someone's part. The arrival of Churchill was
also a little chaotic in my opinion. Perhaps, I wouldn't be so critical if we
had not had the delay at the final airport, but we did and there certainly did
not appear to be a plan B. In addition, Neelie also mentioned that dealing with
their office was not as professional as she was used to experiencing with other
such organizations.
Overall, Pam and I are both very glad we went
and are looking forward to our next adventure.