Home is Where the Heart is

Linda and John Unland prove a little creativity and a love of the outdoors are all it takes to turn Teton dreams into a reality.

Linda and John Unland share how they turned a Teton dream into a reality.

Few are those who can say they’ve changed their lives to realize their dream. Meet Linda and John Unland, East Coasters who relocated to Edwards, Colorado, who’ve made their Teton dream a reality. First, it was the 52 acres they purchased 15 years ago, over the pass near Driggs. The verdant property stretches along the foothills and comes replete with a terrific view of the Grand. It proved the perfect place to imbue their two sons with a sense of wilderness.

During those early ownership days, temporary tents allowed summer camping, but the Unlands kept thinking about a bed and breakfast that recalled their 2004 family vacation in Africa. With the help of the Dery brothers, builders in Driggs, they added a well house combined with a basic bathroom and shower. Next came three Trex platforms followed by two large Montana Canvas wall tents and a cook tent. Finally, they added the 30-foot-in-diameter Pacific Yurt that was built to make the most of that beautiful Teton view.

Suddenly, what had started as a dream for a unique type of B&B instead became the reality of an elegant way of living with the land while communing with family and friends. The seasonal getaway evolved into a new home, and the Colorado home became the seasonal getaway. The Unlands love it. Their sons love it. Even their dogs, Smudge and Aggie, love it.

Inside the yurt is a treasure trove of Bergmeyer furnishings, including beds, armoires and desks. There’s a hardwood floor and an elegant woodstove. Moving to the cook tent, there’s a Coleman cooktop, an outdoor refrigerator and a blizzard of candles. In the camp tents you’ll find two beds and a woodstove, braided rugs and Pendleton blankets. The bathhouses are fully functional and warmly inviting.

Their den is outdoors, a quick saunter beneath a willow arbor, across a bridge over a trickling stream and up a set of stairs. From this vantage point you can bask in sunrise or sunset colors while taking in the magnificent 360-degree view.

“We’re outdoor people; it’s in our core,” says Linda. She walks her talk, teaching downhill and Nordic skiing. Behind her stands a rack of mountain bikes and a tandem kayak. “It’s just where we prefer to be.”

“We have quite a traditional mountain house in Edwards,” adds John. “But it doesn’t compare to the feeling here.” Since finding their way to Idaho, they’ve linked themselves to the world via Internet, and they conduct their communications by telephone, computer and XM. John and Linda run and own their own company, a global marketing communications and strategy firm, and the sides of the yurt glow with lights burning late into the night.

As the Unland’s settle into their soft-sided Idaho home, only one challenge remains: they’d like to live in the yurt year-round. This January, they plan to try. You’ll find them nestled next to the woodstove at work on their various projects, but plum in the middle of their bliss, listening not only to CNN’s news coverage but to the horned owls and coyotes as well.