China Poot Bay, Alaska Jan. 5, 2004 The Harper Hideaway Report recently named Michael and Diane McBride's Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge one of "the worlds best" small resorts. Twenty-four destinations were named worldwide, and Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge is among only eight in the United States that are stringently judged to be worthy of the title "Grand award Winner".

In the three decades of the Lodge's existence it has won many accolades, including feature articles in Connoisseur, Gourmet, The New York Times, Vogue, Atlantic Monthly, Travel and Leisure, Outside and a host of others. One writer says, "Guest facilities are painstakingly designed to be a perfect blend of the man-made with the local ecology, it fits perfectly with the environment". It was featured as a prime example of ecotourism excellence at seminars on the subject in Irkutsk and Khabarovsk in Siberia and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The cozy lodge and lovely chalets share this special distinction with small resorts that are "intimate in size and located in peaceful and scenically pleasing surroundings". Other winners can be found in the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean/Bahamas and Canada. Each has been judged by an evaluator traveling incognito who makes a booking as a fully paid guest. For 30 years the Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge has been the solitary year round residence facing an estuary surrounded by a splendid panorama of forest, sea, and mountains about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage on the tip of the Kenai Peninsula.

The McBrides have deliberately kept the facility small in spite of great demand for reservations. During the 5 day-4 night stay the guests get to know the dedicated staff of 8, all of whom have great awareness of and appreciation for the natural world. There are staff specialists in archeology, marine biology, geology, botany and birding.

"We have been incredibly lucky" Diane says, "to have found this spectacular place when we were newly married and full of energy. We raised our children here on home schooling and shared the adventures of learning subsistence skills and travels around the world as part of their educations." "We were lucky in other ways too", Michael adds, "this area is documented as one of the richest marine ecosystems on earth, the abundance of fresh seafood, birds and wildlife is astounding. It is a living classroom."

Author/photographer Boyd Norton* notes that "a thousand episodes on the Discovery Channel couldn't come close to giving you the enriching experience of spending a few hours with Michael or Diane around a tide pool. Their knowledge of marine biology alone is astounding." Seals, sea otter, sea lion, bears and even whales can be seen from the lodge decks. They offer soft or vigorous adventures which range from relaxing amidst spectacular views of snow capped peaks and unnamed glaciers or their "tri-etalon" a two person sea kayak paddle, followed by a hike to a rainbow trout lake where there are canoes, another paddle and an ascent of China Poot Peak, and back in time for dinner. The large variety of personally guided activities can include float plane fly outs for brown bear viewing, fly fishing or Heli-hiking in alpine meadows.

But how did they win the international award we ask? They answer, "It was lots of hard work diligently performed for a long period of time". Andrew Harper says it was because the product of their handiwork "exudes an inviting sense of warmth and charm conducive to a relaxing stay and that the owners and staff possess a passionate commitment to personal service".

"Added to our good fortune is that we get to live in this wonderful part of the world which generously sustains and nurtures us. We just love being here and nothing is more fun or rewarding than sharing it with our guests."

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* Alaska: Wilderness Frontier, Readers Digest Press; Divided Twins: Alaska and Siberia collaboration with Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Viking Press