We had a pleasant resident driver. Six people were booked, but only four (my crew) made it, so there was plenty of room in the transport. The Raptor Center was great, although, had we made it 45 minutes later, we'd have seen witnessed a speaker addressing us with a bald eagle on his arm about ten feet from the audience. As it was, the birds we saw (eagles, owls, and other raptors) were behind wire that made it difficult to get pics. The bears (two black and four brown) had ample room to roam. They provided ample opportunity for pics and were entertaining to watch. The guide was interesting and informative. It didn't compare to the kick of encountering one on a trail (a bear, not a guide), but it was still neat. We were wondering why one black bear had what appeared to be two six-foot strands of rope trailing from his butt. We were informed that they were actually tapeworms! I would bet you don't see that very often. It did not appear to bother the bear, and the speaker didn't seem concerned, but the gross out potential was high. Finally, we went to an interesting museum with many examples of native history, beautiful art, and various totem poles. There was a native wood-worker on site making a bent-wood box using hand tools. The excursion was enjoyable; I wish it had been longer in duration. Not booked through the ship, which saved some $.
Réponse de l'hôte
Oct 2019
Thank you for your review. Yes sometimes we get more than we planned for at the bear fortress such as "mating season" and as you saw when new cubs arrive, they have to be dewormed. I''m glad you had fun, please come again sometime.