Gusty wind slammed pellets of rain against the car as we drove along Turnagain Arm, making it difficult to see and even more difficult to motivate the passengers inside.
"Not even a beluga would be out on a day like this," my 11-year-old muttered from the backseat, peering across the mud flats at silty gray water and equally-gray skies.
We were on our way to Portage, where a menagerie of sorts awaited our presence and where, I hoped, a case of late-fall humdrums could be exorcized with some fresh air and animal magnetism.
The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center sits on 200 acres of tidal flats between Turnagain Arm and the entrance to Portage Valley. Known to longtime residents as for-profit Big Game Alaska, the center formally changed its name and mission in 1999 to a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for injured or orphaned creatures, and the conservation of species native to northern climates.
The mission has been so successful that a herd of 100 of the center's wood bison were released into the forests surrounding remote Shageluk in April after several years of carefully cultivating the species.
Quiet, unhurried encounters
From May through September, the center is a tourist hotspot — with hordes of buses, cars and crowds making their way around the property, hoping for a glimpse of animals that make Alaska famous.
Visitors, expected to reach 225,000 by the end of the year, click cameras and post selfies as moose, bears, musk ox, bison and elk roam their spacious enclosures. Some laugh at the antics of a cheeky porcupine named Snickers, and others gather around for bottle feedings of orphaned Sitka blacktail deer fawns, ooohing and ahhhing at the sight.
While we love to show off the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to friends and family who trek north for summer vacations, it's fall and winter that capture our attention. Quiet, unhurried encounters with the center's animals are intimate this time of year. Even in pouring rain or frigid weather.
Bundled up and armed with an annual membership pass that allows for a carload of my son's pals to accompany us for free, our cold-weather visits often represent the perfect solution for school in-service days or weekends. The combination of safe outdoor space coupled with an educational platform means thinking and moving, a win in my parenting book.
Aided by the efforts of a young staff, the center is working hard to expand its family-friendly experiences. Special events, family free days and plans for the completion of a new, child-centered space in 2016 put the center on our list of "What should we do today?" destinations.
Tour on foot or on kicksled
When there, consider moving about the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center property on foot. The center provides a map for those who prefer riding to walking in the colder months.
But sales and marketing director Scott Michaelis, a former intern, had an even better idea. He convinced the board to purchase a few kicksleds for use on snowy roadways, and instantly a long walk for children became a shortcut to fun.
We've tried it, and I can verify that the animals seem to enjoy it as much as the kids. Even Mukluk the musk ox left her hay rack to wander over and watch the antics on sunny day last winter, and the elk herd gathered together with wondering looks in our direction.
Even without snow, the center's recent renovations offer vistas for observing the daily life of resident animals. A sky bridge spans the black bear and brown bear enclosures, and new decking beyond the wood bison pastures offers a great way to see the many bird species of birds that frequent the center's watery backyard of Turnagain Arm, Placer River and Portage Creek.
Try visiting first thing in the morning or an hour or two before closing to hear a few sounds beyond the blustering of a male elk or the screeching of nearby eagles, who always seem to perch in dead trees left behind by the 1964 earthquake. Sometimes, as we walk along the boardwalk in the dead of winter, all we can hear is wind rattling the dry grass and the shifting of ice chunks as the tide rises along the Arm.
Sometimes, we fancy ourselves from another time, when the symbiosis between people and wildlife occurred without fences or interpretive signs.
Only when we get out of the car and feel the rain, wind or snow will our children understand that feeling.
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
• Location: Mile 79 Seward Highway (near Portage turnoff).
• Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (no entry after 4:30 p.m.) through Dec. 31. Weekends only, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (no entry after 4:30 p.m.) Jan. 2-Feb. 21. Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day.
• Admission: $12.50/adult; $9/youth 13-18, active military and seniors over 65. Kids 12 and under get in free. Family memberships begin at $75 a year and include free member events, a newsletter and admission for a car-load of passengers entering with the pass holder.
• Special events: Halloween pumpkins now being accepted with no paint or decorations attached as a gift to the animals; stop by and watch the critters nosh on this special treat. Saturday, Nov. 21, is Member Appreciation Day as a special thank you to supporters. Saturday, Nov. 28, is Thanksgiving free day for the public. The animals receive special treats for Thanksgiving.
• Tips: Dress for weather with hats that cover ears, gloves, snow pants or rain gear, and boots. Add hand warmers and a thermos of hot chocolate on cold days.
• Keep in mind: Kicksleds in a variety of sizes are available for borrowing. A gift shop and small snack bar are located in the welcome center, and visitors may eat lunches at the picnic tables. Be forewarned that it is cold in the snack bar.
Erin Kirkland is author of Alaska on the Go: Exploring the 49th state with children, and publishes the family travel website AKontheGO.com. Connect with her at e.kirkland0@gmail.com.