A polar bear is seen walking along the road as the Olympic Flame arrives in Churchill, Man., Nov. 8, 2009. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

CHURCHILL, Man. - Day 10 of the cross-Canada Olympic torch relay got off to a fitting start in Churchill, Man., the polar bear capital of the world Sunday.

Driving in from the airport with the Olympic flame, the convoy had to stop to allow a polar bear to cross the road.

A mix of tourists, in town for the polar bear season, and residents with Canadian flags, all appeared equally happy to see the flame as they lined the streets on the torch run through town.

The head of the World Wildlife Fund Canada handed off the torch to a young man on a giant tundra vehicle, who rode the massive machine along the beach and past a giant Inukshuk.

Next stop on the torch relay is Alert, Nunavut, a military post on the northeastern tip of Ellesmere Island.

Twenty members of the post who call themselves "The Frozen Chosen" plan to run with the flame into the Arctic darkness, which lasts 24 hours-a-day this time of the year.