It is easy for Americans to take our Northern neighbor for granted because it is so close. The cities along the border with the United States are very much like those you left back home, and there are times you definitely don’t feel as though you are in a “foreign country”.

But Canada is a huge place, and if you get away from the major cities, you will know you are certainly in a place different from what we call home. There are many tempting possibilities for travel, so don't take it for granted.

One of the most enjoyable experiences we have had was prompted by a Discovery Channel broadcast about the Polar Bears in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Getting there was a bit more complicated for us than usual, but well worth the effort.

On arrival, we settled in, unpacked, then went outside. Saw this in the sky as we were walking to a nearby restaurant, and though we can laugh at it now, truth is, it was kind of scary because we had never seen such a thing before. It was freezing cold outside, and I was having trouble setting up the camera with gloves on. I put the camera on a small tripod, set it wide open for a 2 minute exposure, and caught this shot of the Aurora Borealis.

This next picture was taken one morning when we were out looking for whatever wildlife was in the area. We are crossing frozen Dymon Lake. I had not yet motorized the wheelchair, and soI was pushing the Dune Buggy through 6 inches of newly fallen snow. It got to be too much for me, and so we radioed back to the main base. They sent out a team to "rescue" us, providing this extraordinary photo.

We came to see Polar Bears, and got our wish fulfilled. Out the window of our warm Tundra Buggy, parked at a spot where the bears are known to congregate, we saw these two young cubs pop up from behind a snowbank.

We had been warned by our hosts to protect our cameras from rapid changes in temperature, especially if coming into a warm room from the cold outside.

At Dymon Lodge, while we were out crossing the frozen lakes in search of wildlife, they constructed a ramp I could use to get my wife and her wheelchair into the main dormitory area.
When we returned from the morning excursion, they were so excited for us to see what they had done for us, and to try it out.

As one of the young staff members held the door open, I pushed the wheelchair up the new ramp, right into the dormitory. After I had gone not more than a few feet into the warm room, I suddenly gasped, realizing what I had just done!

Sure enough, I looked down and there was moisture condensing on the inside of my lens. For the remainder of the trip, I was not able to accurately focus my camera, and I had no idea if I was able to get any photos or not. I was crushed.

One of our fellow expedition members taught PhotoShop at the community college in his hometown, and suggested I check it out when the trip was over. Thank Goodness for his suggestion, as I was able to save all those priceless pictures, many of which are in the book, Disabled Travelers Guide To The World

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