...........Authentic 18 foot Sioux Tipi handmade and painted by the artists at Nomadics Tipi Makers in Oregon. It overlooks Chloe's Lake, a 1.5 acre lake on a 23 acre forested parcel, 8 miles from the village of Woodstock.
The space
……..The photos show many details. The tipi and most of the furnishings are custom made: the tipi and liner, the bed and futon sofa bed, the round masonry fire place and pentagonal fire screen. The other photos are of the lake and the surrounding 23 acres. There is also a photo of an off the grid cabin that shares the 23 acres of the other side of the lake. The cabin is hidden in the forest so you do not see it from the Tipi.
.......The Sioux Tipi is off the grid. There as a small array of solar panels that charge a deep cycle battery in the tipi. That is enough for a CFL lamp. Our cell phone reception is fine there. There is not wifi.
……..The season is mid-April into early December. While it can be kept warm and cozy in winter - we have been fine overnight at 10 degrees, we feel many guests would not have the right gear nor sufficient winter camping experience to appreciate it, so we take it down and store it for winter. If you are coming early or late in the season, nights are likely to be chilly, and keeping the fire going is needed to keep warm and cozy . We have another Sioux Tipi nearly identical to this one 8 miles away, in Woodstock New York. Our tipi was written up in Yahoo travel in 2014 as "One of the 6 Best Tipis in the USA to Stay in."
………There is a small outbuilding – “Tipi Room” - about 100 feet from the tipi. That has electricity from the grid. It contains a small refrigerator, microwave, hot water heater, kitchen cabinets with supplies and spares, Inside the tipi room is a sink and toilet. There is an outside shower with hot and cold water. The guests of the cabin share the Tipi Room facilities and the Sioux Tipi guests share the well, canoe and floating dock, described below. The Tipi Room is not heated, so when the temperature is first forecast to go significantly below freezing, the water must be shut off and the pipes drained until spring, or the pipes would freeze and break. So from some date in late October or early November until the weather warms up - late April or early May - there is no running water or toilet. There is running water from a well year around, explained below. Without the toilet, it’s more like camping - there’s lots of woods for privacy.
………Outside, overlooking the lake, there is a large canopy with a picnic table under it. The canopy must be taken down before the first snowfall, so it’s up May until some time in October. There's an outdoor fireplace next to the canopy that has a grill for cooking. We supply seasoned firewood Across the lake, you will see a floating dock. That is shared with the cabin guests. It has a ladder for access to swim in the lake without having to wade in. There is a nice lightweight Kevlar canoe. It’s use is shared with the guests of the cabin. Paddles are in the tipi room. The cabin guests have their own set of paddles. There may be a cable locking the canoe to a tree – if so, the combination is 9-2-7-7
………There is a drilled well on the other side of the lake - we email a map of the 23 acres if you book, it is a short walk from the tipi. That well has a submersible pump powered by solar electric. The well is winterized, so it operates all year around. At the well head is a small "pumphouse" about 18 inches square. Inside it is a switch. Turn on the switch to get water.
………Supplies provided include firewood, basic cooking pots, pans, plates cups, glasses and utensils, plus salt, pepper, cooking oil,, bathroom tissue, dish detergent, trash bags, and spare propane tanks for the camp stove. In addition to bedding and towels, we recommend you bring matches, a flashlight, and newspaper [or fire starter fluid] to start the campfire. We son't leave paper towels for guests because mice qickly make a mess with them. There is a 2 burner Coleman propane camp cook stove in case you wish to cook without making a fire. The mattress in the tipi is a double, plus there is a futon couch that folds down to make a twin bed, if you have more than 2 people. [The futon is a twin size, less than a double, but can accommodate 2 people - snugly.] As this is camping, you will need to bring your bedding and towels. There are quilts and pillows supplied, so you needn’t bring those. As we do not live nearby, we cannot do "housekeeping" for the tipi after each guest. We must rely on guests to respect the next camper and leave the tipi, the dishes, bed, etc. clean and tidy, and to take all trash and put in the receptacles. There are trash and recycling cans at the beginning of the road in to the property.
……..We do check out the tipi every month or so, but that is no substitute for guests preparing the tipi and grounds for the next guest before they leave. We have several retreats we share, and two others that are off the grid and not near our home. We have dealt with them the same way successfully for years. Most guests who choose to stay in a tipi or off the grid cabin seem to be considerate and leave them shipshape. 95% of the time it works fine, but once in a while there's an inconsiderate guest. If you encounter that rare case, and it’s not up to snuff, we ask that you please take care of it, let us know, and we will compensate you for your time.
If you’re not prepared to leave the tipi clean and shipshape for the next guests, please don’t consider booking this Sioux tipi.
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Note added 2024: The “Tipi Room” is where the small fridge, microwave, and spare supplies are, for both the Sioux tipi and Chloe’s Cabin. It also has a sink, ourdoor shower, and flush toilet. Since it is not heated, from some time in late October or early November until April, the water is turned off, since otherwise it would freeze and break the pipes. When the water there is shut off, the well near the cabin is the water supply for guests. That is winterized so water is available year-round. The Tipi Room formerly was just a rough shed, it is functional, not beautiful.
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…… .For the past 30 years, this property has been one of our favorite retreats.
……..Following is a note sent to us by guests who spent a week at the cabin on the other side of the lake, with helpful information about getting to the property if you don't have a car.
.------For anyone without a car, the bus from NYC to Saugerties is excellent, the Saugerties Stagecoach Taxi was reasonably priced.. We brought enough food for 7 days in our backpacks, no problem.” [Note: If you don't bring all the food you need with you, there's a small market within walking distance that's shown on the topo map we send]
………A prospective guest asked some questions and I copy them and our reply below:
1) Is it safe there? (I mean, are there any strangers and/or any dangerous animals around?) 2) Is the lake swimmable?
Answers:
………It is safe around here. No dangerous animals. We have seen bears a few times on the property, but they are not dangerous. Lots of wildlife, we have seen over the years wild turkey, great blue heron, geese on migration, green heron, ducks, foxes, and deer, until a few years ago, there was a resident beaver family, and the lake has sunnies and bass. [Update for June 2020 - the beaver family is back! After an absence of a decade, we were delighted to see beavers again, swimming in the lake. We assume they will build a lodge and have a family there. There are sizable bass in the lake. One of the photos a guest sent to us shows the one he caught It is advisable not to leave food or anything outside or inside the tipi that would attract bears - store such things overnight in the Tipi Room or in your vehicle. Is it swimable? The “swimability” varies with the time of year. For us, it is swimable, whenever the water is warm enough. We often use flotation devices [little inner tubes or rafts one can buy for a few dollars] In the fall through spring, up until some time in June or so, it is clear and "lake-like." Sometime starting in June, watermeal grows. Watermeal is a plant with a tiny pinhead size leaf. It floats on the surface of the water. When there’s a breeze, it blows to the edge of the lake and the surface is clear of it. If there is no wind, it spreads over the lake. Some people wouldn't choose to swim in it, but we do. The lake maintains a thermocline all summer, that is, while the surface water gets warm, the deeper water, a bit below the surface, stays cool - having a thermocline is one of the differences that distinguish a lake from a pond. If a body of water is not deep enough, it cannot keep the thermocline. The best place to swim is from the ladder on the floating dock..
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..............The property is owned by Matlacha Properties LLC. Chloe Dresser and Andrew Peck work as caretakers.
