Vacation Bargain - Retreat From Stress, Relax in the Earth, Sleep in the Simple Life

By Ronald Czarnecki

If you're ready for the vacation bargain of a lifetime, just pack your bag (one bag per family please), load up the car, and head on up to Salmon, Idaho. No need to make reservations because no one knows the secret of this haven in the hillside. Earth Day has passed, but this resort celebrates Earth Day 365 days a year. There are no swimming pools, no hot tubs or Jacuzzi's or saunas, no pretentious restaurants, and no expensive spas. There aren't any televisions or telephones and no Wi-Fi for your laptops. This resort is a total retreat to the basic elements of life. It will free you from the stresses of everyday life. It will take you back to Mother Earth who will "rock" you to sleep in the warm embrace of her simple life.




The cost per night to stay here is a mere $5 per night or $25 a month. There is, however, only one bed per room, so additional rooms may be necessary if you are taking the family. Each room is equipped with a mattress and a wood stove. The rooms double as bomb shelters, and if you're looking for gold, bring your panning gear, your picks, and your shovels. Leave the cell phones at home 'cause they don't work here.



No need to worry about the expenses of entertainment or which show to see. Your entertainment will be provided at no additional charge. Your host plays a great guitar, sings, and plays the harmonica. He "rocks" the walls with his rendition of the "Wabash Cannonball." "Dugout Dick" has been invited many times to play his songs for the "Tonight Show," "Good Morning, America," and TV stations as far away as Germany. Dick has turned them all down as he wants to keep his life as simple as possible. He is no longer adding on to his tourist mecca. He has tired of the rigors of construction, so his resort will grow no larger than the fourteen rooms he has spent nearly 63 years building. He spends his time now posing for photos and sketches, guiding tours around the resort, signing autographs, and renting out his rooms. On a good day he makes as much as $40. When he does, he feels like he's "livin' high on the hog."



"Dugout Dick" has been happy for the last several years renting out his rooms to tourists from as far away as Spain and England. He dug his rooms into the hillside, so they have incredible views looking down on the Salmon River. Some of the rooms are as long as 100 feet into the hillside. He is totally devoted to the "green theme" making use of the local rock, the native fir trees, mud, straw, and recycled doors, glass, tires and windshields. The plumbing is, of course, all outdoors. He has not been beholden to anyone. There are no bills to pay except for the gas he needs when he drives his truck to massage his knee with the shaking gear shift knob.



"Dugout Dick," a WWII veteran, arrived in Salmon River in 1947. Originally from Indiana, he "rode freight trains with railroad tramps, herded sheep, and dug for precious metals." The digging inspired him to dig his own home in the hillside. Once he started, his pick, shovel, chisel, and hammer kept moving. According to Tim Woodward of The Idaho Statesman "One cave led to another, and the legend of "Dugout Dick," the Salmon River Caveman was born." He spent 54 years digging his rooms, tending his goats and his garden, making his own shoes, and even his own yogurt. In 2002 Dugout Dick broke his hip and had to spend 17 days away from his home on the river. He couldn't stand the food, and it was the longest time he ever spent away from the river. From then on he walked with a cane. At 93 he was moved by a friend to a care center in Salmon because of his failing health. Soon after his arrival he tired of the bingo, the TV, and the "boarding house" food. He walked out and hitchhiked home to his cave on the river.



Richard Zimmerman "lived an essentially 19th century lifestyle, a digital-age anachronism who never owned a telephone or a television and lived almost entirely off the land." He was a model of perseverance and determination. He worked for no one, only himself. His building required no permits, no inspections, and no fees. He didn't need the government or the banks. He didn't need a mortgage. Richard did not have to keep up with his neighbors. He didn't need any credit cards to buy the things he saw on television, because he never owned a television. He had no minimum monthly payments. He was never stressed by the evening news, politics, wars, bosses, or social entanglements. His social entanglements were two and they were both short-lived. He had a short marriage to a pen-pal bride from Mexico, and his other female companion tired of living in the cave, "left him for a job as a potato sorter and was murdered by her roommate." His normally sweet dreams were occasionally interrupted by the haunting visits of her ghost. Richard was the definition of the free spirit. The only assistance he accepted was a pittance for an Army disability that came very late in his life and an occasional Sunday dinner and bath at a neighbor's across the river from him. He didn't attend church, but he often quoted the Bible. Richard was his own man. He answered to himself and to his God, and to no one else.



Unfortunately, I missed meeting Dugout Dick. I would have enjoyed talking to him and would have cherished a picture taken with him at my side. I would have respectfully requested his autograph. I would have loved to spend some time at his Salmon River Caveman Resort. It is too late now. The resort is closed. Richard Zimmerman, 94, passed away on April 21, 2010 in Salmon, Idaho. He will be missed by his dog, his cats, and his guitars. He had no stress; he was relaxed in the earth; and he slept well in his simple life. He will rest now with God, recalling the warm embrace of his beloved Mother Earth.



Ronald Czarnecki, EzineArticles.com contributor and recently published author of "Shop for Sleep and Survive the Bite" offers consumers the first "how to" guide for mattress shopping. The career veteran of the retail mattress world breaks the "code of silence" and uncovers the map to the "good night's rest" we all deserve.



For more information visit Ron at: http://www.shopforsleep.com or join him on his blog site at: http://www.sleeplessandtired.com