Fantasy Caravan Day 38, part 2 - Ranch Tour at Diamond M Ranch Resort

The owners, Blair & Ronna Martin, of Diamond M Ranch Resort offered to take us on a walk around their property.

They first took us to a planting of raspberry bushes...

...where we were welcomed to sample some of the fruit!

One of the structures that Blair has built -- inside it is a single building, but he built it to look like multiple old storefronts.

We picked up some branches that Blair had cut earlier... and carried them to the goat pasture...

... where the goats and the pigs and the emu enjoyed them.

The animals were all quite sociable. Behind me is the framing for a greenhouse that Blair hopes to cover with all weather material to create a greenhouse for growing vegetables.

Tom the Turkey was friendly and we got to feel how soft his wattle was.

Tom with his tail feathers all spread out

Some of the goats and the emu

We then walked through the llama pasture -- Nonna explained that the llama would come up to smell your breath to see what you've been eating and decide if they should follow you to be able to find the same food. They seemed to like what Cindy had been eating!

I don't think she liked what I'd been eating!

On to another pasture where there was an unsociable horse...

... and an unsociable steer (who is destined for "freezer camp" according to Blair)...

... and a friendly cow who would let folks sit on her as long as they gave her scratches.

Carl being a "Yee-Haw!" cowboy!

Carl thought that these benches with backs made from the tailgates of pickup trucks were pretty interesting...

... makes for an interesting firepit area. There is a tiny house being completed in the background.

Starlink on the silo next to the former milk barn. Blair and Nonna lived in the milk barn when they first lived on the farm; now one of their daughters lives there.

"Homesteaders cabin"

Inside the homesteaders cabin... there is a sleeping area in the rafters...

... all the comforts of home with the "necessary room" being an outhouse outside. Evidently this is rented pretty continuously in the summer!

They invited us to continue our visit with a walk through state park lands to the Kenai River -- they warned us that the path was rough, so some folks (including Carl) elected not to go.

Crossing a streambed

Walking on paths with high grass on both sides

Kenai River

Kenai River with Blair on the side with his llama felt hat

Our group partway along the river

Walking down the bank to the river

Our group down by the edge of the river

There were a couple of folks fishing from a boat just off the bank.

Kenai River

Heading back toward the farm and campground

The path was rough because there were roots across it -- Blair said it was because the plants were adapted to live in permafrost areas, and even though this area does not have permafrost (I think that's what I heard), the plants still have their roots close to the surface.

In the evening, we went to the deck on the second floor near the building that looked like old town buildings...

We had a view across the state park lands...

There are mountains out there, but we couldn't see them due to the clouds.

It was a nice place to have a dinner. One of Blair and Nonna's neighbors prepared a delicious dinner of chicken, reindeer sausage, and King Crab legs along with veggies...

I tried the crab legs -- I think I must be lazy because it just seemed like too much work for what you could get out of it! I cracked a couple and got the meat and passed the rest to someone else who would enjoy it more!

It was an interesting campground and an enjoyable afternoon and evening.