Wednesday was a day off so we took the opportunity to take a coach bus tour to Portage Glacier.

We took the People Mover city bus downtown to a company-owned hotel where the bus would depart.

We settled into seats of our choosing, along with eight other people. Two of the people we recognized as fellow employees. This proved to be a blessing.

The glacier was an hour away. As the bus driver drove, he was quiet. We all took in the scenery. The highway we traveled on hugs the shoreline of Turnagain Arm, made famous by Captain Cook. I love this fact given that we snorkeled at the Captain Cook Inlet in Hawaii. The location Captain James Cook first landed on the island and the location of a memorial statue of him. (Side note – I highly recommend snorkeling here!)

We were making good time when suddenly the bus driver turned right, into The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Every passenger was confused.

The bus driver told us all to be back to the bus by 4:30pm. We would depart then.

Two men from Europe first spoke up, asking why we were here. Another passenger piped up stating that the glacier tour was at 4:30pm, so we couldn’t stay that long.

The bus driver showed us his itinerary. It did not mention the glacier at all. Only the conservation area.

He called the office and wasn’t able to convey the issue, so a fellow employee got on the phone to explain the situation.

I felt bad for the driver. He was definitely flustered.

Eventually that got straightened out. We were given a 45 minute window to enjoy the conservation center.

I’m not a zoo person let alone a conservation center person. I like animals. But I also prefer to see them in their natural habitats, if at all. I definitely didn’t need to see any bison, as Colorado and Wyoming have plenty of those.

Derek and I walked around a bit. We looked at the Coyote and commented to one another how it seemed sad. The Coyote kept walking in the same path. A long figure eight of dirt, the path worn by his repeated pacing. The same was true for a Porcupine. Walking a short and straight path in front of the pen.

Each animal pen told a story of the animal and why it was there. Most claiming to have been rescued from a situation. The Coyote, for example, was left behind by its family. But we questioned as to if they really rescued them.

It was time to head back to the bus. We climbed aboard and settled into our seats. Suddenly we heard a woman from our bus yell at the bus driver, her finger pointing at him. This seemed unnecessary given that he was given the wrong itinerary.

She got onboard, the driver in his seat, and off we went to the glacier. A short 15 minute drive.

(End of part one of this story)