RYE, COLORADO
The Craftsman Lodge in Rye is rolling out their newest attraction, the Mountain View Retreat. A Dome house. And, with the unusual comingling of a direct delivery from China combined with the stellar American work of Stars and Bars, the outcome is worth a serious look if you or visiting family are looking for a peaceful, tranquil, break from the hectic pace of your normal life.
Catherine Blanton and husband Don Gibb had semiretired to Florida to live near Don’s mom. But the Florida heat soon got old so they decided to explore some areas they thought they might enjoy living. The way they did it was rather unique. No, they didn’t spend hours and hours on a realty website, or contact Chamber of Commerce’s around the country and inundate themselves with brochures, they became house sitters. They house sat in areas of the country they were interested in. One of those areas was Rye/Colorado City. Three times, winter, summer and fall, they stayed in a home owned by Ava and John Castanha. They were sold on the area.
Through John and Ava they met Jennifer and Derek Marino who owned the Craftsman Lodge. The Marino’s had already set up a VRBO site for the property, so it was easy to take over the short-term rental. In 2016, despite crazy prices, they bought the lodge in August and officially opened for business on September 1.
That’s history, but the Mountain View Retreat Dome House is current news.
Part of the original house was a “mud room” set on top of the Inn’s well house where the water supply entered the facility. The shed was already old and getting older when Cathy and Don bought it. They began thinking about what to do with the old building.
“The first idea that came to us was to have a greenhouse,” Blanton shared. “But we decided against that. Then Don researched Yurts. But we felt that was too basic. We wanted something that would expand the service of the lodge and protect the well house.”
“Most yurts are built on a wood platform and that would have made us susceptible to the pipes freezing.”
Gibb continued his research and came upon the dome. He found a supplier in China and with additional research decided to order directly and cut out the middle man.
Cathy describes the idea of sending a tidy sum of money to China. “It was a little nerve wracking sending that much money around the world, but for a few dollars extra, they not only got the building through customs but brought it here to Rye.”
Cathy and Don ordered a few other extras from the manufacturer, including an electronic shade over the roof, mosquito screen windows, and a solar exhaust fan.
A friend, Patty Knupp, who lives outside Hidden Creek, told Cathy and Don about Stars and Bars, a Colorado City company who did a deck on her house; and she had nothing but good things to say about the fine workmanship.
“We use local labor whenever we can,” shared Blanton. “Right now, we are living two hours from Yellowstone in Idaho, but in February we made a trip home and set down with Robert (Hewett) and talked about everything.”
From that day in February until a week ago, Robert and crew worked around guests, also installed a compost toilet and instant hot water heater for the shower and built a raised floor to protect the well head.
A spot above some stairs was initially thought to be a good storage location, but turned into a kids loft bedroom above the bathroom.
“Robert Hewett and his team from Stars and Bars has been wonderful to work with, and really made my dream come alive,” praised Blanton.
Blanton intends to have Mountain View Retreat in Glamping Hub soon, the Airbnb of camping. You can also reach their website craftsmanlodge@gmail.com or call (719) 989-0853.
“Even though we are going to be in Idaho for a little while,” Blanton summarized. “We love our place and it is still our home.”