Just in the Nick of Time

Oh, oh, what a feeling! To drive.....a tour bus (sang to the tune of the old Toyota commercial). 

I passed my dreaded driving test and can now get a Commercial Drivers License.  Whoopee - I'm so stoked!  I have been studying the last two months.  This is not child's play my friend.  The CDL is the hardest thing I have ever studied to get. This is coming from a gal who received a Correctional Officer certification - think pepper spray in the face and defense training for 3 weeks, and was Flight Attendant certified - think Jump, Jump, Jump, out and down the emergency escape slide - one month, non-paid (did it twice).  

I passed just in the nick of time.  Haines will have our first Cruise Ship for the season,
and it comes tomorrow (Wednesday 25th)! I wont be driving the bus yet because I still have to get a medical exam before I become a card carrying CDL driver, but I will be standing at the Cruise Ship dock greeting the happy tourists and inviting them to take one of the excellent tours we offer at Rainbow Glacier Adventures.  Sweet!

The "Gold Rush to Porcupine Creek" tour is not available yet, the first tour is scheduled for next Monday the 28th (Memorial Day here in the good ole USA). I'm getting hyped for it!

I spent 4 hours on Monday in a "Guiding in Bear Country" training class.  It was fun meeting guides from the other tour companies in Haines.  I was highly entertained as we discussed what to do in different scenarios involving bears and tourists.  Most of these guides are pros and have first hand experience with people trying to get up close and personal with the bears because they forget they aren't watching TV anymore, comical stuff.

When you are guiding in Haines Alaska the question isn't, 

"What will you do IF you see a bear?",  it is "What will you do WHEN you see a bear?"  

Haines has a nice size bear population, of both brown bears (grizzly) and black bears.  Easy bear viewing at Chilkoot River is one of the reasons I was attracted to move to Haines.  The bears get big and fat on the large "salmon runs" during the summer.  I'm a huge fan of bears. I read and watch anything and everything about bears.  Yes, I liked Grizzly Man (the movie).  And yes, I'm a fan of Timothy Treadwall, the bear enthusiast who lived with bears for 13 seasons before getting mauled and eaten by one (along with his girlfriend).  I joke about moving to Alaska to be "Grizzly Girl" some day.  Hey, if we all have to die anyways....why not have it be exciting?  

Just kidding, I'll stick with "Gold Girl" for now. You don't have to worry about me trying to hug a bear with my tour group in tow.  I learned about bear safety, bear behavior and how to avoid confrontations with bears.  Though I will tell you, if I had to choose, I would rather be attacked by a brown bear.  Brown bears mainly attack people on the defense and will quit gnawing on you if you play dead.  Black bears, as rare as an attack is, mainly attack people as predators and plan to eat you....so fight like your life depends on it, because it does. 

Just remember this, when your visiting Haines Alaska, it is safer to stay in groups....so go on a tour!

Yeah, that sounded like an advertising plug didn't it?  Well, I'm gearing up for tomorrow to sell tours to the masses.  Shoot, tomorrow has quickly become today. 

** remember the Correctional Officer training I told you about.  This is how pepper spray looks on my face.