Their Outdoor Dream

Quiet Walker Lodge For more information, visitwww.quietwalkerlodge.com

DURANGO, Iowa -- Tucked into the wooded bluffs a few miles northof Dubuque, a pair of couples has created a retreat for othertwosomes.

Quiet Walker Lodge Bed and Breakfast Inn includes a renovatedlodge and the addition of a expansive house that can accommodateseveral more guests.

Although the renovated location got its start in the midst of theGreat Recession, the new owners say they are making progressestablishing the bed and breakfast in the tri-state area hospitalityindustry.

The re-creation of the getaway marks the fulfillment of a planhatched several years ago by Carol and Mike Chalberg, along withLinda and Jim Rodrigues.

"Three years ago, we all had a dream of something special wherepeople could come and enjoy the outdoors," said Carol Chalberg, theinnkeeper at Quiet Walker Lodge.

Wakatanka House

Chalberg, an Iowa native, said she has always wanted to work inhospitality given her enjoyment of art, cooking and interior design.

For her part, Linda Rodrigues, who now works for the DubuqueCommunity School District, enjoys gardening. She now manages thelandscaping for the Quiet Walker Lodge property.

When the two couples, who were friends and neighbors in the SanFrancisco Bay area, decided on a plan to start a bed and breakfastof their own, they went on a comprehensive search to find a propertyand a region that appealed to them.

They looked over areas in Washington, Pennsylvania, Virginia,Colorado and more.

Finally, Dubuque and an eight-acre property for sale in theDurango area caught their attention.

"We were really pleased to find there were a lot of things goingon in the area, a lot of things we could contribute to by having alodge for guests," Carol Chalberg said.

Linda Rodrigues said she was looking for a region with goodhealth care services, strong education and a healthy tourismindustry. She also thought Dubuque seemed "sustainable andprogressive" - both of which appealed to her.

"We came out and looked at (the property) and looked at the areaand fell in love with it," Linda Rodrigues said.

The original property included a bed and breakfast that was builtin the 1970s, and was expanded to include additional rooms and aprivate residence in the 1990s.

They reopened the original lodge in September 2008. They thenbuilt the Wakatanka House - which in Native American means GreatSpirit - to add to the property. Chalberg did not release thepurchase price of the property, but said the addition andrenovations were about

$1 million.

Finishing construction on the Wakatanka House took a bit longerthan planned; it was a two-year process before everything was up andrunning in 2010.

The new owners hope the result is the romantic getaway they hadenvisioned. They say it offers a country feel just a few minutesfrom city amenities.

The property, which now has 10 rooms, nine of which can beoccupied at one time, due to zoning rules, is geared toward couples.Children and pets are not allowed.

Young guests

In the first months of operation, many of the guests have beenyounger couples looking to take part in outdoor activities likehiking and biking. They have been coming from around the tri-states, with a growing number from the Chicago area.

It has not always been easy, however, getting into thehospitality business during the height of the recession and monthsthat followed.

"It's a challenge for everyone. Even in our lodging association,everyone has had to make adjustments, some in rates, some in theamount of amenities people have. That is where we are in the worldtoday, that's the reality of the economy," Chalberg said.

But word is spreading, and Rodrigues said it is doing much betterthis year than the previous year. Numbers have been up substantiallyeach month compared to the year before, Chalberg said.

"We are positive in the next two to three years that we willdefinitely have more people," she said.

The busiest months have been in September and October, and theQuiet Walker Lodge owners are hoping to pull in more traffic duringthe weekdays.

The new owners have had success drawing in business through theirwebsite. People like making reservations from their phones, and theywant Internet access on their getaways.

"They really want the technology there in the natural setting.We've kind of focused that way," Rodrigues said.

Chalberg said she was somewhat surprised by the number of peopleyounger than 40 who have stayed in the first years of the businessoperation. She attributes that in part to the computer-savvy youngergenerations finding them quickly.

The owners have hosted some small weddings at the site, a fewconventions and small business retreats.

Now that construction is finished on the Wakatanka House, theowners are putting more attention into adding new amenities. Theyhave an English garden and English tea room where they hope to startoffering tea in the afternoon.

A wine tasting will start sometime this fall, featuring nativeIowa wines. Chalberg said they are planning to only offer wines fromoutside a 30-mile radius so as to not compete with the wineries thatare close by.

"I don't want to cause other people to be affected by the economybecause now there's one more wine tasting," she said.

Rodrigues manages two greenhouses on the property. She is workingon completing a songbird garden in front and other efforts to buildup the natural surroundings.

The property includes five acres of forest, where an intern isassisting with wildlife management.

"We want it to be an educational place too for people as far asconservation," Rodrigues said.