Enjoy learning more, below:
About the Kenai Performers
Review of the Peter Pan Play - Spring 2011
Kenai Performers Find New Location
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| "Contest at Cowlick" Grade School Summer Drama Camp 2009 |
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Kenai Performers: Great Hometown Theater!
Drama, music, dancing, and stage-crafting. It's all here, and the long winter makes for a perfect time to practice, practice, practice. Come February, the yearly "big" performance opens to the community and just about everybody finds a way to catch the show. Rave reviews are accompanying this year's play, Peter Pan, not surprising, with all the time and effort put into it! Great job, everyone.
Enjoy learning more, below:
About the Kenai Performers
Review of the Peter Pan Play - Spring 2011
Kenai Performers Find New Location
Kenai Performers also puts on smaller shows through-out the year, and a smash-bang summer drama camp for children and teens. Definitely a group to contact if you are coming up to Alaska, just to see if you might be able to catch an amazing 'home-town' performance while you are visiting, or, if you are here for a little while, to audition for a part, yourself!
Enjoy learning more, below:
About the Kenai Performers
Review of the Peter Pan Play - Spring 2011
Kenai Performers Find New Location
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Great New Online Resource for Visitors to Alaska
Be sure and visit our friends over on KPTMC's new blog. Lots of good stuff for Alaskan visitors there!
Visiting Alaska - Go Ski and Snowshoe!
Alaska offers so much by way of outdoor winter sports. For those interested in learning to snowshoe, here are some helpful links to help you make the most of your trail time!
Alaska's Master Snowshoe Maker (with pictures and video clips).
Snowshoe Guided Hikes (this is in Girdwood, a beautiful drive up from our Resort).
Tsalteshi Trails (we love this trail and ski it regularly, since it's right nearby, which means free guided snowshoe or cross-country skiing trips are very likely, should you stay with us during the winter time. Just ask). PDF Trail Map Here
Kenai National Wildlife Center Trails (beautiful trails, right nearby)
Alaska's Master Snowshoe Maker (with pictures and video clips).
Snowshoe Guided Hikes (this is in Girdwood, a beautiful drive up from our Resort).
Tsalteshi Trails (we love this trail and ski it regularly, since it's right nearby, which means free guided snowshoe or cross-country skiing trips are very likely, should you stay with us during the winter time. Just ask). PDF Trail Map Here
Kenai National Wildlife Center Trails (beautiful trails, right nearby)
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| Oldest daughter D.Anne Skiing on Tsalteshi Trail. Photo by Clark Fair |
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
RV with Harvest Hosts - Great Way for a FREE Night's Stay!
Sweet deal for RV enthusiasts! The Diamond M Ranch Resort just affiliated with Harvest Hosts, a membership program in the United States that provides RV owners with a free self-contained (no hook ups) night's stay at wineries, farms and ranches across the country. Nice!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Planning Your 2011 Alaskan Vacation - Which Month is Best? (Part 4 - JULY)
July in Alaska.
Swollen runs of salmon crackling the rivers with their electric arrival, excitement rippling through the banks and boats and beaches, those fishing lowering their nets and poles for the catch and, elsewhere, bald eagles and bears doing much the same.
Long stalks of fireweed exploding with bursts of pink's brightest hues, birch leaves thick, wild ferns unfurled into tall kingly fans, moss carpeting the forest in its fairy-tale way, wild blue geraniums shyly emerging out from the green, bushes laden with flowers-now-turning-into-berries.
Lakes fed by mountain streams and underground springs now warmed by summer's touch, perfect for wading into, for catching frogs and minnows, or for taking a canoe or kayak out, right into the very middle and then setting down the oars, shutting eyes to breathe, to listen to the loons, to bask in the deliciousness of the moment.
July in Alaska. What does it mean to you?
To be continued...
Swollen runs of salmon crackling the rivers with their electric arrival, excitement rippling through the banks and boats and beaches, those fishing lowering their nets and poles for the catch and, elsewhere, bald eagles and bears doing much the same.
 |
| Robert Jansen, one of our Work Camper Extraordinaires, on the Kenai River Bank |
Long stalks of fireweed exploding with bursts of pink's brightest hues, birch leaves thick, wild ferns unfurled into tall kingly fans, moss carpeting the forest in its fairy-tale way, wild blue geraniums shyly emerging out from the green, bushes laden with flowers-now-turning-into-berries.
Lakes fed by mountain streams and underground springs now warmed by summer's touch, perfect for wading into, for catching frogs and minnows, or for taking a canoe or kayak out, right into the very middle and then setting down the oars, shutting eyes to breathe, to listen to the loons, to bask in the deliciousness of the moment.
July in Alaska. What does it mean to you?
To be continued...
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Planning Your 2011 Alaskan Vacation - Which Month is Best? (Part 3 - JUNE)
June is the month where Alaska explodes in green. The cow moose have had their babies, and the little calves are always a treat to spot, hiding behind mother's legs, tripping along beside her as she walks, often with a twin brother or sister for company.
This bear (and his two brothers) came to visit the Kenai River estuary, just below our Viewing Deck, last May and early June. The bears wake up hungry after a winter's sleep. Omniverous animals, they often don't really mind what they eat, as long as they eat. Sometimes the handiest meal available, especially before the salmon come in, is the newborn moose calf, many of which succumb to the bear shortly after their birth.
Bears are usually not a problem for human beings, preferring to keep to themselves. As the saying goes, "they are more afraid of us than we are of them." It is always a treat to get to watch one of these amazing creatures moving, in that slow ambling way that bears do, through their natural environment.
In June, King Salmon begin heading up the rivers, many fishing enthusiasts delighting in the hunt for the "big one," barbeques sizzling with sumptuous the first fresh salmon steaks of the year. Out in the bountiful waters of the Cook Inlet, halibut guides aid their clients as they pull in the large flat fish, the ocean and the surrounding mountains looking on. And fishing for trout in a local lake or stream can almost be a magical experience during the month of June, the canoe floating silently along next to loons, lilly pads, and dragonflies, perhaps startling a family of ducks just around the bend. The water everywhere is teeming with life, the surrouding forests as well, and it all combines to produce a feeling of wonder and awe.
Visiting Alaska during the month of June is a treat for the senses. Whether you love to hike, fish, explore or take in the scenery, the wonders of the Far North are everywhere.
Feel free to leave comments, thoughts, tips and suggestions in the comments box below. Tell us what you know about visiting Alaska in June! We look forward to hearing from you.
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| Bear peeking his head up, just below Diamond M Ranch Resort |
Bears are usually not a problem for human beings, preferring to keep to themselves. As the saying goes, "they are more afraid of us than we are of them." It is always a treat to get to watch one of these amazing creatures moving, in that slow ambling way that bears do, through their natural environment.
In June, King Salmon begin heading up the rivers, many fishing enthusiasts delighting in the hunt for the "big one," barbeques sizzling with sumptuous the first fresh salmon steaks of the year. Out in the bountiful waters of the Cook Inlet, halibut guides aid their clients as they pull in the large flat fish, the ocean and the surrounding mountains looking on. And fishing for trout in a local lake or stream can almost be a magical experience during the month of June, the canoe floating silently along next to loons, lilly pads, and dragonflies, perhaps startling a family of ducks just around the bend. The water everywhere is teeming with life, the surrouding forests as well, and it all combines to produce a feeling of wonder and awe.
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| Kenai River, just below Diamond M Ranch Resort |
Feel free to leave comments, thoughts, tips and suggestions in the comments box below. Tell us what you know about visiting Alaska in June! We look forward to hearing from you.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Planning Your 2011 Alaskan Vacation - Which Month is Best? (Part 2 - MAY)
Click here for Part 1 (with thoughts on Winter, and April)
May is an astounding month here in the Great North. Snow may or may not be on the ground this month---and, even with the warmer temperatures, you still never know---snow may (or may not) fall from the sky at any time. Alaskans, delighted at the return of the long sunny days and the arrival of summer, are all ready to hang flower baskets on their porches, hungry for the green and the happy blooms full of color, but all Alaskans know that baskets hung outside in May are not guaranteed. A 60-degree day may still dip to below-freezing temperatures at night.
While the flower baskets might need to be brought in for the night, our native Alaskan plant species can handle the temperature dips just fine. It is astounding, for those who take a walk through the spruce-laden forests during the month of May, to see the many varieties of plants unfurling their way out of the ground, often right next to a slowly-thawing mound of snow!
The month of May is when the green suddenly explodes, the beginning of the month starting out with a mostly bare-looking earth, but within a short time-span, lawns are green, flowers are blooming and the vibrant richness of summer is fully engaging. If you were an Alaskan who was tapping your paper birch trees in April (see picture above), creating delicious syrups and wines from the bounty of birch sap gathered, you understand exactly why May culminates in an explosion of green. With such a rich Spring-time gathering of water and nutrients from the soil, what plant wouldn't?
Plants aren't the only things waking up. Migratory birds are in! It really is hard to describe with mere words the sense electricity and excitement that sparkles through the air when a huge flock of excited shore birds arrives. On the estuary that the Diamond M Ranch overlooks, we watch large groups coming in, the neat and tidy flocks exploding with joy as they arrive, circling and dipping and diving through the air, all the once-perfect-V-like arrangements breaking into a thousand happy feathered individual birds, celebratory honks and shrieks and cries of delight filling the air.
Alaska is the destination hot-spot for all sorts of winged species. Beginning in April and continuing through the month of May, you may see swans, loons, robins, hummingbirds, and a host of other birds arriving "home" to nest and raise their young. (For an excellent article on this topic here, information on shore birds here, water fowl here, and general info here).
One of the best things about visiting in May is that it will be friendly on your pocket book. The tourism and hospitality industry here in Alaska does a fantastic job of helping travelers experience our great state, and in May, since most people plan their trips to Alaska around the salmon run in July, you will have them almost entirely to yourself! Everyone is getting their cruises, guided tours and hospitality services ramped up and ready to go for the summer rush, but because of the smaller flow of people, May prices tend to be much lower than they will be in just a couple months.
For those wanting to experience Alaska, but without a lot of spare spending money, a vacation here during the month of May could be just what you are looking for. For example, here at the Diamond M Ranch, you could spend a week in a beautiful one bedroom apartment suite during the month of May, complete with a full kitchen and including your own private deck overlooking the Kenai River estuary, mountain ranges and more, and do it for about $200 less than you would in July!
Alaskan-dweller Lynne, who blogs here, had this to say about vacationing in Alaska during the month of May, providing vacationers with some great money-saving tips!
May is an astounding month here in the Great North. Snow may or may not be on the ground this month---and, even with the warmer temperatures, you still never know---snow may (or may not) fall from the sky at any time. Alaskans, delighted at the return of the long sunny days and the arrival of summer, are all ready to hang flower baskets on their porches, hungry for the green and the happy blooms full of color, but all Alaskans know that baskets hung outside in May are not guaranteed. A 60-degree day may still dip to below-freezing temperatures at night.
The month of May is when the green suddenly explodes, the beginning of the month starting out with a mostly bare-looking earth, but within a short time-span, lawns are green, flowers are blooming and the vibrant richness of summer is fully engaging. If you were an Alaskan who was tapping your paper birch trees in April (see picture above), creating delicious syrups and wines from the bounty of birch sap gathered, you understand exactly why May culminates in an explosion of green. With such a rich Spring-time gathering of water and nutrients from the soil, what plant wouldn't?
Plants aren't the only things waking up. Migratory birds are in! It really is hard to describe with mere words the sense electricity and excitement that sparkles through the air when a huge flock of excited shore birds arrives. On the estuary that the Diamond M Ranch overlooks, we watch large groups coming in, the neat and tidy flocks exploding with joy as they arrive, circling and dipping and diving through the air, all the once-perfect-V-like arrangements breaking into a thousand happy feathered individual birds, celebratory honks and shrieks and cries of delight filling the air.
Alaska is the destination hot-spot for all sorts of winged species. Beginning in April and continuing through the month of May, you may see swans, loons, robins, hummingbirds, and a host of other birds arriving "home" to nest and raise their young. (For an excellent article on this topic here, information on shore birds here, water fowl here, and general info here).
One of the best things about visiting in May is that it will be friendly on your pocket book. The tourism and hospitality industry here in Alaska does a fantastic job of helping travelers experience our great state, and in May, since most people plan their trips to Alaska around the salmon run in July, you will have them almost entirely to yourself! Everyone is getting their cruises, guided tours and hospitality services ramped up and ready to go for the summer rush, but because of the smaller flow of people, May prices tend to be much lower than they will be in just a couple months.
For those wanting to experience Alaska, but without a lot of spare spending money, a vacation here during the month of May could be just what you are looking for. For example, here at the Diamond M Ranch, you could spend a week in a beautiful one bedroom apartment suite during the month of May, complete with a full kitchen and including your own private deck overlooking the Kenai River estuary, mountain ranges and more, and do it for about $200 less than you would in July!
Alaskan-dweller Lynne, who blogs here, had this to say about vacationing in Alaska during the month of May, providing vacationers with some great money-saving tips!
"Sometimes breakup doesn't come until May. Might want to wait until first week of May. That is usually when they open Denali Park for first 30 miles to private vehicles. Just before tour buses start running. And May is great time to go to Homer for Halibut or salmon fishing. But don't rent an RV in May and expect many RV parks to be open. Usually not until Memorial Day. And if you drive north of Anchorage, dress warm. It has snowed and sleeted on us in May pretty often."Thanks, Lynne! (FYI, for those who RV, we are one of the few RV Parks that is open in May, and with great rates, too)! If you live in Alaska, or have visited here during the month of May, please feel welcome to share your thoughts, suggestions and tips in the comments box below.
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