Leaving in a whiteout

No, we are still here but Andrew and Lesya left this morning. They'll be on the 1930 train....if they make it into town. After three days and nights of a ground blizzard - i.e. severe blowing snow - the roads just keep getting worse and it was decided this morning to take them and Sharon and Patsy out this morning at 1000. They were preceded by Dave in the front loader who was running interference for the first 5 miles until they got to the paved road where the town should have it somewhat cleared...

We did just get word that they made it into town and that the group of 21 high school kids from Saskatchewan will be able to be bused out to join the 3 folks here for the North of 58 program. But the weather has been so bad that many of the planned activities are on hold. You must respect the weather and more up here... 

The kids got here and were quite happy with "real food" after surviving on microwaved train food for two days...."I ate a cheeseburger out of a plastic bag", I heard one say.

This video really doesn't due justice to the wind and blowing snow and the wind noise which has been unrelenting for the past 3 days....yet the high schoolers from Saskatchewan did go out in it for an hour or so, the bear helicopter is not flying, and the sun is shining through the clear skies overhead as best it can. Taking aurora pics has been difficult as though the skies are clear, they are veiled by the first few hundred of feet by the blowing snow (the Inuit must have a word for it).

The old dining room 2010

Yesterday we took a tour of the old building that we stayed in during our 2010 polar bear tour. We are so spoiled in the new building!!! And when you hear stories from the researchers who have been here over the years you really appreciate the new building at this time of year - stuffing pillows in vents to the frigid air and snow don't come in, bears in the kitchen and freezer. BTW, based on a limited data set, polar bears will not eat tofu according to one of the researchers - but they did consume just about everything else from the freezer leaving the block of tofu with a single bite taken out of it. This might somehow prove useful in deterring polar bears...let me know if you try it. The old building still has its uses although much has been stripped out. It still houses the water supply which has to be trucked in during the winter every few days as well as the fire suppression water supply. I don't even want to think about a fire drill here much less a real fire. And the old sign was still up and running...

In the Arctic Hallway of the old building - a skinned wolf carcass

I'll be trying to get some more posts out before we head out on March 21 but...

We've been having lights every night although last night's were somewhat clouded by all the ground fog, i.e. all the blowing snow. But overhead you can see no upper level clouds so will have to wait for this wind to subside before we can get any more good pics.

Leaving you today with this time interval video shot by Dave Marx an instructor from the photography class - it's only a few seconds long and consists of about 150 pics - and a pic by Jim Halfpenny. Dave and Jim and the class participants were very kind to share their pics (some awesome ones) and videos. I need to work on attributions when I update this post...

And this picture of the inukshuk at the Churchill town beach by Jim Halfpenny who has been teaching a photography course up here for over 20 years and also in the Yellowstone area and many other places - click the prior link to see his offerings and more..

At the Churchill town beach, March 2013 by Jim Halfpenny