Let’s go camping

Humboldt's Base Camp hits all the right "glamping" notes. It's got all the fun of camping, without the leaky tents and long hikes to the bathroom. Reporter Vickie Moss shares her experience from a night at one of the posh cabins.

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October 30, 2020 - 3:33 PM

Base Camp, the newest venture from A Bolder Humboldt, offers a traditional camping experience with a twist. It’s adjacent to the Southwind Trail and includes a BMX bicycle skills course, bicycle repair and storage, and more. Photo by Vickie Moss / Iola Register

I grew up camping with a large extended family. 

We started with tents. That is, the adults had tents. Us kids crowded into the backs of station wagons or slept under the stars on a lounge chair held together with strips of thin plastic. 

Eventually the adults graduated to RVs and pop-up campers. That left the tents for the kids, the cars for the husbands who snored and the lounge chairs for the inebriated.

Along the way I’ve discovered a few truths about camping:

• Sitting around a campfire with friends is one of life’s best experiences. Bonus if said friends play guitar and sing.

• It always storms. Always. Plan on the worst storm of the summer.

• Your campground coincides with the annual Grand Mosquito Conference. They appreciate the free buffet.

• Camping is a lot of work. The trade-off for a good time is a sleepless night on an uncomfortable surface in cramped quarters. 

But what if you could get all the fun without the unpleasant parts?

No leaky tents. No wondering if thin metal poles will withstand gusts of wind. No hiking to fill water jugs or use the bathroom.

Some call it “glamping”: glamorous camping. It’s a chance to enjoy the outdoors but retreat into luxurious amenities when “roughing it” is too rough.

Base Camp Humboldt hits just the right glamping notes. Three cabins offer a sophisticated space to relax after a long day bicycling on the nearby Southwind Trail, or navigating through a BMX bicycle obstacle course, or canoeing around the pond.

Cabin ChesiniPhoto by Vickie Moss / Iola Register

THE REGISTER treated me to an overnight stay at Base Camp last week, in order to truly appreciate what A Bolder Humboldt’s newest venture had to offer.

I invited my friend, Damaris Kunkler, to stay with me. We asked a few friends to stop by later to enjoy a campfire and music, including Beth Barlow, who led the Base Camp project.

As luck would have it, I’d picked Thursday, Oct. 22, a beautiful, sunny but windy day where the temperature reached a balmy 84 degrees. Of course, it’s Kansas, so that means the temperature would drop more than 40 degrees by bedtime. That’s when the storm rolled in. 

Because it always storms.

Local youth enjoy canoeing on the pond.Photo by Vickie Moss / Iola Register

I arrived a bit past the 3 p.m. check-in, pulling into the driveway just east of B&W Trailer Hitches on the outskirts of the city, instantly surrounded by trees and adventure. 

To my right was the BMX skills course. I found myself wishing I had the ability to hop on a bike and roll around it. The path weaves in and out over numerous obstacles, mostly small hills built from wooden planks. You’ll also encounter rocks, banked curves, a silo and even a teeter-totter to test your balance. The centerpiece is a tall wooden platform with your choice of exit ramps: wood or dirt. 

A group of about a dozen local children arrived soon after me, around the time school let out. I lived vicariously through them for a moment, but only a couple were brave enough to try the big ramp.

Owen Works rides his bicycle down the tallest ramp.Photo by Vickie Moss / Iola Register

My stomach clenched as I watched Owen Works zoom down the steep decline, then catch a little air as he popped up over the next (much smaller) double ramp like he was in some sort of bicycle ballet.

I could’ve done that, 35 years ago. I watched “Rad,” like, 187 times.

Just past the skills course is a stunning structure dubbed “the bike barn.” The wood planks on the outside have been scorched and waterproofed using a Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique. Frosted glass garage doors, three of them, contribute to the elegant yet rustic feel of the large barn. 

Extended overhangs on three sides offer plenty of room for tables and chairs, including what was probably my favorite spot: a heavy-duty porch swing with an actual mattress as the seat. 

I could have sat there for hours, maybe even fell asleep under the lights strung through the rafters. 

Inside you’ll find bathrooms, an open gathering space with couches and chairs, and a large kitchen. It’s fun, bright and colorful, with a graffiti wall and a chalkboard sign where guests can leave messages for those to come.

The garage doors lead to a bicycle workshop, hence the moniker “bike barn.” Several bikes are stored there, along with space designated for bicycle repair. Visitors don’t even need their own bikes; you can just borrow one.

Again, I was tempted… but I didn’t want to break any bones before I’d had a chance to explore the rest of the site.

Extended overhangs at the “bike barn” offer comfortable gathering spots.Photo by Vickie Moss / Iola Register

On the far side of the bike barn is a pathway to the Southwind Trail and a couple of very inviting hammocks (yes, I accepted). 

Fire pits are found throughout the property, offering plenty of places for groups to congregate.

A small parking lot leads to a walking path, which moseys around the pond to provide access to a canoe, two kayaks and a paddle board. You can fish the stocked pond, catch-and-release only. 

Here’s the best part: Except for the cabin rental, it’s all free and open to the public.

The bike barn includes a full-sized kitchen.Photo by Vickie Moss / Iola Register
A gathering space inside the bike barn.Photo by Vickie Moss / Iola Register

Caretaker Stephanie Marchesi, along with her partner and their daughter, live on site. Stephanie is available to answer questions and take care of guests.

I met Stephanie as she was cleaning the cabins, and we sat for a quick interview before Damaris and friends arrived. (Read Stephanie’s story here.)

The three cabins are located on the far side of the pond, spread out to give ample privacy but also close enough together so a large group (family reunion, birthday party, yoga retreat) could rent all three. 

You’ll find them on Airbnb with exotic names that reference bicycle makers: Cabin Alcyon, Cabin Bianchi and Cabin Chesini. For simplicity, they’re A, B and C. 

Each has a loft area with either two twin beds or a full-sized bed, and an alternate sleeping option like the Murphy bed or a futon that can be expanded into a bed.

I chose Cabin C, Chesini, because it comes with a Murphy bed. I’m not a fan of the kind of stairs that lead to lofts, but these stairs were wide and manageable. Still, they’re loft stairs so they were just a little scary, especially if you make frequent trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Inside the cabin, you really appreciate the attention to detail. Credit Beth Barlow for that. 

“Design doesn’t take much more effort or money,” she explained. “You have to have a roof, so why not give it an interesting pitch?”

And you have to have some sort of siding, so why not torch it with the Shou Sugi Ban technique? 

You need towels, so make them the giant, fluffy kind you’d find at a five-star hotel. 

And, to the utter delight of everyone who visited us Thursday, if a cabin is going to have a bathroom, why not make it something you’d find at a luxury spa?

A bathroom doesn’t seem like something anyone should get excited about, but wait until you walk into this one. 

We’re camping, remember. This isn’t some dinky little RV bathroom, where you’re sitting halfway in a shower every time you use the toilet. This is a full-sized bathroom. No, make that extra-sized, with a large walk-in shower and a huge sink and vanity.

There’s also a kitchenette, with a deep sink and a cool mini-fridge with disco-blue lights. Cabinets made by a local woodworker hide amenities like a microwave, dishes and even the bedding for the Murphy bed.

I was also impressed at how the sliding glass doors minimized noise, and provided a great view of the pond. Inside the cabin was very quiet and peaceful.

The stairs to the loft, with its two twin beds and skylight. The beds could be combined to make one larger bed.Photo by Vickie Moss / Iola Register

OUR FRIENDS arrived around 7. 

By now I felt like quite the Base Camp expert, so I served as a sort of childlike tour guide to co-worker Richard Luken. I ran around the now-empty bike course, on foot but still wishing I was fit enough for a bicycle: “Check this out. Look at this. Imagine you’re doing this on a bike. Isn’t it awesome?”

Humboldt PRIDE conducted their meeting at the camp, and Matt Korte hung around with his guitar. 

With Beth leading us, we filled a wagon with firewood (free! precut! stacked!) and walked the gorgeous lighted path back to the cabin. 

As we sat around the campfire, Matt and Damaris played guitar and serenaded us with 90s hip hop and pop songs converted to country and bluegrass.

Wind blew a cloud of campfire smoke over me and I drifted in time, lost in the moment. I was carefree, surrounded by nature and camaraderie. 

That’s what camping is all about…

“We need a forklift to the loading dock.”

The metal squawk from a loudspeaker at neighboring B&W cut into the moment, reminding me that we were still in Humboldt. 

Our friends dispersed as the first bolts of lightning lit up the western sky. Damaris and I extinguished the remains of the fire before retreating to the comfort of the cabin.

I braved the stairs to sleep in the loft, because this night was about having an experience, after all. And I wanted to watch the lightning from the skylight. 

It always storms when you camp. This time, I could simply enjoy it. 

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