Meet Your Hosts - The Collins Family

Craig and Lerrina Collins took over the operation of Elk Lake Resort in May of 2004. Originally from Oregon, they were drawn to the area by the unsurpassed beauty and 'retreat-like' seclusion of the Centennial Valley. Drawing on their experience as former motel owners in another unique and beautiful valley, Craig's experience and background in construction and maintenance, Lerrina's skills and training in business management and bookkeeping, and their common love of the great outdoors, the Collins felt a move to this western Montana Lodge fit the bill perfectly!

They often hear the question, "How did you find this place?" Their answer is usually greeted with grins and chuckles.

It all began when they left their webbed feet in Western Oregon's mud and - against the advise of family and friends who couldn't believe they were leaving the 'safe life' of their jobs - packed their bags for a move to Oregon's beautiful Wallowa County. Here they began their lives as owners of a small motel in the heart of Enterprise, Oregon. They quickly found they enjoyed being self-employed and working together, and the lodging industry offered many opportunities to meet new friends. But, living in town was definitely NOT on Lerrina's list of "Things I Like To Do."

Therefore, after owning the motel for several years, they sold it and moved their family back into the country - in fact, as far into the country as they could while keeping within a half-way reasonable driving distance to work. Craig picked up his hammer and nails and went back to building things while Lerrina picked up her pencils and paper and went back to the office.

Things went along smoothly until, one day, they suddenly stopped, took a good look around and said, "We never get to see each other!" And so, the process began again. The big question was, "What can we do which will allow us to spend more time together - as a family - allow us to maximize the skills we have, and allow us to live where we like?"

A small business seemed a possibility, but here Lerrina stood her ground. "I'm not moving back into town," she declared. While this limited the options a bit, it also gave more direction to their search. After much discussion, they settled on a resort. The "right" resort in the "right" place might just fit the bill. And the search began in earnest.

While their options in Wallowa County were greatly limited, surely they could find something elsewhere which would fit their criteria. But where? Oregon seemed the logical place since most of their family lived in the state. Here, again, Lerrina threw down the gauntlet. "I'm not moving back to the mud!" Poor Craig! Must he always deal with such a demanding wife? With a sigh of resignation he crossed out everything west of the Cascade Mountains. The search criteria had narrowed again.

A few months later it looked like they'd found the perfect place. Although situated slightly west of the Cascade Mountain's summit, the small resort sat close enough to the divide to take advantage of much of the eastern weather - i.e. more sun, less rain. Additionally, it was fairly centrally located between family and friends. Craig and Lerrina eagerly packed their bags, left the kids with grandparents, and traveled up the mountain to check it out.

Well, things only work out perfectly in fairy tales. The place was a 'dive'. Still undaunted - "Craig can fix this and repair that, and Lerrina has plenty of elbow grease left in the old arms" - they made on offer and returned home to await the owner's reply. Unfortunately, the more Lerrina thought about it, the less she liked it. The weather was still just a little too wet and a little too cloudy for 'perfection', and thoughts of the massive amount of work the cleaning alone would require, wore her out. But, what about that little resort she'd found on the Internet while researching resorts on Forest Service leases? It wasn't as big, but it sure looked interesting!

"One resort at a time," Craig sighed. "Besides, it's in Montana. We don't know a soul in Montana."

Well, the Oregon resort just wasn't meant to be. The day the realtor arrived with the Collins' offer, another party dropped by, looked over the resort, and made a better offer. "Good," came Lerrina's quick reply. "I didn't really want it anyway." Quickly shifting gears she said, "Do you want to go look at this other one?"

"Sure. We might as well," Craig replied, although he had serious reservations about the whole thing.

Of course, if Lerrina had taken the advise of the local realtor, they might never have made the trip. After showing Elk Lake to several parties who 'thought' they'd like to get 'off the beaten path' but really didn't want to be that far back in the woods, he was far from encouraging when Lerrina called to set up a showing. However, since they'd always preferred out of the way places, this was an added bonus in their books.

It only took one trip, and they fell in love. The beauty. The remoteness. The seclusion. The wildlife. The rustic decor and settings. Even the work which needed to be done - which, in this case, was challenging rather than overwhelming - was appealing. And so, contrary to their original plans; contrary to their families' wishes and desires; contrary to, maybe even their own logic, they made the move.

And, Elk Lake hasn't disappointed them one bit. Oh, the trip to town can get long, and the lack of close friends and family tugged at their hearts (especially at first), but Elk Lake has gotten under their skin. They can't imagine living anywhere else!