Going Places

beneath me. There are many more, doing twirls and swirls around us, but this one seems to want to hang out. And then she rotates so we are face-to-face, human smile to beluga smile. No one will hear my gasp of joy or see the tears filling up my face mask. From here it's back to Churchill for the night before heading home. I've put a dent in my bucket list. And the image counter on my camera is well over 1,000. This adventure is coming to an end, yet something is telling me it's only the beginning. Something down deep – like Hudson Bay deep – has changed. It would be impossible to not be altered in some way after catching a fish twice my age, sharing the tundra with the family affair Dozens of lodges and outfitters across Manitoba's north can help you catch a monstrous fish or click an award-winning photograph of a polar bear. But there's one name you'll hear most often – Webber. Back in 1967, Doug and Helen Webber, r esidents of Churchill, stepped into the waterfowl guiding business with a c anvas‑covered hut at Dymond Lake, about 30 kilometres out of town. Today, there are eight lodges in the Webber empire, ranging from remote caribou camps to luxurious ecolodges. "I could never have done any of this without the help of my family," said Doug upon receiving Travel Manitoba's Award of Distinction in 2012. "They've been with me every step of the way from that very first summer. Everyone helped out every season. All of our lodges are family-run and many of our guests appreciate that. My family deserves this award as much as I do." Doug and Helen's daughter Jeanne and her husband, Mike Reimer, now run the business, but that doesn't mean the Webbers are out of the picture. Far from it. During my stay at North Knife Lake Lodge, I watched Helen in the kitchen offering pointers to Riley, a 20-something chef-intraining. She then took a call from Doug, an accomplished pilot, who had just landed at Seal River Heritage Lodge with Barney, his beloved Cessna 185. They talked clients, supplies and the weather. It's a conversation they've been having for 48 years. "See you for supper!" Helen chirped before pressing "end" on the satellite phone. p20-25_MadeinMan.indd 25 world's largest carnivore and floating in a bay with a couple hundred belugas. The north, once again, has stolen my heart. The Fishing to Polar Bears Adventure is eight nights/nine days, departing from Winnipeg, $9,795. ℹ webberslodges.com, churchillwild.com/ adventures Go with caA Go wild in the north. Experience your own Bear Country Adventure with CAA and the Great Canadian Travel Company. The trip includes airfare, two nights in Churchill and close encounters of the bear kind. Priced from $1,975. cooking with cred Helen Webber's kitchen in her Churchill home would make any home cook – and even a few professional chefs – squeal with delight. Double ovens, cupboards galore and a massive island are just the beginning. Sure it's beautiful, but it's also a necessity. This is where, to varying degrees, a good portion of the food served at all the lodges under the Webber umbrella is prepared. Visitors will cherish their encounters with belugas and that first sighting of a herd of caribou, and they'll never forget the food. Webber's has a well-deserved reputation for serving some of the finest food anywhere. And not just outstanding because you're at a lodge or remote camp. It would grace the fanciest tables in the world. Helen, along with co-author Marie Woolsey, has penned a quartet of hefty cookbooks along with five mini cookbooks featuring the dishes served at these lodges. The books are sprinkled with tips on how to cook caribou and get the most out of your haul of Arctic blueberries, but they're not just for those with a life in the north. My well-used (and not so clean anymore) set includes sticky-note-tagged pages for my favourite cheese biscuit recipe and a killer broccoli salad. When I ask Helen about her inspiration, knack for organization or serious knife skills, she answers in her typical low-key fashion. "I like to cook," she says. • –S.Z. ℹ blueberriesandpolarbears.com 13-04-12 1:06 PM

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